23. Chapter 23

"Logan, you look sloppy," Coach Carl barks out, forcing me to bite back the things I want to say.

Tripp, Jace, and the rest of the team have been running through our drills, and everything worked great. However, every time I block a puck, Coach Carl yells at me.

I have no idea what has crawled up his ass, but I'm getting tired of taking the brunt of his anger. I'm sore enough from our morning workout session, and I don't need him busting my balls right now, especially, when I need to talk to Sawyer later.

"Damn, what is wrong with Coach?" Tripp asks, as he stops next to me.

"I don't know, but he's trying to kill me, I think," I mutter.

"Stop talking and get back to practice!" Coach Carl roars out.

We all glance around, and even Topher and the other coaching staff seem unsure about Coach's attitude. The conference tournament games begin tomorrow. We need to practice, but not to the point of destroying our bodies and spirits.

"Hey, Coach. Everything okay?" I ask, skating toward him. My goalie pads are heavy against my body, but I push through the exhaustion.

He doesn't even look my way. He's reading something on his phone as he says, "Logan, you are the last person I want to talk to right now. Get back to practice, or you will be benched for tomorrow's game," he quips before storming off.

What the hell just happened? I'm stunned and speechless as I stand on the ice, the rest of the team working around me. Shaking my head, I skate back to the others and prepare myself for hell on earth during the rest of practice.

***

After a grueling two-hour practice, I'm soaking in an ice bath.

Coach never spoke to me for the rest of practice, and truthfully, I was happy about it. I've done a lot to piss him off since I've been on the team, but never has he spoken to me with such disdain before.

"Logan, are you in here?" I hear Ashlynn's voice from the locker room door.

"Yeah," I called back.

Ashlynn rushes inside the locker room. The rest of the guys left after practice finished to eat and relax. A few were even going to hit up some of the casinos. Since we are only here for the conference, the coaches don't want us out partying in Las Vegas. However, a few of us have still found a way to have a little fun.

"Logan, what are you doing?" she asks breathlessly.

"Your dad tried to kill me during practice. I'm trying to salvage my muscles," I sigh.

Ashlynn shakes her head, and I see tears form in her eyes. She looks upset, and I instantly regret talking about her dad.

"Hey, it's okay," I say, moving to stand out of the ice bath. "I can handle a tough practice."

Ashlynn's eyes follow my body as I step out of the bath. I'm wearing shorts, but my abs are on full display, and it's clear as day that she likes what she sees.

"That's not it," she cries. "This morning, I left your hotel room, and my dad caught me. He thinks –," she shakes her head, exhaling a heavy breath. "I don't know what he thinks, but I need to talk to him, and I need to talk to you."

Her words cause me to stumble backward. Fuck me. Of course, Coach Carl was being a dick to me. He thinks I fucked his daughter, and she was doing a walk of shame this morning. I mean, I have fucked his daughter – many, many times– but not last night. I helped her out, but he doesn't know that. Lying and trying to keep secrets is just too much. I can't handle this anymore.

"What are we going to do?" I ask.

"I'm going to talk to him tonight, but you and I need to talk, too. I have to finish a few things with Sawyer, but we need to clear everything up."

She looks broken, and I hate what this has all done to her.

"What are you going to say to your dad?" I question.

I don't want to push her, but it's time to come clean with everyone. We haven't put a label on what we are doing, but I want the world to know that she is mine. I'm done with hiding our relationship. I love this woman.

"I don't know. I care about you a lot, but we haven't really talked about it." She bites her lip in worry, and it's the cutest thing ever.

I step toward her, closing the distance between us. She sucks in a breath but places her hands on my abs.

"I'm done hiding what we have. I care about you, too. In fact, I'm in love with you," I tell her, my heart beating frantically.

"Logan, there are still things you don't know about me. When you hear what I have to say, you may not –"

I cut her off by crushing my lips against hers. I don't know how she doesn't see it yet. There isn't anything about this girl that would deter me. I want all of her, even her demons.

"I don't care what you have done in your past. All I care about is us now and our future. Do you love me?"

"Of course, I love you," she squeals, wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me again.

"Are we really doing this?" Her whisper was a mix of daring and vulnerability.

"Only if you"re sure," I reply, my voice rough like gravel yet tender.

"I"ve never been more sure of anything," she responded, her gaze locked onto mine with a fierce certainty.

Our lips met again, at first tentative but growing bolder with each heartbeat. This was different. We were different. Clothes became a quiet cascade to the floor, a trail of fabric marking the path of our impromptu celebration. Right now, we were on a high from our declaration of love, knowing that we no longer had to hide from the world. Still, we held a fear of what Coach Carl would do once everything was in the open. Time slowed, and all I could think about was being inside Ashlynn.

"What if someone comes in here?" Ashlynn asks, as I back her up to the lockers.

"Then let them come in. We are done hiding!" I roar, thrusting myself into her.

Every touch was an exploration, a statement of trust and a testament to the bond weshared. I started out rough but quickly turnedgentle yet passionate, a balance that spoke volumes of my respect and admiration for Ashlynn. She matched me, move for move, her hands roaming over the landscape of my toned muscles, sculpted from hours on the ice.

"Tomorrow..." Ashlynn began, but Ipressed a finger to her lips.

"Let tomorrow worry about itself," I said, my eyes alight with a mischievous spark that mirrored her own.

"Tonight is ours," she finished for me, her voice barely above a whisper.

And as we joined once more, it wasn"t just our bodies that intertwined, but our hopes, fears, and dreams. We moved together, cresting waves of passion that crashed over us, relentless and liberating. Her moans only turned me on more, igniting a fire deep inside of me. In those stolen moments, nothing else mattered—not the game, the team, or the looming conversation I needed to have with Ashlynn and the one she needed to have with Coach Carl. There was only us, letting the world fade away until all that remained was the beat of two hearts racing as one.