The Game That Breaks Us (Us 3)

I sit up and pull out my wallet, grabbing a credit card. I hold it out to her between two fingers. “Go nuts.”

Her lips part and her eyes widen. “Seriously?”

I nod and she takes it. “Buy yourself a date night outfit too.” I wink and I swear her breath catches.

“R-Right,” she stutters, sliding the card into her wallet.

Beside her, Elle squeals. “This is the best day of my life!”

I laugh under my breath. I never would’ve pegged Grace’s emo roommate to be into hockey, but I guess it shows you should never judge a book by its cover.

Makenna and Celine are on my side and I can hear them gossiping about how hot hockey players are. Considering we’re sitting near my teammates in the box, I won’t be surprised if a few them don’t set their sights on Makenna and Celine and take them home. Hell, I’d roll Elle into that too, but I’m pretty sure she’s hung up on Ryland, which I find hysterical seeing as they look like complete opposites.

But, again, don’t judge a book by its cover.

I play the part of the attentive boyfriend by asking, “Do you need anything, baby?”

Grace jumps slightly and looks at me with startled eyes. “No, I’m good.”

She’s uncomfortable, and she’s going to blow our cover if she keeps this up. Everyone thinks we’ve been dating since the start of the school year so her unease isn’t going to look good.

I touch my fingers lightly to her flushed cheek and her lips part. “You have an eyelash,” I say as an excuse to touch her. She buys it. I brush the invisible eyelash away and she ducks her head. I take her hand in mine and relax into the seat.

The game begins, and my stomach plummets as the guys skate out onto the ice. I should be there. My grasp on Grace’s hand tightens as I hold myself back from jumping out on the ice and making a spectacle of myself.

“Bennett?” she asks nervously.

“Yes?”

She looks at me and then out to the ice. “Never mind.”

“What is it?” I coax.

She shrugs. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry you can’t play. I know it must be really hard for you to sit here and watch your team play without you.”

I release a pent-up breath. “Yeah, it really fucking sucks.” I don’t see the point in lying.

I’m tense for the first period. My team is behind by a lot. Luckily, they catch up in the second period and I can relax. When the second intermission comes, I know it’s show time.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” I ask Grace, dropping my arm over the back of her seat.

She lifts her head and smiles. “Actually, yes.”

I grin and lean close and her breath catches. “Smile,” I whisper in her ear. “There are cameras on us.”

“What are you up to?” she whispers back as I lean even closer.

I don’t answer her.

Not with words anyway.

I take her face between my hands, allowing myself one second to marvel at how small her face is in my grasp, and then I lower my head and kiss her in front of all the thousands of people filling the stadium. I hear the shouts of, “Ooh!” and “Yeah, kiss her good,” and I know that our image is being projected on the screens. I don’t let that divert my attention, though. Instead, I kiss Grace like it’s only the two of us. At first, she’s tense in my hold, but she gradually relaxes and I can feel her throat vibrate with a moan. She kisses me back with a fervor I didn’t expect and I feel her fingernails dig into my shoulders. I angle her head back, deepening the kiss and the cheers grow in volume.

I break the kiss before it reaches R-rated levels and press my forehead to hers. We both breathe heavily and I swallow thickly. It was supposed to be just a kiss, but suddenly it feels like so much more. Like I want more. Like maybe I wish it was real.

I am so fucked.

“Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”