Page 15 of Icebreaker

The hug only lasted a few seconds, but it could have been a lifetime. It was a glorious prelude to things to come.

When we pulled apart, Axel stared at me like he was trying to memorize every detail. "Goodnight, Quinn. I'll see you soon."

With one last nod, he turned and walked toward his car. My heart hammered in my chest while I watched him go.

I stood alone for a long moment, savoring the afterglow of our dinner and the promise of a future ahead of us. The night carried an electric charge of possibility, and twinkling stars smiled down at me.

Finally, on shaky legs, I turned and headed in the opposite direction toward my car. As I took the first steps, a giggle, almost giddy, rose in my throat.

Had I really just hugged Axel outside of the arena? And did he hug me back? It had been almost too much to be true, a scene from one of my wildest dreams.

When I slid behind the wheel, I glanced at my reflection in the rearview mirror. I saw flushed cheeks and wide-open eyes. I looked like a man stepping forward into a grand adventure, a leap into the great unknown.

Chapter five

Axel

It was a tie game, 2-2, with less than a minute left in the third period. The tension had us all on edge.

Sweat dripped down my back, and my lungs burned as I pushed myself harder and faster, determined to clear the puck from our zone. I wanted to give our forwards one last chance to turn the game into a victory before the final buzzer.

Ahead and to my right, Quinn flew down the rink, his skates dancing over the ice while he wove through the neutral zone. He scanned the ice and waited for Max or me to give him an opening. Even with him wearing a helmet, I'd seen the fierce, unrelenting hunger that drove him to be one of the best rookies I'd seen.

The puck skidded back into our zone, and I pounced on it like a lion finding prey. I moved my stick with pure instinct while I fought off two forecheckers, delivering a quick, precise pass to Quinn. He caught it on the blade of his stick and pushed off into overdrive, his skates flashing as he barreled toward the opponents' goal.

I followed close behind while my heart pounded. It was likely our last and best chance to pull out a win. He worked his magic, dodging and weaving. I felt a surge of pride as I watched him fly.

The clock ticked down. Only seconds remained. I turned on my afterburners and crossed over into the offensive zone.

"Quinn!" I shouted, my voice raw and gravelly but still audible above the crowd. "Shoot!"

He must have heard me because he didn't hesitate. He wound up and let the puck fly, throwing his entire body into the effort.

The crowd held their breath, and the puck hit the back of the net with a resounding clang heard throughout the arena. The cheering immediately after was deafening. Quinn raised his stick and shouted in triumph.

My teammates swarmed him, gloves and helmets flying as they buried him in a pile of sweat, adrenaline, and joy. When he managed to climb out of the pack, I caught Quinn's gaze. His smile was so bright it could have lit up all of Portland that night. He nodded at me, and my heart skipped a beat.

He skated up close. "Nice pass, Axel," he yelled, his voice hoarse. "Couldn't have done it without you."

I grinned. "No need to share the glory. That one was all you. You were flying above the clouds tonight."

A pink blush rose on his cheeks. "Guess we make a pretty good team."

I tapped my stick on the ice. There had been so many things I could have said. "Yeah," was all I managed, followed by, "I guess we do."

As we headed to the locker room, drunk on the glow of victory, Quinn walked at my side. He bumped my shoulder. "Hey, a few of us were considering going out to celebrate the win. No game tomorrow. You want to come along?"

I hesitated, genuinely torn between the urge to ride the wave of adrenaline and my familiar desire to retreat into the sanctuary of my apartment. Something in Quinn's expression placed a heavier weight on one side of the scale.

I found myself agreeing to go. "Yeah, I'm in." The words rolled out before I could second-guess my response. "Where did you have in mind?"

Quinn smiled broadly, and I spotted a mischievous gleam in his eye. "I thought about Rainbow Room. It's a great bar downtown with a fun crowd."

I blinked in surprise. "Rainbow Room? Isn't that a gay bar?"

Quinn cocked his head to the right. "Well, yeah. Do you have a problem with that?"

I chuckled softly. "No, not at all. Just didn't know our team liked to celebrate there."

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