Page 29 of Pucking my Enemy Boss

As I change back into my gear, I need to get my mind to focus on the game, not Holly’s face, not her sweet tingling voice, or her sexy soft laughter, or the way she looked at me with those damn eyes that seem to see right through me.

A lone workout on the ice should give me some perspective. I slam my locker shut, trying to shake the thoughts away. The plan is simple — workout, push her out of my mind, and get back to what I know—hockey, the ice, the game.

Holly Bennett is in my life, whether I like it or not. Every day, no matter how much I fight it, she seems to take up more space in my mind. It’s infuriating, and yet it’s something else too, something I still can’t fully figure out.

So I use the only reliable way I know to get things off my mind. I head out to the rink, the cold air hitting me like a shock to the system. I take a deep breath, letting the familiarity of the ice ground me. This is where I belong, where I’m in control.

But even as I skate out onto the ice, I can’t escape the nagging thought in the back of my mind.

Everyone keeps telling me maybe it’s time to stop surviving and start living. But living means risking everything. It means opening myself up, stepping away from the pain and loss of David, and trying to go again.

And I’m not sure if I’m ready for that. I’m not sure I deserve that.

And that’s why I must stay away from Holly Bennett. She has already started to change something in me, making me laugh more, feel more … but I know it doesn’t last. Everyone eventually uses you for their own benefit, even family. Opening up to her means I risk getting extremely hurt when I find out I’m just a variable she needs for the moment.

And that terrifies me more than anything else.

I’min the middle of a drill when I catch sight of something—or rather, someone—storming through practice toward me. At first, I think I’m imagining it, but when I blink, she’s still there. Holly, her auburn hair flying wildly around her face, eyes blazing with a fury that looks almost frightening.

She’s marching straight for me, and there’s no mistaking the anger radiating off her.

“What the hell?” I mutter to myself, pausing mid-movement on the ice, trying to process what I’m seeing.

A few staff members around the ice notice her, too, their eyes darting between us as they start to slow down. I can feel their curiosity, the unspoken questions hovering in the air. But right now, I can only focus on Holly and the storm she’s bringing with her.

She doesn’t stop until she’s right in front of me, her chest heaving as she glares at me. “You coward!” she spits out, her voice trembling with rage. “I heard you’d rather I walk out of your life after last night, yeah?”

The words hit me like a slap to the face. I glance around, aware of the eyes on us, but Holly doesn’t seem to care. She’s too wrapped up in whatever has set her off, and I realize we can’t have this conversation here.

Without a word, I grab her by the arm, dragging her toward the locker room. “Come on,” I growl, leading her off the ice. She doesn’t resist, but I can feel the tension thrumming through her.

When we reach the locker room, a couple of cleaners are finishing up. “Can you give us a minute?” I ask them, trying to keep my tone calm despite the storm brewing inside me.

The cleaners exchange a look before nodding and leaving, closing the door behind them. The second we’re alone, Holly wrenches her arm free from my grip, rounding on me with fire in her eyes.

“What the hell is your problem, Ethan?” she demands, her voice echoing off the tiled walls.

“My problem?” I snap back, the frustration I’ve been holding in all day finally bubbling over. “You’re the one storming into practice like a damn hurricane, calling me a coward!”

“Because you are!” she shoots back, stepping closer until she’s right in my face. “You’re trying to push me away because you’re too scared to deal with what happened between us!”

I glare down at her, my chest heaving. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” she challenges, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’ve been avoiding me all day, Ethan. You won’t even look me in the eye. And now you’re trying to get yourself pulled from the project? What the hell is that about?”

“I didn’t ask to be part of your project, Holly!” I fire back. “I didn’t ask for any of this!”

“And I didn’t ask to be dragged into your mess either!” she shouts, her voice cracking with emotion. “But here we are, Ethan! Here we are, and you’re acting like I’m some kind of burden in your life!”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. “That’s not what this is,” I say, my voice lower now, the anger giving way to something more complicated.

“Then what is it?” she demands, her eyes searching mine, desperate for an answer. “Because I’m done with men like you pushing me away, only to pull me back in when it suits you.”

Men like me?Just how much did this Jake guy ruin her self-confidence?

I run a hand through my hair, trying to find the right words, but they won’t come. The truth is, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how to explain the push and pull, the way I’m drawn to her even when I’m trying to keep her at arm’s length.

“Holly...” I start, but she cuts me off.

---