Page 67 of Nodus Tollens
Out of nowhere, a body came barreling in front of me. A short, small body. Luckily, I was able to dodge it completely, but in doing so, I was sent crashing down on my side. It all happened in a flash, but all I could concentrate on was the shouts of my heroic hockey player coming to my rescue.
16
HAYES
Fuck, she fell down hard.
She was trying to be cute. Trying to show off for me when she knew it was probably a shit idea, but she did it anyway. God, I wanted to kiss the hell out of her for being so careless. Though I knew this was what she needed, a little fun, a little impulsiveness. I couldn’t help but worry about her. I knew nothing about her heart condition and what might send her spiraling into something worse. And the idea of me causing it made me sick with fear.
Then the worst thing that could happen, happened.
A snot-nosed kid came out of nowhere and threw her off balance, and being the kind of girl she is, she saved him by completely throwing herself to the side, where she landed directly on her hip. A growl reverberated from the depths of my throat, and like a wild man, I rushed to her aide with an explosion of distress wreaking havoc on my heart. I was at her side in seconds, assessing her injuries and if I’d have to take her to the hospital.
“Jesus, Blue. Please tell me you’re okay.” I reached for her arms and slowly pulled her off her hip, and as soon as I lifted her, she flinched.
“I’m fine, just a little sore.” Her teeth clenched as I gradually pulled her onto her feet with an arm safely secured around her waist.
“Are you sure? You fell down pretty hard.” I brushed away some blonde strands of hair that were hanging in her face and rubbed away a lone tear that was falling down her cheek.
Dammit.
“I’m more embarrassed than anything.” She groaned. “I can’t believe I did that…” She shook her head while wincing from the pain.
Alright, time to go.
“Hey, man, is your girl alright? I saw her take a nasty fuckin’ spill over there.” A guy came out of nowhere and eyed Wren from head to toe, causing my back to straighten. I could appreciate the concern, but the way he was staring at her made my hold on her tighten.
“Yeah, man, she’s good now.”
As you can fuckin’ see, with my arms around her.
I nodded, and when his stare shifted toward me, recognition flashed in his eyes because they lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Wait a second, I know you!” He rubbed at the back of his head as if he was trying to remember my name. With narrowed eyes on me, it took him a moment. I almost told him I had other crap to worry about when he interrupted me. “You’re Hayes Decker, right?” He shouted.
“That’s me.” I nodded, feeling slightly uneasy about being noticed in front of Wren. It was easier when I was alone or out with the guys, but with her, I didn’t want to be a hockey player.
I just wanted to be Blue’s boyfriend.
“Fuck yeah! It’s nice to meet you, man. I’m a huge fan.”
I didn’t want to be an asshole and brush him off, but I couldn’t just stand here and shoot the shit with some guy I didn’t know while Blue stood here in pain. I felt bad enough for letting her get hurt.
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” I said. “But I need to get my girl off the ice and have her looked at.”
The guy went from looking excited to giving me an understanding nod.
“Oh yeah, no problem. Go do what you gotta do.” He waved me on past him, and with a short nod of thanks, I pulled us towards the rink’s entrance and finally got her out of there.
“Hayes, I don’t need to be looked at.” She grumbled. “At the most, I’ll get a bruise.”
Regardless, I needed to look at her hip just to reassure myself that she was okay.
“Will you at least let me look and decide whether or not you’ll need to go get it looked at by a doctor?” I begged, pulling her along with me until I could sit her down on a bench where I could look her over. “The ice can be ruthless on the body, trust me. I’ve fallen on my ass, legs, you name it. I just want to be sure, for my sake, that you’re okay.” I pleaded.
With her sitting and me standing in front of her knees, she stared for a moment, contemplating, then, with a nod of her head, she gave me consent.
“Thank you.” I breathed in relief. Then lowering myself onto the ground, I shuffled my knees across the carpeted floor until I had a good view of her lower half. I honestly didn’t expect another chance to be on my knees in front of her, and the second my eyes landed on her lacey tights, my heart went hurtling. Underneath the black pattern, I could make out her pale milky skin, and like I was in a trance, I found my stare lingering on her leg until a throat clearing interrupted me.
