Page 55 of My Pucked Up Enemy

Ethan barrels down the boards, but I track him clean. No hesitation.

"Trust!" she shouts.

I drop into position, trusting my defenseman to cut off the angle. The puck ricochets into my pads. Easy clear.

"Breathe!"

This time it’s James streaking in, looking cocky. I time my movement with a steady inhale, read his hips, and see the fake coming.

Kick save.

Drill after drill, the words keep coming.

"Anchor. Vision. Control. React."

And somehow, I’m not thinking. I’m doing.

The words become part of the flow. Nina’s voice is a steady, grounding rhythm. A metronome in the chaos.

Around me, the guys start buying in. Connor nails a breakaway. Parker cuts sharper, faster. Even Dillon looks like he’s stopped thinking and is just playing.

"Okay, I’m slightly terrified but mostly impressed," James mutters as we line up for another rep.

"That’s called growth," Ethan says, clapping him on the back.

Practice wraps with a full-speed scrimmage. Lines crisp. Transitions tight. Energy up. Coach’s whistle finally sounds three sharp blasts.

"Hell of a skate," he says, nodding to all of us. Then he turns to Nina. "And nice work, Doc. That was a solid contribution."

She smiles, just slightly. "Glad it helped."

Hell, it changed the whole pace.

As we skate off, I slow near the bench, letting my glove tap the boards once. Her eyes glance to me for half a second. And yeah, I catch the chemistry. I know she feels it too.

I don’t say a word.

Not yet.

But I’m coming for that wall she keeps trying to build. And she knows it.

She’s kneeling beside the boards after practice, picking up her clipboard and markers when I corner her.

"Hey," I say, voice low, deliberate.

She looks up, startled. "Alex."

"Nice work out there today," I say, nodding toward the now-empty ice. "Didn’t know you had those kinds of moves on skates. Color me impressed."

She smirks, steady on her skates. "Careful, that almost sounded like a compliment.”

"Almost? C’mon, give a guy some credit. I don’t hand those out often. Especially not to someone who nearly made James believe in Jedi mind tricks."

"That was his word, not mine. Though I won’t lie, watching him actuallyfocusfor once felt like a win."

"You ever use that drill on anyone besides hockey players? Military guys? Navy SEALs? Or do we just get the deluxe psychological takedown package?"

She snorts. "You guys are definitely not Navy SEAL material. Too mouthy."

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