Something was wrong with Evelyn. I could feel it.

Ever since we'd left the rink she had been awfully quiet, distracted even. Sure she would respond to whatever her friends were saying, throw in a smile and a nod here and there but I could tell her mind was somewhere else. Somewhere not so good if the tension in her form was any indication.

While the rest of the guys discussed plans for tonight in the hotel lobby, my eyes kept wandering toward Evelyn to make sure she was okay. The media team was also having their own discussion a few feet away to my right and from the looks of it, Evelyn wasn't as enthusiastic to go out as the rest of her friends.

"We should go with Holden and the rest of the guys," Dylan suggested. "You know to keep them out of trouble."

Kris snickered at that. "You will be the one causing trouble. You just want company while you do it."

Dylan flashed him his megawatt grin, not even trying to deny the accusation. Putting the rookies and Dylan together was a bad idea but his suggestion gave me the opening that I was looking for.

"It's not a bad idea," I piped in, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. "Why not ask the media team to join as well? It'll be good to have everyone in one place so no one gets in trouble and I'm sure they can get some content if they want."

Dylan shot me a knowing grin and I suppressed the urge to squirm under his gaze. He was onto me for sure. But thankfully, he decided to move past it and not call me out on it.

"The captain has spoken! So that's what we shall do," he said with his usual dramatics. "Hey, Ward! You and your team wanna join us? We are going bar hopping. It'll be better if everyone is together."

The media team shared a look among themselves before shrugging. "Cool," Tyler replied. They merged with us, a new discussion starting all over again with a different option being thrown around every two seconds. My gaze however stayed on Evelyn who was constantly checking her phone. And each time she did, a new frown line appeared on her beautiful face.

"Guys, I think I'm gonna call it a night. You all have fun," she said, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Are you okay?" her friend Noor asked.

"Are you feeling sick? I have meds with me," Veena followed.

Evelyn smiled at them, shaking her head. "I'm okay. Just tired. I think it's the travel."

"Are you sure? I can stay back with you if you want," Veena offered.

"No. I'm fine. Just going to sleep it off. You go have fun," Evelyn replied.

After some more convincing and reassurances, it was decided that we were going without Evelyn. Not the outcome I'd wanted but there was nothing I could do about it. As Evelyn started walking to the elevator and the rest headed toward the exit, I lingered behind, torn between wanting to follow her and giving her space. She made it halfway across the lobby and I was about to turn to leave when she bumped into someone, dropping her phone in the process.

My blood ran cold as soon as I saw Davidson and his teammate tower over her tiny frame. Before I knew it, my feet were moving in their direction. The smirk on his face as he eyed her made my gut fill with dread.

"Watch where you're going little lady," he said as he bent down to swipe her phone from the ground.

"I'm sorry," Evelyn mumbled quickly, taking a step back from him.

Davidson locked eyes with me when I was only a few steps away from them and a sinister grin split his face. After playing countless times against him over the last three years, I knew nothing good followed when he had that expression on his face.

"I saw you in the audience earlier. Did you take any good pictures of me? Lemme see," he said and started going through her phone.

"Hey! Give my phone back!" Evelyn tried to snatch the device from his hands but he held it above his head, out of her reach.

"Uh-uh. Not so fast," he chided, amusement dancing in his dark eyes. "What's the rush? Don't you wanna try hanging out with other hockey players? We might make it worth your while."

The way he and his teammate leered at her made me see red. Consequences be damned. If he tried anything with her, one of us was going to spend the night in the ER and it definitely wasn't going to be me.

"Give her phone back," I said as I came to stand behind Evelyn, placing my hand on her shoulder to let her know I was there. Some of the tension released her body and she relaxed under my touch.

Davidson raised a brow at me. "Or what? Is Daddy Griffin going to report us?" he said and laughed, his teammate joining in.

I gritted my teeth. "Just give her phone back and walk away. I don't think you're in the position to have one more strike against you."

"Why don't you come get it then? Be the knight in shining armor for your chick," he said, throwing Evelyn's phone in the air and catching it like it was some toy.

From the corner of my eye, I saw the guys turning back and making their way to us. They must have sensed that shit was about to go down because Kris and Ethan were at the forefront, looking ready to throw hands. I scanned the lobby, noticing where the CCTVs were installed. As long as he threw the first punch, I wouldn't mind an opening to fuck up his ugly face and call it self-defense.

"Or are you too pussy for it?" he laughed, throwing her phone in the air again. Evelyn reached out for it but he was quick to hold on to it. "Stay back, sweetheart. Let the men talk." He pushed her back with enough force for her to stagger back and I almost lost my shit. How dare he?

But before I could react, Evelyn pulled her hand back and landed a solid punch on his nose. Davidson's head whipped to the side and her phone slipped from his hand, falling to the ground. Evelyn was quick to pick it up and check for damage. "Asshole," she muttered.

My jaw dropped to the floor when I noticed the blood trickling down his nose along with the quickly blooming bruise. Someone audibly gasped behind me but I was too stunned to check who. Davidson touched his face and his entire form shook with rage when his fingers came back bloodied. His gaze snapped to Evelyn who immediately squared her shoulders as if ready to take on the beast of a guy.

This woman had lost it!

"You bitch!" Davidson marched forward and I pushed Evelyn behind my back, Kris and Ethan quickly coming to my flank. His lackey stepped up as well, trying to look intimidating but immediately retreated when Dylan and the rest of the guys backed us up. They were outnumbered by a lot.

"Leave," I said, glaring at him.

Davidson glared back but walked away, fuming. He was going to be a pain in the ass in tomorrow's game.

"Damn! Is that guy made of stone?" Evelyn hissed as she shook her hand. Her knuckles had turned red, bruised from the contact with Davidson's nose.

"Evelyn, darling, marry me!" Dylan exclaimed out of nowhere, grabbing everyone's attention. "I have fallen irrevocably in love with you."

Evelyn laughed which in turn made the rest of the guys chuckle, lightening the mood. "But in all seriousness, that was one hell of a punch. Good job, Evie girl!" Ethan said as he ruffled Evelyn's hair.

"Man, someone should have recorded that," Kris said. "I would have watched it daily."

Evelyn's friends gathered around her, asking if she was okay, and although she nodded with a smile, I didn't miss the way she flexed her hand. If she didn't put an ice pack on it soon, it'd be swollen tomorrow.

"You need to put an ice pack on it," Tyler commented, speaking my mind.

"I have one—" Holden started but I cut him off.

"Come with me. I have extra ice packs in my room," I said. Evelyn looked up at me, hesitance clear on her face. Her hand flexed again and I sighed. "Evelyn, your hand will swell the more you wait."

She gave in with a nod and I led her up to my room after bidding the guys goodbye, an awkward silence enveloping us. Opening the door, I let her step in first. She stood near the door, looking around while I headed to the mini refrigerator in my room to retrieve an ice pack.

"You can sit down," I said and gestured toward the bed. She didn't move an inch. Sighing, I took out one ice pack and shut the refrigerator. "We don't have to be this awkward, you know. I'm not going to try anything. You can relax."

Evelyn looked at me for a beat before sitting down on the bed, placing her hands in her lap. Sighing again, I kneeled in front of her and took her bruised hand in mine. As soon as I placed the ice pack on her knuckles, she hissed and tried to pull her hand away.

I held onto her hand tighter. "It'll be okay in a minute."

Evelyn chewed her lip, her other hand fisting the bedsheets. I removed the ice pack after a while and inspected her knuckles. Her hand was so much smaller than mine, so much softer. It was a miracle she didn't break her bones after hitting Davidson.

"Where did you learn to throw a punch like that?" I asked, trying to make small talk. If the guys weren't already infatuated with her before, they sure were now after seeing her throw hands like that. Especially Holden. I really needed to have a chat with him. Stat.

Evelyn shrugged. "Had to learn to protect myself knowing no one else would."

My hand stilled on top of hers as the meaning behind her words settled in my stomach like a boulder. I looked up to meet her gaze but she kept staring at her bruised hand. She could throw a perfect sucker punch because she had done it countless times before. The situation might not have always resolved as easily as it did today and that realization sliced through my heart.

"You won't have to again. I'll be there for you," I promised.

She chuckled wryly, shaking her head. "No, you won't."

I didn't like the way she sounded, cynical and defeated. This wasn't the Evelyn I knew, the one who was always ready to take on the world. I grabbed her jaw, gently but firmly, lifting it to meet my gaze. "I will be. You just need to allow me to be there."

Evelyn stared at me for the longest time, her pretty hazel eyes swirling with emotion. I found myself getting drawn to them, to her like a moth to flame. And before I knew it, we were kissing each other like there was no tomorrow.

Lifting myself up on my knees, I entangled my hands in her hair when I felt her tongue invading my mouth. Evelyn's kisses were hungry, frantic, and urgent. It gave me a weird sense of relief knowing that she was as affected by our distance as me.

But it didn't last long. Evelyn abruptly pulled away, her eyes wide with horror. "I-I'm sorry...I'm sorry," she whispered, getting to her feet and dashing out of my room in a blink of an eye.

***

Davidson was out for blood. Literally.

We were in the second half of our game against the Warriors and he had spent half of the game in the penalty box and half bulldozing over my guys. I watched him slam Ethan against the boards and turned to the refs but like always they had gone fucking blind and let him walk away.

This continued for several more minutes and I was hanging by a thread to not strike at him with my stick. If the refs were okay with allowing Davidson to act like a crazed bull they should be okay with me trying to herd him.

"Oh fuck you all!" Kris growled when he was sent to the sin bin for body-checking one of Davidson's lackeys when he came after Holden. It was extremely rare for Kris to lose his temper. Even rare for him to be penalized. But nothing was normal about today's game. It felt more like a twisted ring fight than hockey.

With the final ten minutes remaining, the score was 2-1. The way plays were unfolding it was a miracle the Warriors had a lead of only one. Dylan was on top of his game today and I would forever be grateful for it. As the clock ticked, everyone's nerves started to fray. We were scrambling to get hold of the puck while Davidson and his group of goons stayed hot on our tail.

Holden passed the puck to me and I charged across the line. From the corner of my eye, I could see Davidson come after me. He was going to board me for sure. Might as well send him to the penalty box for it. With a snap of my wrist, I sent the puck flying across the ice on net. It hit the post. I didn't get to grieve the missed goal however, as Davidson's heavy body crashed into mine.

After the initial shock of the impact wore off, I shoved him off me. My side hurt like a bitch but I would rather die than crumble in front of him. Surprisingly, the refs blew the whistle, calling out an interference penalty. A grin tugged at my lips despite everything. At least we would get a few minutes without Davidson breathing down our necks. A few minutes would be enough to flip the tables.

"I see your bitch is in the audience today as well," Davidson remarked, jerking his head in the direction where Evelyn was sitting. I clenched my teeth, my hands balling into fists at my side. He was just trying to get a rise out of me. He will be off the ice soon. I didn't need to engage with him.

Fully intending to ignore him, I tried to skate away but he grabbed my jersey. "Tell me, Griffin. Are you and your boys chipping in to keep her around for fun? Or does she love to get passed around the team for free?"

Hot, white rage clouded my brain, blocking all rational thoughts. A grin split Davidson's face which just made my blood boil even more. Without another thought, I grabbed the front of his jersey and slammed him against the boards. "How dare you? You fucking bastard!"

My fist connected with his face, a satisfying crack resounding at the impact, and chaos ensued all around us, the game all but forgotten.