Page 9 of Pucking Never

Chapter Five

JENSON

I stare into the gorgeous blue eyes of the last person I ever expected to run into again. I’d noticed the woman recording our practice when I’d entered the rink, but I’d been too far away to really make out the details of her face and hadn’t paid her any attention once we’d started running drills. Carson had mentioned his sister would be here today, but he said his sister’s name was Grace. In Miami, this so-called “Grace” had told me her name was Lynn.

“Reece!” Carson exclaims when I come to a stop next to him. “I want to introduce you to my sister, Grace. I told you she was going to start working for me, so you’ll be seeing a lot of her around here.”

I swallow and meet the gaze of Lynn…no, Grace. Her eyes are wide, and her cheeks are bright crimson. She looks like she’s fighting back panic as she glances between me and Carson and then gives me a subtle shake of her head. If she’s worried about me telling Carson that we’ve met before, she’s got nothing to worry about. I’m not about to tell him that I spent a week buried between his sister’s legs. He would literally bust my balls.

Forcing a smile on my face, I nod to Grace and say, “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“It’s, uh, nice to meet you too,” she replies in a hesitant voice.

“Monroe!” our coach’s voice booms across the ice, startling all three of us. “I need you for a second.”

Carson calls back, “Be right there!” Turning to Grace and me again, he says, “You two hang out a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Before either of us can protest, he’s skating away, leaving us alone together. Swallowing and feeling oddly nervous, I stare into Grace’s eyes.

“What the hell?” I say. “I didn’t know you were Carson’s sister!”

“I didn’t know you were his best friend,” she hisses. “You said your name was Jensen!”

“That’s my first name,” I explain sharply. “Everybody here calls me Reece, though. What about you? You said your name was Lynn. That’s not even close to Grace!”

She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose and squeezing her eyes shut, as if fighting a headache. “My full name is Gracelynn. I go by Grace, though. I just used Lynn because I wanted to stay anonymous.”

I feel a jab of irritation. She didn’t even give me her real name. All these years, I’ve been dreaming and thinking of Lynn. Missing her and wondering what she’s been up to and if she ever thinks of me. All this time, though, I didn’t even know her damn name. That hurts more than it should.

My eyes trace over her features. She’s crinkling her nose like she did in Miami when she was thinking. The way she flutters her fingers in agitation reminds me of how she’d tap them against a glass while we hung out together and talked into the night. She’s Lynn, but she’s not … because Lynn wasn’t real. Lynn was always Grace, Carson’s sister.

“All right, Grace,” I grumble. “So, what do we do now?”

“What do you mean, what should we do?” she snaps. “It was a week of fun almost four years ago, nothing more. We didn’t know each other then, and we don’t know each other now. I don’t see us needing to do anything.”

Her words slice through me, and I grit my teeth. Here I’ve been thinking we actually had a connection, even though she didn’t want it to go longer than spring break. Still, our time together had felt special. No woman has ever affected me the way she did. Apparently, if what she’s saying is true, she doesn’t feel the same way about me. That blow hits more than my ego.

She’s staring at me expectantly, so I release a long breath and grumble, “All right, fine. I’m not all that interested in Carson finding out either. He’ll be angry with you, but he’ll kill me.”

Her eyes light up in relief. “So you won’t say anything?”

Of course I’m not going to say anything, but I hesitate before I reassure her of that. What are the chances that the two of us would reunite like this? What are the chances she would end up being my best friend’s sister? This is significant. I don’t know if this is fate or the universe wanting something from us or whatever, but I don't think I can just let her walk away. We need to talk. Really talk. I can’t let this chance go.

I hold up a finger. “On one condition.You and I need to have a conversation,” I insist. “Alone.”

She furrows her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Meet me in the parking lot,” I tell her. “I’m going to get cleaned up and I’ll be out in fifteen.”

Holding up a hand, she shakes her head, “Woah, hold on. I haven’t agreed to anything?—”

“But you will.” My voice takes on a hard edge that my whole team knows better than to argue with. Grace, though, narrows her eyes defiantly.

“Don’t use that tone with me,” she growls.

I feel a spike of desire burn through me. Shit, she’s hot when she’s wound up. There’s a strange thrill at having her challenge me like this. It’s not something I’m used to.

"Fine," I retort, my voice a notch lower, softer. "No tone. Just...meet me in the parking lot. Please."

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