Page 145 of Silver Fox Puck

“Yo, Coach!”

I snap back to reality just in time to see a puck flying straight at me.

I catch it mid-air—barely.

Jake skates up, smirking. “Nice reflexes, old man.”

I shoot him a look. “That come from you or Kingston?”

“Not me,” Kingston calls from across the ice. “But I was thinking it.”

I exhale, pinching the bridge of my nose. This team is going to be the death of me.

Jake rests his stick against his hip, eyes narrowing slightly. “You good?”

I roll my shoulders. “Yeah. Why?”

He snorts. “Because you were about three seconds from getting clocked in the head with a puck, and your usual scowl is running at half capacity.”

Kingston skates over, nodding. “Yeah, it’s unsettling.”

I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. “I’m fine.”

Jake and Kingston exchange a look that I do not like.

“You know,” Kingston says, too casually, “Kenzie looked pretty happy when she left the rink the other day.”

My jaw ticks. The guys know.

Kingston lets out a low whistle. “Damn. Must be nice being so cozy with a great girl like her.”

That’s it. I’m going to murder him.

I level them both with a glare. “You two done?”

Jake just smirks. “I didn’t say a word.”

Kingston skates backward, chuckling. “I give him two more practices before he breaks and tells us how in love he is.”

I grunt. “Not happening.”

Jake lifts a brow. “Sure, Coach.”

They skate off, leaving me annoyed as hell and, unfortunately, still thinking about her.

Because they’re not wrong. I turn and head to my office. I shut the door to my office and exhale hard.

Practice was a disaster. Not for the team—for me.

I’m usually locked in, focused, unshakable.

But today?

Today, I was sloppy. Distracted. And the reason is currently burning a hole through my skull.

I sit at my desk, leaning forward, pressing my hands against my temples.

I need to get my head straight. Need to figure out what the hell I’m doing.

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