Page 16 of Pucking the Team

“The team needs you two to get your shit together,” Slade says firmly, leveling Lukas with a stern look. “Leave the petty drama in the past where it belongs. This season is too important.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lukas grumbles into his glass. “I’ll play nice with Thompson.”

“Tell him to come see me,” I tell Slade. “I want to work on some shot blocking with him before the season starts.”

Lukas and Slade chatter on about the upcoming season, debating line changes and scouting reports. I half-listen, my mind still churning with thoughts of game tape and drills, the never-ending quest for perfection.

But then I hear a name that snaps my focus back to the present.

“Emma and I keep playing this cat and mouse game,” Lukas says with a smirk, picking up a truffle fry. “I must’ve bumped into her half a dozen times this week. She’s always so buttoned-up and professional. But man, I can’t stop thinking about how sexy she looked last weekend in that little blue dress. What I wouldn’t give to rip it off her…”

Slade chuckles but shoots Lukas a warning look. “We’ve talked about this, man. Be careful. We need everyone focused on the team right now, on and off the ice.”

I clear my throat and set my glass down with a clink. “I actually met Emma for the first time today. In the video room.”

Lukas and Slade both turn to me, eyebrows raised.

“No shit? How was it?” Lukas asks eagerly, leaning forward.

I take another sip of scotch, considering my words. “She’s…intriguing. Confident. Whip-smart. And there’s something so familiar about her, like I’ve seen her before somewhere. But I can’t quite put my finger on it…”

Trailing off, I shake my head slightly, trying to dislodge the image of Emma’s intense blue eyes and the way they lit up when she smiled at me. There’s a strange tension coiling in my gut, an unfamiliar sensation when it comes to women.

I’m used to being in control, knowing exactly how to bend them to my will. But with Emma…I have a feeling she’s going to be a challenge.

And fuck if that doesn’t turn me on even more.

Lukas grins wolfishly. “Well, I call dibs. Saw her first.” He points a fry at me. “So paws off, Ivanov.”

I snort and shake my head, but inside, something primal is stirring. Lukas may be one of my best friends, but we’ve gone head to head over women before. And as much as I hate to admit it, I have a feeling Emma Collins may just end up being worth fighting for.

Lukas leans back in the booth, hands behind his head with a smug grin. “Besides, we all know I’m the one with the magic touch when it comes to the ladies. Emma won’t know what hit her once I turn on the Dvorak charm.”

He winks and I feel my jaw clench, knuckles whitening around my glass.

Rationally, I know Lukas is just being his usual cocky self, flirting and bragging like breathing. But the caveman part of my brain is snarling at the thought of his hands on Emma’s creamy skin, his lips tasting what I’ve barely even had a chance to covet...

“Careful, Casanova,” Slade cuts in, his quiet voice a splash of cold water. “Last thing we need is drama fucking with our dynamic, on or off the ice.”

“Psshh, I can handle it,” Lukas scoffs, waving a dismissive hand. But I see the considering look he slides my way, and I know, right then, that the game is on.

Slamming back the rest of my scotch, I thunk the empty glass on the table harder than necessary. The smoky burn chases away the lingering sweetness of Emma’s scent in my nostrils. For now.

I’ll be damned if I let Lukas fucking Dvorak swoop in and steal the most intriguing woman I’ve met in years right from under me. He may be my friend, my brother even.

But when it comes to winning, I don’t play nice.

My mind’s already spinning, strategizing my next move as I motion for another drink. I prefer my women willing and pliant, eager to submit to my darkest desires. I’ve never had to put in much actual effort, my natural dominance and ability to read them like well-worn playbooks serving me well.

Something tells me Emma will be different. Complicated. She won’t be so easily mastered.

But as I catch Lukas’s gloating smirk from across the table, I feel my own lips curving in anticipation. He may be the master of casual flirtation and empty charm.

When it comes to the long game, the slow seduction and the inevitable, soul-shaking climax? There, I reign supreme.

And one way or another, I will have Emma Collins in my bed. On her knees. Begging me for more even as I push her past the brink.

Looking my brother dead in the eye, I clink my fresh glass against his in a wordless toast.

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