Page 1 of Home Ice

Prologue

JENSEN

“Shut your phone up,” I grumble as the ringtone pierces through my early morning hangover. I don’t know who I’m talking to, since there’s a warm body behind me and another wrapped in my arms, but I don’t care.

Whoever is responsible for that noise is going on my shit list.

“It’s your phone,” the woman’s sleepy voice says from behind me. “You shut it up.”

With a groan, I push myself up, eyes bleary with tiredness, and when I see my phone, I know why. It’s six in the fucking morning. We’ve only been asleep for two hours.

The guy in front of me is sleeping through the noise, and I hurry to cancel the call. It’s offseason, and if anyone thinks they’re getting a hold of me before midday, they’re dreaming.

I collapse back against the pillows, exhausted and happy after a night of sex, but just as sleep is pulling me under again, my ringtone blasts me back awake.

“Fuck off,” I moan, hitting the red button again. I’m about to power the whole thing down when another call comes through, and this time, I pay attention to the name on the screen.

Mom.

I’m instantly awake, heart in my throat as I struggle from the sheets, climb over the man, and out of bed. I’m stark naked as I dive out of my room and into the hallway, grateful that my rookie teammate who’s been living with me has gone home for the summer so there’s no one else here.

“Hello?” I croak. “Is everyone okay?”

“Jensen, honey, I’m so sorry to call this early.” Her voice gives me a fraction of relief.

“It’s fine. Is Dad okay?”

“Yeah, he’s out gardening, why?”

I screw my eyes closed with the reminder not to get annoyed with her. It’s not like my mom could possibly know I was up until four, getting dicked down and eating pussy. Actually, it would be creepy if she did know that. “My phone was blowing up. I thought something was wrong.”

She doesn’t immediately answer, and it sets me on alert again.

Then she whispers, “I think you need to come home.” The home is a broken word as she cuts off what sounds like a sob.

I don’t have words for the way something inside me changes at that second. It’s like I go from being relaxed and satisfied to knowing that something really fucking big is about to land in my lap.

“What is it?”

“There was an accident.”

I stiffly cross to my couch and drop onto it. “Who?”

“Carly Delany.”

That name pulls me up short. It’s not immediately familiar, but then, like it’s crossing the fourteen years’ distance since I last saw her, the face of my high school girlfriend fills my mind. “Oh, shit.”

“Her mother came by last night and …” Mom has to pause to pull herself together. “That poor woman.”

“I take it Carly didn’t–”

“No.”

“That’s horrible. Is there anything we can do for her?” I can’t imagine how it would feel to lose a child. I was about to throw up from the thought of something happening to my parents. The more I remember Carly, the harder it is to wrap my head around the fact that she’s gone. I’m sad, obviously, but in a disconnected way.

“Well …” Mom tries for more words that won’t come.

“Mom?”