Page 41

Y ou got one shot.

Those words echo in my head as I step onto the ice, my last chance at the big leagues staring me down. I’ve been chasing this dream since high school, and now, a decade later, I’m almost ready to give up. Almost.

One shot.

One chance to make this work or move on.

The last thing I need is to hear the old man’s voice in my head. I heard it enough coming up. Hell, he said it so much I didn’t even need him to speak. Whenever I was face-to-face with him, I could see those fucking words burned onto his face.

But fate has a funny way of throwing curveballs when you least expect them.

My phone pings with a new text, and I glance down.

Jax:

“Bro! They’re officially starting that new league team in Canyon Bay!” I frown, swiping it from the screen.

In this swamp? I didn’t even know where Canyon Bay was, let alone talk of starting a new team there, at least not until last week when Jax mentioned it during our semi-regular catch-ups.

Truthfully, I didn’t want to hear anything about the NHL after spending so long in the minor leagues, hoping for the moment when I’d be called to finally move up to the majors. It’s been four years since being drafted from college. Dreams can only be sustained for so long, you know.

One shot.

I scowl at those words ringing in my head again and press hard on the accelerator of my beater car.

Practice was rough today, and now I want nothing more than to sink down on my couch. It’s not as good as sinking my dick into some sweet pussy, but I promised Coach I’d put that on the back burner after the last bit of drama involving puck bunnies with long legs and stalker tendencies.

When my phone rings, I think about ignoring it, his name plastered across my screen.

“Jax, man, hey…I’m beat—“

“Shut up and stop ignoring my texts, asshole.”

That makes me snort, he doesn’t usually go straight for the jugular. I mean, for someone who can slap down pucks like they owe him money, he’s pretty much a saint off the ice—That is, until he needs to be more. This motherfucker is no stranger to damage.

“Did you get my message? Scratch that, I know you got it. Why you holding out?”

I navigate my car around a slow-moving truck before replying. “Not much to say. A new team sounds good, but what does it have to do with me?”

“Because I got transferred, and when they asked if I knew anyone else who’d be an asset, I put your name forward.”

Fuck. I thought I was done with hope, but my heart didn’t get the memo. It speeds up, making me shift with sudden heat. “Yeah, so.”

I can hear murmurs in the background, and I hope Jax doesn’t have me on speakerphone where just anyone can hear.

“Sooo,” he says, dragging the word out and nearly making me crash into the car in front of me, “The Canyon Bay Cyclones want to call you in for a tryout. Last I heard, they were going to reach out to your coach today.”

No. It can’t be that easy. I grip the steering wheel tighter, memories of my father’s harsh words fading as hope, unwelcome and dangerous, begins to take root.

One word from my dumbass best friend couldn’t possibly be enough to get things moving just like that. Sure, he might be one of the best, if not the best, up-and-coming goalies in the majors, but that doesn’t mean he can snap his fingers and make things happen for me.

Right?

I’m exhausted. Sweat pours down my face, dripping onto the ground when I pull my helmet off.

Every part of me wants nothing more than a shower and a nap.

I sit hard on the bench, hunching over and leaning my elbows on my knees.

I didn’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t to push myself like I’m playing for the Stanley Cup.

Even after Jax’s phone call, I resigned myself to a mediocre practice or maybe lip service from the coach just to appease the team’s new starting goalie.

I wasn’t prepared for the interest clear on the man’s face as he had us battling it out on the ice.

Even now, I don’t know how many spots are open.

Still, I feel a sense of relief that it’s over and done with. I put my all into it. No one can say I half-assed it—my aching muscles can attest to that. I played my heart out, and all I can do is hope it made a difference

“Dude, that was awesome.” I huff out a laugh before turning to see Jax coming down the aisle.

I’m surprised to see him in street clothes.

Then again, he’s already on the team, so no reason for him to be in full gear.

Still, I can’t help the small seed of jealousy that wants to sprout within me.

I force it down and try not to let bitterness get in the way.

Jax didn’t have to stick his neck out for me with this team.

The least I can do is not be a jealous jerk about it.

“You played your heart out, There’s no way you don’t make the team,” Jax gushes, plopping down beside me. “I don’t know why you never moved up, man. From what I saw out there tonight, you’re on top of your game.”

I grin in a way that always makes him say I look like a shark.

A thrill runs through me at his appreciation.

I’m not vain, but I felt good out there, and now I know I looked good too.

Still, it’s nice to hear someone else appreciate the work I put into my game.

It’s more than I ever got from my old man.

“Yeah, well, I guess all I can do is hope the coach felt the same way,” I say, trying to tamp down my excitement. I straighten up, ignoring the stitch in my side that pulls across my ribs. “Have you heard anything else about the team?”

Jax shrugs. “Not really.” When I give him a look, he chuckles. “I don’t know why you think I know all their plans. Seriously, bro. I know the powers that be want to get this team going quickly, so I doubt they plan on multiple rounds of tryouts.”

That’s not surprising news. It’s not every day a new team pops up in the NHL, especially in the Florida Panhandle.

When Jax told me the team was starting, I felt excitement at the chance to move up to something new.

Finding out that the team would call some podunk town in Florida home didn’t even register until I was on my way here yesterday.

With each passing mile, the space between houses grew, and the cars that passed became few and far between.

Canyon Bay, Florida, definitely isn’t Miami.

How the owners will pull the numbers needed to make this team viable is beyond me, but not my problem.

Playing in the minor leagues isn’t great, but on my current team, I have a shot at being transferred up to the affiliated major league team.

Gaining the notoriety needed to bring in brands and income outside of my contract will be tough unless the team has a record-breaking first year.

Before I can ask more questions, a heavy hand slaps my back, forcing my breath out in a huff.

“Dude, what the hell was that for?”

Before I can move to whack him back, Jax jumps up from the bench. The smile on his face is the same devil-may-care smile he had when we were young and about to do some stupid shit.

“Come on, man, this is going to be great,” he says, hopping from one foot to the other. “You and I on the same team is what we worked so hard for. And we’ll even get to live in the same town again, just like before.”

“Yeah, but…” I trail off when another concern hits me. If—and that’s a big if—I get on this team, where will I live? The town isn’t so small that it doesn’t have apartments, but I’m not sure where to start looking.

I don’t plan to put down permanent roots here unless things go well. But I also don’t want to deal with other tenants complaining about me getting home at two in the morning like I sometimes do when practice runs late or we hang out after games.

“I don’t know, man,” I say, as thoughts swirl in my head. Thinking about all this shit is going to give me a headache. “Where the fuck will I live?”

I stand, making sure not to knock my stick into the plexiglass around us.

Jax steps back, giving me space as I head toward the locker rooms. I’m done and ready to get out of these pads and into my street clothes so I can find a bite to eat before my inevitable crash.

Jax follows me, waving to a few players we pass before sitting on the bench inside the locker room.

“Why don’t you come stay with me? I got a house with plenty of extra bedrooms. I don’t mind putting you up.”

I look over at him and raise an eyebrow. “Move in with you? We couldn’t stand living together in college, so what makes you think we’d be okay living together now? You drive me crazy.”

Jax laughs, waggling his eyebrows at me. “Aw, I didn’t know you felt that way about me.”

If I wasn’t tangled in my shirt, I’d have swung at him. “You know what I’m talking about.”

“Yeah, I know,” he concedes easily. “But listen. I heard Coach talking during your tryout about pairing the new guys with one of the transfers for at least the first year. He wasn’t just talking about at practice, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to be paired with someone you don’t even fucking know. ”

He’s not wrong. I’ve never been great at making friends, even with the camaraderie shared between teammates. But living with someone I don’t know is not an option.

I keep quiet, trying to decide if I want to take him up on his offer.

Jax continues. “So, if you happen to let him know that you secured housing with someone who’s already on the team, I think it would probably go a long way in swaying his decision.”

I pause and think about it. As much as I don’t want to admit it, what Jax is saying makes a lot of sense. I glance over at him with a smirk.

“Sounds like you’ve been thinking about this plan quite a bit. I guess you’re a lot more devious than I give you credit for.”

Jax crosses his arms and looks at me. “I’ve been telling you that for years, man. Hurry up and get dressed, and I’ll show you my place. Maybe once you see it, it’ll sway your decision so you can stop questioning me when you know I’m right.”

I roll my eyes but follow him out of the locker room and out of the stadium.

By the time we make it to Jax’s place, sweat is already rolling down the line of my back.

It’s still hot as hell outside, and I regret not putting on shorts instead of my jeans.

Heating me up even more is my acknowledgment that what Jax has proposed makes a lot more sense than I give him credit for.

When we make it to his place, I have to begrudgingly concede that he has a good point.

Moving in with him would also reduce the amount of brain power I have to use for finding new housing.

Moving is the fucking worst, and I would do a lot of things to make sure I have to take part in as little as possible.

When we pull up, the house itself isn’t anything grand.

It’s a solid rancher with a palm tree out front.

Then again, Jax can be a cheap bastard regardless of his salary.

Neither of us came from money, and other than his truck, I know he probably stores away most of his earnings.

Playing pro hockey, hell, any pro sport, comes with a lot of risks, one of which is someone hitting you a lot harder than you hit them.

All it takes is one well-placed jab to break some shit and end your season, if not your entire career.

As we walk up to the front door, I figure I’ll throw the guy a bone. “I guess this place isn’t so bad.”

Jax slaps me on the back again. “That’s what I was telling you. Just follow me. I know what the fuck I’m doing.”

“Are you sure about that? Don’t you remember Kansas?”

“We promised we weren’t going to talk about that.”

I cock my head at him and smirk. “ You said you weren’t going to talk about Kansas. I didn’t say anything about me .”

Before Jax can respond, the door beside us opens, and I find myself enveloped in the sweetest plume of hot, fragrant air. I’m about to ask what girl he has waiting for him until I see a familiar face in the doorway.

A dusky, red towel hides curves that can barely be contained and looks maddening against milky white skin that makes my fingers twitch with the need to touch.

“I didn’t think you would be back so soon.” That soft voice has no business being as enticing as it is, and when I can finally look back up at her face, I nearly bite my tongue in half at her blush-stained pillow-soft cheeks.

“Aurora.”

“What the hell?” The sharp bark of her voice kicks my ass into gear, and I turn around, giving her privacy.

I try not to listen in as she shrieks at Jax.

It would be funny if not for the memory of one lone bead of water that had trailed its way down her neck.

Living here just got a bit more interesting in all the wrong ways.

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