Page 26 of Hot As Ice

“After party,” Becca squeals. “Let’s go home and change into sexy dresses.”

“Wait, what?” I ask as she grabs my hand and pulls me toward the exits.

“The team usually parties at Madness after a big win. We should go.”

“I have a bunch of homework to finish for Monday,” I protest, though it sounds weak even to my own ears.

“Oh, who cares,” she says. “You’ll be fine, Miss Straight-A Student.”

I don’t offer any more protests, because, yes, of course, I want to go and see Hunter. It would be rude not to congratulate him on his win. Right?

nine

hunter

I’M NURSING MY usual Coke in the upstairs VIP section of Madness.

I feel like we won that game by the skin of our teeth. Greenwood gave us a real fight, and Axel pissed me the fuck off from beginning to end. If the buzzer hadn’t gone off when it did, we might have thrown it down right there and then, even though fighting is illegal in college hockey.

We won, but victory doesn’t taste as sweet as it should. Because I know I wasn’t at my best. I let myself get too riled up. I lost my cool. That’s unacceptable.

My teammates are getting drunk all around me, and I’m just sitting here with my stupid soda, irritable as fuck and going over every detail of the game, thinking of all the things I should’ve done differently.

Ryder has a girl in his lap, his hand halfway up her thigh. Another teammate has a girl on his lap and they’re making out. I get up and walk toward the railing overlooking the dance floor. The DJ booth is right across from us, and the music is bass-heavy and louder than I’d like it to be.

I lean against the railing and look down at the dancers.

Jamie comes and leans beside me. “You alright?”

I shrug noncommittally.

“I’m proud of you for not beating up Axel tonight,” he says.

“You know I almost did.”

“Yeah. Saved by the bell,” he chuckles. “Anyway, don’t be pissed. We beat them fair and square. You know he’s off somewhere licking his wounds right now, pissed as fuck.”

“Yeah.” I blow out a breath. “Thanks.” Jamie knows me too well. Playing against Axel, win or lose, always puts me in a weird mood. Axel gets under my skin like no one else. I can’t always stop the memories of when we were best friends from flashing through my mind. We used to do everything together, inseparable throughout my childhood and well into high school. His betrayal still stings. Add to that the fact that he never offered an apology or an explanation, and it burns like fire in my soul.

I remember asking him why over and over again, needing an answer, needing any sort of explanation. A part of me would’ve forgiven him if he’d shown some remorse. But he’d just looked at me and smirked, shaken his head and walked away.

Now, even years later, all I want is to break every bone in his body.

Beside me, Jamie whistles low, breaking into my thoughts. “Damn, look at those hotties,” he says. “Isn’t that the girl from the other day? The blonde you were holding hands with? Who’s her friend?”

I jerk my head, following his gaze to two girls in tight, short dresses. There’s no way Stevie is here. But she is. Standing next to the same friend she’d come to Finnegan’s with that first time, when she’d told me she owed me.

Her black dress is strapless, the top part molding onto her tits in a way that makes my mouth water. The hem barely covers her ass, and almost every man in the room is staring at her, salivating like a dog.

“Oh, hell no,” I mutter, anger surging in my chest. I push away from the railing and head downstairs, Jamie’s laughter ringing in my ears.

My anger is like a living, breathing thing by the time I push through the crowd on the dance floor and reach her where she’s standing, chatting with her friend, oblivious to all the eyes on her. She’s mine, and I’ll be damned if any other man looks at her like she’s a big, juicy steak he wants to bite into.

I grab her by the elbow and drag her away from her friend without a word.

She struggles to keep up with my long strides. “Hunter!”

“Shut it, princess. We’ll talk in private.” I haul her to the men’s restroom. A guy is in there washing his hands. I jerk my head at him. “Beat it.” He scampers off and I push Stevie into an empty stall at the end of the row, lock the door, and press her against the wall.