Page 5 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 2

He found it amusing and laughed, then tapped Noah’s shoulder, and the two left. I stayed, even though I wondered why. We had done the celebrating part, we had done the falling out that was almost a tradition of the season at this point, and now I stayed for another drink.

“Are you having another beer, guys?” I offered. “I’m buying.”

Tyler and Sebastian drained their glasses. “Never say no to a free beer. That’s my motto,” Sebastian said. His dark locks went in all directions and his brown eyes glinted. He was tipsy, I realized.

“Right,” I said carefully, getting up from my chair. “But let’s maybe try and savor it.”

Sebastian laughed, although Tyler met my eyes with a sliver of concern. “I dunno, A. Maybe I should take him back to the house. There’s beer in the basement if you wanna hang out.”

I instantly knew it was the best way to go. Sebastian needed to rest else Beckett would never stop riding him about it. And Tyler was right. We had a mini fridge full of beer in the basement if that was what I wanted. But I also realized that beer wasn’t at all what I was after.

“Can you take him?” I asked. “I think I’ll stick around a little longer.”

Tyler checked the time. “I don’t know where you find the energy.” He laughed softly. “All I want is a soft pillow under my head and you’re going fishing at this hour.”

I snorted. Fishing. I wouldn’t correct him any more than I would Sawyer. If Tyler wanted to believe I was some sort of Casanova, getting laid whenever I wasn’t in his field of vision, he was welcome to that fantasy. I tipped my head and winked as the two left. There was a drunken sway to Sebastian’s stride.

Instead of sitting alone at the row of tables we had joined together, I transferred to the bar. I didn’t look left or right as I did this, but curiosity burned within me. I’d glanced only once at the tiny group of Blizzard Breakers. Their captain sat idly, watching his few teammates stare at their phones. He was bored.

I sat down and ordered another beer for the sake of looking occupied. Rather than pulling out my phone, I looked at the mirror behind the shelves with booze on the other side of the bar.

The tension I felt in my chest was a strange feeling. I didn’t know what I anticipated. Grayson Reed was a skilled player and a respected captain. He was uniquely attractive, although that didn’t matter a great deal. His good looks helped grab my attention but did nothing else to me. Not that I couldn’t hook up. But doing it had never left me feeling particularly happy. I’d gotten together with a few girls and a couple of guys, but it always lacked something in those encounters. I hadn’t been able to exactly put my finger on it.

Maybe I just disliked sleeping around with strangers. And maybe I wasn’t the fondest of people who spent all their hours chasing a cheap thrill. But then there was this guy, ruining what little I understood about myself.

Whenever my gaze met Grayson’s, a nagging thought told me that I should entertain that option, but I couldn’t make myself obey my own advice. I could see how handsome he was just like I could see how handsome Noah was, or Sawyer, or any of the guys on our team for that matter. And still, I felt nothing other than a platonic appreciation of beauty.

When I looked at the mirror behind the bar again, Grayson Reed wasn’t in his chair. But the shifting figure behind my back pulled my attention. I hadn’t even noticed him sneaking up on me like that.

“Is this spot free?” Grayson asked, his voice husky and calm. His pearly teeth closed around his lower lip. The creamy skin on his face had a touch of pink.

What the hell was I doing here? “Yeah,” I said. “Knock yourself out. I was just leaving.”

I slipped off the chair, resolving to stick with this decision. I couldn’t tell what had made me stay here and open myself up to him, but some sense still remained within me. He was the guy who had tried to best me on every turn all of last year. And he was the guy I had humbled in the rink tonight.

Whatever he wanted, he wasn’t getting it from me.

Chapter Three

GRAYSON

“What the fuck just happened?” I asked the empty chair.

My ears rang with his blatant disregard for what I had to say. I mean, I expected him to be a difficult catch, but I didn’t think he would be impossible.

I balled my fists and turned on my heels. Spencer and Cole were snickering when I looked at the table where I’d spent the entire night waiting for the opening.

Fuming from my ears and nostrils, I returned to my table, plopped down into the chair like an armful of wet laundry, and pressed my tall glass of wheat ale against my pursed lips. A long sip later, I exhaled. “That did not go as planned.” Tension slowly left my shoulders and neck as I focused on the next move. The stab at my pride was still raw, but it wasn’t a mortal wound. “He’s elusive, that one.”

“You don’t say.” Spencer wore a lopsided grin and shook his head.

“What’s the plan, Cap?” Cole asked over the rim of his glass.

I rolled my shoulders and stretched my neck left and right, joints cracking. “Gotta think about it. I might throw out some bigger bait.” I considered it carefully.

“You should be careful,” Cole said.

“You spooked him,” Spencer said bluntly.