Page 39 of Ice Cold Rival

“The feminist in me says you should find out, but I have to give you the speech about hurting Reece. He seems like he’s impervious, but he’s got a squishy center. If you’re using him, you need to break it off.”

“Actually, he’s helping me. He suggested I make a bucket list, and we’ll go through it together.”

Avery leaned forward. “Yes. I love it. That’s right up Reece’s alley. I’m glad I don’t have to chase you away because you seem like a really nice girl.”

“Iamnice.” I wasn’t sure why I said it, but it felt like I was trying to convince myself more than her.

She patted my shoulder. “Good. Reece needs a nice girl.”

I wasn’t so sure. Not about Reece’s needs or my status as such. Before I could voice my doubts, Marco returned with a giant plate of nachos and my stomach growled.

He grinned. “Don’t worry, I got enough for all of us.”

“You’re such a nice guy, Marco.” Avery sent me a sidelong glance. “Luckily for you, Reece isn’t into guys, or you’d be fighting Marco for his affections.”

Marco snorted. “There wouldn’t be a fight. I play dirty.”

She leaned closer to me and lowered her voice. “Maybe try adding ‘play dirty’ to your list.”

Little did she know, it was already on there. Several times. And we’d already checked off one of the items.

The lights dimmed, and the music got loud, basically stopping our conversation, for which I was grateful. I reached over for a handful of chips and queso, pushing away my uneasiness with the idea of using Reece without actually being in a relationship with him.

He’d asked me to be loud and obnoxious, so I fully planned to follow through and enjoy my first hockey game in far too long.

14

The friends and family game was usually a blowout, and this one was no exception. TU crushed. I saw Kenzie sitting next to Avery and Marco when we started warm-ups, but I had to put her out of my mind to focus on the game.

To my surprise, I had trouble doing that. Every time I skated back to the bench, I caught sight of her again, swimming in her jersey, eating nachos, and laughing with my friends. When I scored on a power play, my eyes searched her out, and I found her jumping up and down screaming. It was… nice.

No one had ever come to a game just for me. My mom had sent nannies and her assistants, and my dad had sent his apologies for missing again. None of themwantedto see me play.

When I’d demanded Kenzie show up to my games, I’d been messing around, but damn if it didn’t feel good to have her there, even under duress. By the end of the game, I’d gotten all in my head about my reaction.

I wasn’t supposed to care—I’d made the deal with myself years ago to only play for me, not for my fucked up family.

The buzzer sounded without the other team scoring, and all I wanted to do was rush to Kenzie in the stands. Bad fucking idea. In the role of her boyfriend, I could easily get away with it, but I didn’t trust myself not to take advantage of the situation.

I wanted her attention. I wanted her excitement. I wanted to kiss her again. Instead, I did my best Gavin imitation—offering cheers to the guys as they headed to the locker room and cataloguing critiques to go over later. When Cole took off without even showering, I yanked my mind away from the idea of throwing all my gear in my bag and chasing down Kenzie. She’d be waiting with Avery. It wouldn’t take much to find her.

No. We were doing this so I could prove I was ready to be captain. A leader. Abandoning my team for a girl didn’t seem like the right choice. I showered, chatted with some of the d-men and the sophomore who’d scored his first goal tonight, then cornered Coach in his office as everyone else left.

I knocked on the doorframe without crossing the threshold. “Coach, you got a minute?”

He looked up from his paperwork, and his brows drew together. “Something wrong?”

“No, but I wanted to talk about Rafe.”

Coach set his pen down and leaned back in his chair, letting out a loud squeal. “Go ahead.”

“I think he needs more ice time. He was quick tonight, and his instincts were spot on.”

His poker face didn’t change. “Against an exhibition team.”

I took a step forward, shaking my head. “He’s the same in practice, but he doesn’t get many chances to sharpen his skills on better opponents. A lot of us are graduating this year. We need to make sure we’re building the next championship team to pass on the legacy.”

Coach stared at me for a long beat, long enough for me to wonder if I’d overstepped again, then he gave me a sharp nod. “I’ll take a look at Rafe on Monday.”

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