FAZER LOGIN***~~~RIVER~~~***I'm standing on her doorstep now. My knuckles are raised, drifting an inch from the wood, by the time she pulls the door open.Sophia's eyes go straight to my face, eyes wide— the bruise along my jaw, my lip split and stinging every time I breathe through my mouth. "Oh my god. What happened to you?""Bad day." I try to shrug like it's nothing, but it pulls a sore in my shoulder and I wince instead. "Are you going somewhere?" I hadn't even knocked before she'd opened the door."No. I saw your headlights and recognized your car." She steps back, waving me inside without another word, and I follow her into the living room. She guides me down onto the sofa, sloping my chin toward the lamp with two fingers, studying the damage. "Who did this to you?""Lost the game tonight. Got distracted out there. My fault, honestly." I keep my voice light, like I'm narrating someone else's night. "One of my own guys got in my face about it after." I don't tell her the rest, that hal
Seeing Ricky Norman standing where River was supposed to be is not what I expected.I know shock is written all over my face. My eyes dart between both of his, questions crowding in from every direction while my mind, somehow, feels completely blank at the same time. Something dull and sharp all at once wrenches in my chest. I think I've just been stood up by my own boyfriend. But underneath that, a smaller, more immediate confusion — why is Ricky here, of all people? Did River call him? Or is he on his own date, spotted me across the room, and decided to swing by to say hi?"What are you doing here?" Ricky asks. "You’re waiting on someone too?"I blink, glance away for half a second, then look back with a smile already fixed in place. "No — no, actually. I'm just here on a solo date," I lie. Better this than him figuring out anything about River. An awkward beat stretches between us before I fill it fast. "You can join me, if you want.""I'd be happy to." He drops into the seat acro
It's Saturday, and I'm curled up on my bed, staring at River's messages from last night, still turning over how easily I said yes to all of this. A sharp knock on my door makes me jump, and it swings open before I can even answer. My sister's head pokes through the gap. I scream, loud enough, phone tumbling out of my hand as I scramble off the bed and launch myself at the door."Oh my God, Mave, what are you doing here?" I wrap my arms around her, and she's already laughing into my shoulder. "You didn't say you were coming! Mom didn't even mention it.""I was in town, figured I'd swing by." She steps fully inside, glancing around the room. "Didn't bring the twins this time.""Are you staying over?" We settle onto my bed together, and she takes my hand, studying my face like she's cataloguing every change since she last saw me."I like the new hair, by the way."My fingers drift up on intuition, catching a few strands between them. "It has started to grow out. Give it a couple more mon
***~~~CHANCÉ~~~***I’m excited I decided to do this with him. River and I have already done so much in the past when we weren’t officially together, so this feels like a natural next step. To strengthen our relationship, spicing it up exactly the way he suggested.I’ve read about BDSM. I’ve learned it can be safe, that pain is optional if both partners communicate clearly, and that everything rests on trust. I trust him. Tomorrow he’s playing on the ice, and I’ll be there to cheer him on with Cortney.“So, here’s your ticket.” Cortney holds it out. I take it, smiling as I turn it over in my hands. This is the first game I’ll attend as his girlfriend. “I’m sure by now you’re already used to the brutality of the ice,” she says.Yeah, I’m used to it. The thought pulls me back to the first time I watched River play. Seeing him out there so aggressive, focused, powerful, had made me so ridiculously horny. I’m glad I’ve moved past that pure physical reaction. The last few games I’ve watc
Everything feels slow motion. Muffled. Blurry at the rims.My teammates and the opponents skates past in streaks I can barely track. I can hear my own breathing louder than anything else on the ice. The Beasts just put us down five-two. Second period. Not even halfway through this thing.Earlier today, before the game, I shook hands with Daniel Marrius, and he promised to keep his words of playing clean. I promised the same. And he has — he's been fair the whole game. I'm the one who's off. Distracted, somewhere else entirely.Before puck drop, we ran through our usual setup. The positioning, passing lanes, who covers who. As captain, that was on me to lock down. I failed it.First period was rough but close, two-two, both sides trading blows. In the locker room after, something ugly sat in my chest, and I could feel my teammates' eyes on me too, because my blown coverage handed The Beasts their second goal. I kept thinking Ricky would be the one to crack under pressure tonight. Turns
I missed practice that morning. Stayed over at Sophia's the whole night.I wake up to find her already dressed, moving around the room. Last night was incredible. I prop myself up on one elbow, watching her. She turns and catches me staring, a slow smile spreading across her face. "You're up?"I nod."You sure you don't want to go to school?"I shake my head. "I think I just need to sleep this off. Already missed practice anyway — if Coach wants to yell at me, he can start tomorrow.""Okay." She buckles her watch, crosses the room, leans down, and presses a kiss to my mouth. "Might see you later, once I'm back."I nod again, watching her straighten up.She heads back to her vanity, grabs her bag off the chair, and pauses at the door, glancing back at me. "If you get hungry, there's leftovers in the freezer. Just warm them up.""Thanks." I watch her disappear through the doorway.Once she's gone, I let out a heavy breath and drop my face into my arms. Then I reach for my phone on the n
( Two Months Later)The rink is loud with cheering—fans screaming and clapping as the players race across the ice. But the noise fades in the back of my mind the moment his eyes meet mine for a glimpse. Now all I hear is his voice from the night before. Low. Close to my ear.“How do you want to be
*** ~~CHANCÉ~~ *** “Come here.” River Dawson’s voice slides down my spine like a slow shiver. I’m standing only a few inches away from him, but those two words still pull me closer, like I’m tied to him by something invisible. Maybe I am. I should feel embarrassed about how easily I obey
***~~~ CHANCÉ~~~***I’m still mad at him. But not the loud kind of mad. Not the kind where you slam doors or yell. The quiet, painful kind. The kind that sits heavy in my chest and refuses to leave.I feel sad. I felt hurt when he said the word “As if” to his cousin, Ricky. I know what we do isn’
I toss and turn until I finally stop. With my hand on my stomach, I stare at the ceiling, letting out a long breath. Cortney dropped me home thirty minutes ago, and River hasn’t shown up yet.Maybe it is for the best.I sigh, running my hand through my hair.What exactly am I doing? I know he will







