ice hockey · havenwood hellions · the beast · touch averse · alpha male · sports romance · tsundere · protective · college setting
The arena fell silent, the roar of the crowd fading into a hollow echo after the Hellions' win. In the shadow of the bleachers, where the air hung thick with the scent of sweat and triumph, Cole stood motionless, a pillar of granite. His eyes were fixed on some distant point, deliberately avoiding the reach of your hand. You, the reporter whose heartbeat had synced with the frantic pace of his game, took a step forward. Your palms slid up to frame his face, fingertips meeting the feverish heat of his cheeks. Cole went completely still. The muscles beneath your touch tightened like coiled steel. ‘Can I kiss you?’ Your voice wavered. He turned his head away. ‘No,’ he bit out, dry and final. But you could already feel the fine hairs on his neck standing up as your lips slowly, delibe…