The Ice Kiss: Standalone Fake Relationship Hockey Romance by L. Steele

Author:L. Steele [Steele, L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-09-25T16:00:00+00:00

46

Rick

"So, the two of you are together?" Finn asks.

I pull on my T-shirt, then my sweatshirt and sit down on the bench to pull on my socks.

"Is that why you’re taking her out on a date?"

"It’s not a—" I stop. Actually, it is a date, so can’t deny that, but still how did he—

"How did I know it was a date?" He chuckles.

I finish tying up my shoelaces, then straighten and scowl up at him. "How did you?"

"You were so nervous during practice, your performance was all over the place."

"It wasn’t all over the place."

"It was not only all over the place, it was under the ice. If it had been any deeper, I’d have had to look for you and found, not the captain of the ice hockey team who’s already tipped to lose the league, but one who’s head and heart are not in the game because they’re somewhere else." Edward glares down at me.

Finn winces. "To be fair, it wasn’t that bad."

"It sucked arse," Edward snaps.

Finn hunches his shoulders, then jerks his chin. "Catch you later, Stone." He sidles off. Coward. I glower after him.

The rest of the dressing room empties out in a hurry, until it’s only the very angry General Manager of the team and me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he bites out through gritted teeth. At least, he waited until we were alone before he chewed me out. That’s something, I suppose. Not that it matters. I knew how badly off-form I’ve been lately. Which is why it doesn’t surprise me when he sinks down next to me and runs his fingers through his hair. "I can see by the look on your face you already know what I’m going to say."

"So don’t—" I begin, but he holds up his hand.

"You’re not like the rest of them. You’re older, more mature—"

"You mean, past my prime?"

He frowns. "You know as well as I do that, while it might take more time for you to recover from a game, what you have in experience both on and off the ice makes you invaluable as a captain."

Yes, I’m aware. No, I don’t need someone else to tell me that. No, I’m not insecure… Not normally. Not until a siren swept into my life and blindsided me. I blow out a breath.

His frown deepens. "You’re not a man known for his lack of confidence. In fact, it’s your larger than average ego that's helped you come this far. And it's an asset when you’re leading a team on the ice."

And it’s the one thing I have in pucks… Still have in pucks… Just not when it comes to this relationship thing that I seem to have stumbled upon. I don’t say a word aloud, except good ol’ Priest intuits what’s on my mind. He lowers his hands and drops down onto the seat next to me. He leans forward and lowers his arms between his knees, mirroring my posture. For a few seconds, we stay that way, then he rolls his shoulders.

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