Page 89 of Fake Out Hearts

I hesitate, knowing if I don’t ask now, I’ll lose my chance. But I don’t want to dampen this moment, either.

Silence falls between us for a moment, and then he adds, “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

I bite my lip, nerves overtaking the relaxed feeling that filled my body after our intense sex. Finally, I let out a quiet sigh and turn to face him.

“What did Shawn say to you about me?” I whisper.

Theo’s expression softens. Reaching up, he gently tugs my lower lip free from my teeth, brushing his thumb over it.

“It doesn’t matter,” he tells me, his voice serious. “There’s nothing anyone could say that would change the way I feel about you. Not a single. Damn. Thing.”

I smile, leaning in to kiss him, but my stomach twists a little even as my lips move against his.

Because I don’t think that’s true.

Chapter 27

Theo

I soar across the ice like there’s zero friction between it and my skates. We’re running drills for practice, and maybe it’s because I’m still riding the high of our last win against the Prowlers, but I’m playing like I’m at the top of my game again.

Even Coach Dunaway notices.

“Good work today, Camden!” he shouts as I breeze past the bench and gear up for another shot at Grant, who even through his grated face mask looks exhausted from trying to defend against me.

When Becca first came to live with me, I was probably at my lowest point. And it was even more of a struggle because of how distracted I felt all the time, even when she wasn’t around. The tension just wouldn’t stop building between us, and it was spilling over into pretty much every facet of my life—just like Noah warned me not to let happen.

But everything seems to have changed lately. I’m playing better than I have in months lately, and it makes me feel great. Now that my no-sex rule with Becca is firmly out the window, the chemistry between us isn’t a distraction at all. If anything, it only makes me play harder and better because I know I’ll get the best kind of reward for it.

She’s like my fucking muse. I don’t know exactly what it is about her, but she inspires me to play harder. I can’t lie, I fuckingloveworking up a sweat on the ice and then going home to play with her and Milo or working a sweat up all over again by fucking Becca.

And things are going well for her too. Surprising no one, she got the job at that dance academy she interviewed at a couple weeks ago. I’m a little bummed that means I won’t get to spend as much time with her, but I’m glad for her sake that she’ll have something that will inspire her too. And that will hopefully help her make some friends and start to feel more like she belongs here in Denver with me.

Dunaway blows the whistle, signaling the end of practice, and I realize I haven’t been paying a lick of attention since I skated by him a few minutes ago. The rest of the guys pile off the ice, so I follow them back into the locker room to change and get cleaned up. After a shower, I grab my phone out of my locker and find a few texts from Becca.

BECCA: Hey, not that you need it, but good luck with practice today!

BECCA: Btw, I’m going to run some errands after I leave the studio today. So if you get home before me, I already took Milo out for his walk.

BECCA: And don’t forget we got him those new treats. You can give him one when you get home! *heart emoji*

I smile, my gaze lingering on the little heart at the end of the last text.

“You’re grinning at your phone like an idiot, bro,” Reese calls, jarring me away from the screen.

I shrug, rolling my eyes at him across the locker room. “Yeah? So what?”

He smirks. “Just an observation. You seem really happy these days. I’m glad for you.”

“Oh. Thanks.” I clear my throat, rubbing a hand over the back of my neck. “Honestly, things are going really well. I’ve got my groove back on the ice, and I’ve got a great girl and an awesome dog. What more could a guy want?”

Reese laughs and nods, although he’s wearing an amused look. “I’m happy for you. Although I’ve gotta say, I didn’t think I’d ever hear those words coming from you.”

“Is that a good or a bad thing?”

He shrugs. “Neither. Like I said, just an observation. I feel like we haven’t had a guys’ night in forever. Who’s down to fix that?” He addresses that last part to the whole room, and it seems to get everyone’s attention.

“You’re damn right,” Maxim chimes in as he towels himself off on a nearby bench. “What happened to our regular poker nights anyway?”

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