Page 101 of Ice Rebel

“Who doesn’t.” She was lying, of course.

“Well, then you won’t mind showing off your skills. I can’t wait to see them.”

“What if I was once a famous girl hockey player?”

Oh, my cock was aching like a son of a bitch. “I look forward to seeing it.”

Her hand planted on her hip was becoming a favorite gesture. I walked ahead, flicking on lights as I did. When I realized she wasn’t directly behind me, I stopped and emulated a head flip like she’d given more than once, using the words against her.

“Are you coming? Or do I need to grab a collar and leash?”

With a little more spice added for good measure.

I tromped on and the moment I turned on the lights over the ice, I took a deep breath. As she flanked my side, I could tell by the way she was drinking it all in that she was more in tune to what mattered to me. Oddly enough, the words of advice from my father and coach had been imbedded into the forefront of my mind.

As I headed down the tunnel toward the ice, so many memories popped into my mind I was shocked. Ones I hadn’t thought about in a very long time.

“It feels like home,” I said, knowing she was right behind me.

“The rink is smaller,” she said in quiet reverence.

“Yeah, it is, but when we were kids, this was huge. So much ice to cover.”

“You really love playing.”

I had to think about the question. “Yes, I do. I just think I lost the reason why in all the hype and hysteria.”

“Your dad played.”

Nodding, I could remember the last time I’d seen him on the ice. “He used to show us the moves.”

“No wonder you’re so talented.”

“Yeah, you’re right. He wasn’t given the opportunities we were.”

“Because of being a shifter.”

“Exactly and I resented it for him. But he’s happy.”

“Look over there.” While she pointed, I wasn’t certain what she was looking at. She gripped my jaw in her hand, turning my head. “Follow my line of sight.”

It still took a few seconds before I understood what she was pointing toward. “Home of the Kendrick Brothers.” Seeing our jersey numbers on the oversized banner made me proud. It also made me sad.

“You’re immortalized,” she breathed.

“We were just kids having fun. I actually taught a few summer courses here. For underprivileged kids who wanted to play hockey.”

“And you loved it.”

“Yeah, very much. Seeing it for sale kills me.”

“I’m sorry.”

I shrugged and tried to brush it off. “Everything changes. The kids are into video games and basketball.”

“Hockey seems pretty popular to me.”

“It’s also expensive.”