Breakaway hearts, p.1
Breakaway Hearts, page 1
Breakaway Hearts
Nikki Lawson
Copyright © 2023 by Nikki Lawson. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Contents
1. Reese
2. Callie
3. Reese
4. Reese
5. Callie
6. Reese
7. Callie
8. Callie
9. Reese
10. Callie
11. Callie
12. Reese
13. Callie
14. Callie
15. Reese
16. Callie
17. Callie
18. Callie
19. Reese
20. Callie
21. Callie
22. Reese
23. Callie
24. Reese
25. Callie
26. Callie
27. Reese
28. Callie
29. Reese
30. Callie
31. Reese
32. Callie
33. Reese
34. Callie
35. Callie
36. Reese
37. Callie
38. Reese
39. Callie
40. Reese
41. Callie
42. Reese
43. Callie
44. Callie
45. Reese
46. Callie
47. Reese
48. Callie
49. Reese
50. Callie
51. Reese
Epilogue
Epilogue Two
Books by Nikki Lawson
If you’ve been holding out for a 6’4” hockey god who’ll put you on your knees and call you his good little slut…
this one is for you.
Chapter 1
Reese
I should’ve known the green mouth guard would be a bust. Who do I think I am? Steph Curry? We don’t even play the same sport.
Note to self: go with the leprechaun socks next time.
The buzzer sounds, and I kick myself off the center ice with the rest of the team. A collective groan comes from the home crowd, and I tip my head back to stare at the arena’s ceiling instead of facing their disappointed faces.
Goddammit.
I want to blame the loss on the green mouth guard, my lucky green accessory for the night, but I know that’s not it.
I played like shit, plain and simple.
As we line up to shake hands with our opponents, one or two of them give me sympathetic looks. They’ve all had off games too, so I’m sure they know how I feel right now.
Except they don’t—not really. Because it’s not just the bad game that’s weighing on me right now. It’s everything that came before the game.
“Well, that sucked,” Theo mutters as we make our way through the tunnel back toward the locker room, earning a few nods from the others. “Shit really fell apart in the third period.”
“Eh, leave the scolding to Dunaway,” Maxim Federov grunts.
He’s not wrong. Coach Dunaway may actually murder us for our performance tonight, not to mention the fact that I ended up in the penalty box for an illegal check. That’s not my usual style for sure.
“Hey, man.” Noah glances over at me as we enter the locker room with the rest of the team. He’s the team captain and one of my closest friends, and he definitely saved my ass a few times tonight on the ice. “You alright?”
“Do I look alright?” I grunt as I rip my helmet off. I spit out my mouth guard and bury it in my open bag while the rest of our team banters around us.
Noah chuckles, nudging my shoulder with his. “Look, don’t beat yourself up. Grant already does that enough for all of us. Tonight was tough, but we’ll win the next one.”
Normally, I’d appreciate his attempt to get my head back in a good place after a loss, but it’s not working right now. Because even if we had won the game, I’m pretty sure I’d still have this empty, hollow feeling in my chest.
“Look, I’m really not in the mood right now.” I sigh. “Can you just, you know, not?”
“Not what?”
“Not be so… optimistic.”
Noah blinks at me for a second, surprise flashing in his dark blue eyes. Then he barks out a laugh. I roll my eyes, wishing in this moment that his locker was a bit farther from mine. The burden of being his assistant captain, I suppose.
“Yeah, leave him alone!” Sawyer shouts from across the room. He’s grinning and buck naked except for the towel he holds over his crotch. “Go be happy by yourself, asshole!”
Why is everyone so fucking overjoyed after losing? Sawyer Townsend, who’s usually stressed as hell thanks to the never-ending demands of being a single dad with a career in the NHL, and even Grant Parker, our perpetually grumpy goalie, are acting as if it’s no big deal that we got our asses handed to us on the ice tonight.
Only Theo, our resident hot-headed right winger, looks as confused as me.
“What the hell is wrong with you all?” he asks, sitting on the bench in front of his locker as he towels off his short dark hair. His biceps, nearly all tattoos at this point, pop in and out from beneath the white cotton. “Don’t tell me you’re still playing nice because of Sienna.”
Ah. So maybe he’s slightly more well-informed than I am.
It’s been a month and a half since my ex-girlfriend unceremoniously dumped me, and my stomach still drops at the mention of her name—which is a pretty unavoidable occurrence, since she works on the legal team of the Denver Aces. A job I got her, back when I thought the two of us were moving toward something more serious.
As Theo’s words hang in the air, the locker room gets quiet, that atmosphere turning a bit awkward. Noah clears his throat.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath. I tug at my jersey as if it’s constricting my airways as the silence grows somehow more uncomfortable.
“Listen, Reese—” Noah starts, but I cut him off, holding up a hand.
“It’s fine, honestly,” I insist. “Yeah, I’m still getting over Sienna, and I’m sure it’s impacting my game more than it should. I’m sorry about that. But you don’t have to treat me like some wounded animal every time something bad happens on the ice. It’s fine. I’m fine.”
Most of my teammates nod at that, turning away and resuming their prior conversations, mercifully letting me off the hook. But Noah, who knows me better than most of them, doesn’t let it drop quite so easily. He lowers his voice, stepping a bit closer as his expression turns serious.
“Seriously, if you need to talk, I’m here, okay?”
“I know. Thank you,” I say. And I genuinely mean it. These guys are practically family, and I know they’ll support me through anything. Thick or thin. Wins and losses.
Noah claps me on the back, nodding. Then he grins, lightening the mood as he gestures toward my bag.
“Oh, and I’ll make you a deal. If you throw that green mouth guard away so I never have to see that ugly excuse for protection again, drinks are on me tonight.”
I chuckle in spite of myself. All of my teammates are very familiar with my superstition about always needing to wear something green on game days, but I can agree with my friend that the mouth guard was a bust.
“You’re on,” I tell him.
Digging into my bag, I find the cursed thing and lob it toward the garbage can near the locker room doors. It spins around the rim and falls in. I let out a low whistle, and a few of my teammates cheer.
Steph Curry could never.
Noah and Theo are just getting ready to leave the arena by the time I get out of the showers. I wave them off and say I’ll meet them at our usual post-game bar, and they nod and head out.
Sawyer is already gone. He’s got sole custody of his little boy, Jake, so it’s a rare occasion when we’re able to get him to come out with us. Usually, he needs to race home to relieve whatever babysitter he’s got on duty.
Grant also disappeared like a ghost as soon as he finished his post-game interviews. Not surprising, since he usually prefers to mull in misery back at his condo instead of commiserating with the rest of us.
I yank on a fresh pair of boxer briefs and am buttoning my shirt just as my phone dings. A text from Callie lights up the screen, and I grin at the sight of my best friend’s name.
CALLIE: Sin bin call was bullshit if you ask me.
ME: Start bribing the refs for me, please.
CALLIE: With what money?
ME: Uhhh…
She sends back a sticker of a polar bear laugh-crying, and I snort.
Callie always knows the best ways to make me laugh, something that comes with the territory of an almost-decade-long friendship.
We met during the summer before college, before I became a professional hockey player, and we immediately bonded over our shared sense of humor and our love of the outdoors.
She’s been there for me fo
My happiest victories.
My deepest losses.
I trust her with everything, which is why she knows better than anyone else that I’ve been having a rough time lately. She knows more about it than my team, even Noah, especially since she was there the day Sienna broke things off.
Well, she was there in the immediate aftermath, anyway. I had forgotten I was supposed to film a fundraising video for Callie’s school, and she came over to my house to shoot it, accidentally walking in on me when I was fresh out of the shower.
Shit. I shake my head quickly. Best not to remember that Callie saw me completely naked that day. It didn’t take long for us to erase whatever awkwardness that created, but it’s still a little weird to think about that fact.
Whatever. It’s fine. She’s my friend and always will be. An accidental penis-sighting won’t stop that.
ME: We’re going out for drinks tonight. Wanna come?
CALLIE: Shouldn’t Dunaway be screaming at you right now?
ME: Done and dusted.
CALLIE: School night for me, I’m afraid.
ME: Don’t tell me you’ve never showed up hungover in front of your students??
I can practically hear Callie’s signature laugh. Even if she was hung over, I’m sure her elementary school students wouldn’t notice. But it definitely would be a pain in the ass for her.
CALLIE: …
ME: Just for a little bit. I’ll drive you home after. Pleeeaaase.
CALLIE: lol. Fine fine. I’ll call a car in a few. The usual place?
ME: Yup. See you soon. :)
I finish getting dressed and tuck my phone into my pocket before slinging my hockey bag over my shoulder and heading out of the locker room. The whole team—minus Grant, Sawyer, and a few others—is probably already overwhelming the poor bartenders at our favorite post-game bar, The Hideout.
My dark blue Porsche 911 is the only car left in the players’ parking area. I squeeze myself into the driver’s seat and head out toward the bar.
The downtown Denver streets are thankfully pretty clear, so I make it to the bar in no time, which is packed despite it being a Thursday. Puck bunnies and regular fans make up most of the clientele, and they stare openly at our team members, ogling with obvious interest and maybe a bit of jealousy—particularly when their gazes land on Noah, who’s got his arm wrapped around Margo.
He used to have a bit of a reputation as the team heartthrob, the nice guy who was also a god in bed, and now he only has eyes for his fiancée. Most of our fans are full-fledged supporters of the love birds, but some of the puck bunnies are a tiny bit resentful that he’s off the market and has settled down.
Honestly, I’m a little jealous too, but not for the same reasons.
I used to be happy like that.
In love.
With the woman I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with.
I stand at the entrance of the bar and watch the happy couple for a moment before they notice me and wave me over. I put on a smile, which I’m positive will be real at the end of the night, and walk over.
“Took you long enough!” Noah shouts over the din of music and people.
“Hey, Reese. Tough game tonight, but you guys fought hard.” Margo’s blue-gray eyes flash with sympathy, and she wraps me in a hug as if we don’t see each other daily. She’s our team’s social media manager, after all, which is how she and Noah got involved in the first place.
“I hope you weren’t recording a lot of footage for our social media feeds tonight,” I say with a wry chuckle.
“It’s already been deleted.” She winks.
I hold a hand over my heart. “And that’s why you’re the best.”
“Hey, watch it, bro.” Noah laughs, tightening his arm around her and pulling her closer as she melts against him. “She’s already spoken for.”
His tone is teasing, since he knows I would never make a move on his girl, but the possessiveness in his voice is real. He’s been head over heels for Margo pretty much since the first moment they met, and he’s only fallen harder and harder since then.
“I’m gonna go get a drink,” I tell them. “Do either of you need anything?”
“Nah, we’re good. We’ll see you back here.”
I nod and make my way through the crowd toward the bar, feeling the muscles in my shoulders unwind a little. I wasn’t sure I wanted to come out after the loss we just had, but tonight might not end up being so bad after all. We all just need to let off a little steam, and we’ll regroup tomorrow, good as new. Plus, Callie will be here soon, and that’ll lighten the mood even more. The guys love her. How could they not, honestly?
At the bar, I order an IPA and take a long pull from the glass after the bartender slides it over. As I’m setting the glass down, a familiar voice rings out from behind me.
“Hey, guys!”
Sienna.
I turn to see her, still in a pantsuit from work as she greets a couple of Aces staff members who came out tonight too. My teammates notice her entrance too, and although Noah keeps his expression neutral, Theo doesn’t disguise his scowl. He ignores her completely and walks over to me.
“Can’t believe she has the nerve to keep working for the Aces,” he mutters, signaling the bartender and ordering a scotch. “Should’ve had some decency and quit if you ask me.”
“It’s fine.” I shake my head and run a hand through my hair. “I can’t expect her to quit her job just because she dumped me.”
“You got her the job,” Theo argues. He changed into more casual clothes before coming out tonight, and the ink of his tattoos peeks out from beneath the sleeves of his shirt as he gestures with one hand. “It makes it seem like she only dated you so she could get a higher paying position.”
“That’s not true.” The words come out a little more forcefully than I mean for them to, and I grimace. Clearing my throat, I take another drink of my beer. “Just drop it. Please. It’s fine.”
It’s not fine, but I don’t say that to Theo. I hate seeing her. It only deepens the wound, but I meant it when I said I couldn’t expect her to quit her job just because we broke up. It’s all still so raw, so of course I’m hurting. But why does it look like she’s not?
Why is she smiling? Laughing?
Why isn’t she as beat up about it as I am?
I’m still staring at Sienna when she turns and looks at me. Heat rushes to my face, and I quickly switch my focus back to my beer, which I’ve mostly drunk at this point. I keep my eyes on it, even though I know she’s walking over to us. Theo mutters something under his breath and strides away just as she reaches the bar.
“Hey, Reese,” Sienna says.
My head shoots up at the sound of her voice. Fuck, she looks gorgeous. Her long blonde hair falls in soft waves to her shoulders, and her skin is tan despite the winter season. She smiles, revealing straight white teeth, and her bright blue eyes look darker than usual in the dim light of the bar.
“Hi.” The word is almost a croak, and I clear my throat again.
There’s a small pause, and then she says, “It’s good to see you.”
I nod. Her body is stiff and angled slightly away from mine. Why did she even come over here? Why did she come to the bar? Why did she have to make this night even shittier?
Worse, why am I overjoyed to see her?
Fuck, I’m a mess.
“So…” She rocks back on her heels a little, her lips tugging to one side. “How have you been?”
