Page 86 of Ice Bet

“I’m not messing with anyone’s head but Gray’s,” she said quietly, glancing at everyone staring at us.

I gave her some space but shoved my jersey into her chest again. “You’re messing withmine.”

Her mouth opened, but I peered around her and stared at her ex. “I’ll see you on the ice.” I winked and then grabbed her hand and forcefully pulled her behind me. Once we were in the hallway between the two locker rooms, I gently shoved her against the wall, hoping that none of her Rosewood friends would follow after her.

“I’m messing with your head?” she asked, clearly pissed that I’d been avoiding her again. She blew a strand of her dark hair away from her face. “You’re messing with mine! Where were you last night? Too busy with regret?”

“Take it off,” I demanded. I stepped back and waited for her to strip right there.

Her bottom lip popped out with a pout. I saw her refusal without hearing a word she said. I silenced her by gripping the hem of the Rosewood jersey tightly. I shoved it up so forcefully that more strands of her dark hair fell from her ponytail. She stood in nothing but a scandalous black bra that made my mouth water.

Fuck.

“Theonlyname I want to see on your back is mine.”

“But—”

“You’re mine, and I’m done pretending that you’re not.”

After dropping Sully’s jersey to the ground and kicking it several feet away, I pulled my jersey over her head and shoved it down past her face. My hand slid around her delicate waist, and I pulled her flush to my body. Even with all my gear on and layers of clothing separating us, I felt the heat simmering. “And if you wanted to pay Gray back, all you had to do was ask me.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means I’ll be in the sin bin tonight, baby.” I landed a quick kiss on her lips, just to make her want more. “And so will you for wearing that jersey.”

29

RILEY

It may not have beennoticeable to the entire crowd that Bexley U had it out for Gray Loretto, but it was absolutely obvious to me. The black-and-white jerseys were scheming withquick looks and flicks of their steely chins. The vicious skating toward Rosewood’s best center was subtle, but if Gray tried to pass the puck to someone and make a goal, a Wolf was right there to swoop in and steal it while making sure to shoulder-check him on their way past.

The first cross-check that Aasher landed on Gray sent him to the sin bin. Gray shook his head but kept his cool and didn’t react, which was very unlike him. The second cross-check made him irate, though, because the ref let it go. Aasher grinned like a kid in a candy shop, and I stood silently beside Sutton and bit my fingernails.

“He has it out for Gray,” Sutton said, clearly pleased by the way her dimple stuck out.

“They all do.” Taytum laughed. “What did that boy do to you?”

I nibbled on my bottom lip. The heat from Aasher draping his jersey on my body had long died out as I stood completely still and watched him provoke my ex like it was more important to him than winning the game.

I shifted my attention to my dad, and surprisingly, he wasn’t losing his shit. His face wasn’t red, and the tiny vein on his temple wasn’t protruding like it usually was during games. In fact, he lookedpleased?Smug, even. He’d definitely get shit from my mom later—I was positive of that.

“Aasher!” I shouted, knowing he’d hear me from above. “Get your head in the game!”

I had already put Gray in his place. Aasher was wanting to right a wrong for me, but he didn’t need to ruin his reputation to do so.

However, it was a little bit of a turn-on.

“My head is in the game,” he shouted back, keeping his glare on my ex.

Aasher’s stick slapped against the ice. He said something to Gray before flicking his lively green eyes to mine. I choked at the sight of his hot smirk, but when Gray threw his stick to the ground, my hand flew to my mouth.

“Oh shit.” Taytum looked at me, but I didn’t have the ability to look back at her because I was too busy silently losing it over the fact that Gray’s helmet was off, showing his sweaty head full of blond hair.

Don’t do it, Aasher.

My dad was going to kill him. He hadn’t mentioned a single thing to me about Aasher, but after this, he’d know that ourfriendshipwent far beyond the normal scopes.

Aasher’s mouth moved, and time stopped. “She’s mine, Gray.”

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