Page 65 of Rules of the Game

“Hell, yeah,” Alex cheered.

“Let the rush of adrenaline when you step onto the ice feed your game. I expect each and every one of you to grind out there and play tough. We need to fight for every loose puck, every rebound, every inch of ice.”

Nerves pricked under my skin as I let myself be vulnerable in front of my guys. “Lastly, I want to tell you that I believe in each and every one of you. I know that you have what it takes to win this game. So, let’s go out there and own this shit. Are you with me, boys?”

“Hell yeah,” chorused around the room.

I glanced around at the hardened faces of my teammates, each one of them hungry for the win. “Circle up.” We all huddled together, shoulder against shoulder. “On the count of three. One, two, three.”

“Let’s go, Huskies!” Their shouted voices echoed against the walls, and I tapped each one of them on the helmet as they filed out.

Jax was the last to leave and gave me a mischievous smile. “You sounded like a real captain there. Tell me you googled that speech.”

“Fucker.” I looked away because we both knew I did.

Jax grabbed the back of my helmet and pulled my visor against his. His voice was dead serious. “He’d be proud of you.”

A knot formed at the back of my throat, and I blinked back the sting in my eyes. “You’re going to make me fucking cry.”

His dimple indented his cheek, and he headed toward the rink, shouting back, “Least I can do, Captain.”

The crowd was wild, face paint, airhorns, and signs everywhere. The only thing crazier than a home opener was a playoff game. I took the ice, doing a few laps to get a feel for the newly cleaned surface, still wet from the Zamboni. It would be slick for the next few minutes until it froze over.

I scanned the stands and tried to pretend I wasn’t looking for a certain blonde in the crowd but skated to Alex and River when I didn’t spot her.

The first line always stood for the national anthem, leaving Jax, Alex, River, Cane, and me lined up on the blue line. The crowd stood at the beginning of the song, and my gaze caught on Piper.

I stiffened, and Jax followed my gaze.

“Fuck,” Jax said from under his breath.

Piper’s roommate was on her left, fully decked out in Huskies gear, including teal and yellow stripes on her cheeks. It wasn’t her that had me grinding my teeth. The guy from the other night stood to her left, and he was looking down at her with soft eyes.Look at the fucking flag, asshole.

I was a hypocrite, but fuck him. “I thought she wasn’t supposed to date the same guy twice.”

Jax choked on a laugh. “Did you really think she was participating in the Hunt?”

I didn’t think of it at all for the sake of my sanity. “I’m guessing she’s not?”

He looked back at the flag, keeping his voice low. “Not a fucking chance.”

My shoulders tensed, and my ribs tightened until it was hard to breathe. “So, she likes this guy?”

“Looks like it.” Jax glanced my way, his mouth in a flat line. “It’s not too late.”

“Yeah, it is.” Self-loathing burned in my chest. This was exactly what needed to happen, but I fucking hated it.

I funneled my rage into my game and annihilated the other team. Some idiot thought it was a good idea to go after Alex and checked him against the glass, throwing punches to the back of his head. I reached them in four strides, pulling the player off, and slammed him into the ice. It only took a second for me to mount him, pin him down, and pound my fist into his face until I felt his nose crack.

A ref stepped in. “Alright. Break it up.”

“I’m fine.” I skated to the box, slamming my stick down with enough force to snap the end, and sat.

From my spot in the box, I had the perfect view of Piper. She watched Jax and Alex run the puck up the center of the ice and pounded her fist on the glass when they scored. Piper’s date leaned down to say something to her, and she smiled up at him.

The sight of them was a gut punch that had my ribs caving into my lungs. I ground my teeth together and gripped my stick as the seconds ticked down in the period. She threw her head back in a laugh that I couldn’t hear, but I knew exactly what it sounded like, and it was like bands were tightening around my chest each time she spoke to him.

This was my future. A million tiny knives cut me as I watched my girl with another guy. I took steadying breaths, but each one came out harder than the other. I couldn’t fucking do this. The buzzer rang, ending the period, and I busted out of the penalty box but bypassed the bench to head straight to the hidden door beside Piper.

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