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James leans against the stall beside mine. “So what’s the issue? Too much baggage, still not over the sister or just worried she remembers your teenage haircut?”

“Okay,” I say, lacing up my skates. “You clowns done?”

“Not even close,” Ethan says. “But I gotta ask… is she single?”

“I have no idea. I literally just saw her in the hallway moving in.”

They quiet, just for a second. Then James grins.

"They're always single unless there's a ring on the finger. Dude, are you hot for her?"

I don’t answer.

Because I am.

She’s off-limits.

She’s Allison’s little sister.

She’s studying for the bar, probably buried in flashcards and outlines and five-year plans.

She’s also gorgeous. Sharp. Way too quick with comebacks.

And she smiled like she remembered exactly who I used to be… and didn’t hold it against me.

I shake my head as we head to the ice.

New team. New apartment. New season.

And now, a walking, talking complication lives ten feet from my front door.

Chapter two

Mandy

“Please don’t tell me this is your idea of unpacking.”

I look up from a pile of flashcards, surrounded by unopened boxes and three half-drunk energy drinks. Kira stands in the doorway to the kitchen with one hand on her hip and the other holding a roll of paper towels like she’s about to stage a full-blown intervention. Music pulses from the Bluetooth speaker on the counter. It’s some bouncy pop remix that makes it impossible to concentrate.

“Technically, I’m reviewing criminal law,” I say, flipping a card. “The chaos is background ambiance.”

Kira’s eyes narrow. “You’ve been in this apartment less than twelve hours and you’ve already buried yourself in bar prep. You know what that tells me?”

“That I’m dedicated?”

“That you need a break. And a drink. Maybe even a kiss from someone who isn’t a Supreme Court case.”

I groan and toss a flashcard into the air. “Is this about the party again?”

“It’s not a party,” she says, dramatically offended. “It’s asofthousewarming. And it's this Friday night. Think intimate. Casual. Barely a gathering. Some of my friends from work. Some of yours. And that hot guy next door.”

I freeze. My mouth is wide open.

Kira doesn’t miss it. “What?”

“You invited him?”

“Of course I invited him. He looks like a Greek god and smells like sin and soap. Plus, it’d be rude not to.”