Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 546(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
The closer she gets, the wider her smile becomes. Great. Just fucking great.
As usual, she looks gorgeous. My heart rate picks up as my fists clench at my sides.
“What are we drinking?” Her voice sounds sexy as hell.
She needs to leave.
I look over at Hudson, who’s ogling her. The hot bartender is long since forgotten.
“Are you even legal?” I snap more harshly than I intended. She flinches slightly.
“I don’t know, am I?” She raises her brow in challenge.
I walked right into that one, and the only thing I can do is smash my teeth together.
Of course, she’s old enough since we’ve had this conversation before. I was being an asshole, and it backfired.
“Man, lay off her. There’s no need to be an ass,” Wolfe says.
I let out a groan while I rub my temples.
“The proper thing to do is apologize,” Hudson mocks, and I scowl at him.
“It’s okay,” she says, not bothering to look at me. “He doesn’t need to apologize. After the practice he had, I wouldn’t expect anything from him.”
“Oh man . . . she got you there,” Mason says, grimacing.
I’m not sure why her jab hurts as much as it does, but it hits its intended mark.
Straight into my chest, where it stings the most.
I hate when I let people down, and the way I played today let Coach down. It let my whole fucking team down.
Fucking his daughter also let Coach down, but I’m not going to go there.
Not now. Not ever.
It was a mistake, one I won’t make again.
Even if I want to.
17
DANE
Another day, another headache, and to top it all off, I’m distracted. It’s all her fault. Avoiding her is nearly impossible.
She’s everywhere.
At practice.
At the bar.
In my head.
The worst part is she’s temptation on a stick. She strides around this place wearing the thinnest T-shirts I’ve ever seen. How Coach doesn’t scold her is beyond me.
Her fucking nipples are always visible.
I’m not the only one who notices either. Everyone does, everyone other than her damn father, who clearly has his head in the damn sand.
Also, what’s with the skirts? Who wears a skirt to an ice rink . . . ? Hellfire, that’s who.
Last night, when I went to the bar to meet up with the guys, and she showed up, I thought I was going to lose my mind.
After our little barb session, I ended up sitting in the corner alone and drinking my sorrows as she laughed and had the time of her life.
The shrill sound of Coach blowing his whistle echoes like a freight train, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Head in the game!” he shouts, and I know he’s yelling at me. I skate harder, muscles burning as I chase the puck.
Need to focus.
Stay in the play.
Don’t think about her.
My lungs burn as I take my aggression out on the ice. I feel like a caged animal, ready to break free.
I grit my teeth and charge.
Aiden skates by as my stick connects with the puck, cutting me off.
“Fuck!” I bellow.
“Hit the showers!” Coach hollers, signaling that practice is finally done.
He’s pissed, and rightfully so. I’m pissed.
I move to skate off the ice when I see Josephine. Lord knows what grunt work she’s doing now, but her presence alone pisses me off further.
I pull my gaze away and continue toward the exit.
A few minutes later, I’m back in the locker room, and I yank off my helmet and throw it into my locker with a loud clatter.
“You good, man?” Aiden sidles up beside me.
“Yeah.”
“Doesn’t really seem that way. You sure? You looked like you were about to murder someone out there.”
“Guess I was hungover,” I mutter, untying my skates.
“I take it that means you don’t want to go out with Hudson tonight?”
My stomach roils just thinking about it.
“Nope.”
“You want to have dinner with Cass and me? You know we’d love to have you.” His offer is genuine, and while I appreciate it, the last thing I want to do is play the third wheel, no matter how much I like Cassidy.
“Nah, man, I’m good. I promise.”
He narrows his eyes at me, holding my stare. “Do I need to call Molly?”
I sigh, rubbing my hands over my face. “I said I’m fine. Just drop it. Please.”
He nods and pats me on the back.
“Then get your shit together, man. I don’t mean to come off harsh, but we need your head in the game.” And with that, he walks off, leaving me alone.
You know you’ve gone and fucked up when Aiden calls you out.
Great. Just fucking great.
Thirty minutes later, I’m hitting Aiden’s contact button on my phone.
“Hey, Dane. You good?” he answers.
“I’ve changed my mind. Is dinner still an option?” With my free hand, I hit the button on my key fob, and then, once the door is unlocked, I get in my car.
“Dinner is always an option. See you soon.”