All Chapters of The Hockey Playboy's Plus Size Obsession : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

MILA'S POV The hallway outside the locker room is empty. I've been standing here for five minutes, trying to calm my breathing. The confrontation with Sterling left me shaky. The way Jax tucked my hair behind my ear left me something else entirely. But I can't think about that now. I need to find Jax. Need to make sure he's not spiraling. Need to confirm he understands how close he came to losing everything. A staff member walks by. "They're all in there, if you're looking for someone." "The locker room?" "Where else?" He grins. "Game just ended." Right. The locker room. Where twenty-something half-naked hockey players are currently celebrating a shutout. I should wait. I should text Jax and ask him to come out. But my phone is dead—of course it is, because today has been that kind of day—and I can hear shouting from inside. Laughing. The unmistakable sound of grown men acting like children. What if Jax is in there, spiraling alone? What if he's blaming himself f

MILA'S POV The hallway is empty. I lean against the wall, pressing my hand to my chest, trying to slow my heartbeat. My lips are still tingling—burning—from his. My hair is loose around my shoulders. Jax's fingers had pulled out my ponytail, and I haven't put it back up. I kissed him. He kissed me. We kissed in an equipment room while he was wearing nothing but a towel. What the hell am I doing? I push off from the wall and pace the hallway, my heels clicking against the concrete. This is bad. So bad. Rick sent me here to supervise Jax, not to make out with him. If anyone finds out— "Still here?" I spin around. Jax is standing in the equipment room doorway, now wearing sweatpants and a gray t-shirt that clings to his chest. His dark hair is still loose, still damp. His green eyes are watching me with an expression I can't read—hungry, tender, worried. "I was just leaving," I say. "You've been saying that for twenty minutes." "I meant it this time." He steps into the hall

JAX POV The third apartment is a box. A box in a neighborhood where the windows have bars and the buzzer doesn't work. I stand in the middle of the empty living room, my shoulders brushing both walls, and try to keep my face neutral. "It's cozy," Jess says. "Jess." "It's affordable." "It's a closet." "It's not a closet. Closets don't have windows." I turn to look at my sister. She's wearing ripped jeans and a faded hoodie, her dark hair chopped in that messy bob she's had since high school. She looks like she hasn't slept in days. She also looks happy. That's what scares me. "Jess." I keep my voice low. "You don't have to do this. You don't have to prove anything." "I'm not trying to prove anything. I'm trying to find an apartment." "You can stay with me." "We've been over this." "For as long as you need." "We've been over this too." I run a hand through my hair, pulling it back from my face. The tattoos on my fingers catch the weak light filtering th

**Mila** The airport buzzed with the usual chaos of the Bay Blades heading out for the first road trip of the stretch. I rolled my suitcase behind me in my comfy travel sweats and those bright yellow heels that always made me feel put together. Rick had me on full babysitter duty for Jax, which meant sitting near him on the plane and keeping tabs during the Tampa stop. My stomach flipped thinking about it. After all the nights at his place lately, pretending nothing was happening was gonna be tough. Jax walked ahead with the team, his long hair tied back, duffel slung over one shoulder. He glanced back once and caught my eye, that tiny smirk pulling at his lips. My skin heated up remembering how he'd had me in his bed just two nights ago, his hands all over my curves, moving inside me like he couldn't get enough. On the plane, I ended up in the seat next to him in the back. The guys were loud up front, playing cards and talking shit. Jax leaned close, voice low. "You nervous about T

**Mila** Morning light filtered into my hotel room in Tampa, warm and bright like the city outside. I woke up still wrapped in Jax's jacket, the fabric soft against my skin and carrying his scent. Last night on the rooftop replayed in my head—his arms around me, the way he traced stars on my hand before touching my lip, that line about the view down here being beautiful. Then him walking away, leaving me there with my heart pounding. I got up, showered quick, and put on fresh clothes for the day. Another game tonight, but we had free time this morning. My phone buzzed with a text from Jax. **Jax:** Breakfast? Quiet spot downstairs. I smiled and headed down. He was already at a corner table in the hotel cafe, hair tied back, wearing a simple black tee that showed off his tattooed arms. He looked up when I walked over, green eyes warming. "Morning, sunshine," he said low, pushing a coffee toward me. "Figured you might need this after last night." "Thanks." I sat across from him, ke