Page 73 of Ice Bet

That night in the living room, her sweet laugh was the only thing I could hear over the shuffling of cards and clanking of poker chips. I wanted to be the one making her laugh.

I was in timeout, though.

I stayed locked in my room because now that I knew Riley was just as tempted as I was, we both needed some space.

24

RILEY

The rink was empty.Just like it had been for several nights. I had been doingjustfine with the sting of disappointment from Aasher not showing up. Maybe it was all part of his plan—forcing me onto the ice without his help. Or maybe he didn’t trust himself around me anymore.

I could say the same.

I should have listened to him when he told me to back away. But I didn’t, and now I was forced to live with the consequences. I secretly hoped that I’d catch him in the hallway or run into him on campus after my marketing class, but he was nowhere to be found. I even stooped so low to act interested in Sully’s attempt to squeeze his way into my pants by acting righteous, but it didn’t bait Aasher like I thought it would. Instead, it just made me feel desperate and stupid.

I replayed the conversation that I was forced to listen to while stuffed in a locker. It only proved what I already knew about him. Taking a hit from his ex-girlfriend’s father, years after their breakup, because he thought he deserved it for being a shitty boyfriend was a pretty honorable thing to do.

But it was painfully obvious that there were some similarities between his ex and myself. I couldn’t help but wonder if Aasher was trying to make up for his past by helping me, and I understood why he was so adamant that I stay away from the team. His future had been messed with before, and his goals—along with his parents’ bank account—were the casualties. It was something he wasstillpaying for, whether he deserved it or not.

He had a second chance at securing his future. No hockey player was picked in the first draft after having a shitty season, and especially not if he seemed disloyal to his teammates. Word of mouth was everything. He couldn’t tell my father about the bet, even if he wanted to, because the team would suffer, and then his future wouldn’t be set in stone.

Who was I to think that Aasher would screw up his future and his relationship with his coach for me?

I was angry that I thought his kisses were something more than attraction. It was hard to fault his need to put necessary distance between us so he didn’t screw everything up.

His future meant everything to him.

My future meant everything to me.

We were alike in that aspect.

“Have you thought any more about what I said?”

I jumped at the sound of Sully’s voice echoing down the arena. It bounced off the glass, and I spun around, putting my hand on my chest. “Jeez. Make a noise next time!”

I wasn’t afraid of Sully. He was a dick, but he didn’t scare me.

“I did. By talking.” He chuckled and hopped down the steps on light feet.

I saw the jersey in his hand and pushed Aasher out of my head, because even if he was avoiding me, he wouldn’t be happy with this.

It had nothing to do with Aasher, though, and it wasn’t like I was spreading my legs for Sully. I wasn’t doing it for him to gain points for their ridiculous point system either—something I would make sure to let him know because I didn’t have time for their games. Making them pay didn’t seem as appealing anymore.

I stretched out my hand to grip the Rosewood jersey Sully was handing to me. “You know Gray is going to lose it, right?”

Sully didn’t let go when I grabbed on to the fabric. Instead, he crept his hand closer to mine and brushed my fingers with his.

He waited for a reaction, but there was none.

His touch did nothing but annoy me.

“Are you trying to score some points?” I asked, arching my eyebrow.

“What?” His grin wavered. “With you? Always.”

I snatched the jersey and shoved it into my bag. “I hope this isn’t your attempt at a bargain, Graham.” I used his first name to really gain his attention. “Wearing your jersey to the Rosewood game doesn’t mean I’ll sleep with you.”

His jaw slacked. I crossed my arms and popped out my hip. I knew he was going to lie, so I made sure to beat him to the punch. “I know about the bet. I’ve known the whole time.”

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