Page 16 of Ice Cold Rival

Or maybe I’d just had a long day. Talking to Kenzie had mostly purged the frustration and hurt from earlier, which surprised the hell out of me, but I always worked better when I had a game plan. I’d have to keep her in mind the next time though. The thought of spending more time lying around with her, talking or not, was dangerously appealing.

Way more than going home to the judgmental assholes I lived with. Not that they’d notice my absence.

I stretched out on her bed diagonally, not nearly as big as my king, but it would do. “I should stay the night.”

“What? No. I have to get up early tomorrow to help clean up. And I thought you didn’t do repeats.”

“You can keep those sexy sweats on, I’m not talking about hooking up. Besides, they all saw us disappear in here. Trust me, sweetheart. No one is expecting you to get any sleep tonight.”

She let out a frustrated sigh. “What if I don’t want to let a guy I barely know stay in my room while I’m sleeping?”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“I don’t even know your last name.”

She had a point, but I was ready to put this plan in motion tonight. “Not sure why that matters, but it’s Tanner. Reece Hudson Tanner, after my grandfather. Senior. First line center for the TU Wildcats. If this scheme works, captain too. I love peanut butter, and I’m an uncle to two ducks because my roommates are weird. There. Now you know me better. And I need you too much to murder you in your sleep.”

“Twoducks?” Kenzie slowly lay down, propping her chin on her hand so she could stare down at me. Her ponytail trailed across my bicep like a silk tie, and everything in me tightened.

I wanted to fist my hand in her hair, tug her closer, and—no. No repeats. No relationships, no matter how tempting. “Technically, only one lives with us now, but it was an interesting summer. Any other questions?”

“Are you drafted?”

I rotated my arm, trying to recreate the feeling without being obvious. “Yeah, by Boston, but realistically, I’ll probably start on the farm team.”

“Why wouldn’t they want you to play for them if they drafted you?”

“Weren’t you basically betrothed to a hockey player? Shouldn’t you know this stuff?”

Her mouth twisted. “I know enough about the game itself, but Toby didn’t like talking about the logistics of the future. He just said he’d take care of me and to not worry about it.”

“Asshole,” I muttered.

Kenzie tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ear. “I hear how it sounds now, but at the time, I thought it was sweet. You have to understand the dynamics of our families.”

“Conservative?”

“I mean… yes? But we nevertalkedabout it. Things were just expected to be a certain way. They still are. My family absolutely refuses to accept Toby and I broke up, especially my mom. Her and Toby’s mom are best friends, and they’ve been planning our wedding since they got pregnant at the same time.”

I thought of my own grandma and her insistence I’d join the family business no matter how many times I assured her I planned to play hockey until I died. “This doesn’t sound like much of a love match.”

She waved my comment away. “I don’t remember them ever forcing a relationship—until lately. We were friends, then Toby wooed me out in high school, and we’ve been together since.”

I stifled a laugh. “Wooed you?”

Kenzie smacked my shoulder. “Yes. Wooed me. He brought me flowers and lunch and texted me every night. It was sweet.”

A visceral memory hit me of her hands clenched in my hair, tugging hard as she came on my mouth. This girl deserved so much more than sweet. I had to press my lips together to gather my thoughts before I could answer.

“Your family wants you to be with someone who cheated on you?”

An awkward pause filled the space between us. “They don’t know about that part. It would destroy my mother, and truthfully, I’m not sure they’d believe me. Toby is their golden boy, and I’m just… decoration.”

The last word came out resigned, and her sadness damn near broke my heart. What was wrong with these people? I may not have been the best choice for demonstrating commitment, but I knew what it was like to be locked into a role that didn’t fit. My grandma, my coach, my friends—they all saw who they wanted to see.

“Come here,” I said gruffly, pulling her into a hug.

Kenzie’s hand hovered over my stomach like she was unsure what to do with it, so I covered it with mine and tucked her head onto my shoulder. Completely platonic. Which I silently repeated to my dick when he perked up.

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