Page 122 of Game Misconduct
Fuck.
That image hits hard—her out there under the dim lights, alone on the ice, chasing ghosts and memories.
“You ever let anyone watch?”
She shakes her head. “Never.”
I don’t know why that gets to me the way it does, but it does. Like she’s offering me a piece of herself no one else gets.
I clear my throat. “How’ bout a race?”
Her eyebrows shoot up. “You’re kidding.”
I shrug. “Let’s see if you still got it, Carrington.”
She laughs—bright and unexpected—and it punches through the quiet like sunlight.
“If you lose,” I add, “you’re watchingSlap Shotwith me. No complaints.”
“And if you lose?” she fires back.
“I won’t.”
She narrows her eyes. “Cocky much?”
“Only when I’m right.”
She stands and starts to clean up, but I stop her. “Leave it for now. I want to see you skate.”
Her eyes are lit up, a fiery green competitive gleam in them. “Meet me at the rink. And prepare to eat ice.”
When she looks like that, I’d rather eat her, but I’m the one who made the no sex rule tonight.
What the fuck was I thinking?
So, instead, I follow her out, grinning like a fucking idiot the whole way.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Maddox
We ridedown in separate elevators.
After running into Jace the other day, we mutually decided it was best not to risk anymore run-ins with Vipers players or staff.
Going separately, we won’t get splashed across a tabloid site, social media, or handed to the board on a silver platter.
But it doesn’t stop the way my chest tightens when I watch her disappear into the other car.
Doesn’t stop the way I glance at the security camera and think about ripping it down.
By the time she pulls up at the rink, I’m waiting in the parking lot.
She tosses me a grin as she approaches, keys in hand. “You ready to lose?”
I lean against the hood of my SUV, arms crossed, and let my eyes drag over her. “You sure you want to skate in those jeans? You might need something more aerodynamic to catch up when I lap you.”
She snorts. “You’re cocky for someone who’s about to get his ego handed to him.”
