AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Watching your man dominate the ice, lead his teammates, and demonstrate his strength as he shoves people into the boards has me feeling warm beneath my coat despite the chilly temperature.
I’m enjoying myself until a man stands a few feet away near the entrance, leaning against the frame as he watches the men skate around.
He’s one of those people who instantly give off a bad feeling, almost like a warning siren.
“Elio Mazzo, the most overhyped athlete on this planet,” he mutters.
I glare at him, instantly on the defensive for my man.
“He’s not a legend. He’s weak for not returning to the game, fucking coward.” He shakes his head, his eyes glued to Elio on the ice as he talks to himself.
I’ve always had a defensiveness in me to protect the ones I love, unable to keep my mouth shut when it comes to defending them. “He’s one of the most talented athletes the sport has seen, actually,” I speak up, my voice strong and assertive.
The man turns his head to look at me, his eyes lighting up at my words like he wanted to argue with anyone who would listen. “The only thing he was talented at was sticking his dick in all those women.”
Fury fills my veins, causing me to stand and walk right over to him. “He’s more than the media made him out to be. He’s kind, smart, and generous. You should try it sometime.”
“What makes you think you know anything? A woman is trying to tell me about the sport’s greatest failure? Fuck off.” He spits, literally spits in my face.
I stumble back from the shock of it, my back meeting a hard chest. Elio quickly moves in front of me, still on his skates, and he lunges at the man, knocking him to the ground with one punch that connects with his nose.
“You ever touch or even look at my girl the wrong way again, and you’ll be leaving on a stretcher,” he snaps, hovering over the man.
His friends pull Elio back, the others picking the man up and escorting him out of the arena, his bloody nose and all.
“Fucking piece of shit,” he shouts, yanking his helmet off and tossing it on the ground.
“Bro, chill. He’s not worth it. Let it go,” his friend tells him, yanking Elio’s shoulders to stop him from following them.
I wipe my cheek, feeling the sudden need to throw up at having this man’s saliva on me. I run over to the nearest trash can, doing exactly that. Elio’s warmth surrounds me, his hand holding my hair back. Once I’m done, I look up at him, seeing the anger that’s swirling in his irises, his jaw set more tightly than I’ve ever seen it before.
“Are you okay? What the hell happened?” he asks, his voice much softer than his face right now.
“I’m okay, but disgusted.” I wipe my cheek once more, needing a shower to erase his grime from my skin. “He was talking badly about you, and I couldn’t take it. I defended you and he didn’t like that.”
Elio’s rage lessens slightly, but not much as he frowns at me. “Dolcezza, I don’t care what people say about me. I love that you wanted to protect me, but you put yourself at risk. Who knows what he was capable of? Don’t do anything like that again, understand?”
I nod, not arguing with him because he’s right. But the feelings overtook me, surprising me because while I’ve been defensive over my friends before, it’s never felt as intense as it just did. It was primal almost, an instinct to protect the man I love so fiercely.
Now I need to work up the courage to say it to him.
I take a quick shower at the hotel Elio booked for us, changing into the outfit I planned to wear tonight.
I’m wearing black skinny jeans with a cream-colored sweater that hangs off of one shoulder, with boots to match. My curls are loose, my face free of makeup except for a pale pink lipstick.
Elio took a while to calm down, and when I attempted to apologize, he told me not to because it wasn’t my fault. He’s right, so I’m trying to let it go and not feel bad for what happened.
He didn’t let go of me the entire car ride, in the hotel and up to our room. The only time he did was to let me shower, since he had to call his mom to let her know we’d be a few minutes late.
I’m never late, so it’s stressing me out that we are, but I needed a shower desperately after that incident.
I exit the bathroom, seeing Elio sitting on the edge of the bed with his face in his hands. I walk over to him, stepping into the space between his legs. I cradle his face with my hands, bringing his gaze up to mine.
There’s pain etched all over his face as he looks at me.
“I’m okay, babe.” My voice is silvery, running my fingers over his beard soothingly.
“You know, I thought being injured and retiring was the worst moment of my life. But then to witness that man trying to hurt you, it made me realize that nothing would ever compare to that feeling. Seeing that, it fucking crushed me.” He blows out a breath and leans into my touch. “I love you so much, dolcezza. I won’t let anything happen to you. I can’t. You’re everything, my whole heart.” His voice cracks on his last words.
