Hockey Hookup: One Night with My Brother's Best Friend

L

the ice rink always had a way

it wasn'

rting left winger, yelled as he fir

tes into the ice, spraying a curtain of white frost as I pivoted past our freshman defenseman,

d out, skating past and giving m

posed to be setting the pace, but my mind was stuck in low gear. Every time I looked at Chase, I

ng his clipboard. "Good hustle today, boys. Lines are looking tigh

mats echoing through the tunnel. By the time we hit the locke

" joked Hudson, our goalie, as he unstrapped his massi

aundry bin. I didn't need a reminder about my ex, Sarah. We had bro

k against his locker. "Speaking of move-in day... Chase, man, I saw your little sist

room went

shoulder pad

ve fury as he grabbed the front of Miller's shirt, slamming him hard against

as he bunched Miller's jersey in his fists. "You talk about

a compliment!" Miller gasped, hands rais

fist back, complet

ep, using all my strength to wrench him away from Miller. I got right between

naway train, his eyes wild. "H

captain-tone. "Miller was being a dumbass. But we don't

replaced by embarrassed frustration. He ripped himself away from my grip and sl

er at Miller.

," Miller muttered, looking genuinely apo

was pounding, and not just because of the near-fight. Hearing another guy talk about Ava like that

gym bag to pull out my phone. The screen lit

e. No text, just an

I tapped

ue lights of the nightclub from last night were un

s me.

r, her lips locked with mine in a frantic, devastatingly passionate ki

uc

tely cold. Someone h

. Her hands in my hair. My mouth hungrily tasting hers. The exact momen

ely breathe. I clicked the screen off a

tried to calm his breathing. His knuckles were still red from gripping Miller's shirt. This was a guy who would lay down his life f

d I was his best friend. His roommate. The guy he trus

t, it wouldn't just be a locker room scuffle. It would destroy him. It would de

een of my phone, my thumb tremb

ed a single word, a

to do to me when he found ou