Page 14 of Second-Rate Superstar

Rink rabbit? It couldn’t be any more obvious that shewasn’ta puck bunny when she couldn’t even get the terminology right.

Now, I found myself even more intrigued. She wanted nothing to do with me the minute she heard I was an athlete.

Wasn’t that what I had been searching for since the disaster with Lacey? Someone who wasn’t only interested in hitching their star to my wagon? Someone who could see beyond the sport I played to the person I was underneath?

And I’d let her get away . . .

Jolted back to reality, I stumbled through the mass of bodies until I reached the cleared staircase. Bounding up the steps two at a time, I hoped I would catch her before she left the house.

Scanning the first floor, I caught a flash of dark curls bouncing near the front door. Shoving people out of the way, I was in hot pursuit, clearing the doorway in time to catch her hopping into a beat-up coupe before peeling down the street, tires squealing.

She might have gotten away this time, but I wasn’t going to let her go so easily. I would find out who this mystery girl was if it was the last thing I did.

A grin crept onto my lips, and blood rushed in my veins. It had been a very long time since I had to chase a girl, and I’d almost forgotten how exhilarating it was.

Game on.

Chapter 4

Braxton

Pushing my bedroom dooropen, I groaned at the sight of empty plastic cups littering the upstairs hallway. The house was completely trashed after the party last night, but cleanup would have to wait. Today was the first day of training camp, and the team was expected to be at Comets Arena for media day by 9 AM.

Thank God it wasn’t a practice day because I was dead on my feet after hardly getting any sleep. And it wasn’t because of the music pounding through the walls until nearly 4 AM.

It was because I couldn’t stop thinking abouther.

Reaching the kitchen, I was surprised to find it occupied. Red hair thrown haphazardly atop her head, Coop sat at the island, eating a bowl of cereal, clad only in a Comets T-shirt that was three sizes too big for her slight frame.

“Morning,” I mumbled upon entry, moving toward the coffee maker.

“Morning.” Her voice was scratchy.

“Levi around? You need me to call you a ride home?”

She shook her head. “I drove myself here. But thanks.” I sat down opposite her at the island, sipping my coffee. She stared at me unblinkingly for so long that I began to squirm in my seat. “Did we talk last night?” Coop placed a hand to the side of her head. “The details are a little fuzzy, but I feel like we did.”

I nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, I kept your friend busy while you and Levi . . .”

Pale blue eyes widened. “Oh my God! I forgot about Dakota!”

Dakota.

Now I had a name to go with the woman whose face I couldn’t clear from my mind. But why had Levi called her Danny? That one, I still couldn’t figure out.

“Coop, can I ask you a question?”

Smiling, she replied, “You can call me Bristol. Everyone but Nix does.”

My brow wrinkled. “How do you go from Bristol to Coop?”

She shrugged. “My last name is Cooper. It was his counterattack to me calling him Nix.”

“Cute,” I deadpanned.

“Right?” She bounced in her seat. “He thought it would annoy me, but I secretly love it!”

Bristol went from hungover to hyper at the idea of having something “special” with Levi.Shewas a puck bunny through and through—the total opposite of Dakota.

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