Page 23 of Ice Cold Rival

Reece chuckled, and maintained his grip on me when I would have stepped away. “This is only the beginning. Let’s get you home.”

He led me toward a shiny blue sports car, and I wondered if I could bribe him to hit a drive-thru.

As if he could read my mind, Reece looked down at me. “Did you get to eat?”

“No, I mostly picked at a salad.”

He shook his head. “You need protein. C’mon, wifey, I’ll buy you a queso burger from Johnny’s.”

I let the nickname go since he used the magic words.Queso burger. “Can I get fries too?”

My stomach growled as he tucked me into the passenger side of his fancy car then leaned down so we were face to face. “After the humiliation you just delivered to Kane, you can have anything you want.”

He winked at me and shut the door. I laid a hand over my racing heart and reminded myself Reece didn’t do repeats. No matter how well he faked wanting it.

9

Over the next week, I reined in the urge to murder Kane at practice. I was a professional. I could maintain. If Coach had any idea how much restraint it took not to knock the shit right out of Kane, he’d never question how much I valued being a team player.

Inside, I seethed.

Kane had skipped conditioning—mandatoryconditioning—to ambush his ex-girlfriend. Even if I didn’t know the girl, I’d still be pissed at his sheer audacity in ignoring her boundaries. Unfortunately for him, Ididknow the girl. I liked the girl. And I wanted to bury his ass in the ice.

Practice was already heated from Kane and his lackeys talking shit all week. I didn’t know how he’d managed to convince a subset of underclassmen to kiss his ass, but I could do without the constant commentary while they followed me around. I couldn’t do a lap without practically tripping over one of them.

By Friday, I knew why. He approached Coach in the locker room before practice and announced, loudly, that he wanted to be considered for captain.

I laughed, but Coach gave me a pointed look and nodded before going into his office. Shock froze my system. What the actual fuck? I sat there holding one sock trying not to let the betrayal show on my face.

Cole nudged me and spoke under his breath. “He’ll never get it.”

The reassurance knocked me out of my head, but I wasn’t in the mood to be placated. I shrugged, still salty from our last conversation where he’d said I might not be captain material. Cole’s jaw ticked, but he left me alone to finish putting on my gear.

Kane’s minions surrounded him, jockeying for the chance to congratulate him first. The spot wasn’t his yet—the team still needed to vote, and ultimately Coach made the final decision—but Kane met my eyes and gave me a pity shrug.

The lines had been drawn.

Rage unlike anything I’d felt raced through me like a wildfire. Briefly, I imagined flattening him with Mase’s truck after practice. Why wait, though? I would destroy that asshole… and I’d start with his lies about Kenzie.

Casually, as if I didn’t care, I offered him a smile. “How was the lunch with Kenzie’s mom? I know Kenzie didn’t want to see you, but her mom seemed pretty excited. How closeareyou to her family… Toby?”

His eyes narrowed, but I didn’t give him a chance to answer as I put on my other sock.

“None of my business, but if she knew about your open relationship as you say, maybe it wasn’t the other girls that drove her away. Maybe it was anotherwoman.”

Cole, ever the boy scout, rolled his eyes, but Sellers had my back and snickered like a hyena. Some of the other guys joined in, and I didn’t feel a moment of guilt as his smile transformed into a tight line.

“Kenzie asked me to meet her for lunch. You were the one who wasn’t invited.”

I finished lacing up my skates and stood, rolling my shoulders back. “Maybe not, but I was the one she left with.”

He sputtered out a response, but I was already in the tunnel leading to the rink. To my surprise, Cole, Sellers, and Mase flanked me as I walked out. I couldn’t have asked for a better mic drop moment, and I’d have to remember to thank them. Later. When we were alone.

Several other guys joined us, including Ian Vanhauten, my new right winger. The guy didn’t say much, but he was fast, accurate, and his stick work nearly brought me to tears. I’d never admit as much, but he might rival Gavin in skill. Unfortunately, he rivaled Mase in social skills.

As usual, he ignored the rest of us as we tromped up the tunnel, and Cole only sent me a look that said we’d talk about it later. No one else mentioned the exchange between me and Kane. Honestly, I was relieved.

I didn’t like the idea of using Kenzie to swing at Kane, but wasn’t striking at her ex part of our agreement? Now that I’d opened my mouth, I needed to make sure the team—especially Coach—knew Kenzie wasn’t another puck bunny. Nerves hit me as I realized I had no idea how to announce a relationship without sounding like a dick.

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