Page 6 of Blood on Ice

Val thought I didn’t know how to take care of myself, much less someone else, but that wasn’t true. It was true that normally I didn’t give a shit about eating regular meals, getting up on time, or cleaning my apartment, but I knew how to take care of someone else. I’d learned that from the way Val had taken care of me when I was a kid and what he did for Liam now. He thought I didn’t pay attention, but he was wrong.

He and our father thought I would never really grow up, but I wanted to be a person someone else could count on. I’d never been one to lead or take charge, except in bed. I’d gone along with what Val or our father said, even if I often ignored them afterwards and did what I wanted to do. I was ready for more now, ready to take charge of my own life. I couldn’t live in Val’s shadow forever.

My pursuit of Zeke wasn’t going to go over well with the family. An NHL player was too high profile for someone in my role in our business. I needed to stay off the radar, not be splashed all over social media. And worse—one thing I did know about Zeke was that he had a gambling problem and a hell of a lot of debt back in Vegas. He owed money to men the family wouldn’t want trouble with, but I could fix everything if they’d let me.

I caught Zeke’s attention several times while he was on the ice, but he’d looked away quickly. When practice was over, I wasready to turn things up. It wasn’t time to approach him yet, but it was time to let him know what I wanted.

I could already hear Val scolding me, telling me I was stalking the guy, and I needed to either ask him out or back off, but what was the fun in that. I deserved some entertainment.

I usually got what I wanted by being charming. I could smile and compliment my way into most anyone’s pants, but this time I wanted something different: I wanted to let him see the dark side of me up front. Because if he fell for that me, for the man who could stab you while he pulled you close, the man who never hesitated to shoot first, the man who always got what he wanted, then the charming side would be a nice surprise.

He looked my way as he pulled off his helmet and took out the tie in his hair, shaking it free. Even damp with sweat, his hair was beautiful. I couldn’t wait to run my hands through it and watch his curls spring back into place. All those dark curls would look great wrapped around my wrist as I pulled his head back, holding him still so I could fuck him.

The thought had my dick starting to swell. Now wasn’t the time for that, so I pushed my mental images of Zeke away. Right now, I needed to focus on luring him in, making him curious, and also a little wary. I wasn’t afraid to let him know I was a predator, and I was coming after him.

I stared at the spot where he stood, willing him to feel my eyes on him.

When he finally turned around, his eyes locked with mine, and I smiled.

He looked away immediately, like a frightened little rabbit. He recognized what I was even if he couldn’t explain why. I knew hewasn’t afraid of attention, but he saw something in me that let him know I wanted a hell of a lot more than he usually gave to the men who wanted him.

I leaned forward, rested my elbows on my knees, and waited for him to look at me again. He kept his back to me, but his teammate, Lou Johnson, star player and out gay man, looked up and openly studied me.

Was he asking for something?

As delicious and available as Johnson was, I wasn’t interested in him. I pointed to Zeke and made it clear that I wanted him to look at me.

Moments later, he finally did. Our eyes locked a second time, and I waved.

Zeke looked away, spoke to Johnson again, and scurried off. I wanted to follow him. Security would try to stop me, but I was sure I could talk my way into the locker room if I really wanted to. My family name gave me privileges, especially since we were a major donor to the team thanks to Devil and his husband’s love of hockey. They attended every game they could, and this season I’d be right there with them.

I waited as Zeke walked away, and I was glad I did because he looked back. When I made a heart sign and smiled at him, he hurried away again. I loved how fucking jumpy I made him. What did he think I wanted from him?

I wanted to know, but not yet. That would spoil the game.

I’d keep him guessing as I kept watching him. I would draw this game out until he couldn’t stand it anymore, until he needed toconfront me, then I’d show him how things were going to go between us.

You’re fucking crazy. I could hear Val’s voice in my head.

But Val had what he needed, and he wasn’t around to keep me sane anymore. I was going to indulge myself, and he couldn’t do a fucking thing about it.

4

ZEKE

As I left practice, I felt itchy all over, like someone was watching me. I scanned the parking lot, but I didn’t see anyone I recognized from Vegas, including the man who’d been watching me practice. Maybe someone was watching me to figure out if I was really one of the players, but fans didn’t usually give me the creepy feeling that was making me want to run to my car and lock myself inside.

Maybe I was just fucking paranoid. But I had a right to be, didn’t I? I’d already had my arm broken back in Vegas. Now I’d been threatened, plus some scary-looking man was watching me practice. No wonder I was unnerved.

If the man watching me wasn’t there to collect the debt I owed, what did he want?

Nothing I was going to give him.

Would you really turn down an offer from a man that hot?

Yes. Despite what Johnson thought, I didn’t have to fuck every man who was interested in me. I was going to focus on my game.I wasn’t going to fall into all the traps I had in Vegas. I was going to get good sleep, keep any hookups discreet and infrequent—or better yet just make do with my right hand—drink less, and avoid all gambling. I needed to walk the straight and narrow path until I’d proven myself to my new team and earned the money to get these fucking creeps off my back. I couldn’t afford any scandals, no matter how much I longed to have a man fuck me so hard I wouldn’t have the ability to worry about whether I was going to ruin my one chance at a career.

On my way home, I stopped at a food truck and picked up a burger and fries. When I walked into my apartment, I set my food down on the counter, dropped my practice bag onto the floor, and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Alcohol could make me stupid real fast, but I wasn’t planning to leave the house, and it had been a hell of a day. A burger and a few beers were just what I needed.

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