Make Your Move (Aston Archers Hockey #1)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

LINCOLN

Ten Years Ago

S he is absolutely mesmerizing and absolutely off-limits.

She twists her body in circles, the music pounding through the speakers as she moves to the sound. I lift my beer to my lips, taking a slow draw of the lukewarm liquid as I watch the way her blonde hair drifts through the air, floating behind her. I need to stop staring at her, but I can’t tear my gaze from her.

My best friend Nash would kill me if he knew I had been wishing on every fallen star for his sister to fall into me.

It was my little secret that would never see the light of day. It doesn’t matter anymore, though. I’m leaving in less than twelve hours, and I’m not sure when I will see Nash or his sister again.

Nash and I met playing junior hockey, and we became the best of friends when we were only sixteen. As soon as we were eighteen and he had access to the trust their mother left, he bought the house, and I moved in with him. My aunt Emma wasn’t thrilled about it because she wanted me to go to college, but Nash and I both ended up drafted by the farm team for the Aston Archers.

This past week has been a whirlwind neither of us saw coming. Nash ended up getting called up to play for the Archers, and I was being traded to the Orchid City Vipers. Playing professionally was both of our dreams, and the moment was bittersweet. We both had finally made it, but I was having to move over a thousand miles away from the only home I had really known.

I watch Nova as she lifts her hands above her head, her eyes falling shut as she shifts her hips. Nova is the type of person who makes an entrance in every room she walks into. It isn’t her intention, but her aura has a way of pulling you in. She’s a blooming wildflower, the type that can never be tamed. She’s a free spirit who dances through the darkest of clouds with the sun shining on her face.

“There’s the birthday boy,” Nash calls out, breaking through my thoughts as he bumps into my side. His drink sloshes over the sides of his red Solo cup as he throws his arm over my shoulders. “What are you doing over here by yourself?”

I look over at my best friend, a soft laugh escaping me as I shake my head. “Wallowing in my misery, I suppose.”

“You’re ridiculous.” He laughs, rolling his eyes at me. He moves his arm away from my shoulders and motions for me to follow him. “We need to get your head out of your ass so you can enjoy your party.” He links his arm around some girl’s waist as she comes up to him. “Let’s go play pong.”

He dips his face down to the girl’s ear and whispers something into it. My gaze drifts back out to the crowd of people dancing in the center of the living room when my eyes collide with Nova’s. Her body sways like a weeping willow in the breeze. She tilts her head to the side in the most subtle movement, and the corners of her lips lift.

The muscle in my jaw tightens, and I swallow as I stare back at her, the people around us momentarily fading. She smiles at me, and in one fluid movement, she spins on her heel and ducks out through the door on the side that leads into the hallway.

“What do you say, Linc?”

I look back at Nash and lift my beer to take another swig. “You go ahead without me. I’ll meet up with you later.”

Nash’s eyebrows pull together, but the girl, Lindsay, on his arm gives him a tug. “I’ll play with you,” she says as she smiles up at him.

Nash glances at her. “You will, won’t you?” He chuckles and looks back at me. “I know how you are with goodbyes, so don’t think you’re going to sneak out without saying it to me.”

I’ve never been good at goodbyes.

I nod at my best friend as I roll my wrist to look at my watch. It’s already eleven thirty, and I’m supposed to be hitting the road tomorrow morning by six. “I won’t,” I tell him, knowing damn well that I will.

Lindsay drags Nash away from me, and I use the moment to disappear into the hall. As I step out into the space, I dodge a couple along the wall when I catch sight of her. She rounds the bottom of the stairs, and I walk down the hallway, watching her dancing her way up the steps. Her blonde hair flows behind her like a trail of light following her.

When I reach the bottom step, Nova is at the top staring down at me. A smile creeps onto her lips, and the softest laugh dances through the air, crashing into me. My heart races in my chest, and I set my beer down on the table in the foyer. Nova is gone in an instant as she disappears into the hallway on the second floor.

I don’t know what the hell I’m doing right now, but I don’t second guess myself as I head up the stairs, taking two at a time. There’s a chance I’ll never see her again. That thought alone is enough to chase away any rational thoughts. It’s enough to have me chasing after her when I know damn well I shouldn’t be.

She’s like a bolt of lightning—a fleeting movement—as she ducks into one of the rooms at the far end of the hall. My feet move without being told, carrying me closer to her. The door shuts when I’m a few feet away from it. My stomach quickens as I reach for the handle. This is my last chance to turn away. My last chance to save myself from doing something that I might deeply regret.

My hand turns the knob, and I let out a ragged breath as I push open the door and step into the darkness. The room is silent, and I quietly shut it behind me as my eyes adjust to the dark. The curtains are pulled open, and I see her silhouette standing by the window as she stares up at the moon. Her head is tipped back, and her blonde hair falls in unruly curls down to the center of her back. I stare at her for a moment, my heart pounding erratically in my chest as I take in the sight of her.

My footsteps are light as I walk through the spare bedroom, stepping around the bottom of the bed as I move to stand beside her. There’s a small space between us, but I can feel her warmth radiating against my arm. Tilting my head back, I look up at the moon, counting the visible craters on it. It’s a full moon. The ending of one cycle and the start of a new one.

“Did you know it only takes three days to fly to the moon?”

Turning my head to the side, I drop my gaze a foot to study the side of her face. Nova doesn’t look at me as she continues to stare at the moon in wonderment. Her nose is straight, and there’s a gentle curve in the tip of it, creating the illusion of a button. My eyes travel along her sharp jaw and across her high cheekbones that rest beneath her bright blue eyes. She lifts a delicate hand and brushes the blonde curls from her face, tucking them behind her ear.

“I didn’t know that,” I admit quietly as I swallow roughly. “I would have guessed it would take longer.”

The smell of roses invades my senses as she spins to face me. Her floral skirt shifts around her legs, resting just above her knees. “The moon is the closest celestial body to Earth.”

“Well, that makes sense,” I say, my eyes drifting across her face, trailing over her plump lips and back to her eyes. “The moon is locked into the earth’s orbit.”

Nova rolls her lips between her teeth, biting back a smile as she glances back out the window again. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

The light shines down upon her face, illuminating her hair as it creates a halo appearance around the top of her head. “It is,” I admit as her gaze collides with mine again. I’m lost in her crystal blue eyes as she’s talking about the moon, but I’m talking about her.

“Have you ever wished on a star?”

Only for you.

“Doesn’t everyone?” I question her as I exhale a short, soft breath through my nostrils. “Wishes don’t come true, Nova. A wish is just a hope or a desire. The stars don’t have the power to make those come true.”

Nova stares back at me, her gaze never wavering and her smile never falling. “Maybe not. Or maybe you’re just wishing upon the wrong thing.”

My eyebrows pull together. “What do you mean?”

“Shooting stars are just streaks of light from burning dust. They disappear as quickly as they appear.” She pauses as her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “They’re fleeting and unpredictable, but the moon isn’t. The moon reappears each night as it moves through its cycle of rebirth.”

Her words, although they’re riddle-like, still settle within the fibers of my brain. “Wish upon a full moon.”

Nova’s smile grows wider, her bright white teeth shining behind her lips, and she nods. “Yes, exactly. A full moon is filled with energy we can’t see. If it has the power to shift the tides, who’s to say it doesn’t have the power to carry our wishes too?” Her eyes soften. “Go ahead, make a wish.”

A ragged breath escapes me. I look out the window at the moon, inhaling deeply as I look back to Nova. “I wish I could kiss you.”

Her eyes widen slightly, her lips parting as a soft breath escapes her. “You weren’t supposed to tell me, Lincoln.”

“Does it work the same as it does with shooting stars?”

Nova shakes her head as she takes a step closer to me, entering my space. My heart crawls into my throat as I tip my head down to look at her. “No, I don’t think it does.”

Lifting my hand, my fingers brush the side of her face as I push a soft curl away, tucking it behind her ear. Nova’s eyes search mine as she inhales sharply. The tips of my fingers drift along her jaw, stopping just beneath her chin. I tilt her head back, my face dipping down to hers. “I’ve dreamed of doing this for so long.”

Any logical thought is out the window, drifting up into space with the stars and the moon.

“It took you long enough,” Nova breathes as my lips brush hers. She tastes faintly like cranberry juice and vodka. Her lips are soft and tender, moving with mine as I kiss her slowly. I savor the taste of her, the way she feels, letting the memory carve itself into my mind.

I lift my other hand and cup both sides of her face as I kiss her deeper, stealing the air from her lungs. Nova doesn’t hesitate, and her hands fist the sides of my shirt as she holds onto me. My tongue sweeps along the seam of her mouth, and she gently parts her lips, letting me invade her. I breathe her in, needing her more than I need oxygen.

After dreaming of this moment for so long, it doesn’t come close to touching the real experience. Nova lets out the softest moan as she presses her body flush against mine. I swallow the sound, storing it in my brain for another time. She tastes like a bad decision cloaked in stardust. I kiss her deeper, knowing this is my one chance to memorize the way she feels melting into me.

We stand beneath the light of the moon, kissing each other until our lungs are screaming for oxygen. I’m the one who breaks the moment, tearing my mouth from hers as we’re both breathless. Nova opens her eyes, and she stares back at me. Her perfect lips are parted as she inhales a shallow breath. “Do you have to leave tomorrow?”

I swallow roughly, instantly wishing I didn’t. She feels like sand slipping through the crevices between my fingers. “Yes.”

A sad smile lifts the corners of her lips, and she releases her hold on my shirt. My hands fall away from her face, and I immediately feel her absence as she takes a step away from me. “You’re going to do great things, Lincoln Matthews. I can feel it.” She lifts her hand to cup the side of my face, her eyes shimmering beneath the moonlight. “I hope one day I’ll see you again, but until then, I’ll think of you whenever I look up at the moon.”

Her arm brushes against mine as she walks past me and lets herself out of the room. I resist the burning urge inside to reach out to her, to follow after her. I know I can’t. We were never meant to be anything more than this fleeting moment.

Nova Simmons had always been my wish upon a star.

And that’s why she would never be mine.