Page 63 of Home Game

“Huh.”

“How am I doing?”

“You need to work on your routine.”

“Are you dating anyone on the team? Is that why you’re here?”

A memory of Ryan’s hot breath on my neck and the feeling of him pushing his hard body up against mine flashed through my mind. “No. That’s not why I’m here.”

“So, you’re single?”

I couldn’t help it. I smiled back. “Yes.”

“Seems like my flirting routine is working then.”

I laughed.

Another skater came onto the ice, heading towards us. I pulled my eyes away. It was Ryan, and he looked less than impressed. He stopped hard, spraying ice all over the guy's legs.

“Jensen,” Ryan said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Jensen? This was Jensen? He looked different from the guy who played in the games. Maybe it was the smile.

“Parker,” the guy said in kind. He looked between us.

Then Jensen asked me, “Are you with this guy?”

“Ryan is my friend.”

Ryan turned on his skates and pinned Jensen with a look. He had a smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes. Jensen ignored him as he looked up at me. “But you were telling me the truth before.”

“About?”

“About being single?”

I swallowed, not looking at Ryan. “Yes.”

His smile was real. “That’s all I needed to know.” He pushed off, skating backward from us. “See you around, Zoey.”

“Bye.”

When he was out of earshot, I dared look back at Ryan. He looked incredulous.

“What?” I asked, feeling defensive. I had nothing to defend, but I still felt that way.

“Stay away from that guy, Zoey,” he warned.

“It’s not like I approached him,” I hissed back. “I didn’t even know who that was.”

He gave me another dark look before he skated away.

Dylan came over with his laptop and a shoebox full of receipts. “My password for my laptop is hockey.”

“Original,” I said, taking everything from him.

“Fuck, I’m so fucking hungover.”

I glanced up at Ryan who was laughing over something with Justin. The sight warmed my heart.

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