It started with Leo, a kiss that turned into something unexpected. Something explosive. It wasn’t supposed to be more than a one-night thing.
But then Ford entered the picture. Ford, with his quiet intensity, and then Asher with his easy-going nature.
Asher’s hand slips over mine, breaking me from my thoughts, pulling me back into the present. I can feel the weight of what’s to come pressing in on me, but he’s here. Not just physically, but emotionally too.
He’s not running from this, even when everything feels like it’s about to fall apart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Leo
The game replaysflicker on my laptop screen, each clip more satisfying than the last. We’ve tightened up our defensive zone exits, and our forecheck is aggressive in all the right ways.
The boys are finally syncing on the ice, and it’s showing on the scoreboard.
I pause the footage, rub the back of my neck, then lean back on the couch. The conversation with Coach Ace keeps looping in my head, louder than any play breakdown.
He’s thinking of retiring.
Two more seasons, maybe less, and he wants me to take over.
Me. Head coach.
I can barely wrap my head around it. The organization already trusts me as assistant coach, but to be the guy running the bench, calling the shots, managing egos, and building systems from scratch—that’s everything I’ve worked toward.
My phone buzzes. Asher.
“You up?”
His voice is low, a little breathless. I sit up straighter.
“Yeah,” I answer. “What’s going on?”
“I’m at Madeline’s. She’s heading to my place… You around?”
His tone says everything he doesn’t. My mind goes straight to the curve of her hips, the softness of her mouth, the way she tastes when I drop to my knees.
“I’ll be there in twenty,” I say, already rising.
We hang up, and I’m in motion. Strip down, fast shower. I towel off with the door still cracked, steam spilling into the hall.
My hand reaches into the drawer without hesitation—condoms and lube.
This is exactly the kind of night that calls for a celebration. She’s been on my mind nonstop. My body responds before logic can catch up.
I grab my keys and head to the car, slipping into the driver’s seat with a grin I don’t bother hiding.
The city glows under streetlights, familiar and full of possibility. It’s late enough that the roads are empty, which means I can get to her faster.
A missed call flashes on my screen. Unknown number. I swipe it away without thinking. Nothing’s interrupting tonight.
By the time I pull into the complex and park, I’ve already built the whole night in my head. Madeline under me, breathy and wild, nails in my shoulders.
The scent of her shampoo on Asher’s pillow. Her eyes, glazed and half-lidded when I tell her she’s mine.
I love watching Ford bend her over the bed, fuck her until she swollen and wet and ready to take me.
She’s missed me too. I can tell. This is going to be one fucking fantastic night—except when I walk in, she doesn’t seem as ecstatic as I feel.