All Chapters of The Way He Looked at Me: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

And somewhere deep in my chest, I realize that this room this family, this game of appearances and subtle victories feels dangerous. Thrilling. And terrifying.Because Tyler’s watching me. And he already knows more than he should.Dinner carries on without bloodshed, but not without excess. Voices crash into one another, laughter overlapping, conversations splintering and snapping back together like nothing ever broke. It’s loud. Indulgent. Intimate in a way I’m not used to.The Bennetts move as one organism fluid, instinctive. They know when a moment matters. They know when to go quiet, when to listen, when to let something land. And once it does, they flip the switch and chaos resumes, effortless and warm.Tyler was right. His family knows him.It’s obvious why.Because Tyler doesn’t change. Not here. Not with me. Not on the ice, not in front of strangers, not under stadium lights

Tyler looked at me like I was the only thing in the world worth hoping for. I didn’t think I just threw myself at him, arms winding around him, lips crashing against his. Right there. Right then. And now I’m home, and he’s still there in my head, haunting me. Tomorrow I have to drag my ass onto a plane, play hockey like a mindless machine, while he’s signed off for another week. Fucking hell.And the worst part? Being away from him makes me sober. Too sober. The ache in my belly twists and churns, sharp and relentless. Confusion. Frustration. Desire clawing at me like an animal. If it weren’t so late, I’d call Stacey. I’d tell her about this morning. About what I did right after the shower. She’d probably think I’d lost my mind or worse, that aliens had taken over my body. How else to explain it?The mirror in Tyler’s bathroom was fogged over, and my drunk, reckless self had to leave a mark. A drawing. A heart. A little Luca, like the one on my Christmas Eve name card. The me that had

“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, every nerve alive, every muscle taut. The tap comes barely two minutes after I send the text. Enough to send my body into rebellion breathless, pulse racing, trembling under the weight of anticipation.I fling the door open and pull him inside, no care for eyes or ears outside.And then chaos. Pure, relentless, consuming. Luca kisses me like fire and gravity collided. Hands on flesh, hair tangled in desperate fingers. Jaces pressed together, hot, unrelenting. Words are useless; there’s no room for them. Until we collapse, naked, tangled, spilling everything into one another.After, I climb into his lap, straddling him, cradling his head like he’s fragile glass. S

So does he.The room goes dead silent.Like the air itself just stopped breathing. Like the world tilted off its axis. For all I know, the planet has stopped spinning entirely.The only difference between us Is that Tyler isn’t surprised at all.He just smiles.And I know, with sickening clarity, that there’s no going back from this.Not now.Not ever.I reach up before I can stop myself, threading my fingers into the hair that’s fallen into his eyes. I brush it back, baring his face to me.His beautiful face.His mouth. The sharp cut of his cheekbones. His eyes those dangerous eyes and everything good and ruinous living inside them. And Christ, how did I ever believe I could stand within a hundred feet of this man and not fall?I must have been insane.I never stood a chance.I never had a choice.I never did.I stare into the wide pools of haz

Tyler Bennett POVLuca’s mouth is on me, everywhere at once, like he’s trying to erase the space between us. His touch follows slow, relentless, possessive drawing gasps from my throat I don’t recognize as my own. His kisses aren’t rushed. They’re deliberate. Claiming. Soft brushes along my skin that turn sharp when I least expect it.My body reacts before my mind can catch up.Every place he touches ignites. My neck. My chest. My jaw. My mouth. When his lips linger too long, when he pulls away just enough to make the anticipation unbearable, I lose control. I arch, tremble, claw uselessly at the sheets as sensation builds until I’m drowning in it.I’m too full of feeling. Too aware. Every nerve screaming.He takes his time undoing me, smiling like he knows exactly how close I am to breaking. And when he finally closes the distance I’ve been begging him to cross, something inside me splinter