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“Because he doesn’t talk about her much. Supposedly her brother refused to play hockey and Anderson had high hopes for her when she got into the sport instead.”
I tore my gaze away from her and looked at Lincoln with an eyebrow raised. “How do you know all of this?”
He shrugged. “I overheard some of the guys talking one day when they saw her here with him. I don’t know how they knew about her, I didn’t ask questions. Do you really not pay that much attention?”
I didn’t, but now I was.
“I’m not nosy like you and Wes.”
He stared at me for a moment as our coach's daughter skated past, grabbing my attention once again. I allowed myself the opportunity to take her in. I couldn’t help but wonder what had actually happened to her. It was clear this was exactly where she belonged. The ice was hers and no one else’s.
I couldn’t help myself and I couldn’t look away. There was something about her—something ethereal. Something godly. She didn’t seem to care about anyone else that was skating. She was in her own world, listening to the tune of her blades cutting through the ice.
“I would suggest you stop wherever your thoughts are going now, Mac,” Lincoln said with his voice low. “She’s the coach's daughter. You know that automatically makes her off-limits.”
I looked back at him with a scowl. “I don’t know what you’re even talking about. I was just watching her skate.”
Lincoln pursed his lips. “I know that look, bro. She caught your attention.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
He raised his eyebrows. “Uh, yeah. It is when her father is our coach.”
Fuck, he was right. I couldn’t get any ideas. She was untouchable. Even if I found myself sparked with intrigue, I couldn’t let my mind wander. I couldn’t explore any of that. Relationships weren’t something I was interested in. I was merely looking for a good time with anyone who caught my eye. It would be a recipe for disaster. She was someone I couldn’t pursue because I knew it would blow up in my face—and the last thing I needed was a scandal.
I didn’t need to be on our coach’s shit list for any reason.
Especially if he caught me looking at his daughter.
“I was just watching her, Linc. Nothing more than that.”
He snorted. “Sure. Just remember that the next time your eyes start to wander in the wrong direction. Don’t fuck your career up because your dick is curious.”
I cut my eyes at him, stifling a laugh. “I’m not that stupid.”
He didn’t look convinced. “Let’s hope not.”
CHAPTER TWO
JULIETTE
Iwas the last one off the ice after the family skate had ended and I took a seat on one of the benches along the hallway as I undid the laces of my skates. It wasn’t often that I had the opportunity to skate on professional ice and when my father invited my mother and me, I wasn’t about to turn that down. The fact that I didn’t play anymore didn’t change anything, really, except my mindset on actually playing.
Two years ago, during my senior year of college, I got into a car accident and messed up my leg. It wasn’t bad enough that I couldn’t skate anymore, but it was too risky to continue playing the caliber of hockey I was headed toward. Now, my time on the ice was spent helping coach some of the kids at our local rink. I couldn’t even bring myself to play in an adult league.
If I couldn’t play the way I used to, I didn’t even want to play at all.
I was following more in my father’s footsteps and leading others on the ice instead of living out my own dreams. They were taken away from me a lot sooner than I had imagined it would happen.
After putting on my skate guards, I stood up and slid my feet into my sneakers and tucked them under my arm as I headed down the hallway. It was empty and there wasn’t a single soul in sight. My father’s office was the first stop I made and I was expecting to see my mother and him inside, but the lights were turned off and the door was shut.
I checked in the family room and found it empty too. It was like everyone had vanished from the arena completely. The next two rooms that I checked were the same. Not paying attention, I moved to another door and pushed it open. It was the last one that I hadn’t looked inside and if my parents weren’t in here, then they had to have been outside waiting.
As I stepped inside, the lights were on and I realized I had walked into the locker room. My feet froze and I glanced around, noticing I was alone. Someone must have forgotten to turn the lights off after they left. Casting a nervous glance over my shoulder, I took another step and began to walk around the perimeter of the room, avoiding the Vipers’ logo in the center of the floor.
My eyes traveled over the names and all of the players’ gear. I couldn’t help but feel envious, knowing that I could have had a similar future on a professional women’s team if I wouldn’t have gotten into that damn car accident. I wasn’t even driving… I was merely a passenger who stupidly got into a car with someone who had been drinking. When Tate veered off the road and hit the tree, the majority of the impact was on my side.
I was lost in my own thoughts with the painful reminders wrapping around my throat like a vise grip. My heart constricted and I felt the weight of my own despair pressing on my rib cage. You would think two years would be enough time to get past something like that, but I lived with those thoughts every day. It was hard to get past something that completely changed the trajectory of your life.
