Overtime(20)

“Everything okay?” he asked, his grin falling.

“Yeah, just you kinda freaked me out,” she said and his brow rose. “The whole ‘I love you’ thing.”

He nodded and then looked away, the tops of his ears turning red. “I meant every word, Kacey. I do love you. It’s fast, I know, but I’m not gonna hide my feelings from you. I want to be honest.”

She nodded as she held his gaze. “That’s what I want, but it caught me off guard is all. It’s only been a month, and I really do think you’re great—”

“But you don’t feel the same,” he supplied for her, leaning back in his chair, one arm resting on the back of her chair.

“Yeah, I don’t. But I’m not saying that I won’t, one day,” she added and he nodded. “It’s just I’ve been continually hurt by guys in the past. I guess I always choose the shitty ones. And I always fall first because I want to be in a relationship with someone who’s gonna love me and cherish me, but none of those guys ever did. The shitty thing is, most of the time I knew they were just in it for the sex, but I still hoped and dove in with them.”

“Because you thought you could change ’em,” he supplied and she nodded.

“Yeah, I really did. I thought I was enough to do that.”

“You are,” he said, taking her hand in his.

She smiled, moving her thumb with his. Staring down at his hand, she admitted, “The last guy I was with still weighs heavy on my heart. I wanted so much for him to love me, but he never did, and then he just cut off all communication with me. That hurt, and I still wonder why I wasn’t enough. It sucks,” she said, looking up at him. “But it’s in the past. I’m over him and I’m ready to move on,” she said, waving her hand nonchalantly, even though she knew her statement was a complete lie. There was no way she could ever get over Jordie. He did something to her. Branded her without her even knowing it and she felt bad for lying to Liam, but then she was pretty sure she was trying to tell herself the same thing. The right thing. That she was over Jordie and he was a thing of the past.

But she could still see his crooked grin and his dark brown eyes clear as day. As if he were standing in front of her, beckoning her in for a kiss.

Come here, sugar thighs, let me get a kiss.

Ugh, she could still feel his voice against her throat, the feel of his hands on her thighs as he kissed her senseless. As much as she wanted to be rid of him, she held tightly to those memories as a little girl did her favorite doll. Or, in her case, the way she held her stick when she hit the ice. She couldn’t let it go because that’s how she scored. That’s how she won.

But she lost with Jordie.

And she still hadn’t recovered.

“But you loved him?”

“Oh yes. More so than anyone else.”

His brow came up as he slowly nodded. “When did you two break up?”

“We were never together.”

“Huh?”

She shrugged. “He made it very clear that we were only f*cking, but I caught feelings hard. But I guess, to answer your question, we stopped talking about eight months ago.”

“Oh, okay,” he said, still holding her gaze. “Are you sure you want to move on?”

Chewing her lip, she didn’t allow her gaze to avert. She didn’t want to move on, but she had to. Or she would lose it. She stayed locked with Liam’s sweet gaze and slowly nodded. “I am. I want to be with someone who wants what I want.”

“Completely understandable. Thank you for being honest with me,” he said before leaning over and kissing the side of her mouth. “And it’s fine that you don’t love me yet. Just means I have to work hard to get you to fall for me,” he whispered against her mouth, his blue eyes burning into hers. He then pressed his thin lips to hers and she instantly missed the feel of hair. The smell of the coconut oil that Jordie used for his beard. She missed him. When Liam pulled back, he held her chin by his thumb, his eyes searching his, and she hoped she didn’t look as pained as she felt. And as she stared into his eyes, she begged the sparks to fly. The fireworks to burst or, hell, anything. Something.

But she felt nothing for Liam.

And everything for Jordie.



Jordie watched as Jim poked and prodded at his knee, his brow up in his hairline as he bent it one way and then another. “You feel good?” he asked and Jordie nodded.

“Great.”

“Good, it looks great, and you’ve been really dedicated these last six weeks.”

Jordie smiled. “Ready to go home,” was his answer, and Jim nodded as he slowly laid his leg down.

“Good, ’cause I have paperwork saying you are released from me,” he said, reaching for a stack of papers and handing them to Jordie. “You look good, son, hoping that it stays that way. You’ve done very well. I’m proud of you; you’re a completely different person than the one I met nine months ago.”

Yeah, he was sober and healthy.

That could definitely change a person.

“I feel great. Ready to hit the ice with my boys back home,” Jordie said, hopping off the table without even a cringe. He really did feel brand-spanking-new.

“Just stay clean, Jordie, and healthy. If it hurts, nurse it. Don’t try to hide it because you want to keep playing.”