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last update publish date: 2026-03-11 20:59:49

I trace his shoulder, fingers pressing into the curve, slipping beneath the visor of his cap to cradle the tension there. “Even if it means kneeling?” I ask, voice low, deliberate.

“Yes,” he whispers, breath shaky but unwavering. “I want that.”

I lift him effortlessly, hands firm but gentle on his arms. He rises, wide-eyed, trembling. I grab a throw pillow and drop it at my feet.

“Kneel,” I command.

He obeys instantly, as though gravity itself has been rewired to serve me. The sight steals my b
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  • The Way He Looked at Me   140

    Congratulations, Captain. Now step down quietly, or what I know about your goalie goes public by midnight. Silence pressed through the bus like a held breath no one dared release. “Alright. That settles it. Cassian stays captain of the Silverfang until further notice.” A few nods. No argument. No hesitation. But my mind wasn’t on any of it. “Why did you do that?” I finally asked, eyes fixed on the road as I drove toward St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital. My grip tightened on the wheel. “Was it because ” “I didn’t do it because I love you.” The words hit like a clean strike to the chest. Not a crack. A full collapse. Something inside me didn’t just break it scattered, fine and irretrievable, like glass turned to dust. And the worst part? The way he said it so casually. Like it meant nothing. Like I meant nothing. Except I did feel it. That was the sick, unbearable part. I

  • The Way He Looked at Me   139

    She appeared in the kitchen doorway. Her face had done something complicated surprise folding into something softer and more careful. "Theodore." Her voice was different now. Quieter. "There's someone here for you." I stood slowly. "Who?" She hesitated just a half-second, just enough and stepped aside. And my heart stopped completely. Because it wasn't Theo. It was his mother. Theo Cassian pov Dallas was eating us alive. One goal down since the first period, and we were falling apart in real time scrambling, sloppy, yelling at each other across the ice like a high school team that hadn't practiced in a month. Coach was on the sideline with his eyes practically leaving his skull. Jasper our captain, the man who was supposed to be holding this together was somewhere else entirely in his head. I wasn't much better. Because Vincent was in goal. Vincent my Vincent, though he didn't know that yet and might never was standing between the pipes while some of the most d

  • The Way He Looked at Me   138

    He was at the stove when I came out of my room. Back turned, shoulders relaxed no tension that I could read, no storm gathering. Give it a minute, I told myself. It's coming. "Morning." He didn't look up. "Made eggs. Want some?" "Thanks." I sounded like a man who'd swallowed gravel. I cast around for the standard morning pleasantry. Eventually: "Sleep okay?" He turned. His eyes hit me open and honest and so painfully unguarded that my chest did something I didn't authorize. "Not really," he said simply. "Lot to process. And I was worried about you." "I'm fine." He didn't believe me. He smiled anyway slower than usual, eyes closing more than normal, lids a little pink and heavier than they should have been. I did that. I made him look like that. Something violent moved through me. He plated the toast with quiet precision, selected the two best eggs sunny-side up, yolk centered, whites even and slid them across the spatula onto the bread like it mattered. Like I mattered. Ha

  • The Way He Looked at Me   137

    My mind scrambles backward. That was before I ever said anything out loud. Before I even knew what I was to myself. Theo nods once. “Yeah. In his car. Right after I told him. That was the first thing out of his mouth.” His gaze sharpens on me. “He already knew about you, Vin.” A chill crawls up my spine. “And it’s the only thing he ever asked of me,” Theo continues. “The only boundary. Don’t mess with you.” I shake my head slightly. “That doesn’t ” “It does,” he cuts in, voice lower now. He looks away like it hurts to hold my eyes. “Because he knows me. Knows where I come from. Knows what I’m capable of when things get complicated.” A pause. Then it lands. “He thinks I’m not good enough for you.” The words hit like something heavy and sharp at the same time. “I’ll ruin it,” Theo says quietly. “I’ll mess it up. I’ll hurt you.” My chest tightens as if the air just turned solid. “You wanted to know what Nate is to me?” he asks after a beat. I don’t answer. Theo exhales. “

  • The Way He Looked at Me   136

    He'd been surviving.And then my phone lit up on the cushion beside me.A message from my brother.Nate: Don't let him tell you it's fine. It was never fine. And Dad knew. He knew the whole time."There were two versions of my dad."Theo's voice was controlled. Practiced. The voice of someone who'd learned early that feelings were a liability."I called them the Coleders. Light and dark." He didn't look at me. "Light meant he'd drunk himself into something almost bearable stumbling, laughing, harmless enough. Dark meant " He stopped. Jaw tight. "Dark meant you cleared the room."He picked at the cuticle on his thumb now, the couch seam abandoned."When it went dark, I'd hold out as long as I could for my mom. But when it got bad enough, I'd bail. Show up at your place. Nate's floor, usually. A few weeks would pass, and then my dad would notice I was gone and come drag me back." His mouth twisted. "I always went quietly. Couldn't stand the idea of him making a scene on your doorstep.

  • The Way He Looked at Me   135

    My shoulder stiffens, forcing me to shift. The moment I do, Theo’s hand closes around my wrist lazy, instinctive his fingers catching the cluster of hair ties there.“What’s with stealing my hair ties?” he mutters.“Truth or lie?” I shoot back.A pause. “Do I regret choosing truth?”“Depends,” I say, too quickly. “You might not survive it.”His eyes flick up at me.That’s my mistake. Looking at him.Because now I can’t lie properly anymore.I swallow. My voice drops without permission. “I take them because I like you with your hair up. It makes you look sharp. Dangerous. Like you could ruin someone’s day just by existing.”His jaw tightens slightly.“But when it’s down…” I exhale, shaky now, honesty slipping through cracks I didn’t mean to open. “It does something worse. I don’t recover from it.”“Vincent,” he warns, low.I don’t stop. “And I keep the hair ties because when you finally kiss me really kiss me I want it like this. Your hair down. Like it is now. I’ve thought about it to

  • The Way He Looked at Me   57

    Carter Blake POV“The things I’d let him get away with…” I drawl, letting my head sink into the back of the sofa and closing my eyes just enough to be theatrical. “Honestly, Ness, even you would turn red if you knew.”Rachel likes to claim she’s a little adventurous, a secret kinkster, though I’ve

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-28
  • The Way He Looked at Me   Chapter 51

    Luca doesn’t speak.I turn toward him. His gaze is fixed straight ahead. His cheeks are flushed, lips pressed tight. He swallows, nods onceand exhales like he’s finally releasing something he’s been holding since childhood. The kind of breath you don’t realize

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-26
  • The Way He Looked at Me   Chapter 45

    Tyler Bennett POV“Be reasonable, Tyler,” Luca whispers through the phone, voice tight, almost shaking. “You’re still signed off. You can’t just”“Why not?” Tyler cuts me off, his tone low, dangerous. “My flight’s booked. I’m already at the airport.”I pau

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-25
  • The Way He Looked at Me   Chapter 46

    “We have to get out of here,” I hiss. “Now.”He doesn’t resist, only looks away and nods. “Which room?”“Top floor. Sixteen.”“Message me when it’s clear,” he says. Then he’s gone, a shadow slipping down the hall. Two songs later, I follow, heart hammering like a war drum, ev

    last updateLast Updated : 2026-03-25
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