Page 4 of Ice Bet

I gave Theo a sideways glance, and he rolled his eyes. He and I were on the same page. We were both more focused on hockey than your typical college player. We were at Bexley U to secure our careers. We weren’t at Bexley U to chase girls. That wasn’t to say we didn’t let them chase us, but we weren’t bewildered by something as futile as simple attraction.

“Listen up.” Coach left little time for any of us to fully give him our attention. He whizzed right into a lecture. “My daughter is now attending Bexley U on campus instead of online, which I’m sure some of you already were aware of.” No one spoke up and admitted to knowing, probably because they didn’t have a death wish. “She isoff-limits.You got that?”

“Coach, I could fall on the ice during practice, get a critical concussion, forget my name and my family members, andstillremember that your daughter is off-limits.” Efrain was only half-joking, but truth be told, the gravity of his joke was heavier than the humor.

I swore I saw a quick dash of amusement on Coach’s face. “I will personally go out of my way to destroy your future at this school if you try anything. Do not tempt me.”

“So we can’t even be her friend?” I didn’t care to see who asked the question, and if Coach hadn’t tasked me with being his daughter’s glorified babysitter, I might not have cared to hear the answer.

“You? Absolutely not. You don’t know how to have friends who are females!”

The team snickered under their breath, but I didn’t. Instead, I continued digging through my locker for the rest of my practice gear.

“With that said…” He paused for dramatic effect. “I don’t think I need to remind you all to watch out for her. Or any other female at Bexley U. I donottolerate foul play on this team.”

That was Coach Lennon’s recycled unwritten law that he repeated often.

There was a huge scandal a few years ago that completely destroyed the hockey team’s chances of having their own hockey house. Most of the athletes at Bexley U had their own sanctuary where their teammates lived, but not the hockey team. Coach put an end to that when a girl was roofied at one of the parties. He shut it downrealquick—thus the hockey players either getting their own apartment off campus or living in the dorms, like our captain, Theo. Poor guy.

Coach didn’t wait for us to confirm we had heard his threat—I mean,team discussion. Instead, he stormed out of the locker room and barked,“Ten minutes,” on his way out.

The locker room talk started up almost immediately.

Ford tried to lighten the mood. “We’ve gotta get some blinders, fellas. Coach’s daughter is…” He took his finger and ran it across his neck very slowly, pretending to cut his head off. “Off-limits.”

I chuckled before pulling my practice jersey over my head. Some of my teammates had already gone onto the ice to begin warming up, but I slowed my movements, too caught up in my thoughts, wondering why Coach needed me to keep an eye on his daughter. The choices were endless, but my first guess was that she flunked out of her previous school and got in some trouble with ol’ daddy.Even as uptight as she seemed, she very well could have been a party girl. Maybe that was why he was so adamant that I make sure she’s ‘making the right choices.’Fuck, why do I care? Move on.

“Off-limits.” Berkley stood up after putting his skates on. “Doesn’t he understand that we are feral when it comes to things we aren’t supposed to do? Like her?”

“Coach would strangle you with the laces of your skates if you touched her.” I briefly looked at Emory, our goalie, before he knocked Berkley on the back of the head and continued through the locker room. “Just like I’d strangle anyone if they touched my sister.”

Someone from the next line of lockers mumbled under their breath, but I caught every last word. “It would be worth it. I’ll gladly be strangled if it means touching her.” Emory stopped walking and spun around. The poor freshman was quick to add, “I mean the coach’s daughter! Not your sister.”

Locker room talk.That was all it was.

I glanced at Theo. His jaw worked back and forth, and I knew him well enough to know he was trying to hold back his reprimanding. Theo was a good team captain, meaning he knew when to put his foot down. There was a very thin line between admired captain and controlling asshole, but Theo did it well. The one thing you didn’t want to disrupt on a team like this was the dynamic. It wasn’t that we were all best friends, but we had a strong team bond. No one wanted to fuck that up.

Winning the Frozen Four was something we all wanted.

Berkley waited until Emory left the locker room before saying, “He is going to kill you on the ice now. You know that, right?”

The freshman was shaking in his skates.

“Don’t worry.” Efrain slapped him on the shoulder. “You wouldn’t have a chance with either girl. Em’s sister isn’t swayed by hockey players, and Riley looked like she wanted to kill us earlier. That was well before you idiots drooled over her.”

“Earlier?” Theo asked.

“Yep.” Efrain nodded. “Riley lives across the hall from us.”

“Whose idea was that?” Theo glanced at me.

I turned my head and lowered my voice. “Believe it or not, Coach’s.”

“Shit, can I move in with you guys?” Ford wiggled his eyebrows before pulling his jersey over his head.

“You practically have.” Efrain threw his shirt at Ford’s face. “And stop using my fucking body wash.”

“Oh, will you relax? I’ll buy you some more.”

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