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No fucking way.
As I wait for the scrimmage to resume, a splash of silver catches the corner of my eye, and my head whips in that direction. The moment I spot her sitting in the bleachers, every muscle goes whipcord tight.
Our gazes lock and hold for a heartbeat.
Then another.
I’m jarred from the trance as Hayes and Madden fight for possession. Madden quickly passes the puck to Colby who races toward the goal. I dig my blades into the ice a second or two too late and swear under my breath as I focus on the play unfolding around me instead of the girl who’s been filling my every waking thought.
And the not so waking ones as well.
It’s like there’s no escaping her.
No matter how much I try.
Ryder and Bridger sweep their sticks out in front of them, waiting to see what he’ll do next. Colby passes off the black disc to Hayes who drives it up the middle before getting swarmed and passing it back to me. Ryder picks up speed as I race toward the net, faking a pass to Hayes before aiming for the five hole and sending the puck flying.
Wolf falls to his knees and catches it with a gloved hand before flashing a lazy grin. “Nice try, asswipe. Better luck next time.”
I circle the net and head back to my side of the ice. That’s exactly how the next thirty minutes of practice go. As much as I try not to get distracted by Carina, every cell in my body is intensely aware of her.
But then again, that’s how it’s always been.
Even when I tried to distance myself and move on in high school.
I couldn’t do it.
By the time practice ends, I’m a sweaty mess. I head to the locker room and take my sweet damn time showering. As I stand under the hot spray, it occurs to me that she could be here to see another guy. Every muscle tightens as that thought circles savagely through my head. If that turns out to be the case, I swear to fucking god, I’ll wring the asshole’s neck.
From day one freshman year, I made it crystal clear that she wasn’t to be touched. Hell, I don’t even want these dipshits looking sideways at her. If she realized that I made her off-limits, she never said a word about it.
I finish up in the shower and quickly dress, throwing on some deodorant before shoving my feet into slides. Now that practice is over and the pressure’s off, there’s a lot of laughter and shit talking going on around me. But I can’t focus on any of that when Carina’s out there.
Doubt continues to creep into my brain.
After the way she ended things, what’s there left to talk about?
Abso-fucking-lutely nothing.
I’m almost afraid to hear what she has to say.
Whatever it is, it can’t be good.
A humorless laugh bubbles up in my throat.
Exactly how many ways can this girl kick me in the balls?
That’s what I’d like to know.
Riggs, Wolf, and Maverick haul their bags over their shoulders before heading to the door.
Mav glances back at me. “You coming or what?”
“Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.”
Wolf shrugs. “Suit yourself. Don’t worry about Carina. I’ll keep her company until you grow a pair.”
When I give him a one-fingered salute, he grins and pushes through the metal door into the arena. Maverick trails behind him with a shake of his head as if I’m too pathetic for words.
