Page 29 of Rush the Edge

The guy breaks into a grin, and the closer he gets to me, the bluer his eyes become.

“The new mascot?” He skates a circle around me. “Yeah, right.”

I can’t blame him for being skeptical. It is hard to believe.

“I’m serious.” I put my hands on my hips. “I just wanted to get a feel for the ice before tomorrow’s game.”

The guy tosses his stick back and forth in his hands and stares at me incredulously. He peers back at the bench where the goalie is climbing onto the ice in full gear.

“Who’s this?” he grumbles, seeming annoyed. “Ice girl? Sorry, but we need the rink to ourselves.”

I blanch from the assumption. “I amnotan ice girl.”

“Oh. My bad,” he calls over his shoulder as he skates to the net.

“She said she’s the mascot,” the blue-eyed guy shouts in his thick accent.

“Yeah,okay,” the goalie shouts back. “I don’t really care, Lars. Get your girlfriend off the ice. I’m not staying here all day to help you.”

“I’m not his girlfriend!” I yell, heading off to the side.

Lars skates alongside me with ease. He’s easily a foot taller than me.

He bends down, his helmet not even strapped on the bottom, with a smirk on his face. “Do you want to be, though?”

My mouth opens to decline his offer, but a familiar presence makes himself known, causing me to pause. Lars’s eyes get larger, like he’s surprised that I’m considering it.

I’m not, but it’s fun to pretend with Kane listening in.

The last thing he wants is for me to mess around with one of his teammates, even if he won’t admit it. I wouldn’t stoop that low, though I’m sure hewould if the roles were reversed. He’s made it obvious that he’s done exactly what I thought he’d do when he left for life beyond our small town.

“No, she doesn’t,” Kane answers for me, pulling both of our attention to the bench.

Kane, still in his hockey gear except for his helmet, skates onto the ice and makes his way over to us.

My heart skips a beat when our eyes meet. For some reason, I feel as if I’ve been caught doing something wrong, but Kane has no place in any decision I make when it comes to my romantic life.

Not that I am focused on that part of my life right now, but if I was, he doesn’t get to have a say.

“I can make my own decisions, thank you very much.”

Kane snorts right before he flings ice up in between us. I quickly try to move out of the way of the cold shavings, but I’m not that comfortable on the ice yet, and my legs slip right out from under me.

It is wishful thinking to hope that Lars’s arm is wrapped around my waist instead of Kane’s, but I recognize his touch as if it’s my own. Heat races to the part of my lower stomach that he’s touching. Skin on skin. It burns.

“You can’t even skate on your own, let alone make decisions on who to fuck,” he says in a grumbly voice.

Lars interjects. “Who said anything about fucking? I was going to take her on a date. That’s what you do in Sweden, unlike you,horas.”

Kane’s grip on my waist grows tight as he puts me back on my feet. “Did you just insult me?”

Lars taps his stick on the ice in frustration. “I saw her first.”

Is he fighting over me?

My gaze skips to Kane, and I freeze. His devilish lip tips, and I knowexactlywhat he’s going to say before he even opens his mouth.

“I already had her…and sorry, I won’t allow you to have my sloppy seconds.”

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