SWNOVELS Break My Heart: Chapter 40
By the time the team arrives at Slap Shotz, the place is packed to the gills. Everyone is still riding high from winning our first playoff game.
It’s tradition—after a win, this is where we go to celebrate.
Fans are sporting jerseys and buzzing from the game, as if they were the ones on the ice tonight. There’s a frenetic energy that charges the air and is impossible to ignore.
I should be soaking it all in, enjoying the glory of the win and the attention. Hell, there are a few groupies hitting on me right now, tossing out flirty comments and batting their eyelashes, hoping I’ll give them a bit of attention or a word of encouragement.
But there’s no way in hell that’s going to happen.
I can’t take my eyes off Ava.
And if I’m being truthful with myself, that’s the way it’s been from the very beginning.
She’s across the room, talking with Fallyn and Juliette, laughing, her smile bright enough to light up the whole damn bar. In a short period of time, she’s become my everything. I never expected to feel this pull toward her. Now that I do, I can’t imagine a single day without her. She’s still wearing my jersey, and every time she glances at me, my heart skips a beat.
As soon as our gazes collide, she rises to her feet and cuts a direct path to me. The moment she’s within striking distance, I nab her fingers and pull her close enough to wrap up in my arms.
It’s exactly where she belongs.
It’s the best feeling in the world to be here with my girl and my teammates, celebrating our first playoff win. Ryder was just on stage with Juliette, singing some ridiculous duet that makes the whole place swoon and cheer. Wolf jumped up there after them, crooning a love song to Fallyn. I flick a glance at his wife to see she’s eating it up.
Even Bridger’s here, which is a surprise. There’s a black Western Wildcats ballcap pulled low over his eyes, and he’s sitting off to the side, nursing a beer and looking like he’d rather be anywhere else.
The poor bastard can’t seem to catch a break.
“Last song of the evening,” Sully, the bar owner, announces.
A slow grin spreads across my face as Ava’s eyes widen, and she shakes her head.
“No way. You’ve heard me sing. It’s not good. We’ll get booed off the stage for sure”
“We have to, Tink.” I glance around at my teammates. “Apparently, it’s another tradition. Are you really going to be the one who breaks it?”
She huffs out a breath before muttering, “I guess not. But consider yourself warned if things go south quickly.”
The second I pull Ava onto the stage, the noise of the bar fades away, leaving only the thud of my heartbeat to fill my ears.
Her gaze darts nervously at the crowd as I give the song selection to Sully, and he cues it up.
When John Legend’s “All of Me” starts, her expression softens, and something shifts in the air. It’s like the world narrows down to just the two of us as the soft melody fills the space. I hold the microphone close, and when I start to sing, it’s not just to the crowd—it’s to her. As soon as she joins in, her voice intertwines with mine, and the room seems to disappear.
Her lips curve slightly as she sings. I can’t help but lay it all out there for everyone to see. There’s no hiding how much this girl means to me, especially when I came so close to losing her.
Each glance, each note shared between us, is a promise, something deeper than we’ve dared to voice out loud. My throat tightens, not from the lyrics but from the weight of what’s passing between us.
The world could burn down, and I wouldn’t notice. It’s just me and Ava, the connection between us tangible, like a thread we’re holding on to in the quiet pauses of the song.
By the time the final notes ring through the air, I realize the bar has gone silent.
Emotion rushes through my veins as I tug her into my arms, and my lips brush across hers. Ford leaps to his feet and whistles, and the crowd bursts into catcalls and applause.
Ava shakes her head as our gazes hold.
“I think you’re it for me, Tink.”
She cups my cheeks with her palms. “I can’t begin to imagine my life without you in it.”
“Guess it’s a good thing that you’ll never have to.”
Just as the night hits its peak with everyone laughing, singing, and soaking in the irrepressible energy from our win, there’s a sudden buzz.
When my pocket vibrates, I pull out my cell. That’s when I realize the same mass text has hit everyone’s phones at the same time.
It’s a picture of Bridger at the bar, and there’s a girl standing close to him with her hand on his chest. The caption beneath says Make sure someone sends the hockey ho penicillin in the morning. We all know she’s gonna need at least one dose. Maybe two.
“Shit,” I mutter.
The mood shifts as everyone stares at their phones.
I glance at Bridger and see his expression has darkened. He swears under his breath as his narrowed eyes scan the bar, like he’s trying to figure out who the culprit is. He clenches his hands as tension vibrates off him in suffocating waves.
This is the last thing he needs.
I see the exact moment his gaze lands on Holland, who’s parked at a table next to Willow. Whatever she’s thinking is hidden behind a mask of indifference. You would have to be blind not to see the sparks that fly between them the second their gazes collide. Bridger’s jaw tightens, looking as if it’s in imminent danger of shattering, as Holland flips him the bird and goes back to her drink like nothing happened.
Ava catches the exchange, her brow furrowing as she glances between them. “Any idea what their deal is?” she asks, tone curious but laced with concern.
Now that Willow is dating Maverick McKinnon, her roommate and bestie, Holland, has been hanging out with the girls. She and Ava have become fast friends.
“Not sure,” I say with a shrug, watching as Bridger’s eyes narrow at Holland as she continues to ignore him. I’m almost afraid to voice the thoughts that have crept into my head. “I really hope she’s not the one behind all the messages. Bridger will make her life hell if that turns out to be the case.”
Ava frowns, biting her lip like she’s trying to figure out a puzzle. The last thing I want is to get drawn into whatever drama’s brewing between them. That’s his mess to handle. All I care about is the girl standing next to me, looking up at me with those wide, blue eyes that are capable of making me forget my own name.
I drop a kiss on the top of her blonde head. The floral scent of her hair teases my senses and turns me on like nothing else. “You ready to get out of here, baby girl?”
She looks up at me, the corners of her mouth lifting in a soft smile, and nods. “Yeah, let’s go.”
My grip tightens around her hand as I lead her through the crowd, away from the chaos of the bar, and into the night. The only thing I have on my mind is getting Ava alone and showing her exactly how much she means to me.
And I’ll do it with my mouth.
My hands.
And my cock.
Exactly the way she likes it.