Page 7 of Second Shot

I laughed, and made a promise I had no intention of keeping. “Won’t happenagain.”

That she clearly hated my guts from the second she met me made thingseasier.

I kept my distance, or teased her mercilessly. Making sure she never looked at me like anything more than the trouble she clearly thought Iwas.

And shehadn’t.

Or, at least, I thought shehadn’t.

Not until she’d shown up at my apartment, eyes reflecting the same agonizing desire I’d been fighting all theseyears.

God, I wantedher.

But we were cursed from the start. And even if we hadn’t been, I’d done enough to make sure she’d never fully trust me. Never see me for anything other than the bastard responsible for her brother’sdeath.

“Madden.” Blake Starowics, the Annihilators’ first-string goalie and one of my closest friends, pops his head around the wall and slaps his hand on the tiles. “Coach wants to see you in hisoffice.”

Fuck.

I knew it was coming. Thesummons.

Teeth clenched, I turn the shower off and return to the change room, dressing slower thannormal.

Most of the guys aregone.

Everyone but Blake andSebastian.

I can feel their eyes on me, the tension radiating off them, the concerned glances theyexchange.

“What?” I turn around, glaring betweenthem.

They’ve been with the team as long as I have. Blake, one year more. And if I consider anyone my friend, it’s these two. But right now, I know exactly what they’re thinking, and the last thing I need is the fucking pity I see in theireyes.

“You okay?” Blake asks, leaning his elbows on his knees, his chin on his fistedhands.

“Shoulder’s bugging me.” I turn my back onthem.

“Not what Imeant.”

Yeah, I know what hemeant.

It’s the two-year anniversary of Sam’s death, and he’s wondering if I’m going to self-implode.

Some days, I wonder the samething.

You need to talk to someone, he’d said recently.You’re an emotional time-bomb.

He’s right. I am. Without the game to unleash my frustration and anger, I don’t know how I would have gotten through the past couple ofyears.

I exhale heavily. “I’mfine.”

“Bullshit,” Sebastian mutters, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. “You haven’t been fine in a long time. You got to let it go, man. What happened with Samwasn’t-”

“Don’t.” I jerk my head around and pierce him with a warning glance. “Nottoday.”

Sebastian sighs and places his hands up in a position of surrender. “All right. I’m just saying. No one blames you for what happened, exceptyou.”

AndBrynne.

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