Blizzard Forbidden: Off Limits (Book 1)

Chapter 4

Jax POV

I couldn’t focus worth a damn. The film room was dark except for the big screen flickering with highlights from our last game, but my mind was somewhere else entirely. Every time Coach paused to point out defensive positioning, my mind drifted right back to the training room. To Riley.

The way her fingers had pressed into my shoulder. The little hitch in her breath when our faces got too close. How soft her voice got right before Theo walked in and ruined the moment.

“Callahan, you even paying attention?” Coach Bennett’s voice snapped me back.

“Yeah, got it,” I muttered, shifting in my seat. I wasn’t. Not even close.

Theo sat a couple rows behind me and leaned forward during a break, that annoying rookie smirk on his face. “You good, man? You’ve been zoning out since that rehab session earlier. Anything… interesting happen in there?”

I shot him a look. “Mind your own damn business, Rook.”

He chuckled quietly. “Just saying. Looked pretty cozy when I walked in. Coach’s daughter, huh? That's some bold move.”

“Shut up,” I growled under my breath. But he wasn’t wrong. Riley Bennett was under my skin already, and I barely knew her. That was dangerous.

After film study wrapped up, I headed back to the locker room to grab my stuff. My phone started ringing as I reached my locker. Briar’s name lit up the screen. I stared at it for a second, jaw tight, then answered.

“What?” I said, not bothering to sound friendly.

“Wow. That’s the greeting I get now?” Briar’s voice was sharp, already pissed. “After yesterday you just ghost me? Real mature, Jax.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, shoulder still aching. “I told you it was the last time, Briar. I meant it.”

She laughed, but it sounded bitter. “You always say that. Then two weeks later you’re texting me at midnight because you’re horny or lonely. What’s different this time? You got someone new already?”

“There’s no one,” I said flatly, even though Riley’s face flashed in my mind. “This isn’t about anyone else. It’s about me. I need to focus on the season, this f****d-up shoulder, and all the bullshit in my head. We’ve been doing this on-and-off thing for too long and it’s not healthy.”

“Oh, please,” she snapped. “You’ve been using me as your convenient little stress relief for over a year. Now suddenly you’re done? I don’t buy it, Jax. Who is she?”

I leaned against my locker, voice low. “There’s no she. I’m telling you straight up — we’re done. For good. Don’t call me anymore. Don’t text. Move the f**k on.”

The line went quiet for a second. Then she exploded. “You’re such an asshole! You think you can just f**k me whenever you want and then toss me aside when you feel like it? I know you, Jax Callahan. You’ll come crawling back when that shoulder starts hurting worse and you need someone who actually understands you.”

“No, I won’t,” I said quietly. “Goodbye, Briar.”

I hung up before she could say anything else. My chest felt a little lighter, like I’d finally cut a rope that had been dragging behind me. Clean slate. For the first time in a long time, I actually meant it.

Later that night.

The arena was dead quiet by the time I walked back into the training room. Most of the lights were off except for the ones in the back corner where Riley was sitting at the small desk, finishing up some paperwork. She looked up when I stepped inside, surprised.

“Jax? What are you doing here so late? We didn’t have a session scheduled.”

I closed the door behind me and locked it. “Couldn’t sleep. Shoulder’s acting up again. Figured I’d come see if you were still around.”

She hesitated, biting her lip, but eventually nodded. “Okay, sit down. Let me take a look.”

I hopped up on the therapy table. The room felt different at night — quieter, more intimate. Just the two of us under the soft lights.

Riley stood between my legs like earlier, but this time there was no rush. No chance of someone walking in.

Her hands were gentle as she worked on my shoulder, but I could feel the tension in the air again. That same crackling heat from before.

“You’ve been pushing it again, haven’t you?” she asked softly.

“Yeah,” I admitted. For some reason, I didn’t want to lie to her. “Old habits.”

She was quiet for a moment, her fingers pressing into the tight muscles. “Why do you do that? Play through the pain like nothing can touch you?”

I stared at the floor for a long moment. The words felt heavy, but something about being alone with her made me want to say them.

"Because sitting out feels like failing. After my brother died… I guess I just decided nothing was allowed to stop me. Not pain. Not anything.”

Riley’s hands stilled. “Your brother?”

I nodded slowly. The words felt heavy coming out. “Car accident. Five years ago. I was supposed to pick him up that night but I stayed late at practice. I chose hockey over him. If I had left on time…” My voice cracked slightly. “Maybe he’d still be here. I’ve been carrying that guilt ever since. So now I play like nothing can stop me. Because if I stop, I have to face the fact that I failed the one person who mattered most.”

Riley’s hands stilled on my shoulder. When I looked up, her eyes were soft and full of emotion.

“Jax… I’m so sorry. That’s an awful weight to carry alone.”

The vulnerability hit me hard. I rarely let anyone see this side of me. But with her, it felt different. Safer.

Our eyes locked. The air between us grew thick and heavy. Her hands were still on my shoulder, warm against my skin. I slid off the table slowly, standing right in front of her close. Too close.

“Riley,” I whispered.

She didn’t pull away.

I cupped her face with one hand, thumb brushing her cheek. Then I leaned down and kissed her.

It wasn’t gentle. It was desperate and hungry, like I’d been starving for this since the moment we met. Riley gasped against my mouth, then melted into it, kissing me back just as hard. I backed her up until her back hit the wall, my body pressing against hers.

My hands roamed down her sides, over her hips, pulling her closer. She tasted sweet and warm, and the little sound she made in the back of her throat drove me crazy.

I deepened the kiss, tongue sliding against hers as one of my hands slipped under the hem of her shirt, feeling the soft skin of her waist. Her fingers tangled in my hair, tugging gently, making me groan into her mouth.

We were breathing hard, chests rising and falling together. The kiss turned hotter, more urgent. I pressed my thigh between her legs, and she rocked against it instinctively, a soft moan escaping her. My hand moved higher, brushing the underside of her breast through her bra. Heat flooded through me. I wanted her so badly I could barely think straight.

************

Riley POV

Oh God, what were we doing?

Jax had me pinned against the training room wall, his big body surrounding me, his mouth devouring mine like he couldn’t get enough. His hand was under my shirt, rough and warm against my skin, sending sparks everywhere he touched. I should have pushed him away. I knew I should. But the way he kissed me — desperate, hungry, almost broken after opening up about his brother...made my knees weak.

I kissed him back just as fiercely, my fingers gripping his hair. When his thigh pressed between my legs, I couldn’t stop myself from rocking against it. Pleasure shot through me, making me moan into his mouth. His other hand gripped my hip possessively, holding me right where he wanted me.

This was crazy. Dangerous. But it felt so good.

Then reality came crashing back in.

I pulled away suddenly, breathing hard, my lips swollen and tingling. Jax rested his forehead against mine, both of us panting.

“We can’t,” I whispered, panic rising fast in my chest.

“Jax… we can’t. My dad will destroy us.”