Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Hope’s POV

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I quickly stood from the ground, my cheeks burning so badly that I was sure they had turned bright red by now. The position we had been in moments ago replayed in my mind far too vividly.

“Are you done?” he asked with one eyebrow raised, his voice low and annoyingly calm.

I cleared my throat and forced myself to look professional again.

“I still need to check your shoulder,” I muttered. “That’s the most important part.”

He let out a deep breath through his nose before settling back onto the treatment bed again.

This time, I moved behind him instead. At least from there, I wouldn’t accidentally end up staring at his chest or thinking inappropriate things about his arms.

I swallowed and focused as I carefully inspected his right shoulder.

The moment I got a proper look at it beneath the bright rehab lights, my breath caught.

Dark bruises spread beneath his skin, layered over older faded marks that clearly never healed properly. There was swelling around the joint too, subtle enough that most people probably wouldn’t notice, but obvious to me immediately.

He was right-handed. And his snap shots were infamous throughout the league because of how aggressive they were. Years of nonstop impact. Years of forcing his body past its limits. This was what it had done to him.

Before I could stop myself, my fingers lightly brushed over the bruised skin-not to assess him this time, but simply because suddenly all I could think about was how long he must have been enduring this kind of pain alone.

“Are you alright?” I asked quietly.

Levi turned his head slightly toward me.

From this angle, his sharp side profile looked unfairly beautiful. Strong jaw. Tall nose. Dark lashes casting shadows beneath his eyes.

“Is this part of the assessment?” he asked.

I gulped. He was much closer than I realized.

The scent of mint and clean soap surrounded me again, making my stomach twist embarrassingly. I forced myself to stay focused and began carefully massaging around the muscle, easing pressure away from the joint while avoiding the darker bruised areas.

His muscles were unbelievably tight beneath my hands.

The second I pressed into a knot near his shoulder blade, a low groan slipped from his lips.

Heat immediately curled low in my stomach.

I bit the inside of my cheek and concentrated harder on my work while my hands moved slowly across his back.

My fingers looked ridiculously small against him.

Levi’s body stayed tense at first, but little by little, the muscles beneath my palms began loosening. Every now and then another rough exhale or restrained groan escaped him, and each sound only made me more aware of how close we were.

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Chapter 13

The rehab room suddenly felt much warmer than before.

1 internally scolded myself.

Seriously, Hope?-

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Still, I couldn’t deny the effect he had on me. I swallowed hard and forced myself to speak before my thoughts spiraled further.

“I think you should go to the hospital for another x-ray,” I muttered carefully. “We can’t be completely sure unless we check properly.”

“I already went after the regular season,” he sighed.

“What did they find?”

The lack of an answer already told me enough. And judging from the fact that he still practiced at least three times a day despite this condition, things had probably worsened significantly since then.

i frowned deeper.

“Do you want to go again?” I asked softly.

“No,” he answered immediately.

The speed of his response caught me off guard.

“Why not?” I pressed gently.

But suddenly, he stood. The movement was abrupt enough to break the strange tension surrounding us. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on quickly before turning toward me again.

“I told you to assess me,” he said, “not interrogate me.”

The warmth from moments ago disappeared instantly behind that familiar wall of indifference.

“So?” he continued. “Did you get what you needed?”

I bit my lip. Every single time I thought I was beginning to understand Levi Reeve, it only felt like I was falling deeper into some endless maze with no exit.

One moment, he let me touch him quietly like he trusted me. The next, he slammed the walls back up before I could get too close. Still… this was already more progress than I expected from him.

So I nodded slowly. “Yeah. I did.”

He stared at me strangely after that. Like somehow he had been assessing me the entire time instead.

The intensity of his gaze made my chest feel tight.

I quickly cleared my throat and grabbed my bag to break the moment.

“Well,” I muttered awkwardly, “I should probably go now.”

I turned toward the door immediately, unable to handle the tension in the room any longer.

But before I could take more than two steps, cold fingers suddenly wrapped around my wrist.

I froze instantly.

Chapter 13

My eyes widened as I looked down at his hand around me.

Levi Reeve was touching me first.

The realization sent heat rushing straight into my face again.

I slowly turned around.

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The second his gaze dropped toward our hands, though, he immediately released me like he’d only just realized what he was doing.

“What?” I asked softly. “Did you need something else?”

His jaw tightened briefly before he glanced toward the wall clock instead.

“Do you still have a bus to ride?” he asked.

I blinked in surprise before checking the time too.

11:11 PM.

My stomach sank.

The last bus was definitely gone by now.

“I’ll… figure something out,” I muttered. “It’s fine. I’ll head out now.”

I started turning away again when I heard him click his tongue quietly behind me.

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