The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife (Blair and Grayson) novel Chapter 212

Chapter 212

CHARLOTTE-

I glared at him.

I could not believe he was threatening to make a scene if I did not come with him right away.

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I was glad I had not drunk enough to get drunk. I had limited myself on purpose. I needed to be thinking straight if I was going to ignore him after seeing Valentina walk into our suite like she belonged there.

He was explaining that he had been drunk when he told his mother where to find him.

I did not believe him.

It felt like he had let her come here on purpose. To put space between us. Especially since he kept asking for things to return to normal. As if normal was something you could put back on after you had already taken it off someone against a wall.

I was not even sure why he bothered coming downstairs.

He was the one who had asked us to pretend nothing happened.

I was doing just that.

Pretending things were normal.

Pretending I was not in love with him.

That was why I was choosing to stay here with Nico until Blair and Olivia arrived. A drink. A friend. A version of myself that did not follow Luca Vescari back upstairs just because he used my name like a command that I had to follow.

“Char-”

I did not give in.

I did not care that he was insisting. I did not care that he was threatening a scene. It was Luca.

What scene was he truly going to cause in a packed hotel bar during race week? He was famous for control. For walking away. For being the man who left rooms before they became complicated or a fight.

“Leave,” I said. “I’m finishing this drink with a friend. You know. What the both of us are. Friends.”

I saw the moment the word hit him. Friends. I’d said it intentionally.

It struck a nerve. I heard it in the growl that escaped him, loud enough that the people closest to us probably heard it as well.

Then he surprised me.

He put his hands on me and picked me up out of the chair without any warning.

128 Fri, Sep 25

The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife

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Arms under my knees and my back, like I weighed nothing, like the bar was empty instead of packed with people who had phones and opinions and nothing better to do than watch an F1 driver carry a woman toward the lifts

My glass clicked against the table. Air left my lungs. Heat shot up my throat.

Nico stared, wide-eyed, popcorn still in his hand like the show had just gotten better. Where did he keep getting random popcorns? I didn’t have time to ponder on that thought.

“Don’t follow,” Luca told him.

Nico lifted both hands. “Not getting involved in whatever this is. Please continue. This is great stuff.”

I hit Luca’s shoulder. “Put me down.”

“No.”

“Luca.”

“You wanted to be stubborn. I warned you.”

He carried me through the bar.

People stared. Exactly like I expected. A woman near the windows lifted her phone and then thought better of it when Luca’s face turned to stone.

Someone laughed under their breath. Someone else whispered his name.

I hid my face in his shirt for one second because the alternative was looking at all of them.

Then I remembered I was furious and hit him again.

His chest was warm. He smelled amazing. My body noticed before my pride could stop it.

Traitor.

“You are insane.”

“You wouldn’t walk. I asked you to come with me. You chose to stay there with Nico Shaw.”

He said the name like it tasted bitter. Like Nico had stopped being his friend the second he sat next to me with a drink.

“I was sitting with a friend. That’s allowed.”

“Not with Shaw.”

Was he telling me not to have drinks with Nico now? First his brother, now Nico?

His arms tightened.

The lift doors closed.

My stomach dropped.

12:29 Fri, Sep 25 TF·

The Hockey Captam’s Unwanted Wife

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We were suddenly alone with too little air. I could see us from every angle. Me in his arms. His jaw locked. My hand still fisted in his shirt like I had not decided whether I wanted to hit him or hold on.

“I drew her out,” he said into my hair. His voice was rough. Close. Too close. “I told her no. That I wasn’t interested. That I never would be interested. Then I came to find you.”

“Why?” I demanded, and hated that it came out breathless. “Why come to find me when you are the one that asked for everything to return to normal? I was just following your rules.”

The lift chimed.

The doors opened onto our floor.

He walked in, still carrying me, like putting me down in the corridor would mean giving me a choice.

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