Page 73 of Breaking Point
GRAYSON
yes and you’re not meant to be stealingmy food anymore
go to the damn grocery store
KIERAN ASHFORD
they don’t sell Bella’s blueberry muffins
GRAYSON
you took her muffins?????
now you’re dead
My jaw is unhinged, practically on the floor as Bella jumps up and down, whooping and hollering. “Suck it, Crawford!”
Forty-two to eighty-one.
I have no qualms about losing to a woman, let alone a beautiful one at that, but I didn’t just lose, I wasannihilated.
I point an accusatory finger at her gloating form. “You conned me.”
She laughs, the sound light and airy. “I did no such thing! You were the cocky bastard who didn’t ask if I’ve ever played basketball.” She turns away from me, taking the roll of tickets she favored over another stuffed animal.
Placing my hands on my hips, I ask, “Okay, have you ever played basketball?”
Facing me again, she grins wickedly. “I did in fact. Competitively. All throughout high school.”
“You swindled me.”
She shrugs innocently, batting her lashes at me. “You said hockey was all about reflexes. I thought you would be able to hold your own.”
My eyes narrow playfully. “You’re sneaky.”
“And you need to ask more questions.” I’m about to, but she holds up her hand. “But first, it’s my turn to poke around in that head of yours.”
Leading us away from my demise, I wink. “Ask away.”
She peers at me out of the corner of her eye, her cheeks still flushed from all the jumping she did in her celebration. “How deep are we going?”
“As deep as it takes to”—I check our surroundings, thankful we’vewalked down a line of stalls that are deserted—“convince those around us.” I don’t need to say what, she knows. There’s no point risking someone overhearing us.
She’s pensive for a moment, her gaze raking over the stalls filled with children’s games. “Why are you going to such lengths to stay on a team that wants to trade you?”
I must flinch because her eyes soften, and I can see the apology on the tip of her tongue.
“It’s all right,” I say quickly. My shoulders rise and drop with the deep breath I take. I need to tell her about Drew at some point, because as mygirlfriendshe would know. But I don’t want her to look at me with pity. Or judgment. I don’t want her to tread around me like I’m made of glass. I don’t want her to treat me differently.
So, I choose to dance around it. “I lost something last year, something that meant the world to me, and I don’t want to lose anything else.” She looks down at our feet, walking in sync despite our height differences. “IceHawks are my family. I’ve been with the team since the beginning of my career. I’ve grown up with these men. They’re not just teammates, they’re…everything to me.”
She’s nodding along, allowing me space to show such vulnerability that it has heat sizzling my cheeks. Stopping abruptly, she faces me, her neck craning back despite the heeled boots she wears. “I’ll do what I can to help.”
A small smile spreads across my face, along with a warmth in my chest that I don’t dare try and identify. “Thank you,” I say softly. Continuing on, I slide my hands in my pockets and ask, “What changed your mind?”
“About the arrangement?” she asks.
I dip my head, seeing something flicker in her gaze. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought it was sadness. But it’s gone as quickly as it arrived, and replacing it are her solid walls.
