Todos os capítulos de OFF THE ICE,STILL RIVALS : Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 30

CHAPTER 22: ELLIOTThe quiet in Suite 301 was deafening.I couldn't stay in that bed. The lingering scent of his cologne trapped in the sheets and the shadow of where he’d pinned me to the mattress were making the air in the room impossible to breathe. Every time I closed my eyes, I could still feel his hands locked around my waist and his mouth bruising mine.I threw on a dark hoodie, shoved my phone into my pocket, and walked out into the pitch-black corridor.Guided only by the emergency lights, I made my way down the carpeted stairs toward the main lodge. The lobby was packed. With the power out across the upper floors, nearly the entire Boston Vipers roster had migrated down to the central bar and lounge area, where battery powered lantern light cast a warm, golden glow over the wood paneling and stone hearth.Gentle laughter and the clinking of glasses filled the air, the team making the most of the free alcohol offered by the hotel management.I paused on the lower landing, my

CHAPTER 24: ADRIANThe crunch of loose gravel beneath our boots was the only sound echoing through the steep timber line.Elliot marched ahead of me, his posture locked, his long strides steady as he tore up the north ridge trail. I trailed five paces behind him, my eyes fixed on the line of his shoulders, the cold mountain air burning the back of my throat."You know, you were remarkably calm in the bathroom this morning, Sorelli," I called out, my voice laced with a smooth, mocking edge designed to get a rise out of him. "Stepping into the shower like you owned the room. After days of hiding behind frosted glass, suddenly you're putting on a private show?"Elliot didn't flinch, didn't turn his head, didn't even slow down. He just kept walking, his eyes locked on the trail ahead as if I were nothing more than the wind rattling through the pine trees."What, no sharp comeback?" I pressed, speeding up my pace slightly to close the gap. "Nothing to say about last night? Or are you just

CHAPTER 26: ADRIANBy the time the doors of Room 104 burst open, I had already scrubbed my face raw in the adjacent restroom, erasing every trace of tears.My eyes were still slightly bloodshot, but the cold water had deadened the shock, allowing me to slide my untouchable "Captain" mask seamlessly back into place. When the guys crammed into the small clinic room, I was leaning against the far wall with my arms folded over my chest, looking completely composed."Holy shit, Adrian!" Jax blurted out, his eyes wide as he looked at the bed. "Is he okay? What did the doctor say?"Noah, Marcus, Miller, and half a dozen others crowded around the narrow hospital bed, their heavy winter jackets and casual streetwear swishing loudly in the quiet space. The air in the room instantly grew thick and claustrophobic."Clean fracture of the fibula," I said, my voice smooth, flat, and entirely devoid of emotion. "They set it in a cast and gave him a sedative for the pain. No head trauma, no spine dama

CHAPTER 28: ADRIANThe sharp, metallic thud echoed from the master bathroom, followed instantly by a muffled curse and the harsh rattle of a shower curtain being ripped off its rings.I bolted out my room and into Elliot's I shoved the bathroom door wide open. Steam was already billowing into the cool bedroom air, thick and sweet with cedar soap. Inside the glass stall, Elliot was half-hunched against the tiled wall, his left foot skidding precariously on the wet porcelain while his heavy fiberglass cast hung awkward and exposed over the porcelain ledge. He had managed to strip down, but his knuckles were white where he gripped the towel rack, his jaw clenched so hard the muscles in his neck stood out like cords.He looked up as the door hit the wall, his dark eyes wide, flushed, and burning with immediate, defensive fury."Get out," Elliot rasped, his chest heaving as he tried to pull himself upright on one foot.I didn't answer, my eyes dragged down the slick, wet lines of his che

CHAPTER 30: ADRIANThe apartment was suffocatingly quiet.Elliot sat propped up on the living room sofa, his injured leg elevated on a mountain of throw pillows, his dark eyes fixed dead ahead on the unlit television screen. He had managed to pull on a loose pair of grey sweatpants, slotted awkwardly over his thick fiberglass cast and a dark t-shirt. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle ticking beneath his skin.He was furious. Not at me, but at himself, at the way his body had surrendered under the hot spray, at the moans he hadn't been able to choke back, and at the fact that he was currently trapped under my roof, unable to even fetch a glass of water without my permission.I stepped out of the hallway into the living room, a low-slung black towel hitched loosely around my hips, droplets of water still glistening across my shoulders and chest. The corner of my lower lip was slightly swollen where his fist had caught me, but I wore the mark like a trophy.I leaned my