AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I plaster a smile on my face as Nova and I sit in the stands, cheering on the Sierra.
That’s one of the perks of having a professional hockey-playing brother.
Free tickets to pretty much any home game I want.
Access to all manner of hot and sexy hockey players.
Except the one I’m actually attracted to.
Not my brother, in case that addendum is needed for clarity’s sake.
But one, Riggs Ashford.
He’s tall and thick, with strong thighs, a great ass, and a broody personality.
My personal kiss of death when it comes to the opposite sex.
Unfortunately for me, Riggs is a good guy.
Strait-laced. A bit uptight. Way quieter than any man I’ve ever met.
And…he doesn’t like me.
How have I come to this brilliant conclusion?
After throwing myself at him on Christmas, and being firmly—and a little roughly (also my personal preference)—shut down.
So, while I love watching my brother play hockey and while I love spending time with my best friend Nova, who’s mooning over her boyfriend (also on the ice), sitting here while trying to feign that I’m happy and comfortable and not slowly dying inside of embarrassment…
Is a losing battle.
It makes me want to pick up the drink sitting in the cupholder at my feet, and down it.
But that’s something else Riggs doesn’t like about me.
He thinks I drink too much.
And maybe I do.
Maybe I drink so I don’t have to think—
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I jerk and look up from the tempting cocktail, seeing that Lake is standing in front of the glass, smiling at Nova, who—swear to fuck—just seems to blossom under his gaze.
Bright and beautiful, showing the world the gorgeous person she is inside.
She lifts her camera and fires off a couple of shots, causing Lake to wink before he skates off to finish his warmup.
My brother is on the far side of the ice, stretching and stick handling, getting ready for the game in a sure-minded focus that he doesn’t have many other places, and they all involve hockey—off-ice training, studying tape, hitting the gym to be strong and explosive, practice and games and extra time at the rink.
I’ll get my goofy Knox back after the game.
Right now he has laser focus.
“I’m going to sneak up to the bathroom,” Nova murmurs.
“I’ll hold the fort,” I tell her, getting a smile before she starts making her way up the long concrete staircase.
