Chapter 69
I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts, trying to smack him while dodging his attacks. But Liam is relentless–he corners me against the bed, his pillow raised.
“Any last words?” he asks, smirking.
I narrow my eyes. “Yeah. Duck.”
I throw my pillow straight at his face. It lands with a satisfying thwack, and he stumbles back just enough for me to
escape.
But Liam is fast.
Before I can make it two steps, he grabs me around the waist and tackles me onto the bed, pinning me beneath him.
We’re both breathless, laughter still lingering in the air. His weight presses into me just enough to make my pulse go wild. His hands rest on either side of me, caging me in.
And then I realize
–
he’s not moving.
Neither am I.
His eyes flick down to my lips for just a second. So quick I almost convince myself I imagined it.
But I didn’t.
My heart pounds.
The air shifts. The teasing, the laughter–it all fades into something else. Something dangerous.
Liam leans in slightly, his voice barely above a whisper.
“You win.”
Liam’s voice is barely more than a breath, but I hardly hear it over the pounding of my heart.
Because he’s right there.
Hovering over me, his light blue eyes locked onto mine, intense and unreadable. His messy blond hair falls over his forehead, just enough to make him look effortlessly perfect. And I can’t breathe.
This is dangerous.
I should push him away. Laugh it off. Do something.
But all I can think about is how natural this feels. How it always feels this way with him. Like when he grabs my hand without thinking, even when no one’s watching. Or when he squeezes my thigh, grounding me in a way no one else ever has. When he stands between me and the world, protecting me without question.
And now
–
now he’s so close.
1/4
Chapter 69
My pulse hammers in my ears. Thump. Thump. Thump.
The space between us is shrinking, like we’re being pulled together. Like if I just tilt my head just a little – our lips will brush, and everything will change.
And the worst part?
I want it to.
But if this happens, if I let myself fall, then it’s real. It’s no longer just a contract, a game, a carefully crafted lie. It’s everything I’ve been pretending I don’t want.
I’ll be exactly what they say I am.
A puck bunny.
The thought hits like ice water. My chest tightens. I don’t let myself think about why.
I break the moment. Turn my head. Push him back just slightly, but it’s enough.
“I’ll take the left side,” I say, my voice is too steady for the way my hands are shaking.
Liam doesn’t move at first. His gaze lingers on my face, as if he sees something I don’t want him to.
Then, finally, he exhales a quiet chuckle. Rolls off me. Settles onto his side.
“Left side it is.”
I don’t look at him.
Because if I do, I might just change my mind.
This is the right thing. I’m making the right decision.
I should protect my heart, save myself so I’ll never experience what I did with Zane ever again.
Especially with Liam.
Someone with his reputation.
He doesn’t ‘do relationships‘, I’m not delusional enough to think I can change him.
If there’s one thing I learnt from Zane Whitmoore, it’s that you can’t change people. Period. Especially when change is the last thing on their mind.
I just don’t know why it feels like I just lost something.
I slip under the covers, facing away from him, hoping the space between us will be enough to settle the mess in my head. But I can still feel him beside me–the warmth of his body, the steady rise and fall of his breathing.
Silence stretches between us.
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Chapter 69
Then, his voice is softer now. “Em?”
I close my eyes. “Yeah?”
A pause. A long one.
Then, just when I think he’s going to say something serious, he leans in slightly and whispers, “I’m totally–stealing the blankets tonight.”
I whip around, eyes wide. “Don’t you dare!”
He grins. “Try and stop me.”
And just like that, the tension from earlier is gone, replaced by laughter and playful shoving. He does try to steal the blanket, and I do fight him for it, but in the end, somehow, we both end up tangled in the sheets, laughing like we don’t have a single worry in the world.
I don’t know what this is. I don’t know what it means.
But for tonight, I don’t think I want to figure it out.
We’re deep asleep when the phones start going off.
It’s relentless. A sharp buzz. Then another. Then another.
Tessa calls so many times my phone dies.
I barely stir, lost in the warmth of the bed, until Liam shakes me awake. His grip is firm but careful, his voice low and
serious.
“Em. Wake up.”
I groan, burying my face into the pillow. “Five more minutes.”
“Not an option.”
Before I can protest, he shoves his phone into my hands, the bright screen nearly blinding me.
Then I see it.
The headline.
My name.
Splashed across the screen in bold, capital letters.
My stomach twists. A sharp, cold dread shoots through me.
I’ve never been seasick in my life, but suddenly, I’m scrambling out of bed and sprinting to the bathroom.
And for the first time ever, l’empty the contents of my stomach at sea.
3/4
Fake Dating My Ex’s Favourite Hockey Player
