Page 22 of Ice Bet

I glanced at the clock and instantly became enraged.

“With who?”

Fuck, stop worrying.Knowing Riley, she probably felt more at home in the rink than anywhere else because of her icy personality.

Sutton shrugged innocently. She didn’t pull her attention from the cards in her hand, and I couldn’t decide if she was fucking with me or if she truly didn’t know.

I snatched my keys off the table and headed for the door.

Efrain mumbled. “If we lose tomorrow because he plays like shit, it’s your fault. He’s usually asleep by now the night before a game.”

“Maybe he should stop stalking my roommate, and he wouldn’t be tired.”

My jaw ached.

“Just play your hand, evil girl.”

* * *

Well, Riley wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box.

I slammed my door after pulling up next to her parked Honda. I knew it was hers because it was the only other car in the parking lot, which was a relief—except that didn’t mean she was alone. The Honda wasn’t a pile of shit, but it wasn’t anything fancy either, which was surprising because, with how she acted most of the time, I assumed she was spoiled.

I put the code into the side door of the arena and tried to prepare myself for what I was about to walk in on.

I didn’t know a lot about Riley, and I didn’t care to get to know her either. She was already taking up too much of my time, and the last thing I needed was to befriend her. All I knew was that her father was awfully protective of her. She could be with anyone right now, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to see who.

I edged my head toward the locker room, and part of me hoped that I’d catch her in there with one of the hockey players who was participating in the ice bet so I didn’t have to worry about it anymore, but with that thought came a rush of something that I refused to acknowledge.

The door creaked, and I listened for the sounds that I’d heard many times before when some of my teammates thought everyone had left. It was a known thing on campus to christen the locker room at least once before you graduated and moved on to the pros.

It was dead silent.

I moved my way past the bench and sighed at the time.I should be sleeping.I was like Theo in a lot of ways. We both needed to be centered the night before a game and well rested, unlike my roommates, who played poker and used the distraction as a way to calm themselves before the storm.

Opening the door to the arena, I let my eyes adjust to the dark. I knew my way around the rink like the back of my hand, but the stands? I wasn’t familiar with them. I was fifteen the last time I sat behind the glass and watched a college hockey game.

It was the last time my dad did too.

“Just do it.”

I almost tripped down the stairs.

Riley’s voice was full of courage.Do what?I lifted up on the balls of my shoes and tried to make out where she was. There was a faint glow from her phone playing soft music. It illuminated her frame, and I ran my eyes down her curves as she stood and stared through the glass separating her from the ice.

She was alone and fully dressed.

There weren’t any hockey players touching her in places they shouldn’t have been.

But what the hell was she doing here by herself?

I could have been anyone, standing here in the shadows, watching her without her having any idea. Imagine if it were Sully—or worse, one of the many hockey players from Westin who openly fantasized about sleeping with her.

“Damn it.” Riley reached up quickly and pulled on her hair tie, undoing her bun. Her dark hair tumbled down her back effortlessly, and I swore I smelled her shampoo all the way across the stands. Her little growl was angry sounding. I panicked when she reached down, grabbed her phone, and turned to leave.

Fuck.

I stepped into the aisleway and accepted my fate for what it was. I pulled out my imaginary weapon and prepared myself for another tiff with the coach’s daughter.

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