Hayden

Table of Contents Title Page Books by S.R. Grey Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Chapter Thirty-Five Chapter Thirty-Six Epilogue ABOUT THE AUTHOR Destiny on Ice Copyright Boys of Winter series Destiny on Ice Resistance on Ice Complications on Ice Caution on Ice Player on Ice Vows on Ice Illusion on Ice Forbidden on Ice Bet on Ice Dare on Ice Risk on Ice Men of Fall series Forward Progress Fair Catch Eligible Receiver Down by Contact Hard Count Judge Me Not series I Stand Before You Never Doubt Me Just Let Me Love You The After of Us Inevitability duology Inevitable Detour Inevitable Circumstances Promises series Tomorrow’s Lies Today’s Promises A Harbour Falls Mystery trilogy Harbour Falls Willow Point Wickingham Way Laid Bare novella series Exposed: Laid Bare 1 Unveiled: Laid Bare 2 Spellbound: Laid Bare 3 Sacrifice: Laid Bare 4 Hayden I stretch my legs out in front of me as my fellow passengers file in. Ahhh, I love first class. It’s especially nice since I’m in the front row with only the bulkhead before me. And—bonus!—so far, nobody has taken the window seat to my left. Yeah, we’ll see how long that lasts. Chuckling, I cross one ankle over my knee and run my hand down my dark-wash jeans. When I lift my gaze, the bubbly blonde flight attendant assigned to first class makes eye contact. Again. She’s already checked on me twice in the past eight minutes or so. I smile cordially, and she scampers over. Reaching me in lightning speed, she gulps in a breath of air and asks, “Would you like a bottle of water, sir? It’s nice and cold.” Oh, what the hell. “Sure,” I reply. As she hands me the indeed icy cold water, she says, “Let me know if there’s anything else you need or want. I’m here to make your flight as comfortable as possible, Mr. Harrington.” Ah, so she does know who I am. I suspected as much. This explains the enthusiastic and more-than-necessary fawning over me. I’m pretty sure this flight crew is from here in Chicago, so it’s no real surprise. I’ve played hockey for the Blackhawks for the past four years. Speaking of which, I kind of expected to stay longer. But after a big-ass mistake on my part—a fling with the coach’s daughter that didn’t end well—the writing was on the wall. Sure enough, I was traded a little over a week ago. Since we’re halfway through September, I’m currently on my way to Georgia to start with the Atlanta Thunder, the team I was traded to. The Thunder is an expansion team with a decent inaugural season under their belt. They had a very good top line, but their center, an OG veteran who was looking to play a little more hockey before hanging up his skates, decided to retire in May. That left them with a big-ass opening, one that needs to be filled. I’m a power forward who can play left wing or center. I’m pretty sure that’s why the Thunder decided to take a chance on me, even with my bad-boy reputation. But I can’t get too far ahead of myself. I’m not a shoo-in for the top line. I’ll need to work for it. I heard through the hockey grapevine that the Thunder’s second-line center, a dude named Finn Norath, will also be vying for the job. Too bad for him, I intend to earn it. When I see something I want, I go for it. Sometimes it lands me in trouble—like with the coach’s daughter—but most of the time it works out in my favor. I think about the coach’s daughter now and how it irks me to no end that a damn low-level marketing intern for the Blackhawks busted my ass. If it wasn’t for her, no one would have ever known we’d had a fling. It was over anyway. So why did that intern divulge my secret? Why did Addison Knight have it out for me? I’ll never forget her name. Or, to be honest, her stunning good looks. Her long, raven hair, toned hot body, and pretty green eyes would have captivated me under any other circumstances. I would have wanted to get to know her. But not now, not ever. In fact, I never want to cross her path. Nope. Even though she’s hot as sin, I’m beyond thankful that I’ll never have to see her or deal with her ever again. Come to think of it, why am I even thinking about her? Yeah, stop this nonsense. Shaking my head to get Addison’s annoyingly pretty face out of my thoughts, and then taking a swig of cool water, I erase her from my mind. With a clear head, I focus on the people who are still boarding. It’s been a slow process today, as the trail of passengers seems never-ending. I can see why—it’s like everyone coming onboard has a carry-on that needs to be stowed. And fuck, now someone is stopping at my row—a man with white hair, wearing a dark navy blue business suit. He shoves a bag into the compartment above me, then, making eye contact, he clears his throat and says, “Excuse me. I’m in 1A.” As he waves to the window seat, I lower my foot from my leg and reply, “Sure, no problem.” As he slips by me and takes his seat, I sigh quietly. So much for having the row all to myself. Oh, well. I’m just happy this is first class and there’s a console between us. It gives us both some extra arm