Page 29 of Don't Fall for the Goalie
The assholes have all ganged up on me in the chat.
My phone beeps again.
Jake: Especially now that Peyton lives with you.
Jake is going to be the first to die.
8
PEYTON
The cabin is quiet at night in a way I’m not used to.
The occasional creak of wood settles around me while the wind brushes softly against the trees outside. Somewhere upstairs, Daltyn’s footsteps move across the loft before going still.
My gaze stays fixed on the ceiling while I tug the oversized Avalanche hoodie sleeves farther over my hands.
It still smells like him. Cedar. Soap. Something warm and masculine lingering in the fabric that makes my stomach flutter every time I inhale too deeply.
This entire day feels surreal.
This morning, I woke up technically homeless.
Now I’m lying in a ridiculously comfortable bed in a millionaire hockey goalie’s secluded Vermont cabin, wearing his clothes while he orders medical equipment and mentally builds grocery lists around me.
My lips twitch slightly.
Daltyn is weirdly grounded for someone only twenty-three years old. Honestly, I was surprised at his age when I Googled him in Vegas.
I knew who Daltyn Guyer was.
When he replaced the previous goalie, whose career was ended by a serious injury, Landon ranted about Daltyn like a man possessed. He couldn’t get a shot in the net from the moment Daltyn took over.
I had no idea what his story was, though.
Even though I checked the team page and followed the team’s socials after that kiss in Vegas, there was hardly any personal information about him.
Most guys his age probably aren’t ordering CAM boots. Or making notes about the toiletries I’ll need. Or carrying a homeless woman around. Or threatening bodily harm if I walk on an injured ankle.
The scary part? None of it feels forced.
He just... does it.
Like taking care of people is instinctive for him.
Or maybe just taking care of me.
The thought sends warmth through my chest that has absolutely nothing to do with the hoodie.
I roll onto my side, staring toward the dark hallway outside the room. The cabin is beautiful and safe, yet still feels lonely somehow. Like Daltyn built a fortress out here in the woods and forgot that people were supposed to actually live inside it.
Until now.
My throat tightens unexpectedly.Temporary.That’s all this is.
I’m staying here temporarily.
So why does the thought of eventually leaving make my chest ache a little?
