##Chapter 42: CassidyBook One: StayIt feels amazing to fly down the ice with the puck before snapping it into the net with a flick of my wrist. When I'm out here, I can shut off everything in my head, and lose myself in the physical exertion."You suck, Cassidy!" Our goalie shakes her head, irritated that I was able to slip another puck past her. I grin around my neon-pink mouth guard before skating to center ice. Sammy glides over before slapping me on the shoulder. I wince from the impact of it. The girl doesn't know her own strength."Nice goal. The team really seems to be shaping up. I think we're going to have an awesome season this year. I'm glad you decided to join us."That makes two of us. Playing with this group of girls has quickly become everything to me. I never thought I'd enjoy hockey again. I wasn't even sure if I'd skate. And I owe it to Cole. He figured it out and found a way to give it to me.I huff out a tired breath as both of us glide to center ice for another

##Chapter 44: CassidyBook One: Stay"Nate was my first." Unable to hold his stare, I drop my gaze to my hands. "Honestly, I don't remember much about the experience except that it was fast." I grimace at how awkward and painful it'd felt. "Big surprise, I never heard from him again. There were a few other guys after that. Just random hookups. None of them meant anything, but they dulled the pain and took my mind off everything else that was going on." Embarrassment heats my cheeks as I stare out the windshield. "I'd get so trashed that I usually couldn't remember what happened the next morning."His shuttered expression scares me more than anything, because I have absolutely no idea what he's thinking. Cole has such an expressive face and he's always so open with his feelings. That's no longer the case.Even though my throat feels as if it is closing up, I continue, needing to get it over with. "I was still going to classes because I thought by some miracle, I'd be able to pull off pa

##Chapter 46: CassidyBook Two: Don't Leave"Wake up, babe." Cole kisses his way across my naked shoulder. "We've got class in an hour."Still sleepy, I stretch against the firm length of his body. "Not yet," I mumble, "we don't have to get up just yet."Twenty-five minutes. That's all we need to roll out of bed and still have roughly thirty seconds to slide into our seats for Psych 201. Unable to pry my eyelids open, I turn in his arms as my palms find the solid planes of his chest before stroking over them. It isn't long before my wandering fingers descend down his body.Have I mentioned just how amazingly hard and cut he is?Hours spent on the ice and lifting in the gym have made him into the chiseled god that he is. A few heartbeats later and my hand is delving into his boxer briefs before gliding over the rigid length of his morning wood.Well, hello there."Looks like we won't be making it out of bed on time after all," he growls, warm breath feathering across the outer sh

##Chapter 48: CassidyBook Two: Don't LeaveIt's a relief when his gaze drops to the steaming cup of coffee before flicking back up again. "When we were dancing at that party, I didn't realize it was you." He corrects himself. "Not right away."I hadn't recognized him, either.We were just dancing, having fun at some off campus fraternity party. A few days after that, Cole and I ran into him at a restaurant, and he told my boyfriend that he knew me from a different school. When he'd mentioned Dartmouth, everything had clicked into place.The realization had rocked me to the core. Ever since that happened, I've been terrified he would spill all my secrets.I'm knocked from those thoughts when he says, "At first, I thought I was imagining the likeness." He lifts his eyes to mine before sifting carefully through my shuttered expression. "I tried to find you after that night. I wanted to make sure you were okay, but you disappeared from campus. Not knowing what happened to you on

##Chapter 50: CassidyBook Two: Don't LeaveWith my heart lodged somewhere in my throat, I finally catch up with Cole outside the building. He's already made it down the cement stairs to the pathway that snakes through campus. Even though I yell his name, begging him to stop, he ignores me. It's like I'm not even there. When I'm close enough, my fingers wrap around his arm, biting into his flesh.I've never seen him this angry. The Cole I know is always calm and in control of his feelings. But that's not the case right now.What I hate most is the hurt that flashed in his whiskey-colored eyes. I don't want to lose him over a fledgling friendship with Luke."Cole," I plead, "please stop and talk to me."In that moment, it feels like he's slipping through my fingers like sand. Allowing Luke to touch me was wrong."It's not what it looked like."Those six words have him grinding to a halt before wheeling around to face me. The movement happens so quickly that I slam into his ches