Chapter 1
Knox Callahan
Preseason was only a few days away, and we’d just wrapped up one hell of a practice.
Physicals were coming up, which meant Coach wanted us taking it easy for a few days.
No stupid injuries.
No bar fights.
No headlines.
As captain, I was supposed to set the example.
That didn’t mean I couldn’t have a beer.
“Good practice,” Cole Beckett said as he dropped onto the bench beside me.
“Not bad.”
He snorted. “Not bad? We skated Jace into the ground.”
Across the locker room, rookie Jace Wilder flipped us off.
I grinned.
“How’s Lauren?” I asked.
Cole immediately groaned.
“That bad, huh?”
“She’s been weird lately.” He dragged a hand through his dark hair. “Distant. Doesn’t answer half my texts.”
“Then dump her.”
“A year and a half isn’t exactly easy to walk away from.”
I shrugged into my jacket.
“If you’re miserable, it should be.”
Roman Petrov appeared beside us, already dressed.
“I like when Knox gives relationship advice.”
Cole laughed.
“Why?”
Roman’s blue eyes sparkled.
“Because he has never had successful relationship.”
“Fuck off.”
The locker room erupted with laughter.
A few minutes later we headed out.
Me.
Cole.
Roman.
Jace.
A handful of other guys.
Just one night before training camp officially kicked off.
The club was already packed when we arrived.
Girls turned to stare as we walked toward the entrance.
Comes with the territory.
I spotted Melody first.
Caramel hair.
Tiny.
Standing in line by herself.
“Cole.”
His head snapped up immediately.
The idiot actually smiled.
“There she is.”
I laughed.
Melody noticed us and waved.
“Mel.”
“Knox.”
“Where’s Lauren?”
She made a face.
“No clue.”
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Before I could ask more, Cole stepped beside her.
The tension in his shoulders disappeared instantly.
I filed that away for later.
The line moved forward.
Then something caught my attention.
A blonde girl standing off to the side.
Petite.
Blue eyes.
Beautiful.
And looking like she was trying very hard not to cry.
My feet stopped moving.
“Knox?” Cole asked.
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
I headed toward her before I could think better of it.
“Hey.”
She looked up.
Those blue eyes hit me square in the chest.
Yeah.
Definitely beautiful.
“You okay?”
She let out a laugh that sounded more exhausted than amused.
“Not particularly.”
“Want to talk about it?”
She glanced toward the entrance.
A guy stood there with his arm around another girl.
Well.
That explained a lot.
“My boyfriend invited me out tonight,” she said. “Apparently he forgot to mention he already had a date.”
“That’s rough.”
“Tell me about it.”
I shoved my hands into my pockets.
“So what’s the plan?”
She blinked.
“The plan?”
“Yeah. Cry? Throw a drink at him? Key his car?”
To my surprise she laughed.
An actual laugh.
“There are witnesses.”
“Coward.”
That earned another smile.
Much better.
“I’m Knox.”
“Sadie.”
The second her hand touched mine, something strange flickered through my chest.
Not fireworks.
Not destiny.
Just awareness.
Like suddenly I was paying a little too much attention.
I released her hand.
“You new to town?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“A little.”
She rolled her eyes.
“My dad lives here. I got offered a job and figured I’d finally give North Haven a shot.”
“What kind of job?”
She smiled.
“One I hopefully still have tomorrow.”
I laughed.
“Fair enough.”
Her gaze drifted back toward the cheating boyfriend.
Immediately her smile faded.
Nope.
Not happening.
“You know what?”
“What?”
“You should hang out with us.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“Us?”
I pointed toward my teammates.
“My friends.”
“Are they all giant hockey players?”
“Unfortunately.”
That smile returned.
“Are they nice giant hockey players?”
“Most of the time.”
“That’s not reassuring.”
I grinned.
“Come on.”
For a second she hesitated.
Then she nodded.
“Okay.”
I led her toward the entrance.
The boyfriend noticed immediately.
The look on his face was worth every second.
Inside, we headed straight for the VIP section.
Sadie looked around.
“Let me guess. You know people.”
“Something like that.”
“Of course.”
The amusement in her voice made me smile.
The group looked up as we approached.
“Everyone, this is Sadie.”
Melody immediately scooted over.
“Come sit with me.”
Thank God.
Sadie needed a friend more than another hockey player trying to flirt with her.
“Sadie, this is Melody.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
Within seconds they were talking.
Good.
I grabbed a beer and settled beside Roman.
A few minutes later I looked over.
Sadie was laughing.
Actually laughing.
The stress I’d seen outside was gone.
For some reason, that made me feel better.
“Uh oh.”
I looked at Roman.
“What?”
He nodded toward Sadie.
“You have face.”
I frowned.
“What face?”
“The face before trouble.”
I laughed.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Maybe.”
Across the room, Sadie glanced over.
Our eyes met.
She smiled.
Then lifted her drink.
I found myself smiling back.
Roman groaned.
“Oh yes.”
“What?”
“You are definitely in trouble.”
I rolled my eyes.
Maybe.
But for the first time all night, I wasn’t thinking about hockey.
Or training camp.
Or being captain.
I was thinking about the blonde girl sitting across the room.
The one I’d met less than thirty minutes ago.
The one who somehow already had my attention.
Sadie laughed at something Melody said and turned away.
I should’ve looked away too.
Should’ve forgotten about her.
Should’ve gone back to focusing on my team and enjoying the night.
Instead, I found myself watching her.
And that should’ve been my first warning.
A little while later, I found Sadie standing near the railing overlooking the dance floor.
The rest of the group had spread out around the VIP section. Melody was talking to some friends she’d run into. Cole was pretending he wasn’t watching her every move. Roman was already collecting numbers he’d never call, and Jace was soaking up every second of being a rookie in the NHL.
Meanwhile, Sadie looked like she needed a break.
“Escaping?” I asked as I stepped beside her.
She glanced up and smiled.
“Maybe.”
I laughed.
“Come on.”
She followed me toward the balcony doors.
The second we stepped outside, the cool night air wrapped around us.
Sadie closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Better?”
“So much better.”
I leaned against the railing beside her.
The city lights stretched out below us.
For a few seconds neither of us spoke.
It wasn’t awkward.
Just… easy.
“So,” I said finally. “North Haven.”
She groaned.
“Don’t judge me. I’ve lived here for less than a week.”
“That explains why you ended up dating an idiot.”
A laugh escaped her.
“There it is.”
“There what is?”
“The hockey player ego.”
I placed a hand over my chest.
“I am deeply offended.”
“Sure you are.”
I grinned.
For the next twenty minutes we talked.
Nothing heavy.
Nothing serious.
Just conversation.
Where she grew up.
The move.
Her job.
My upcoming season.
The city.
Favorite foods.
The best coffee shops.
The conversation flowed so naturally it honestly caught me off guard.
Usually women wanted to talk about hockey.
Or being captain.
Or who I knew.
Sadie didn’t seem to care about any of that.
And somehow that made me want to keep talking.
“You know,” she said after a while, “you’re not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
She looked me over.
“Honestly?”
“Always.”
“A cocky hockey player.”
I laughed.
“That’s fair.”
“And maybe you are a little.”
I pointed at her.
“There it is.”
She rolled her eyes.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
God.
I liked making her laugh.
Way more than I should.
Eventually the music from inside pulled us back toward the club.
When we stepped through the doors, Melody immediately waved Sadie over.
“Come sit with me.”
Sadie looked at me.
“You’ll survive without me?”
“Barely.”
She laughed.
And damn if that didn’t make my chest do something stupid.
As she walked away, Cole appeared beside me.
“You’re smiling.”
“No I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Shut up.”
He smirked.
“Whatever you say, Cap.”
Hours later, the club finally started winding down.
Roman left first.
Then a few of the younger guys.
Then Melody announced she was heading home.
Cole immediately volunteered to walk her out.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
By the time everyone piled into rides, Sadie looked exhausted.
I slid into the back of the Uber beside her.
“You okay, Angel?”
She smiled sleepily.
“Long day.”
“Yeah.”
A few minutes later her head tipped against the seat.
Five minutes after that she was completely asleep.
By the time we dropped Roman off, she hadn’t moved.
After Jace got out, she still hadn’t moved.
After Cole got out?
Nothing.
I nudged her shoulder.
“Sadie.”
No response.
The driver laughed.
“Good luck, buddy.”
Fantastic.
A few minutes later we pulled into my apartment building.
“Sadie.”
Nothing.
I sighed.
“Angel.”
Still nothing.
The driver was openly grinning now.
“Need help?”
“Nah.”
I climbed out and carefully lifted her into my arms.
She stirred slightly but never woke up.
The ride upstairs was thankfully uneventful.
