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Laughing, he skates around me in a circle. He’s taunting. Teasing. And I don’t like it. I jab my stick at his skate. I won’t ever hurt him on purpose, but it gets his attention. He skids to a stop, toe pick being his brake, and comes eye to eye with me.
“I know a secret.”
“Fuck you and your secrets. If you don’t tell me what the fuck you’re talking about, I’ll call up the Daily Times right now and tell them about how you peed the bed at training camp.”
“Oh, brother, what I know is so much better than that. I could give a shit if you announced it right here, right now.” He leans on his stick with a smirk that makes me want to punch off his face.
Narrowing my eyes, I think of the one thing that will set this guy over the edge. “Blake knock your sister up?”
His face drops, and he skates up close, glove to my helmet. “Don’t ever say that out loud again.”
Barking out a laugh, “You’re so easy. Now come on, tell me what’s going on.”
He nods his head to the right. “My sister is here with her friends. Come, say hi.” He raises a brow and skates backwards from me, eyes never leaving mine. I follow because I’m a nosey fucker and want to see what he’s up to. Following his path across the ice to the boards behind our bench, I see his sister, Rose, watching me with her hands on her hips. I don’t mind Rose, but she hates me for whatever reason. So I like to give her a hard time whenever she comes around. I flirt and tease her, and it irks her even more. I skate to a stop next to Luke, spraying ice as I do. There are two other girls facing us, not really paying attention, but a fourth girl stands next to Rose, talking with them. ZAGARI is written across her back and something about her sets my instincts on fire.
I follow her curves and the way she pops her hip. Her long dark hair is up in a ponytail, just begging to be wrapped around my fist. It’s almost as if I can smell her and taste her. That’s how familiar she is.
Sweet. Like honey.
She casts a look over her shoulder. Fuck. Me.
It’s her.
She does a double take, eyes widening with each sweep across my body until they settle back on my eyes. And hers? I’d know them anywhere.
My body feels like someone has electrocuted it. Like I’m a live wire and she’s the ocean I’ve just fallen into.
Despite all the pads I’m wearing, I feel an elbow to my side. “I think my secret is better than anything you’ve got.” He leans in closer and whispers, “You’re welcome” then skates off. I’m left standing there like a fish out of water. I can’t say anything. She’d never hear me, anyway. And the glare I’m getting from Rose means Honey and her have talked about me.
I lift my helmet so she can see my face and my eyes. “Wait for me.” I speak out loud, though she can’t hear me. She nods, reading my lips.
I skate backwards and I secure my helmet back in place. My mind is reeling. If she’s friends with Rose, did she know who I was? Did she know Luke and Blake? They didn’t act like they knew each other. She was definitely new to town and naïve to it all. But how in the world is she friends with my best friend’s sister and I never knew it?
CHAPTER10
HONEY
Eli is standingin front of me. In full gear, jersey, skates, helmet. And he’s still hot as fuck. I could sense him before I even locked eyes with him. And when I turned and saw him? My body called to him.
Yup, he felt it too. I know it.
I’ve just blabbed that I’m pregnant to my only friend here in New York. I’ve never felt so alone and I needed to tell someone. My parents have taught me to be independent. I can do this on my own. I know I can. It will be hard, but they have brought me up knowing if you give good, you get good. So I’ve always done just that.
That’s why knowing Rose hates Eli makes me over anxious and wondering if I’m reading everything wrong since moving to this giant city.
As he skates away, Rose grabs my hand and brings me back to reality.
“You need to tell me everything that happened. Now.”
We fall into our seats, grabbing the attention of Heather and Erin. They lean in close. “Was that a moment we sensed between you and the goalie or what? Damn, girl! He’s hot as fuck!”
My lip quivers, and a tear escapes me. I’m not a crier. At all. I carry on, knowing all good comes back as delivered, so I’ve never cried over anything. But this? It’s too much. I feel too much.
And I spill my guts. I tell them every detail about that night. How we met. What he said. How we danced. What we did in his apartment.
“And then I left. I knew he wasn’t looking for anything. And honestly, I was so infatuated, I just wanted to feel. I just wanted to know what it felt like to have passion so strong you needed to see it through, no matter how it wrecked you afterwards. The memory is better than any ‘what if’.”
“Your memory is turning into a reality in just a few short months.”
