Page 218 of Cross the Line
“She was a little worse for wear, so if you need anything, give me a buzz.” His apologetic smile kicks my pace up as the doors open.
Blanca and Samson follow without fuss. They’re as antsy as I am the whole way up. A nagging pinch in my gut warns that what waits on the other side won’t be nice.
And the instant the doors ping open, my heart crashes to my feet.
“Finley… Help me…Please…”
CHAPTER 60
ELI
The instant Jayden parks, I’m out of his car and making a beeline for the elevator with him quick on my heels. We’ve got two days before our short stint away to Anaheim and Portland.
The Wolves game has haunted me for weeks. The closer it gets, the greater my apprehension grows. It’s nothing to do with the game itself and everything to do with the fact that this is the first time we’re playing them since I told Jayden about Presley. Now I’m trying to tamp down the fear of coming face-to-face with him and how JJ will react to being on the ice with him.
“I think we should do something fun tomorrow. Spend some time with Fin before we leave,” Jayden says, pressing the button for our floor with one hand while the other laces with mine.
“That sounds like a great idea,” I reply, turning to him.
The exhaustion smudged under his eyes mirrors mine. Our schedules have been hectic the last couple months. Making moments stolen with our girl and with each other too fleeting.
“There’s that exhibition she’s spoken about,” I suggest.
“Yes, that’s perfect. It’ll be nice to spend some awake time together.”
“Catch up, unwind…”
“Get on the same page and back tous.” Jayden’s smile dimples his cheek. “We had New Year’s and everything was great, and since…” His remark fades to a silent shrug.
My chest cracks at his forlorn expression. “I’m sorry, JJ.”
“Not your fault, Sweetheart,” he says, pressing his lips to my forehead. “It’s life. You know? Just the way it goes.”
“Tomorrow, we’re going to make up for it. It’s going to be an us day from the moment we walk into our home to when we have to leave for practice again.”
That cute dimple deepens with the wider cut of his upturned mouth. I can’t resist the urge to kiss him as he murmurs, “I love you, Eli.”
Be still my goddamn heart… before you burst from my chest. “So much, Sunshine.”
Raking my thumb along the line of his jaw, I savor the scratch of his short stubble on my skin. The slow burn of his tongue dueling with mine. His long fingers curling in my still-damp hair with the heated press of his body on mine. The trail of his open-mouthed kisses down my neck while he tugs my tie loose and awkwardly unbuttons the top buttons of my shirt with one hand.
The sudden pause of the elevator drags a begrudging groan from my lungs as the doors slide open and we take a moment to catch our breath between slow, yearning pecks.
“Umm…” A small voice whispers outside the mirrored walls, followed by a louder clearing of a throat.
Even before we pull away, I can sense the shift in the atmosphere. The tension is bleak as I turn to find Finley standing in front of us. A frown sours her soft features.
“Hey,” she murmurs, taking a step closer.
It’s then that I register the smaller shadow behind her, and my insides shrivel to nothing. I’m frozen to the spot while JJ moves to stop the doors from closing again.
“What the hell?” He mutters.
What the fuck?“What is she doing here?” My question comes out a gruff demand.
“I didn’t know what to do,” Finley says as Salem steps into the light, apology written across her swollen, split lips.
“There’s nowhere else I can go,” Salem whispers.
