Page 43 of Icebound Attraction

Memories of the evening we spent together overwhelm me and warm me up a little too much.

Dude, calm down or you'll get an erection!

Breathing deeply, I try to sink back down before sitting down next to her.

“Shall we begin?” she asks, opening a book.

I stroke my jaw and nod. The sight of the curve of her loins seems to have distracted me more than anything, because I didn't hear her talking to me before that. Being just ‘friends’ isn't as simple as I thought. Not with her.

***

The hardness of the ice beneath my skates vibrates in my legs as I step onto the rink. The thud of the crowd in the background echoes in my ears. I tighten my helmet and let my gaze wander to the bench. When I see her, my heart starts to race.

The spotlights shine brightly on the ice, which shimmers with light blue and white. The energy and excitement of the spectators envelop me. I can clearly feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Emily stands upright, her notebook with her - as always - next to Coach Franklyn. I give her a quick wave before taking up my starting position.

As kick-off sounds, my thoughts clear and I concentrate solely on the puck. My gaze meets that of the opposing captain, Lucas Stern, and I sense an electric tension between us. Lucas and I have been rivals for ages. Today's game isn't just a game, it's a competition for the favor of one of the sports agents sitting in the audience. Emily's articles have paid off and we've caught the eye of at least one of them.

And of course, the winner has a better chance of getting an interview.

My skates bite into the ice as I start moving and push the puck in front of me with my stick.

The spectators melt into a ghostly crowd as I concentrate on my teammates and try to pass the puck to them. But there's little room around me. I'm squeezed in close, and I try to thwart my opponents' attacks.

Suddenly, I see an opening and the puck slides at breakneck speed towards Chase. I free myself from my pursuers and my best friend steps towards me again, keeping hold of our most prized possession. My muscles tense as I accelerate towards the goal.

The keeper is ready, tense, knees bent, and Chase makes a decisive pass for me to shoot. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Emily press her hand to her mouth. I raise my stick and bring it down with force, feel the resistance of the puck and wait to see it get caught in the net.

Holy shit!

I've just missed it by inches! I don't usually miss this kind of shot and I feel anger twist my stomach. Chase looks at me quizzically, but I just shake my head and try to get back into the rhythm of the game. Passes fly, body charges follow, and we fight hard for every inch of ice. Every move is crucial.

The half-time whistle blows, and we return to the locker room without a point to show for it.

I take advantage of this break to regain my concentration and take stock. Emily broke my concentration. And I blame myself. It's not her fault, that's for sure. But it's obvious. If I hadn't glanced at her, I could have tapped on the window that was open to me.

I can't let that happen. Today's game is too important for me to let it go to waste.

Chase approaches me and pats me on the shoulder.

“Dude, don't let the agents pressure you. You're a great player. And, no shit, Liam, we can't let Lucas win!”

He laughs heartily and helps me to my feet.

“We'll make it, brother!” he insists.

I can feel myself relaxing a little.

Sweat breaks out on my forehead as I dive into the next part of the game. Time seems to stand still as we battle on the ice - a mixture of brute force, skill and strategy.

As the end of the game approaches, I can feel the fatigue in my muscles. But it's the will to win that keeps me going. The crowd goes wild as I make my way to the goal again. It's just me and the net, and this time I ignore everything else. I shoot again, watch the puck slide across the ice and between the goalkeeper's legs.

A few seconds later, the final whistle blows, and I am intoxicated with joy and relief.

We won, admittedly by the skin of our teeth, but we won.

The cheers from the crowd and the hugs from my teammates around me warm my heart. The fact that we fought and won as a united team fills me with immense pride. Every second we spent together in training was worth it.

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