It’s two hours after dark by the time I make it back to campus on Sunday. Ryan parks in the lot behind the dorms.
“Need me to carry your stuff?”
I can tell he’s not that eager to since he still has an hour and forty minute drive between here and Elmwood.
“No, I didn’t pack much. It’s light.” I hop out and grab my bag from the back seat. Before he leaves, I lean in the window he rolled down. “Thanks for the ride. Drive safe.”
“Yeah. See you later.”
“Text Mom and Dad when you get to school.”
He waves in acknowledgement and shifts into gear. I back up, watching him pull out before I head for my apartment. It’s just me tonight. Reagan won’t be back until tomorrow morning.
Easton texted me during the drive back until he went to practice. I let him know I made it.
Maya: Just got to campus. How’d your practice go?
Hat Trick King: Hi [heart emoji]
Hat Trick King: Good, it just ended. Wyd? I need a quick shower but we could hang out if you want to go get coffee.
I grin. Coffee sounds good, but seeing him sounds even better. I let him know I’m almost at my apartment.
Once I’m in the door, I drop my bag and turn on the hall light. Maybe I could see if Easton wants to come over after coffee to watch a movie. My lips twitch because there’s almost zero likelihood we’d be able to pay attention to it before our hands would be all over each other.
After that amazing kiss at last weekend’s party, he walked me home and gave me another sweet kiss before he left rather than pushing me for more. A bright glow fills my chest at the thought, then turns hotter as heat pools low in my stomach. I wasn’t ready for more then, but I missed him while we were gone for break.
I want to see him. I want to kiss him.
Biting my lip around a smile, I start to text him that he should forget coffee and just come over.
I freeze when I swear I hear something in the dark beyond the hall. “Reagan?”
Did she decide to come back early without telling me? I want to believe it’s her, but even on my way to her room something feels…off. My stomach clenches and the hair on my arms stands on end as I flick on the light in her room, finding it empty. Heart beating hard, I strain my ears, wondering if I was hearing things.
A muted thump reaches my ears. My heart plummets and ice spreads through me.
I think that came from my room.
The vibration of my phone ringing feels too loud. It slices through the tense silence, startling me.
Shit, shit. I answer it without looking, keeping my voice low.
“Hello?”
“You went quiet on me. Where’d you go?” Easton teases.
“Um,” I breathe while trying to peer from Reagan’s room to mine to see what’s going on.
His demeanor shifts immediately, becoming concerned. “What’s wrong? Why are you whispering? I’m five minutes away. Are you at your place?”
I close my eyes as his protectiveness washes over me. “Yes.”
“I’m coming.”
I don’t bother telling him I don’t need him because I don’t want to be stubborn and brave right now. Gulping, I search Reagan’s room for some kind of weapon, cursing the fact my metal kitty ears are in my room.
Easton stays on the line with me. I hear his terse breathing as he jogs across campus to reach me.
Reagan has a microphone stand in the corner. I grab it, prepared to defend myself if the intruder comes at me.
The front door slams shut. A freaked out yelp flies from my lips and I whirl around. My heartbeat races faster.
What the fuck?
When I gather the courage to peek out from Reagan’s room a few minutes later, Easton yells over the phone. The sound of tires screeching snags my focus.
“Jesus,” he snaps.
“What happened?”
“Some asshole in an ugly ass blue Jeep pickup truck with a douchey sticker that says ‘ask me how long my other stick is’ almost ran me down in the lot by your building.”
My chest constricts. I know that truck all too well. I know who was in my apartment.
Johnny.
Some of the trepidation leaves me, replaced by the burn of anger. Sighing, I put down the microphone stand.
I don’t think Johnny would hurt me. Not physically, anyway. He likes mental games. Manipulating people’s emotions to control them. But he’s always loved pranking people in awful ways, and this falls right in line with his brand of fucked up humor.
Stalking to the front door, I check the fake potted plant that hangs from our message board. My spare key is inside. I know it’s how he got in. He used to give me shit about forgetting my key in high school and watched me get the spare from its hiding spot countless times.
“Asshole,” I growl.
I’m sorely tempted to call Ryan and tell him what his friend is up to. I never should’ve kept the truth about Johnny cheating on me to myself thanks to him gaslighting me into believing my brother wouldn’t care. Except the thought of hashing that out with him right now causes the beginning of a headache to form.
“You’re not whispering anymore,” Easton says.
I bite my lip, debating if I should tell him. Before I decide what to say, he appears through the door to the stairs at the end of the hall. Even knowing I wasn’t truly in danger, intense relief washes over me at the sight of him.
“Hi.”
He strides down the hall to erase the distance between us. His hockey bag and stick thuds on the floor as he wraps me in a tight hug that I really need. I melt into it.
“Hi,” he says against my hair. “Missed you. Are you okay?”
“I am now.”
We stay like that until I pull back. He cups my cheek, thumb brushing back and forth softly.
He follows me inside, leaving his duffel bag next to mine by the door. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
My teeth rake across my lip. “I thought someone broke in.”
“What?” He takes me by the hips and pins me to the counter in the kitchenette, eyes searching my face. “What the hell happened?”
Before I answer, he combs through the entire apartment to check if it’s safe. I stay in the kitchen area, trying not to be distracted by the hard set of his jaw or the way he moves through each room with a powerful sense of strength that I’m drawn to. Is it weird I sort of want him to bend me over the nearest surface and unleash that wildness on me?
“It wasn’t what you’re thinking. He’s not here anymore. You know that Jeep Gladiator that almost ran you down? That was him.”
“How do you know?”
Easton braces his hands on the opposite side of the small island when he finds the apartment empty. I sigh.
“It’s my ex’s truck. Johnny Werner, my brother’s teammate.”
His jaw clenches, a muscle twitching in his cheek. “Fucking Wiener? I knew I should’ve broken his other arm.”
I blink. “What?”
“Nothing. You dated that asswipe?”
“In high school. For two years, until—” I cut off, not wanting to get into the whole mess. “I’d bet anything he’s probably just messing with me because I finally blocked his number like I should’ve done years ago.”
While I’m unblocking it with agitated movements to tell him off, Easton rumbles in frustration.
“Are you calling campus security? Report him for breaking in.”
“No. And technically he didn’t.” Grimacing, I motion towards the door. “I keep a spare key in the flower pot that hangs from our message board.”
“Maya.” He blows out a breath, sinking his fingers into his hair. “Then you should tell them you lost your keys so they’ll change your locks. Keep the spare key with you.”
“I’ll do it in the morning,” I promise. “But I don’t think he’ll come back.”
Easton scrubs his jaw, pacing the short length of the island. “There’s no way to know that. Only psychos think it’s funny to scare people with shit like this.”
He’s not wrong. Johnny was good at making me think I wanted what he did. I refuse to let him get to me now because he’s already done enough damage. I hate giving him any power over me. There’s no way I’ll let his bullshit scare me.
I text Johnny, fingers stabbing the screen in irritation. It doesn’t take him long to respond, as if he’s been waiting for me to put the pieces together.
Maya: You’re not funny. I know it was you. If you ever do that again, I’m reporting you to the cops.
Johnny: You should chill. I was just having a little fun since you blocked me. It was a joke, babe.
Maya: I’m not laughing.
Johnny: Relax. I was just checking in on my teammate’s little sister. My orthopedic specialist is nearby and I wanted to see you again since you ran off from the bar with another man. Remember when I used to surprise you like this and be waiting in your bedroom? You loved it.
A sickening lurch unsettles my gut at the memories he’s talking about. My skin crawls at the way he still talks to me like he believes I’ll always belong to him.
Easton is at my back, reading over my shoulder. My cheeks prickle with uncomfortable heat. My phone rings and I feel the rough sound of anger in his chest when he sees the name on the screen. He takes the phone and answers it for me.
“You’re lucky you got away. If you come back here, you’re a dead man.”
I shiver. His arm wraps around my shoulders and he presses a kiss to the top of my head. I turn in his embrace, watching his fierce expression.
“Who is this?” Johnny asks sharply. “Where’s Maya?”
Easton stares at me. “She’s busy. Lose this fucking number.”
He hangs up. My phone clatters on the counter behind me when he sets it down. He swoops down to kiss me, palm splaying at the small of my back. He chases away every bad memory of Johnny, erasing every ounce of fear and frustration that coursed through me tonight. All that remains is him, and I can’t get enough.
“What do you need?” His breath is hot ghosting across my lips.
“Just this.” I suppress a shudder. “Just you.”
With a ragged noise, he captures my lips again. I open for him, allowing his kiss to consume me. His hand drags down my side and I gasp when he grabs my thighs to lift me on the counter. I spread my legs and he moves between them.
My breath hitches when he grabs my ass in a firm grip, tugging me against his body. We’re wild, touches growing desperate.
“Maya,” he pushes out roughly.
I cry out as he kisses my neck, clinging to his shoulders. His fingers push down the waistband of the HU sweatpants I wore to be comfortable on the drive. The moment his fingertips brush over my clit through my panties, I arch my back.
“Please.”
“Fuck, you’re wet. How are you so wet, baby?” His lips drag over my feverish skin as he traces teasing circles over my panties, making me more and more needy to have nothing between us. “You want to come?”
I gasp. “Yes.”
He captures my lips again, matching his movements to his tongue sweeping into my mouth. I tremble, stomach concaving in pleasure when he slides my panties aside and finds my clit. My hips move instinctively with his touch. He doesn’t tease me anymore, giving me what I want.
My nipples tighten and tingles spread across my body as he brings me closer to the brink.
I choke back a cry as my orgasm hits, thighs clamping against him. I break away from the kiss, a moan tearing from me as my pussy throbs, the pleasure spiraling through my core.
“That’s it, baby. Ride that wave.” He brushes light kisses along my jaw. “You’re such a good girl, coming for me.”
Still floating, I reach for the rigid bulge in his pants as I kiss him deeply.
Easton’s the one to slow us down from going any further. A band tightens around my heart. A noise of protest escapes me when he pulls back. He hushes me, stealing another quick kiss that we nearly get lost in again.
“God, I want you so fucking bad, Maya,” he rasps.
“Yeah? So have me.” I squeeze my legs tighter around his waist to keep him in place. “Right here. Come on. Reagan’s gone for the night.”
“I—” He rests his forehead against mine with a rueful laugh. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. But I think I’m afraid you’d regret it if we did anything else right now.”
I wilt against him, unable to help circling my hips against his firm torso, wanting to feel his hardness against my center. He groans, massaging my waist.
“Fuck. You make me crazy. Promise me this?” He takes my chin between his thumb and finger, eyes darkened with desire when they bounce between mine. “If you still want this in the morning, you’re mine. I don’t want to rush you. You’re not some dare to win, Maya. You’re the whole damn package for me.”
The exhale I let out is shaky, but it helps clear my head. I nod, swallowing past the lump forming in my throat.
“Okay.”
His mouth quirks up at the corners. “Deal?”
“Deal.”
Tingles race through my body, converging with a hot pulse in my core when he helps me down from the counter.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” His brow wrinkles as he studies me.
It should probably tell me something that his reaction to my ex breaking into my apartment is far more worried than my own warped perception.
A bitter, humorless laugh leaves me before I clench my teeth fiercely. “Johnny Werner doesn’t get to dictate any of my emotions. He’s a pathetic narcissist and that’s the only reason he joined a hockey team. Fuck that guy.”
He nods, watching me closely as he echoes, “Fuck that guy.”
Easton hangs around until I insist I’m okay. We end up watching a movie with far less making out than I fantasized when I was thinking about it earlier. He pulls my legs across his lap, resting a hand on my knee. More than my annoyance at my ex, I feel safe because he promised to always be there when I need him.
When I’m struggling to keep my eyes open near the end, he chuckles. “Come on.”
I allow him to pull me to my feet, stretching languidly with a huge yawn. “Are you staying?”
“I won’t leave. You rest easy, baby. I’ve got you.”
I might be tired, but the resolute promise he rasps makes me sway. He catches me in his embrace, then walks me to my room.
“Goodnight, Maya.”
“Night.” I linger by the door, tracing a thick lump of paint.
He smiles. “I’m not going anywhere.”
An answering smile breaks free.
For so long, I believed all hockey players were heartless playboys who weren’t capable of giving a damn about anyone but themselves.
Easton Blake proves me wrong at every turn. When I’m with him, it’s not just that he makes me feel safe. He makes me want to trust him. To give him the pieces of myself I’ve kept locked away tight.
