Page 19 of Second Shot

“You always want to think the worst of me.” He leans closer, his blue gaze searching mine with an intensity that makes me shiver. “Why isthat?”

Because you scare me. Because I don’t trust my heart around you. Because you make me feel the one thing I’m terrified of being –weak.

“Maybe it’s because I just found you snorting cocaine in my basement. Hard to talk your way out of that one,Madden.”

“I didn’t…” His jaw muscles bounce as he glances over hisshoulder.

“Didn’twhat?”

He doesn’t answer, just stands there glaring down at me. I know I should walk away, but all I can do is focus on the dark stubble on his jaw, the way he pulls his full bottom lip between his teeth, and the way he runs his fingers through his hair causing his biceps to flex and strain the fabric of his t-shirt.

His eyes glide down my body from head to toe, then back up, halting on mylips.

Electricity.

Lust.

Attraction.

All those things and more burn in his gaze. He shoves his hands in the pockets of his designer jeans, his lips tightening into a thin line, the blue of his gaze so intense I can’t help butshiver.

Danger rolls off him, but I don’t know how to stop my body from responding tohis.

A wall of anger. That’s the best way to guard my heart. Brick by brick, I lay the foundation. I may not be able to keep my brother from trouble, but I can protectmyself.

“If anything happens to him, I’ll blameyou.”

The muscles in Kane’s jaw tense, and he says before he walks away, “Trust me, Brynne. Iknow.”

Chapter 5

Present

Kane

The rink has always beenthe place where I could clear my head. Game. Practice. Doesn’t matter. Just putting the gear on, the sound of metal against ice, the smell of leather and sweat, the feel of the stick in my hands; it’s an adrenaline rush. A place to channel my aggression. And today, I have a lot of fuckingaggression.

Coach has us working on a two-v-two drill that has me and Austin pitted against Sebastian and one of the newest additions to the team, Tyler Slade. Usually, I can outskate both of them, but today my feet feel like they have concrete blocks rather than skates attached tothem.

Tyler gives me a little bump from behind, before maneuvering around me and taking the puck away. Using all of my two-hundred-and-twenty pounds, I check him into the boards, and he drops -hard.

“What the hell?” Tyler is up quickly, gloves fisted in myjersey.

I push him back. “Lay off, asshole. It was a cleanshot.”

The man mumbles something under his breath and drops his hands. I should let it go. Usually, I would. But I’m itching for afight.

When he starts to turn, I give him a swift uppercut to the jaw, not hard enough to do any real injury, but enough to cause areaction.

And I getone.

His gloves come off and his fist connects with my face, a blow that’s going to do some damage. But it feels good. It feels fuckinggreat.

My own gloves come off, and I get a few good shots in of my own, before the guys are pulling me offhim.

Blake and Sebastian hold me back, Coach is screaming, and Tyler is bleeding all over the damn ice. But the only thing I can think about is Brynne - and thekid.

“Get off me.” I shrug away from Blake andSebastian.

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