Total pages in book: 130
Estimated words: 129323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129323 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 647(@200wpm)___ 517(@250wpm)___ 431(@300wpm)
Since it’s obvious I’ve lost all social graces, and I’m not planning on saying sorry or thank you, Cassidy strides up to me, her brows furrowed as she assesses me.
She reaches out and hands me the box.
Yep. All blue. Just as I’d assumed.
“We leave in twenty minutes.” I don’t say anything else, just storm out of the room like the asshole I am.
That went well.
18
CASSIDY
Okay, this was a horrible idea. Hockey is brutal and watching Aiden get slammed against the glass over and over again makes it hard for me to sit in my seat.
Aiden has me sitting right by the ice, the glass directly in front of me. Close enough to taste the spray if not for the wall between us. Close enough to see every push, elbow jab, and flying fist, and duck as if it’s coming toward me.
Dramatic much?
I feel like I’m about to hulk out and start shouting obscenities. How do people watch their loved ones play this sport and stay calm?
Loved one? Is that what he is to me?
I’d watched Aiden practice, sure, but I’d never had a chance to see him in action. This is something else entirely. He’s gone over the terminology with me, but seeing it in play is just…wow.
The intensity. The strength. It’s next level.
The crowd roars with excitement while I’m freaking out.
Some asshole from the other team cross-checks Aiden with his stick, slamming into him from the back.
And not a damn thing is done about it.
The refs skate on as if nothing happened, completely content to allow dirty players to continue on with their antics.
The crowd’s energy is intense, and it should have me on my feet cheering.
Aiden spins around and shoves into a player, getting called out by the blind-as-a-bat ref.
The whistle is blown, and Aiden’s skating off to the penalty box.
“Two minutes,” the ref calls out, and Aiden throws his hands up.
The crowd cheers as though this is great news. Or maybe they’re just celebrating the team’s current score.
“Asshole,” I mumble, and the girl next to me bobs her head.
“Total asshole. He hasn’t called a damn thing all night.” She turns fully toward me. “I’m Molly, Dane’s sister.”
A smile spreads across my face. I can see it. They resemble one another. Medium brown hair and bright green eyes. Both beyond attractive.
“You’re Aiden’s girlfriend, right?”
I stare at her for a moment until her words catch up to me, and I begin nodding like a bobblehead. “Yes. Yep. That’s me. The new girl.”
She chuckles. “You mean only girl. Aiden doesn’t date.” Her cheeks turn pink, and her eyes lower to the ground. “Well…until you, I mean.”
I smile, hoping to ease her sudden worry. “Yeah, it’s been a roller coaster because of that.”
“Oh, I bet. The hockey tok is going nuts. You’re trending all over.” I wince. “Not a fan?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
“I can see why Aiden waited for you.”
Her words wash over me, and at first, I melt into them. The thought of Aiden choosing me gives me tingles, but it’s quickly washed away by the truth. A truth I can’t share with Molly.
Instead, I smile.
“You don’t seem to be a fan of hockey,” she says, changing the subject.
“Is it that obvious?”
She laughs. “You look ready to either punch someone or throw up.”
“It’s violent. I’m just not used to it.”
“It is, but the guys love it. Dane lives for it.” She places a hand on my arm. “I promise, they can’t feel much with all those pads. Your man’s safe.” She points toward the ice, and I turn in time to see a puck thud against the glass.
My body jerks back, and Molly snickers. “You’ll get used to it.”
I’m not sure I will.
“Keep watching. They’re due to score, and Aiden is the king at making things happen.”
She’s right. No sooner does she say the words, and Aiden has a breakaway, skating like a demon down the ice, directly toward the opposing net. He doesn’t even stop, simply slides to the side and pops it around the goalie’s leg.
The crowd goes wild, chanting his name.
I smile, loving that he’s doing what he always wanted to do. And doing it well.
A group of women are shouting, and it draws our attention. Molly groans.
“I’m a new-age woman who owns my sexuality, but something about them irks me.”
“Who are ‘they’?” I wonder aloud.
“Bunnies,” she explains as if I know what that means. “Women who chase hockey players. Most of them only want the notoriety. Or worse, money.”
A tall, leggy blonde stands, holding a sign above her head. I can’t read it from here.
“They live to get the guys’ attention. You’ll see them after the game in the parking lot. They won’t leave until the players do.”
“They leave with the guys?”
“Some do,” she says, eyes trained on the ice. “I told Dane if I catch him with one, I’ll boycott the rest of his games.”