Fated Shot

Chapter 13

Mia

I’m standing at Jack Brody’s door, and he’s naked.

Well, not technically naked—he has a small white towel tucked around his waist—but I can see every inch of his ripped body. The tattoo on his right arm, it turns out, extends into an intricate black-ink chest piece that spans across his right pec. I swear he’s actually glistening, and it’s not just my imagination. Either way, I can’t formulate words over the sound of blood pounding in my ears.

“I-I…” is all I can manage to let out as I physically take a step back. I don’t know where to look. I keep glancing between the floor, the towel, his abs, his chest—and wait, is that a toothbrush? My eyes finally land on his, soft and brilliant blue as always, and I force myself to take a breath.

“I-I shouldn’t have come. I just was at the game and wanted to make sure you were okay and—I’ll go.” It comes out like panicked word vomit, but that’s exactly how I felt the moment everything went down.

As soon as he fell to the ice, I felt, panicked . I take an extra step back, turning to leave as his hand softly grabs my arm.

“Wait,” his low voice beckons. I stop, turning back to face him directly.

“I’m so sorry about the other night,” he says, sincerity ringing in his voice, his face one of genuine regret. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I just didn’t want it to be over, but I shouldn’t have come in. I’m really sorry I made you uncomfortable.”

He thinks this is his fault? Oh my god, Mia, now you’ve done it. All I can do is shake my head. “No.”

He looks at me with some confusion but at full attention, waiting for me to continue. “I wasn’t sure what—” I close my mouth before restarting. “I just couldn’t—”

You’re truly doing wonderfully, Mia. Those are definitely full sentences. GET. IT. TOGETHER.

His look of understanding prevails as I continue to mumble, “I was just in my head and—”

Just as I start to find the words to explain, I hear a roar of voices and laughter coming from the apartment next door. Instinctively, I peek over. The handle clinks as the door starts to open, and before I can process, two arms are wrapped around me and I’m pulled into his apartment, the door slamming shut behind us.

Pressed against his abs, the steady beat of his heart thrums as I look up at him. There’s a panic in his eyes as he slowly pulls one finger up to his mouth and moves his gaze to watch the door. The muscles in his arms are protruding in a protective embrace as if shielding me from whatever is coming.

The voices grow louder. Clearly, a crowd has formed in the hallway. I stay silent, confused, but ridiculously comfortable with his hands on me, engulfed in the smell of him. Ten seconds later, there’s a hand slapping on the door as a young voice calls out, “YO, we’re heading out. Meet us at Frank’s if you change your mind.”

Jack keeps his grip tight on me as the voices fade down the hall until they disappear completely. He looks down at me again before releasing me, and I take a step back. The moment I do, I miss the closeness, an urge to nuzzle back into his arms creeping in. Bad Mia, very bad.

“I should go,” I say more so to myself than anything.

He slowly reaches for my hand, intensity in his eyes.

“Stay, Mia.” The deep timber of his voice hitting me hard, as he adds a more desperate plea, “Please.”