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“Another time,” I murmur, both relieved and disappointed we won’t be spending more time together.
“Can I get your number?” he asks.
I hesitate, then say, “As long as you know upfront that I’m not going on a date or sleeping with you.”
“What about heavy making out? High school style, with our clothes on?” His grin and wink tell me he’s joking. “Gia, I’d love to just take you out for breakfast and talk poker with you. Can we do that sometime?”
I nod. “Sure, we can do that.”
“And if you decide to run onto the ice and ask me out, give me a heads-up so I can make sure the security guards are distracted that night.”
Another grin. God, he’s cute.
The Uber pulls up and I sigh happily as soon as I slide in and the air conditioning washes over my sweaty skin. I type Maverick’s number into my phone and give him mine, too.
A girl’s gotta eat. Might as well have some sexy company.
Chapter Seven
Maverick
“Did you hear?” my teammate Alexei asks me in a low tone.
“Yeah,” I respond tightly, shoulders hunched.
We’re sitting alone on a bench in our locker room, and he puts a hand on my shoulder. “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get blindsided. I’m here anytime, okay?”
I nod. “Thanks, man.”
Dane strides into the room with a shit-eating grin. “Mav, I hear your buddy Hunter Paul just got engaged to Alana McCall. Don’t you know her somehow?”
“Fuck off, Dane,” Alexei says, standing up.
“Who’s gonna make me? One of you two gimp leg washouts?”
Fucking Dane. Of course he has to stir the pot as we’re all dressing for our home opener, which is also our franchise opener. I hardly slept last night because I’m so worried about how I’ll play tonight after my leg injury. Then I woke up to headlines about my former fiancée getting engaged to my asshole former friend she cheated on me with, who is a forward for Tampa.
Pax steps in then, walking up to Dane until their faces are only inches apart.
“You got something to say?” Pax asks him.
Dane puts his hands up in mock surrender. When Pax and I played for opposing teams, he was one of the enforcers I feared the most. He doesn’t bullshit, and the guy’s an absolute beast.
“You can either shut your piehole, or I’ll make sure you wish you would’ve,” Pax says in a level tone. “You’re either helping this team or hurting it—your choice.”
Dane doesn’t look away, but he also doesn’t fire back. A threat from a team’s enforcer is one every player should take seriously. If Pax decides he’s unwilling to protect Dane on the ice, Dane will become a target.
Alexei came back from a bad leg injury after a car accident a couple years ago. The pundits thought he’d never play again, but he proved them wrong. I want to do the same with every fiber of my being, but if my leg gives out on me physically, I’m fucked.
It was an on-ice fight with Hunter Paul right after I found out he was fucking my fiancée behind my back that ruined my leg. We fell together during our fight and his skate blade cut into my lower leg and knee. It was a freak accident. He never apologized, though. Never once called to see how I was recovering.
Between that and him cheating with Alana, Hunter is number one on my shit list. We’re playing Tampa in a few weeks, and if my leg’s going to fail me, I only hope it lasts me through that game. When I envisioned all the reasons I wanted to come back to hockey during rehab, facing him again was high on the list.
“Hey, Cap,” Pike says, walking up to the bench and stopping to look down at me. “You good?”
I nod. Team captain. I was hoping my teammates would choose me for this honor, but right now, it feels like a lot. More pressure on top of what I’m already feeling. I don’t even feel up to leading myself right now, let alone my teammates. There are lots of guys—like Alexei—who would have been better choices for team captain.
Closing my eyes, I take a breath in and exhale hard. I put in my AirPods, pull the hood of my hoodie over my head so it hides my face and put my elbows on my knees, pushing play on my pregame playlist.
“Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns n’ Roses starts up, and I work on the breathing exercises one of my therapists taught me to use to center myself. Rehab was overwhelming at times, but music and re-centering helped me through.
After the breathing exercises, I walk through a mental list of things I can control. My attitude, the amount of effort I give, the things I say and the choices I make as a leader of my team. I envision myself skating hard, scoring goals and celebrating with my team.
