Make Your Move (Aston Archers Hockey #1)

27. Nova

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

NOVA

L incoln takes a sip of his drink, setting it down on the counter before striding toward me. “You drive me crazy,” he murmurs as he backs me into the counter, his hands sliding down beneath my ass before he lifts me into the air and sets me down onto the cool marble top. “I’m quite certain I’ll never be able to get enough of you.”

The sound of music plays softly in the background from the living room. Nash’s car wasn’t in the driveway when we got home, and Lincoln put something on before pouring us each a glass of wine.

“Good,” I breathe, my hands grabbing onto his shoulders as he slides his hand along the back of my neck. Lincoln’s lips gently brush against mine, and I revel in the way they feel coupled with the aching between my legs.

Lincoln shifts his weight, his face leaving mine as he tips his head down to look at me. His touch is gentle as he lifts his hand to cup the side of my face. “You know, I think I’ve been lying to myself for a long time.”

“About what?” I question him, my eyebrows momentarily scrunching together. My stomach flips as my brain runs through a million different scenarios of what he’s talking about.

“About you,” he says softly, his thumb stroking my cheek. “About my feelings for you.”

My heart skips three beats in a row before racing to catch up. My breath catches in my throat, and I don’t dare speak a word as I watch his lips part again.

“I was afraid I would hurt you, so I kept my distance. I guarded your heart from mine because I didn’t trust myself to take care of it properly.” He pauses, a shallow breath escaping him as he stares into my soul. “You were something I never saw coming. You’ve been under my skin since we were teenagers, and I never realized how deeply you embedded yourself into the fibers of my soul.”

“Lincoln,” I start, my voice barely audible as tears prick the corners of my eyes.

“Shh,” he murmurs softly, capturing my lips with his own before pulling away again. “Let me finish, Nova.”

“Okay,” I whisper, nodding as I choke back my own feelings.

“I don’t know when it started exactly, but it happened faster than the speed of light. I realized it was out of my control the moment my heart was catapulted into space, landing directly in the palms of your hands.” His eyes rest on mine, cradling my gaze. “I’m in love with you, Nova.” He lets out a sigh of relief and the softest of laughs. “God, I’ve been in love with you for as long as I can remember, and I’m done fighting it.”

The air leaves my lungs in a rush as my heart crawls into my throat. His words swirl into my soul, consuming every coherent thought inside my brain. “What?”

“You’ve turned my entire world upside down. You make me want everything I never thought I would want, but only with you.” His gaze melts into mine. “You’re worth every fucking risk there is, supernova.”

The kitchen light abruptly turns on, shining brightly down upon us. It takes my brain a moment to catch up with what is going on, and my stomach instantly tumbles onto the floor. Lincoln’s eyes widen, and he takes a step back, abandoning his position between my thighs. Lincoln turns around, revealing my brother standing in the doorway.

Fuck, this isn’t good.

He wasn’t supposed to find out about us like this.

Nash’s eyes are like massive saucers as he takes in the sight of us before he narrows them. Daggers fly from his gaze, and a shiver runs down my spine as I watch my brother stare at us with contempt. Anger rages inside his irises, and he pushes his shoulders back.

I know just exactly how bad this looks. My hair is a tangled mess, my lips red and swollen. My clothes are disheveled, and the inside of my tights are ripped apart. I abruptly close my legs and slide down from the counter until my feet hit the ground. Lincoln’s shirt is still open, displaying the marks I left on his chest from my nails.

The color drains from Nash’s face. “What the fuck is this?”

“Nash,” I start, my voice cracking around his name as guilt washes over me.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Lincoln says in a rush, instantly wincing after he speaks the lie. “Okay, it is exactly what it looks like, but just hear me out.”

“It’s not his fault, Nash,” I tell him, attempting to take the fall for this.

Nash doesn’t even look at me. He only looks at Lincoln right now. “You lied to me.”

My face contorts in confusion as I look at Lincoln. His throat bobs as he swallows hard, but he doesn’t even bother to defend himself. “At the time, it wasn’t a lie.”

Nash cuts him off. “Were the two of you sleeping together then?”

The muscle in Lincoln’s jaw tightens. “Yes.”

“So, you fucking lied.”

Lincoln nods, but he doesn’t speak. I resist the urge to demand someone tell me what they’re talking about. There are enough pieces to the puzzle, I can make my own assumptions. Nash must have questioned Lincoln about us, and Lincoln lied about it. Nash falls silent, and it stretches around the three of us, growing more tense with every passing second.

“I think it’s best if you leave for the night,” Nash tells Lincoln, his eyes growing vacant as he stares at his best friend. Guilt floods me for being the reason behind this wedge between my brother and Lincoln. “I don’t know if I’m more pissed off at you or myself right now, but either way, I know it’s not going to end well if you stay.”

Lincoln nods in understanding. “I’ll go,” he agrees, letting out an exaggerated breath. “For the record, I was going to tell you.

“Yeah, well, it’s a little late for that.”

“Nash, don’t be unreasonable,” I interject, finally speaking up. I take a step forward, my hand reaching for Lincoln’s arm. My brother’s eyes flash to my hand before looking back at me. “He doesn’t have to go anywhere.”

“It’s fine, Nova,” Lincoln assures me, glancing down as he brushes his fingers against the side of my face. “I fucked up, and he needs time to process.”

I understand why my brother is upset, but this just seems a little ridiculous. Lincoln removes my hand from his arm and leaves without another word. He has nothing with him, but he walks out to his car and pulls out of the driveway less than a minute later.

“I should have told you,” I tell Nash, the guilt heavy in my tone. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

Nash rakes a frustrated hand through his hair. “I don’t even know what to think of this right now,” he admits as he walks over to the fridge and grabs a beer. He drains half of it in one gulp. “I feel fucking betrayed right now, but I also know if there’s anyone you should be with, it’s him. My mind is fucked right now, Nova.”

“I understand why you feel betrayed, and I promise you, it was neither of our intentions.” I pause, walking over to where he’s standing. “I didn’t want to say anything until I knew it was worth bringing up. I didn’t want to say anything without talking to him about it first.”

“He should have told me,” he says, shaking his head. “He shouldn’t have lied in the first place.”

“I don’t think he knew what he wanted, Nash,” I tell him, attempting to provide some type of an explanation. “You know how Lincoln is. Do you think he really wanted to tell you he was sleeping with your sister, and it was nothing more?”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “Is it nothing more still?”

I swallow roughly, my heart racing in my chest. “I don’t think so,” I admit, my voice quiet.

“Fuck,” he mutters, shaking his head with torment washing over his eyes. “Look, I’m not mad at you, Nova. Honestly, I’m happy for you because Lincoln is a great guy. Fuck him for that,” he adds under his breath before continuing. “I’ve seen how good he is with Poe. I just—this is out of nowhere, and I need to process this shit.”

Nash steps closer to me, pulling me in for a hug. “I love you, little sis. I want nothing but the best for you, and if that’s Lincoln, then I have no choice but to accept it.” He releases me, taking a step back. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t be pissed off at him right now.”

“You have every right to be mad at both of us.”

Nash takes another step away. “I’m going to bed. We’ll talk tomorrow or something.”

“What about Lincoln? Are you kicking him out?”

“I should.” My brother’s nostrils flare, and he shakes his head. “But no, I’m not. I just needed him to go away for right now, okay?”

“Okay,” I tell him as he stares at me for another second before turning around. I watch my brother leave the room and listen to the sound of the basement door as he heads down to his room. The house suddenly feels empty, and I wrap my arms around my body, giving myself a squeeze.

That could have gone worse than it did, but thankfully it didn’t. It feels weird without Lincoln being here, but I know it’s only for the night. I’ll see him tomorrow after his game and then I can tell him the truth.

He’s not the only one who fell like a meteor crashing through Earth’s atmosphere.

He’s not the only one who fell in love.