Page 38 of Ice Me Baby

Vicy winks at me over his shoulder and replies, “Someone has to chip away at that icy wall around your heart.”

Taz snorts and adds, “What better way to chip at that heart of yours, than having two annoying hockey players who are like brothers.”

I roll my eyes and make my way to the double doors that lead outside. “I don’t need anything chipped away,” I grumble. “My heart is just fine. And you two were already acting like annoying brothers.” I sigh and push open the doors. My breath hitches as my eyes immediately lock on the two men we were just talking about.

Oli is still laughing as he ruffles his damp, wavy hair, leaning against a parked car. Lewi is next to him, shaking his head inamusement as his lips tilt into a soft smirk. How do these two take my breath away and make me feel like I'm sixteen all over again?

I’m jerked out of my reverie when Vicy bumps my shoulder. I look up to find him tapping the side of his lips. “You’ve got a bit of drool there.”

“You may want to close that mouth of yours. You’ll start catching flies,” Taz teases, but they both jump out of reach of my swatting hands.

“Get back here!” I screech as I take off running after them.

Chapter Fifteen

Ifollow the line of cars to the karaoke bar, and I’m the last one to walk through the doors. Well, Oli and Lewi were nice enough to wait for me while Taz and Vicy took off, rushing through the door first.

I snort out a laugh as I catch up to Oli and Lewi. “Why are they so excited to get inside?”

Lewi rolls his eyes, and Oli smirks. “This is sort of their thing.”

“And we get dragged along,” Lewi finishes for him.

I chuckle as we file through the doors and move through the semi-crowed area until we see a hand waving near the front of one of the stages. The stages are sectioned off where several people can relax.

I fight my way through the bodies until I reach our section. I sigh as Oli pushes me to sit near the front. I look behind me to give him a raised brow, but he just chuckles and sits a few seats down at the long table.

Whatever song Taz and Vicy were singing when I walked in must already be over because the crowd is giving a slow golf clap.Looking up at the stage, I see the two exchange a glance, then a nod.

Taz scrolls through the song list before selecting one. Vicy sends me a wink as the song starts, and I recognize the beat as Classic by MKTO.

I can’t help but smirk as Taz throws up his hands. “Let’s go!”

Vicy grins and sings the first verse, but he’s singing directly to me. Pointing at me, he crooks his finger in a ‘come here’ gesture, telling me to join them on stage. I shake my head with a laugh, but then Taz comes down the steps and holding out a hand while joining Vicy in the pre-chorus.

I take his hand and let him drag me up on the stage. Taz spins me as they sing the chorus. When he lets me go, I’m standing between him and Vicy, and I can’t stop laughing as Vicy waggles his brows at me. They hip bump me before somehow coordinating a spin as they switch sides.

Taz belts out the second verse, making dramatic moves as he gets down on one knee. I snort when he takes my hand and kisses it before finishing the last line. These boys are having way too much fun. He stands back up and sings along as they spin again and repeat the chorus.

I’m getting into it now, as I hip bump both of them, getting into the beat of the song. I’m sure I’m grinning like an idiot, but I’m having so much fun that I don’t care. The beat drops and the verse begins, and I can’t stop from singing along with them.

They each wrap an arm around my shoulders as they belt out the last line. When the song ends, they are breathing hard, and the team stands with a cheer. I’m still laughing as they press kisses on my cheeks.

“Your turn to sing!” Taz announces.

I shake my head. “I don’t sing in public.”

Vicy snorts and hands me the microphone. “You sing better than we do. One song?” he begs with a whine.

With an eye roll, I take the microphone. “Fine.” I look through the list of songs available and grin when I see Miss Me More by Kelsea Ballerini.Considering what I’ve been through lately, this seems like the perfect one for me to sing.

Taz and Vicy’s eyes widen as the first notes play from the speakers, huge grins on their faces. I sing the first verse, and I see the team’s surprise. Seems the boys didn’t share my little secret. I am by no means a professional singer, but I can carry a tune pretty well.

I start the pre-chorus and have to hold back laughter when Taz and Vicy sing backup vocals. I guess they know this song too.

When the song reaches the part about a snare drum, they come up beside me and act like they are playing drums. As I sing, I can’t help but get into it more with the two of them as my back up.

I stare back into the crowd and find Oli and Lewi still staring with shocked expressions. A smile creases my face, but I keep singing. Taz and Vicy don’t miss a moment of the backup vocals. A bit of my anxiety and stress from the last few days fades away as I lose myself in the song. As it draws to an end, Taz and Vicy sandwich me in a hug.

---