Page 53

“Sounds good to me. I’d hate to have to embarrass you three times in a row.”

“You wish, Matthews,” he replied.

I took the stick and puck, skating out into the center of the ice as Cole went to position himself in front of the goal. It had been a long time since I’d played hockey. I’d never been a great shot, not like my brother, but at least I’d always been better than Cole. This should be easy enough. I just needed to stay focused.

“Anytime now, Gretzky,” Cole shouted at me.

I scowled at him across the rink, making him chuckle, but I didn’t hesitate as I started to leisurely make my way down the ice toward him. The stick felt like an extension of my arm, just like it always had, and the puck was well within my control as I set myself up to take the shot.

Boys like Cole always went for the big shot, but I’d always had more luck with tricky maneuvering. I didn’t take my focus off of him as I continued to close in. He watched me warily too, his eyes tracking my every movement as I got closer and closer.

With a sudden burst of speed, I raced forward. I saw my opening and slid to a stop as I took the shot. The puck blurred as it slid across the ice directly toward the gap. Cole was far quicker than I remembered though, and his pad came down on the puck, blocking it. I’d missed.

“No!” I groaned, placing my head against my stick. The move had been so close to working.

Cole pulled off his helmet. “One step closer to my kiss,” he said with a broad grin.

I wrinkled my nose at the comment and moved to take the helmet from him. “Still have to make the shot,” I replied.

“There’s no way I’m missing.”

“There’s no way I’m letting you score.”

A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “I think you secretly want me to though.”

I took the helmet and slammed it down on my head. “In your dreams, Kingston.”

He laughed and skated away with the puck, readying himself to take his shot. He looked good on the ice. His skill was nowhere close to my brother’s, but Cole wasn’t bad. The thought of my brother had me clenching my teeth. He’d never let me hear the end of it if I let Cole win our little contest.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d defended the goal. I used to practice with Lucas all the time. I was nowhere near good enough to play against him these days though.

As Cole lined himself up and slowly started skating toward me, I found my stomach tensing. I watched the puck darting back and forth as Cole dribbled it down the ice. My breath caught in my throat as I waited for him to take his shot. This was supposed to be a fun date, but instead I felt like I’d been thrown into a battle to the death. I couldn’t let Cole win this.

When he lifted his stick to take the shot, I started to move in the direction he was swinging, but it was a fake. A second later he darted forward, swerving the puck around me and using the backside of his stick to sink the shot.

My heart dropped as I saw the puck go over the line and hit the net. Cole let out a cheer and I turned to face him as he spun around on the ice in celebration, his hands raised above his head.

“What the hell was that?” I yelled, pulling the helmet from my head and dropping it on the ice.

“I believe that was me winning,” Cole replied, unable to keep the smile off his face.

My eyes narrowed on him. Cole was always fire and brawn when it came to hockey. That shot was nothing like him. “Where did you learn to shoot like that?” I asked, refusing to back down.

“I may have had a lesson with Lucas the other night,” he replied.

I gasped. “You cheated!”

“No, I won fair and square,” he laughed.

“I want a rematch.”

“Nobody likes a sore loser, puddles.”

I scowled at him, making his grin grow larger. He skated in toward me so he was standing directly in front of me.

“You ready to pucker up?” he asked.

He was so damn cocky, and puckering up was the last thing I wanted to do.