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I applauded their efforts to distract the other team from Lennox, who was tearing across the ice at high speed with the puck in his possession. He slapped it toward the goal and angled his skates for a quick turn before he slammed into the goalie.The goalie moved too slow to stop the puck, and it slid over the line right between his feet.
Lennox fist-pumped the air and high-fived nearby teammates. A breath of relief rushed out of me. He was okay. I had to keep telling myself that or I’d go crazy with worry.
Another player on our team hit the ice and I jumped to my feet. The ref’s whistle blew a short, sharp blast. The guy rolled to his knees and put one skate down on the ice. Lennox and another teammate helped him up. He thanked them with a thump to the back as the game continued around them. The ref shouted a warning at the guy who’d knocked our player down, but he let him stay in the game.
“Shit call, ref,” Zachary shouted and shook his fist. Anger rolled off him in thick waves. “What’s the deal, huh? They pay you to make those half-assed calls?”
“Shut it.” Dad glared at Zachary from the side. “Don’t start something you can’t finish. Save that shit for the ice.”
Zachary nodded, his gaze catching mine for a split second before he jerked it away.
God I was hot for him. Not just him, I realized as my traitorous body responded to Lennox’s voice lilting across the ice. Zachary, Justin, Lennox. I liked all of them. I’d fucked two of them and would happily jump Lennox’s bones if I could. What was wrong with me? I was not the kind of woman who jumped into bed with strange men. Not since that night in college taught me to have a little more restraint. But these men had me all hot and bothered. I couldn’t take my eyes off them long enough to keep my thoughts together. I had a job to do. Not just that, but women were counting on me to be their advocate in male-dominated sports, and I had a daughter to raise. There was no time for feelings, much less relationships.
That’s not what I wanted, though was it? I wanted sex. Hot, dirty, thrilling sex. The mere thought of it set my body on fireuntil I stopped feeling the cold emanating from the ice. I didn’t care about the other players getting pushed around. I cared about Lennox not getting hurt again.
My heart skipped into overdrive, my pulse humming in my veins. I didn’t understand this attraction to any of them, much less all three at once. Nothing could come of it, so it didn’t hurt to fantasize. Except it did hurt, because I wanted them so much that I could barely breathe.
Stop it, Lucy. I admonished myself even as I jumped to my feet when I realized what was playing out in front of me.
Twelve men on the ice sometimes made it hard to track all the intricate details, but I’d gotten so used to watching Lennox that it had become second nature to pick him out of the pack. He blocked a cheap shot from an opponent’s stick as that opponent tried to steal the puck from the guy beside Lennox. Lennox shoulder-checked the opponent in passing and took off to guard his teammate driving the puck across the ice.
They closed in on him like matching freight trains. A shout of warning lodged in my throat. It wouldn’t matter if I screamed myself hoarse. He didn’t need the distraction. Lennox glanced left, then right, seeing the men coming for him at high speed. He slowed at the last second, but it wasn’t enough.
Blood rushed through my ears in thunderous waves as three bodies collided on the ice. I would never forget the sound of Lennox’s pain or the way his face crumpled behind the mask. He doubled over, one hand covering his stomach as they drove him to his knees.
Seeing Lennox injured stirred feelings I’d never experienced before. I wanted to hold him and protect him. It was crazy. I wasn’t ready for a relationship, but especially not one with a hockey player. I cursed myself relentlessly. I didn’t have feelings for just Lennox. I had feelings for all three of them. Feelings strong enough to make me want to sayfuck itto all myresponsibilities so I could give myself what I wanted. What I deserved. My hands curled into fists and I jumped to my feet. “Get up, Lennox.” My breath fogged the air.
Dad moved to the edge of the ice, ready to take action. Things moved in slow motion, each detail excruciatingly clear as I watched Lennox take another hit to the stomach. He shoved at one man’s knees, sending him flying backward. Then Lennox was on his feet. Helmets clattered to the ice. He tore his helmet off and threw it behind him with his left hand. His right fist flashed out, catching his opponent in the chin.
Someone rammed into Lennox from the side. Both men slammed into the ice hard enough that the thud reverberated through the building. The man who’d hit him rolled to his feet.
Lennox lay prone. Unmoving.
“Get up.” My throat tightened. “Get up. Get up. Get up.” The words were a prayer stuttering from my frozen lips.
Lennox didn’t move.
14
ZACHARY
Oh, fuck no. I forced my way onto the ice, shoving past Justin’s stretched out arm. My feet hit the ice and I pumped my arms to move faster over the glassy surface. My breaths came out in harsh rasps. No one fucked with my team, but I’d really fuck them over for messing with a friend.
Justin appeared at my side, his face twisted in a scowl that would have regular men pissing their pants. He held out his hand, and I bumped my fist into his. We didn’t share an ounce of blood relations, but we were brothers in all the ways that counted.
“Zachary. Justin. Get back in the box.” Coach yelled our names. “Get the fuck off the ice.”
For a man who rarely cursed, he was letting it fly today. I came within a second of spinning around and flipping him off. Only Justin’s head shake stopped me, and the silent way Lennox lay sprawled on the ice. He had to be okay.
Another ref joined the first one. They blew their whistles and waved their arms. Too fucking late. I shoved the guy standing over Lennox, pushing him back.
“Fuck off.” He slapped at my hands and shoved me back.
Lennox groaned and lifted his head. “Damn, man. One of you was bad enough but now there are three Zacharys.”
Concussion. Had to be. I needed to protect him. Lennox’s head fell back onto the ice and he raised a gloved hand to his face.
I hit the right defender who’d taken out Lennox with a tackle that would make football pros proud. He went down with a grunt and a curse. My brain bounced in my skull as my helmet cracked against his. I didn’t let it stop me. Rolling sideways, I chopped my hands at another player’s knees, bringing him down to my level. His eyes widened when he crashed inches away from me. A fist landed in my ribs, forcing my breath out in a whoosh. Something cracked, and my next inhale grated in like jagged shards of glass. Cracked or broken rib.
