Page 55

Story: Frozen Over

“I kind of like them.” Jensen gets into another bath beside me. “The shock makes you feel alive.”

I lean back and squeeze my eyes shut, fighting through the discomfort as it freezes my bones. “You sound like Luna.”

“How many times is that now?” Jessie shouts across to Jon.

“Half a dozen at least. No wait, seven with this one.”

I remain motionless, hoping that perhaps my lack of reaction will deter them.

“The wife messaged me earlier; she said Luna has a dress.”

I do respond to that. “Yeah? Did she manage to convince her?”

A huge grin spreads across his face. “Yep. You’re four thousand dollars lighter and also in the doghouse.”

I knew I would be when I swung by their place earlier this morning to slip Felicity my card. A sense of satisfaction settles over me, knowing I finally managed to treat her. I want to do it again and again and again.

“Kate got something too, Jensen.”

“Good for her,” he shouts back to Jon and then climbs out of the bath.

“You haven’t finished your time, and I thought you liked freezing your balls off,” Jon quips.

“Nope, all done.”

He throws a towel over his shoulders and strides through the pool area, swinging the locker room door open with force. It’s like a flashback to the bar in Whistler, but each time he’s even more pissed.

I look to Jon. “What’s eating him?”

“Honestly? I’ve got no idea. Things haven’t been right with him in a while. He killed it in light practice this morning though.”

“Yeah, angrily killed it. Scared the shit out of me,” I reply.

“Zach Evans, scared? Come on now.” The alarm on Jon’s phone goes off. “Time’s up, buddy. Thank fuck.”

This is my chance to talk to him about last season. Like hell am I going to coach with it. Burrows is still pissed at me for playing in that mindset back in New York. I open my mouth but immediately clamp it shut when his phone starts ringing.

“Hey, Angel.”

Wrapping my towel around my waist, I make for the locker room. There’s nothing worse than being a third wheel in a conversation.

“Yo, Zach, wait up,” Jon calls after me.

Holding his phone face down to his chest, he stands there, his junk barely covered with the smallest underpants known to man—it’s nothing I haven’t seen before but Jesus, have a bit of dignity. We all know you have it downstairs.

“Yeah?”

“They’re over at Riley’s Bar, introducing Luna to the Scorpion’s hangout. Want to join them?”

“Yeah, sure.”

He goes back to the phone right as I push through the door. “Yeah, count us in.”

Riley’s is packedas it always is.

We find the girls sitting in the large back booths away from most of the crowd, and as soon as I lock eyes on Luna, I breathe a sigh of relief. She looks happy, relaxed, and like she’s known the girls for years.

Sliding into Luna’s side, I automatically rest my arm along the back behind her head, and I don’t miss the way Kate inspects my every move.