I shove harder into the next drill.
Camden cuts toward the net. Tristan feeds him a pass. I track the puck cleanly this time and snag it out of the air with my glove.
“Welcome back,” Viktor calls.
I force a grin.
For a few minutes, the rhythm almost takes over. Skates carving ice. Pucks smacking boards. The familiar chaos of practice wraps around me like muscle memory.
Then Adler glances toward the stands. “No babysitter today?”
Every part of me goes instantly alert before I can stop it. I look too. The stands are empty.
Something ugly twists low in my stomach. “Nope,” I say flatly.
Adler shrugs. “Shame. I think she’s starting to like me.”
The puck hits my blocker hard enough to snap me back into the drill. “Focus on hockey, Newberry.”
“Touchy.”
He has no idea.
I reset in the crease and drag a breath into my lungs, trying to get my head on straight. This is exactly why last night was a terrible idea. I’m distracted. Emotional. Acting like some lovesick idiot because a woman I’ve known for five minutes let me put my head between her legs and then came to her senses.
Except even now, standing in full gear on the ice, all I can think about is the way she sounded when she came.
Fuck.
I slam my stick harder against the post than necessary.
Hard to regret the decision that brought her into my life, though. That thought settles heavy in my chest seconds before Adler says, “Oh, never mind. There she is.”
I spin so fast my skate catches awkwardly beneath me. My entire body reacts before my brain does. Relief first. Then panic immediately afterward.
Remy stands near the top row of the arena seats, clipboard tucked against her, looking perfectly composed while my entire nervous system short-circuits at the sight of her.
* * *
Remy’s waiting for me outside of the locker room, her expression placid. We move off down the hall for a little privacy.
“Listen,” I begin, “about last night—”
“It was a mistake,” Remy interrupts.
Jesus. Just stab me in the heart, why don’t you?Cool. Awesome. Great. I think that might actually be the exact worst thing she could’ve said to me.I do my best to match her composure. “Yeah. Of course. Won’t happen again.”
She nods once. “Good. We’re on the same page.”
We absolutely are not.
“Hey, Remy!” Adler waves both arms over his head. “Nice to see you!”
Remy smiles and waves. There’s tension around her eyes, but I doubt Adler notices. “Hey, Adler. Nice job during practice.”
Adler puffs up his chest and loops his thumbs through the straps of his gym bag. Anyone with eyes can see that he’s trying to show off his biceps. Under normal circumstances, I’d make fun of him for this. Right now, I’m too busy imagining committing minor felonies. “Thanks. Now you know my secret, so…” He winks.
I swear to God, if he does another one of those fucking hip thrust routines, I will lose my shit. I don’t know who or whatwill be on the receiving end of my frustration, which is a little alarming. I’m not mad at Remy. I’m not even mad at Adler, really. He’s annoying as hell sometimes, but he isn’t the one who fucked up.
