Page 10 of Ice Contact

He pouts, sticking out his lower lip like he’s not an adult playing a professional sport. “Come on, Larsy; don’t be a pussy! Have a few drinks, unwind, maybe meet a few puck bunnies…” he says in a sing-song voice.

I let out a laugh, my stomach clenching at the idea of chasing anyone but Olivia. “No thanks. I’ve had my fill of puck bunnies, Bougie. Now I’m an old man who just wants to go home and chill.”

“OkayGrandpa,” he says walking away with a fake limp using his stick like a cane. “Be a fucking Wheel Watcher and go home. Just know that while you’re trying to buy an ‘o’ to solve the puzzle, I’ll be balls deep in a sexy woman giving her the best ‘o’ of her life.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head.Oh, to be twenty-one again.So full of yourself without a care in the world.

“Ignore him,” Vladi says, coming up beside me. “Fucking rookies.” I snort, remembering what I was like freshly drafted to the ice. “That one especially. He’s cocky as shit, and it doesn’t help he’s a trust fund baby and doesn’t need a dime of his salary. If he doesn’t do his job and keep the puck away from my goal, he’s getting a fucking beating.”

“Always so kindhearted, aren’t you, Vladi?” I say with a wink.

“Just call it like I see it,” he says in a monotonous tone, his voice having the slightest hint of a Russian accent.

“You going out with them?”

“Fuck no; I’m going home too. My old ass is tired,” he yells over his shoulder, walking towards the showers.

Stripping down and heading towards the promise of relief for my sore muscles, I finally have a moment to think back to seeing Olivia tonight. She’s ourfucking anthem singer,which means I finally found my dream girl. The way my heart and my dick, got an instant hard-on when I heard that voice and saw her across the ice made it hard to breathe. Then, I saw that bitch-assboyfriend of hers off the ice, on his damn phone the entire time she was singing. My mood sours, my face falling flat as my jaw ticks. I channel all my rage into soaping up and rinsing off, my fingers leaving marks against my skin with how much I fucking hate that guy. If I start thinking about the girl I’ve been obsessed with for weeks while I’m showering, it’s going to be evidentreal fastI’m not replaying my goals from tonight’s game. Theonlygoal I’m interested in is finding Olivia and making her mine.

Bitch-ass boyfriend be damned.

I finally dress back into my suit and head down the long hallway leading to the underground players’ parking area. Walking past the staff green room, I hear someone crying as they try to talk.I wonder what that’s about.As I walk past the door, I can’t help but take a quick peek inside.

And there, sitting in a chair crying, is Olivia.

My chest tightens as I try to reign in my protective instincts that are screaming at me to run to her. Then I hear her douchebag boyfriend say, “Stop crying. Will you just stop crying, please!?”

I swear to all the hockey Gods listening, I’m going to punch this cocksucker in the face.Fucker deserves it.Everyone knows the cardinal rule when a girl is crying is you never say, ‘stop crying.’ I continue walking past the door to the green room but stop to listen, leaning against the wall next to the door. I know I shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but I need to know why Olivia is crying. I need to know if she’s okay.

“How could you do this to me, Cayden?”

I stand up from the wall and move a little closer to the door.Should I do something?

“What’s the big deal anyway? It’s not like you get paid to sing here or anything.”

Olivia scoffs. “What’s the big deal?!” she mutters as I hear her fighting back tears with a tightness in her throat, “The big deal isyou got mefiredby bringing pucks with you to get autographed when youknowthat’s against the rules. My boss found out about it. He actually showed me a screenshot of the pucks posted for sale online, and now I’m done. No more games. No more singing for the Riders. I love this team and the staff here; it’s an amazing opportunity to get my name out there, and you blacklisted me from the entire organization. That’s what the big deal is!”

Holy shit why does her standing up to him get me a little turned on.

“It’s not like your music career is going anywhere anyway,” Cayden whines.

“Oh, hell no,” I whisper to myself. All of my restraint flies out of the window. I can’t stand here for another second and act like I’m not hearing this asshole talk to her like this. I ball my hands up into fists, my knuckles going white as my hands shake, trying to contain my rage as I storm into the room looking only at Olivia. “Are you okay?”

She looks at me with those same longing eyes from a few weeks ago, stunned, but doesn’t reply. Eyes that are now bloodshot and glistening with tears. My chest aches seeing her broken heart so exposed.

“Oh, wow! Hayes Larson!” I hear douche canoe say from across the room.

I don’t give him the courtesy of looking his way; I only focus on Olivia as I softly ask again, “Olivia, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she mumbles, but the tense and overwhelming sadness in her eyes tell me she’s anything but okay.

As if ignoring this fuckwad wasn’t a hint enough, he is, somehow, still talking. “Hey man, you had a great game tonight. Two goals! Wait a minute…” He gasps, and I see him covering his mouth out of the corner of my eye. “That was you! Sitting next to me at Walt’s a few weeks ago. I didn’t recognize you withthe hat on! Dude, no fucking way I shared a drink with Larsy! Could you sign my jersey?”

Slowly and methodically, my hands still squeezed into tight fists, I turn to face him, hoping he can see the rage filled daggers I am shooting his way. As I try and compose a response to his autograph request, Olivia speaks instead, surging from her seat with newfound confidence and rage.

“Seriously, Cayden?! Youjustgot me fired for asking Zack Reeves to sign pucks for you, and now you’re asking Hayes Larson to sign yourjersey?!”

“Yeah, you got fired, so it’s not against the rules anymore, right?” Cayden barks. I crack my neck from side to side trying to keep my cool, but also preparing myself to knock this motherfucker out.

---