Page 85 of Ice Rebel

Cole

“Woo-hoo, fellas! Time to break out the champagne.” Dan the Dominator’s enthusiasm was getting old. We’d been on the bus for almost eleven hours since very early in the morning and he’d been partying in his seat for five of them.

Even my earbuds couldn’t drown out his deep, scratchy voice. Plus, he was sitting only two seats ahead. I ripped them from my ears, shoving them into my jacket pocket along with my phone. Maybe I’d try again later.

I was at the point of jumping out and walking back, although if there was any chance of getting to Seattle at a decent time, I’d take it.

Even if it meant putting up with his crap for another couple of hours.

At least the coach had suggested heading out earlier than normal. It would seem he had a family life and wanted to get back to it. Fine by me. I hadn’t gotten wasted the night before.

“Calm down, gentlemen,” Coach Reynolds chimed in, obviously as exhausted as half of us felt.

Once the adrenaline rush wore off, it was time to crash. I’d gotten a few hours of sleep but not nearly enough. Not because I was overjoyed by our back-to-back wins, but because since I’d unloaded on Jagger, I hadn’t been able to get my mind off Chelsea.

Hell, I still thought of her as Clementine. The name suited her.

“A-hem,” Roxanne snarked. “There is a lady present.”

“Says who?” Hudson tossed out.

“Ooohhh…” a few others tossed out. I lifted my head, curious as to what Roxanne would do. Hell, the girl was tough as nails. I wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley.

“Bubba,” she said casually. “You couldn’t handle me. And I couldn’t find your dick with three flashlights in my hand.”

Since the head coach was her dad, I used to think he’d chastise her, but I could see the evil glint in his eye. He liked when she put one of us in our place.

A few of the guys clapped.

“What’s the word on the yank-me pages?” Anthony asked. His term for the half dozen social media pages she controlled for the team.

“Good stuff,” she offered while flicking her finger across the screen of her phone. “The Dynamic Duo. Nice, Jag Man and Rebel Boy.”

“Hey, what about the rest of us?” Hudson almost acted as if he was incensed.

Her shrug was meant to annoy him. “A couple nice comments. Not about you, Hudson. Maybe I should call you Boy Toy.”

“Brutal,” Finn tossed out. “And we like it.”

“What about the shit with Cole?” Hearing Jagger ask the question brought another series of images into my mind.

Damn it. I hated the way everything had been left with her.

Roxanne slanted her eyes in my direction. “A few things, mostly from chicks, but no longer trending.”

I could only imagine if she’d come to the game. Damn it. I wished she’d come to the game.

While everyone on the bus was now wide awake and rowdy, the noise almost drowned out my phone. I glanced at the screen. Samantha.

A cold chill drilled through my clothes to my spine and I sat up straight. “What’s wrong with Clementine?”

“Well. Well. I already knew it.”

“What?” I was trying to keep my voice down, leaning over so prying ears wouldn’t bother me.

“You can’t stop thinking about her. Were you showing off all your most fabulous moves on the ice in hopes she was watching?”

How was I supposed to answer that?