3. Axel

3

AXEL

The guys bump my shoulder laughing, thinking this is all a joke or they could just be assholes, but I've never done anything like this before. The hockey world, shit, the media knows I'm hush-hush about everything. The crowd boos, but laugh too, thinking it's a stunt.

However, my woman wouldn't take Rita up on my offer to meet me after the game. After catching her disappointment after the latest altercation with Malek, I need her to see I'm a nice guy—okay, a little grumpy, but still nice. When she doesn't accept my offer, I have to get her attention somehow. Looking at her beautiful face and the uncomfortable awkwardness I put her in, I want to take it back, but it's done now .

"Oh, the little puck bunny thinks she's too good for you, huh?" Malek smirks as he faces me. "Don't worry. We all know she is. I'll remind her of that when I'm railing her later."

Once again, I'm going from zero to red in no time flat. I can take a ton of shit talk but going on about her that's not a fucking option. The next round starts, and I home in on Malek. I've never skated so fast in my life, and I'm not holding anything back now. I shove him hard to where he falls, skate circles around him, and block the next player from going after our forward. I don't see Malek, but I feel him as he slams into me from behind. I snarl and thrust my right arm back and gut-check him with my elbow, and we're locked around each other as we shove each other and slam against the wall.

We keep hitting each other, and this time, I have Malek shoved up against it, but when I look over my shoulder, two of the other team players are skating hard toward me, and I can't move fast enough. They slam into me and shove me against the wall. I lose my breath, and they fall back. My helmet loosens, and they slam into me again. My helmet falls off. The back of my head slams against the plexiglass, and it knocks me good to where everything shows as doubles, and then I fall hard onto the ice, and my head slams again against it.

Everything's black.

All I can picture is my woman mouthing no and shaking her head.

My head throbs and I can feel my hair growing, if possible. I groan and move a little.

"He's waking up," a voice shouts, and I wince and want to scream at the asshole who's yelling at the top of his lungs.

I slowly open my gaze as the blinding lights of the arena have me squinting. The crowd cheers as the medical team, the coaches, and my teammates surround me. And I wish everybody would fucking shut up.

"Axel, follow my finger." Dr. Emma Mitchell, our team's doctor, puts a penlight to my eyes and then moves her hand back and forth. "We need to get him a head scan and get him out of here. His head has to be killing him. He's got a concussion."

Damn straight, my head is killing me.

"Wait. Do you think she'll go out with me now?" I ask, and everybody around me chuckles. I don't get why they're laughing. It's a legitimate question. I mean, I'll take the sympathy date, shit, a sympathy introduction if I can just meet her. She's bound to feel this insane connection between us. I mean, I can't be alone in it, right?

"Tell you what, Romeo, we'll bring her to the medical room before we take you by ambulance."

I groan. "Can't you just take care of me, doc?"

"Nope. You're going to the hospital."

I try to stand but fall back while everybody yells at me to sit my ass down, and what the fuck do I think I'm doing. I lay back and rest my head on the ice, which makes my head feel a little better.

They load me onto the gurney, and the medical staff and teammates lead me off the ice. I wave my hand in the air to show I'm okay. The rumors will have me lying on death's door if I don't show any sign of life.

I hear Rita arguing with somebody about bringing my woman to me. Rita's demanding that they take me straight to the hospital, but I'm refusing, saying I won't go until I can talk to her.

I compromise and say, "I'll wait in the ambulance, but if you fucking move an inch, I'll roll my happy ass out of the back of that thing."

Doc keeps checking my vitals when the sweetest voice I've ever heard comes in through the back doors.

"I can't believe he's delaying going to the hospital." She sounds like an angel, an irritated angel. Her voice doesn't hurt my head. It's more of a soothing balm.

"Tell me about it, but one thing about Axel is he's a fucking mule."

The cutest little woman crawls into the back of the ambulance, and she shyly smiles at Dr. Mitchell and glares at me, but I can't help but give her the biggest smile I've ever dawned in my life.

"Hello, gorgeous."

"You have some nerve. You could be dying right now, for all we know. You have a head injury, and you're playing around with seeking medical attention."

"I'm not playing around. I needed to meet you. I mean, you sensed the connection. I know you did. You're it for me, woman. You're my woman."

I hear Rita snicker behind my woman, and Dr. Mitchell chokes back a cough.

"I'm not your woman. We've never met before, and you've obviously hit your head one too many times."

"Nope. I just got some sense knocked into me, gorgeous. You're mine. You'll find out soon enough. Now kiss me so I'll be all better. Leave your number with Rita. I'll go to the hospital and get this squared away, and I'll call you."

The woman's big eyes pop open wide and take up about half her face, and I can't help thinking how fucking cute she is and how much I'm already in love with her.

A belly laugh hits my ears, and my woman blushes even more.

"Shit, I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yeah, Romeo, you did." Dr. Mitchell laughs.

"Can I have a kiss?"

"What? No."

"Pretty please, with cherries on top."

She gets bright red like a cherry, and my interest is piqued even more. She's young, far younger than what I usually go for, and I wonder if I'm as lucky as I think I am in wondering if she's ever been with a man. Fuck, I've been celibate for going on ten years now. Being with her will be the most beautiful thing in the world. If I'm her only, I'll be in heaven for sure, but I'll still love her with everything I have, even if she's been with other men. I just can't think about it.

"I'm not going to kiss you."

"Shame, then I guess I'm not going to the hospital. "

"You fool. You can't just guilt me into kissing you."

"Yup, I can. I'm doing it." I gaze at her lips, or what I think are her lips because there are two sets of them, but they're plump and shiny, and my cock hardens at getting a taste. "Kiss me, gorgeous. What if I die? I want your lips to be the last thing I think about before I head towards the light."

Laughter echoes around us, but I ignore them all. Her beauty captures my full attention.

"I'm not going to kiss you. Or date you. You are going to the hospital to be taken care of."

"Nope, again. God, I have to make you mine. You're so beautiful to me." Then I start singing Joe Cocker's famous song at the top of my lungs, and it's like nails scratching along the chalkboard, but I don't care. This song lets her know how I see her.

People join in behind the ambulance, and I really start to sing it with feeling, even though I think I'm about to be sick and everything spins.

"Oh my God, you're relentless." Then the softest, sweetest lips descend on mine, everything in the world turns right side up, and my heart's about to explode from my chest.

"No, don't stop, don't ever stop," I mumble as she lifts lips from mine, and I pass out cold.

The past few days have been torture. I'm on medical leave, with multiple doctor appointments and round o'clock care. Dr. Mitchell comes over twice a day, and the worst thing is I can't get ahold of my woman. I still don't know her name, and everybody's holding it hostage until I do all my medical requirements because when I woke up in the hospital, I wasn't cooperating. I wanted my gorgeous girl back.

I frown when I spot Jilly, my fucking nursemaid, sitting on the couch as I come out of my bedroom. She's the round o'clock care the team insisted I have. She's a nice enough girl, a little too bubbly for my taste, but I live in a hotel suite, and there's not much space, so she's there wherever I turn, and it's getting old, especially when I've never lived with anybody my whole adult life.

Then the sweet, melodic voice of my gorgeous girl hits my eardrums, and I'm humming back to life in no time. Along with a hard-on that I hope Jilly overlooks. But first, I need to figure out what she's watching.

"Jilly? What are you watching?"

She startles and stands quickly. I wave for her to sit down. And I come up behind the couch to hide my hard-on and to get a better view of her screen.

"Oh, it's this influencer I follow. Being a bigger girl, I like what she represents. She's curvy too and has all the best advice on where to shop, the best workouts, the best recipes, and she's really big on self-love. I can't get enough of her." Jilly looks over her shoulder and slyly smiles at me. "I think you should follow her."

I gaze at my gorgeous girl as she's paused on the screen with a bright smile and sparkling eyes.

I knew there was something about Jilly. She's a sweet young woman who deserves a raise.

My phone dings and Jilly smiles. "I sent you a link. I have a feeling she'll really help you heal and not be in such a grumpy slump."

"Grumpy slump?" I lift my brow.

She smiles and shrugs her shoulders, and I smile.

"Thanks, Jilly. I think I'm going to rest now."

"I think that's best." She winks and goes back to scrolling her phone.

I laugh, shuffle back to my room, and close the door. I have a date with my gorgeous girl. I open the link, and there's Brina Slade —finally, I know her name.

I spend the rest of the day and evening watching her videos, looking at her pictures, and reading some comments. She's so kind and generous, but there are a few times I want to grab my car keys, make some house call visits, and beat some manners into some people.

But I don't. I can't go around beating everybody up who says one bad thing to my girl as much as it pains me not to.

It's two in the morning, and I finally get the courage to follow her and send her a message. I'm usually cool as ice, but my palms are sweaty this time, and I don't know if I can handle another rejection from her. However, that kiss. Her eyes. Her smile. The way I know deep down I need her, I'll never stop pursuing her. She's mine, and I'm hers. I need to get her to see that.