“Which Kane?” Knox asks, following my gaze.
“Does it matter? Either way, this just got interesting.”
Knox shakes his head. “You and your damn distractions.”
“Not a distraction—motivation,” I reply with a smirk as we move into our positions.
The puck drops, and the game is on.
First shift, I’m lined up against Levi Kane. He’s got skills, I’ll give him that. But he’s also got a mouth that never stops running. It’s the perfect combination for getting under someone’s skin, but unfortunately for him, I’m the one who does the niggling.
“Hope your girlfriend’s watching, Kane,” I chirp as we battle for the puck in the corner. “I would hate for her to miss how you’re getting schooled.”
“Fuck off, Holt,” he grunts, trying to muscle me off the puck.
I’m stronger, and I use my leverage to drive him toward the boards. The crowd noise builds as we turn and approach theglass where his redhead is sitting. At the last second I pass off the puck and reverse the hit, slamming Levi back first into the boards right in front of her.
The glass shudders from the impact, and I can see her eyes go wide from the other side. Levi is stunned for a split second, long enough for me to flash her my best cocky grin, blow a kiss, and give her a wink before skating away.
“You son of a bitch!” Levi shouts, scrambling to get back up.
I circle back around, grin still wide. “What’s wrong, Kane? Don’t want your girl seeing you get manhandled?”
“My girl?” Levi’s face twists into rage. “That’s my fucking sister, you asshole!”
Sister.
The word hits me like a slap shot to the chest. His sister. That’s why she looks familiar; I’ve seen her around campus. Jesus Christ, I flirted with Levi Kane’s sister.
“Your sister?” I repeat, my brain already shifting gears. But if she’s his sister, that means I have a way to get into his head. “Well, it looks like fresh meat just got added to the menu.”
The effect is immediate. Levi’s face goes from red to purple, and he drops his gloves without hesitation.
“You keep away from my fucking sister!” he roars, coming at me with his fists flying.
I drop my gloves too—because that’s hockey—but I’m grinning the whole time. Even as we’re throwing punches and the refs are skating over to break us up, I can’t stop thinking about those blue eyes behind the glass.
The fight earns us both five minutes in the penalty box, but it’s worth it to see the look on Levi’s face. Knox skates over as I’m getting settled in the sin bin.
“What the hell was that about?” he asks through the glass.
“Kane’s sister,” I say, nodding toward the stands where she’s still sitting, looking shocked but also intrigued. “She goes to Gravepoint.”
Knox whistles low. “You’re playing with fire, man.”
“Maybe. But have you seen her?”
Out on the ice, the play continues without me. Landon Kane feeds a perfect pass to their center, who buries it top shelf. The goal horn blares, and their fans erupt into loud cheers.
I watch as Levi’s sister jumps up to celebrate, her jersey riding up just enough to give me ideas I probably shouldn’t be having about my rival’s family member.
This season just got a lot more interesting.
When our penalties expire, I skate back onto the ice with renewed energy. Every time I’m near the Kane brothers, I glance suggestively toward their sister in the stands. It’s petty, but watching Levi get more and more wound up is entertainment gold.
“You stay away from her, Holt,” Levi warns during a face-off.
“Can’t promise anything, Kane,” I reply with a smirk. “We go to the same school, after all.”
