CHAPTER ONE

NADIA’s POV

I pushed the door open and stepped inside but the sound of two people moaning caught me off guard.

I listened and I discovered it was coming from Zane’s room which made a little frown form on my face.

Zane and I shared an apartment on campus. We have been classmates right from high school and our parents thought it was safer and easier to stay together since we were acquaintances.

I swallowed hard as I turned and made for my door. Zane was always doing this when I told him time and time again. Bringing different girls home and just doing nasty things.

My phone buzzed and my best friend’s name popped up—Eva.

“Hey girl.” I said as I entered my room and slammed the door close. I was upset and even my jaw was clenched tight.

“Why do you sound so upset?” Eva asked from the other end of the line, “weren’t you happy to go home a few minutes ago?”

I heaved a sigh as I rolled my eyes to the back of my head, “I came home to find him fucking another girl, Eva.” I slumped on my bed as I talked.

“What?”

“The same expression I had on my face when I heard them fucking.

Yes, Zane was oblivious to the fact that I liked him but it has been years already. Right from high school, I have liked him and everyone around us knew except him. I had wanted to tell him a million times but Eva would not allow me, she said it would make him look down on me but it has been years and it still hasn’t changed. He has never looked at me in that kind of way and would never with the way things were going.

“I don’t want to think about it, Eva.” I told her after a few minutes of silence.

“Are you able to handle it?”I could hear the concern in her voice, “it's been such a long time.”

“I have been handling it for years now, this will pass. Tell me, why have you called.”

I didn’t want to think about it anymore, she was only sleeping with him right? At the end of the day, she would leave and the two of us would remain in the house.

That gave me a kind of solace until I heard his door open and I heard the two of them chuckling.

Without waiting for what Eva had to say, I jumped out of bed and rushed out of the room but I composed myself as soon as I got into the shared living room.

The two of them were all loved up in the kitchen, his hands were against her ass and they were both kissing.

I thought they just finished having sex, what the heck was going on.

“Oh, Nadia” she called out to me and a look of recognition flashed through my face when I saw her. Bethany, I have seen her a couple of times at his games.

Yes, Zane Meadows was a professional hockey player and one of the strongest players out there. I have watched all his games from the very first to the last one of the season that concluded three months ago.

“I didn’t know you were home.” She said,

“I came in a few minutes ago.”

“Oh.” Her smile widened, “I hope you didn’t hear me and Zane?”

My attention shifted to Zane who was popping some grapes into his mouth. He was shirtless, his upper body bare for my eyes to savor. I swallowed hard and looked away from the both of them.

“Not at all.”I lied, “I was out all night so I went in to take some rest.”

“Oh. That’s good. I thought you heard us.” She said before turning to Zane who was now watching the two of us talk.

“Will you tell her or should I tell her babe?” She asked.

Babe? They were calling each other babe now? How pathetic! She must think Zane has something for her because of the fact that they just had sex.

“I will tell her,” Zane’s deep baritone rang out.

“Let me take a shower.”

Pressing a kiss against his lips, Bethany made her way back to his room while Zane began to walk towards me until he was directly in front of me.

“What’s going on?”

“Bethany is staying here for a few weeks.” He announced.

“Okay, so?”

“I would need you to leave for some time.” He dropped the bombshell and the frown on my face deepened. What the heck was he talking about?

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean I need you to leave for some time. You can stay at Eve’s or book a hotel or something.”

“I can’t stay at Eve’s” I hissed, “the house is full already and did you forget that I paid for half of this apartment too?”

He scoffed as he folded his arms across his chest. My eyes dropped on the tattoo at the side of his arm and I let out a sigh. It was a tattoo of the first date he won the game.

“Did you forget that I let you stay here because your family thought it would be better for the two of us. Did you forget the actual apartment rent? If you did, let me remind you, Nadia. The payment for this apartment is four thousand, five hundred dollars and you paid only three hundred dollars. Do not forget that I am doing you a favor.”

“What—

“You have until tomorrow to leave, I don’t want Bethany feeling uncomfortable”

“She is not even your girlfriend!” I hissed in anger.

“That’s for me to know.”

Turning back, he made his way into his room again and I slumped back on the couch. This was not the first time he was reminding me of how much I actually contributed to the apartment but he has been bringing girls home all along and he has never complained about it.

I didn’t wait for him to ask again, I quickly pulled out my phone and posted it to the school group. I couldn’t go to Eve's house because a lot of people were in her house and she wasn’t even in the same college as me. Her school was still thirty minutes away from mine.

I could hear their giggles and laughter from the room again so I just stood up and went back to mine.

It was so easy for Zane to ask me to leave after the time we had spent together. Did he even bother to think if I actually had a place to stay?

I got dressed quickly and grabbed my bag before leaving. I had to find a place as soon as possible.

Stepping out of the apartment and into the school compound, I saw a lot of people moving towards the hockey rink, some were in haste and some looked like they wouldn’t be bothered at all—I didn’t remember Zane having a game today.

“Hey,” I saw Grace, one of my classmates, “what’s going on?”

“It’s the Boston blades” she replied, “Damian Blackwood is in the arena.

“Damian?” I asked and she nodded, almost too happily.

Damian Blackwood was in a rival team and I have never seen him come to our school to play unless it was a professional game and they all meet at the standard hockey rink in town.

Unless he was here for something and why the heck were people rushing to go see him, not like he was any kind of celebrity. Well, technically he was but then—

Zane never liked him. In fact, they both do not like themselves and I have witnessed it first hand.

“Why is he here though?”

“They are here for an exhibition event and it has been announced over the past week. Don’t tell me you do not remember?” Grace asked wide eyed, she sounded like I had committed an offense.

“Oh. I actually forgot. The past week has really been stressful for me.” I said as I slipped into my spiral of thoughts again.

“Are you going?” Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I nodded, what harm could be in that? I left the house anyways so I wouldn’t hear Bethany and Zane have sex so—

We made our way towards the ice rink but I excused myself to use the bathroom near the door.

I didn’t look before pushing the door open and immediately came face to face with a bare chested six foot tall man who looked oddly familiar.

His forehead creased into a slight frown as soon as he saw me.

“That’s rude, red head.” He called out.

“Who are you calling a red head?” I snapped as recognition flashed through my face. That was Damian Blackwood, the captain of the Boston Blades and let’s not get started on the fact that he came from a long line of billionaires. A family that had money so old that it belonged in a museum.

“You are the one who walked into the boy’s bathroom, red head.” He continued as he began to take slow steps towards me. I forced my eyes to remain on his face even if I could see how ripped and chiseled his body actually was. He had this handsomeness that drew someone in yet he was dangerous. I have seen him get into a fight with Zane before and it was not good. Zane had a broken nose for a week. I officially told myself I didn’t like him from that day. Not only was he violent, but he hurt the man I love.

“I didn’t see the sign.” I replied, “my apologies.”

I turned around quickly to leave but his next words halted me.

“You are looking for an apartment to stay in, aren’t you?”

“How did you—

I stopped. I actually posted it on the school group and he may also be a member of the group—how dumb.

“Weren’t you staying with Meadows?” He asked again, I could feel the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“I don’t think that’s any of your concern, Blackwood.” I replied and he smiled, revealing a fine set of dimples.

“Well. I have seen it so it is as much of my concern as it is for anyone else. Tell me,” he folded his arms across his chest, “why are you looking for an apartment? Did meadows send you packing?”

“No, he did not!” I hissed.

“So why?”

“Can you mind your own business?”

Damian scoffed again. This time, he was standing face to face with me, his huge frame towering above me.

Without another word, he yanked the phone I had from my hand and began to type on it.

What the heck! I should have had a password. I watched as he typed his phone number and saved it before dialing his.

“Call me.” He said handing the phone back to me, “I have a feeling I will be your savior after all”

Without another word, he turned around and walked away leaving me standing speechless.

How the heck did he even make it to a professional team when he was a college student and a rude jerk at that?

Technically, Zane was in college too but that was fucking besides the point.