“Talk to me, Princess.” I’m desperate to hear her say anything, to let me know she’s going to be okay.
“I thought it was you. I was skating and saw a silhouette of a man that I assumed was you. In my head, I thought fate brought you to me, because I was thinking about you the whole time we were apart. We always seem to be in the same place at the same time, like destiny.” She takes a deep breath, her voice shaking. It’s killing me inside to not hold her. “Granger, I’m sorry,” she sobs out, and at that point, I say fuck it. She needs me.
I’m under the shower spray in seconds, not caring how wet my clothes get as I gently pull her into my arms and swear she’ll never leave them again. She grasps my shirt into her fist and buries her head into my chest as her body shakes with sobs. Placing my cheek against the top of her head, I simply hold her to my body until her sobs turn into hiccups.
“Princess, you have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the fuck up, I should have ran after you instead of standing there, watching you disappear out of my life in seconds. I’ve held myself back because I was scared, and not everything is as it seems,” I choke out in a deep, raspy voice, my emotions swallowing me whole. This is the moment where it’s all going to come out, and I’m terrified inside for us, for where it’s going to lead us.
“I’ve been burned so many times that I guess in my head, I wanted what Victoria said to be true, because if not, it means you're the guy that I’ve been searching for, and I’m scared of losing you,” she mumbles into my chest, then she tips her head back to look at me with crystal blue eyes framed by long lashes, tears clinging to them. “I trust you, Granger. I have all along. It's the fear that made me run, but no more running for me.”
“Kat, I want you to know the whole truth, but fuck if the thought of you never being in my arms again doesn’t scare me. What happened tonight… I should’ve been there right from the beginning, and all that wouldn’t have happened. If I only wouldn’t have thought the worst when I saw you get into the car with that guy. I don’t even fucking care who he is, I trust you completely. I’m sorry, Princess, for letting you down.” My eyes water, burning with the pain I’ve caused us both, and I close them when she reaches up to place her hand against my cheek, running her thumb back and forth over my cheekbone.
“You're a good guy, Granger, and if I can’t see that, then I don’t deserve you. I was told once you find someone worth loving, to never let them go.” My eyes snap open to see she’s staring at me with a small smile, her bottom lip trembling.
“I fucking love you, Princess. I started loving you the moment you glided onto my ice with that wild pink hair and called me out for being an asshole.” I hold my breath, my heart pounding like waves crashing against the sea wall during a hurricane as she stands on her toes and grazes her soft plump lips against mine.
“Captain, I love you too,” she says quietly, her raspy voice bouncing off the tile walls. Her eyes flutter shut just as she closes the distance between us with a kiss that I feel down to my bones, erupting my world with thousands of stars bursting with each glide of her lips on mine.
Eventually, we break apart for air as we pant for breath, our foreheads resting against each other’s, never once glancing away. The water starts to run cold, and she vibrates along my body once the chills set in, so I lean around her to shut the water off, only the sound of our breathing filling the quiet space.
“Can you lie with me tonight? Just hold me? I need to feel just your hands on my body. Only ever you,” she whispers as I wrap a fluffy towel around her. I strip out of my own clothes before pulling her close again to absorb my warmth.
“I’ll never let you go, Princess, I fucking promise.” The promise carries in my voice, my meaning in every word. I bring her into the bedroom where I pull her in close to cuddle her body along mine as she lays her head on my pillow, facing me.
I play with her wild hair, staring into those blue eyes I love so much before she starts to fall asleep on my chest. My mind plays back everything that’s happened tonight as I watch her sleep, her face relaxing, and I’m just fucking lucky she’s in my arms.
I’ve never been that mad before tonight, but it was like tunnel vision—the only thing on my mind was to tear Jeff to pieces for touching my Princess. I barely had control over the desire to cause Jeff unbelievable excruciating pain with my fist, but the thought of my girl being by herself held me over. I got my hits in before the cops showed, and knowing that he’s behind bars puts me somewhat at ease, but I’m worried about Kat. She’s been through so damn much, and I just wanted her to find happiness, even if that meant at the time that I wasn't part of it. But she said she loves me, and I’m going to prove to her that I’m worthy of that love.
“Night, Princess. I’m here,” I whisper against her temple before my eyes start to drift closed.
“Yeah, Coach, everything is fine over here. She’s doing okay right now, andI’m watching over her. Thanks for calling to let us know. Okay, good. I’ll see you tomorrow to go over everything that happened, and if
