Page 43 of Heart Taker

“I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

“You know my rule. Either you’re committed to this camp or you’re not,” Damien bit out. “Make up your mind and fast.”

“I’m here, aren’t I? I said it won’t happen again,” I bit out and kept walking, ignoring Damien’s molten glare.

I didn’t know what was hotter, him dressed in that T-shirt and sweats, or his attitude, all riled up, that sharp mouth aimed at me. Even with his sunglasses on, I felt the burn of his gaze on my back.

“Ease up, Coach,” I heard the dean whisper behind me.

“I know how to do my job, Dave.”

I left their comments, and my frustration, behind and pushed the door open. The cool, damp air of the rink wafted over me, and I finally felt myself settle. Once I had my skates on, once I hit the ice, I’d be good.

The locker room was empty of course. It was weird to see only six stalls with stuff in them. I quickly changed, got my skates and helmet on, grabbed my stick and headed for the ice. The rest of the guys in the camp were already warming up, Dane, Finn, and Ethan at one end of the ice, and Sean and Colin, the other.

“Ten minutes late, bro,” Finn announced when he spotted me. “Coach’s been waiting on you and getting angrier by the second. He was pacing up a storm behind the boards.”

“I know,” I muttered. “He was standing in the parking lot with Dean Chancer when I pulled in. I got warned.”

“You know how he is about being on time.”

“It was an accident. My stupid alarm. It won’t happen again.”

“Better not,” Finn added. “Go get warmed up before Coach comes back.”

I did some easy laps, my usual stretches, and a bit of one-on-one with Finn.

By the time I was loose and limber, Damien reappeared with his jacket on and his sunglasses off. I got the full impact of his blue glare, but it had the opposite effect he intended, making my heart race for an entirely different reason.

Fuck, not this again.

Instead of letting my reaction worry me, I decided to push my luck and offered him a cocky smile in return. His pissed-off gaze said he wasn’t impressed by my attitude, even though I swore he was fighting a smile.

When he stepped onto the ice, gliding over to join us, I braced myself for whatever he was about to throw at me.

“Training camp day one,” Damien announced and pointed at me. “First rule, if you’re going to be late, don’t bother showing up at all. Understood?”

I nodded, feeling my cheeks unexpectedly heat.

“Second rule, this isn’t time for you to socialize. We’re here to work and work hard. Most days will go something like this. After your warmup, we’ll spend two hours on drills. We have a short break, in the lounge, and then we’ll review strategies and plays for another hour. After lunch, we have a scrimmage, followed by Q&A. On Wednesday afternoons, things will look a bit different. I’ll rotate working one-on-one with each player while the rest of the group practices. Any questions so far?”

Finn raised his stick.

“Go ahead Finn,” Damien urged.

“Have you confirmed the visiting pros?”

Damien nodded. “I have. More news on that next week.”

“Cool.”

“Anything else?” Damien asked.

Silence.

“All right then, I’ve got some new drills that I want to try out today. Ones that will challenge the way you play. We’re going to do a bit of role reversal, with defensemen playing offence andvice versa. These exercises will get you thinking about the game in a holistic way. I want you to see the bigger picture so you can take advantage of an unexpected play. Hockey is about action and reaction. Things don’t always go to plan, so you gotta be ready for anything. That means, a defensive player needs to be able to take the puck all the way if the situation warrants it and that an offensive player can protect our zone as needed.”

There was something about the way Damien talked, the passion in his voice when he spoke about the game, that I didn’t get with previous coaches. Maybe part of it was because he was a player in mindset too. Sure, most coaches provided guidance and instruction, but they tended to favor the star players and leave the rest of us to fend for ourselves. But with him? It felt like he was talking directly tome. I wanted to be the best and I knew that with hard work, I’d get there.

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