Page 73 of Top Shelf

“Whatabout one of the others? I noticed Caulfield and Monroe staring at you earlier.”

My shoulders stiffen. Not that this guy is doing anything wrong, per se. Everyone in this section saw the three assholes staring at me earlier. His interest just…it makes the hairs on the back of my arms stand up. The fact that he noticed. The fact that he’s asking. It’s most likely my internalized trauma making a bigger deal out of it than necessary, but it still makes me uncomfortable.

I don’t want to give him an answer. So I don’t.

I purse my lips, remaining silent.

He doesn’t get the message.

“‘Cause I was wondering why a pretty girl like you was wearing a Steelhawks jersey in Kings territory. Thought maybe you were trying to start something.”

“I’m not,” I answer shortly, eyes fixed ahead.Take a hint, dude.

“You sure?” His voice lowers. “Because if you wanted arealgame night experience, I could show you a hell of a time after this.”

I stiffen. Turn just enough to angle my body away from him, but he leans in anyway, close enough that I can smell his beer breath.

“No thanks,” I bite out, but he doesn’t back off.

“You don’t have to play hard to get?—”

CRACK.

The sound is so loud it punches through the arena like a gunshot.

I jolt back in my seat as the puckslamsinto the plexiglass in front of us, hard enough to rattle the metal stanchions.

Every head in our section whips around.

And standing on the ice just past center line—stick held like a weapon—is Lucian Caulfield.

Helmet low.

Jaw tight.

His glare is fixed with laser precision. Not on me, but on the guy beside me. Lucian looks like he’s ready to jump the boards and beat the ever-loving shit out of him.

The guy blanches, pulling away from me with such speed that I’m surprised he doesn’t give himself whiplash. I shouldn’t be grateful, because the possession dripping from Lucian’s glare is a whole other problem in itself. Still, whether he caused a scene out of a false sense of possession or because he could see I was uncomfortable, I can’t deny that I’m relieved not to have that guy pushing his way into my space.

The referee’s whistleblastsacross the ice, the nearest ref raising his arm as he skates over with practiced speed and a no-nonsense scowl. He points to Lucian.

“Unsportsmanlike conduct. Number twenty-eight; two minutes in the box.”

Lucian doesn’t argue. He doesn’t even seem to care. If anything, he lifts his chin in a moment of pride, fully accepting the consequences of his seemingly justified actions. Before he skates off, though, he cuts a look back at me.

The hardness of his stare softens somewhat, but that possession, that flaming look that saysyou’re mine and I’m going to make damn sure everyone knows it, burns into me. It scalds me from the inside out, stealing the breath from my lungs and leaving me hot in the otherwise cold arena.

I’m held captive in that stare for one. Two. Three. Four.Fivelong seconds before he turns and skates toward the penalty box, dropping onto the bench with all the fury of a man about to explode. I continue to stare at him, even as the game gets underway again.

Lucian Caulfield is a storm I should run from. So why does every part of me want to step into it?

18

WREN

Thankfully,the rest of the first period goes by uneventfully, and it’s not long until the buzzer blares, echoing through the arena and signaling intermission. The crowd roars, the sound thundering through the stands like a pulse, and the players begin gliding toward their benches. The Kings look frustrated, not that I can blame them. The Steelhawks are leading by a single point, and if the way Lucian slammed a water bottle into the wall just now is any indication, they’ll be coming back out for second period with red-tinted goggles on.

My eyes scan the rink until I find Dylan. She coasts to a stop in front of the bench, yanking her helmet off and shaking out her sweat-damp hair. She turns, searching the crowd. When her eyes find mine, I give her a thumbs-up and a grin. She smirks, rolling her eyes playfully before disappearing down the tunnel with the rest of her team.