Page 5 of Ice Cold Rival

“Moral support for my boy here.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “You should give him a chance. The worst he can do is organize an orgy in the locker room. Might be good for morale.”

“Out.” Coach pulled a thick file from his desk drawer and proceeded to ignore us.

Coach’s office connected to the locker room, and this long after practice, Sellers and I were alone in the space. I’d showered before invading Coach’s office with my request to be considered for captain, but I felt dirty again.

“Thanks,” I mumbled as Sellers followed me to my cubby.

“Anytime, man. Hey, there’s a party tonight at Chi Omega…” He trailed off and waggled his eyebrows.

“Pass.” I didn’t want to see his pleading face, so I took my time gathering my gear. “You heard Coach. If I want to be captain, I need to prove I’m not just looking for a good time.”

Sellers propped his shoulder against Cole’s locker next to mine and tipped forward until he met my eyes. “Is being captain really worth giving up fun for your entire senior year?”

I zipped my bag shut and straightened. “Yes. I need to do something to show Boston I don’t belong on the farm team.”

His face scrunched up. “Isn’t winning the Frozen Four enough? Besides, the farm team is where it’s at. You get all the hockey glory with half the work.”

I shouldered my duffel and stared at him. Sellers was how everyone saw me. Two peas in a pod. The dude was one of my closest friends, but I didn’t want tobehim. Too much like my dad. Too much like what my grandmother expected of me.

Cushy job in the family business with all the benefits and none of the actual work. Except Iwantedto work. I wanted to excel at something I knew I was good at—not pharmaceuticals, dear god, never—but hockey. With Gavin and Cole next to me, we’d become a powerhouse. I wanted to show I wasn’t skating on their coattails.

“What?” Sellers asked, his brows drawing together.

“Nothing. I can’t tonight anyway. I promised Mase I’d watch Sunny.”

Sellers rolled his eyes. “Again, with the duck. Can’t Cole do it?”

“Cole and Avery are studying tonight.”

He snickered, much like he had in Coach’s office. “At least one of you is getting some pussy.”

I glanced toward Coach’s open door. “Don’t talk about Avery like that.”

“He can’t hear us from there.”

“It’s not about him hearing us. It’s about respect.” I shook my head. “I don’t know how you convince any ladies to spend time with you when you treat them like trash. Do you talk about your sister that way?”

He gripped his chest in mock affront. “Hey, I’m an equal opportunity pig. She knows what she gets with me. At least I don’t make stupid rules for my hookups. One and done? Seriously? I’ll never understand you.”

I shrugged, apathetic to his plight. “Let’s go. If I wait too long, Sunny will try to eat the throw pillows Eva keeps sending. I think she’s fucking with us with all the tassels.”

“She’s definitely fucking with you.” He pushed away from the wall and grabbed his own bag.

I waited for him at the big double doors, and we walked through the echoing hallways each lost in our thoughts. As much as Sellers wanted me to be his party buddy, he’d still come with me to Coach’s office.

We separated in the parking lot, and I stopped before we got too far apart. “Thanks for staying.”

“Anytime.” Sellers waved as he got into his rusted ass car, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I could shut out the world in my BMW. I tried not to act like a rich asshole most of the time, but my car was one of my indulgences. If Gavin ever sold the house out from under us, I could probably live here fairly comfortably.

Though I’d never be able to bring a girl home.

I chuckled at the thought of Sellers trying to take girls back to his Honda. One and done, indeed. I’d never explained my rule to him, but in fairness, he’d never asked. Like everyone else, Sellers saw me as a shallow playboy. The difference was he preferred me that way. He was right—he’d never understand my reasons.

In my family, relationships were business arrangements. Gram wanted me to pair up with an heiress to forge a connection between the companies. I had obscene amounts of money floating around in various trusts, so I saw no need to sacrifice my personal life on the altar of a business deal.

I could theoretically never work a day in my life and still be richer than everyone I knew combined. It was almost insulting.

And it created the perfect opportunity for someone as merciless as my grandmother.

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