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I wipe my thumbs under them, glad that holding her has kept my hands warm. She gazes into me and blows out a slow breath.
“Damon, I love you.”
For maybe the first time ever, everything inside of me goes still. And the only thing echoing back at me through all the silence is… fear.
Not for me, for her. Because I’m not good enough for this woman, and I never will be. She’s too brilliant for me. Too innocent and selfless.
What could I ever give her? Myself?
What a great deal. An alpha who can’t even read. Who can’t really work.
What will happen when I have to retire from hockey? The oldest guy on our team is only thirty-one, and he’s nearing retirement. That gives me maybe five years? If I’m lucky.
But I’ve always been lucky.
And I’ve always figured shit out when my back is up against the wall.
I don’t give up. And I’m not giving up on this. Never on this.
Her lips quirk up slightly, but her eyes fill. Waiting. She’s waiting for me to grow some balls and tell her how I feel back.
I nudge my nose against hers. “You’re too smart not to know that I love you, too, right? You know that?”
Her breath quivers. “You do?”
“Sweetness,” I whisper, brushing my lips over hers. “I didn’t even know I could love someone like this. I—” My voice drops lower. “You smile at me, and I’m all in, Remi. You and me, no matter what. I’m all in for you.”
Tears stream down her cheeks, but her pink, perfect lips spread into the exact smile that lights my soul up. “All in,” she whispers, still grinning. “I like that.”
I grab her, spinning us both as I skate in a circle. Her laugh floats up into the eaves, reverberating off the empty arena. Reminding me that we’re here all alone.
And, fuck, do I want her. She’s never smelled quite this sweet—quite this happy—before.
It isn’t her perfume or anything sensual, but it’s joyful. And her joy makes me want to be close to her in a whole new way.
When she clamps her cold little hands on either side of my face and pulls me into a kiss, I’m glad we’ve never been here before. Because we may be in the middle of a hockey rink during the middle of the day, but when her tongue timidly strokes into my mouth, I know she wants the same thing I do.
And it’s so much more than fucking.
She pulls back, her eyes wide and full of feeling. “Are you sure?” I murmur, then flash a crooked smile. “Here?!”
Remi giggles, the sound rewiring my brain. “As if you wouldn’t be up for it, Trouble.”
I skate her cute, bratty little ass toward the exit before thinking better of it. When I turn abruptly, a shrieking laugh peals out of her.
“Where are we going?”
“Well, I have it on good authority that you like to act like a good omega, but you’re actually a very naughty girl. So I’m going to have to put you in the penalty box.”
We skate right up to it, gliding to a halt at the entrance. The box is tight, with just barely enough room for what I have in mind. And so what if I bruise my shoulders and my knees?
For her? Bring on the bruises.
She lets me set her on the narrow bench seat, her eyes flashing mischief at me as she tilts her head in a coy challenge. “What’s my penalty?”
See?
Cassian can treat her like glass, and Smith can buy her as many frilly dresses as he wants, but I’ve always known better. This omega has a naughty side. And I’m going to be the man to bring it out of her.
