Page 5 of Break the Ice

I lose interest, turning to the wall of accolades perched on shelves.

Hawk couldn’t be more obvious in his baiting—he’s twisting the topic of conversation around to my contract expiring.

It’s true every Golding in the NHL has always played for the Wolves. Dad first signed with them in the ’90s and Colt went straight from university to being drafted by the team.

But I’m not Dad or Colt. I do what the fuck I want. And if I want to break tradition and sign with a different team, I will.

“Tell you what, Alpha,” Hawk goes on. “You can’t talk much now. I get it. But show up to the team event at the Onyx tomorrow night. We’ll have a drink then. Just you and me.”

I leave Hawk’s office half tempted to tell him to kiss my ass. I will, should a day come where I sign with a different team.

Heading to the player lounge, I come across Coach in the middle of his team sync.

Kai spots me first, his near-black eyes shining in amusement. He juts his chin at me from where he’s gathered with the rest. Coach has the whole team together like we’re in high school and this is some fucking school assembly. He’s in the middle of addressing everybody, his froggy voice almost enough to make me about-face and get the hell out of here.

Coach is best in small doses. Probably why I make a point of being late so often.

But before I back out altogether, I spot the baddie standing at his side.

And baddie is the only way to describe her—she looks like she walked off somebody’s Instagram Reel and wandered into the training facility by mistake. Who is this chick and what the fuck is she doing around a team of hockey players?

If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear this was the beginnings of a bad porno.

She definitely has the kind of figure that makes men hard on sight.

Plump tits wrapped in a silky pink blouse that teases cleavage. A waist that’s slender before her hips swell into a round ass the shape of a peach. It’s stuffed into a tight, professional-looking skirt that manages to look sexier than any piece of lingerie. Legs that are toned yet feminine and soft-looking lead to a pair of plain black pumps that shouldn’t be as sexy as they are on her.

But it’s not just the tight curves she’s working with—it’s the striking contrast of her honey-colored skin against the wild mane of burnt-red curls. The naturally upswept dimension of her face, cheekbones prominent and high, and her eyes, large and expressive. Her fucking lips that are distracting, the bottom slightly poutier than the top.

Hawk has been looking to hire a new PR consultant since things went south with the last few. This girl can’t be…

As if sensing my stare, she looks over at the same time Coach does. Her eyes narrow with a subtle flicker of distaste before she catches herself and puts on a polite, professional smile.

“And here’s our big troublemaker,” Coach says, sighing. “Ms. March, this is our first line center—I’m sure you’ve heard all about him—Rafe ‘Alpha’ Golding. Alpha, this is Ms. Marisse March, our newest PR consultant.”

She holds out her hand to shake mine. Delicate and manicured. I bet incredibly soft too.

I merely grin at her, folding my arms.

It’s all starting to make sense. Jasper Hawk has fucked every last PR consultant he’s hired to fix the team’s image. She’s no different.

Just another girl who earned her job on her back. Or knees.

Probably both.

“Marisse, huh?” I say with a whistle and once over. “Welcome. I’m sure you put in some real hard work for the job. Hope you can be as much service to the rest of the team.”

The smile frozen on her face remains, though the corner of her lip twitches. “I look forward to it. This team needs someone to pick up the slack where their captain has failed.”

“You can definitely provide things I never could, Sugar Tits.”

“Ahem!” Coach coughs in interruption. He shoots me a dirty look before turning to finish addressing the rest of the team. “Ms. March will be meeting with each of you to help revamp your image. Morasca, you first.”

“No,” Marisse says firmly, her gaze still on me. The chick hasn’t blinked. “How about we get the tough cookie out of the way first? Mr. Golding, care to join me?”

3. Marisse

“Would you like something to drink?” I ask the moment we’re inside my office. I was especially mindful of how I decorated the space, choosing the cobalt blue and metallic silver known as the team colors.