Page 3 of Icebreaker

As practice wore on, my muscles burned, and my breathing came in ragged gasps. The kid kept up and even occasionally pushed back. He finally earned a flicker of grudging approval.

***

Coach Fraser called a meeting post-practice. Most of us were already back in our street clothes, but Quinn strolled in with a sweaty T-shirt plastered to his skin. I did my best not to stare, but every muscle stood out in sharp relief, including a set of enviable abs.

I sat at the back of the meeting room, arms crossed behind my head, still feeling the exertion in the back of my thighs. Coach raised his hand to quiet the buzz of the young guys perched on the edges of their seats.

Quinn sat square in the front row, his right knee bouncing as he leaned slightly forward. He played the part of the coach's fawning pet well.

Coach Fraser carried a stack of papers into the room. I imagined the scrawled illustrations of strategies and supposedly secret plays. His eyes landed on me as he scanned the room, and we exchanged knowing nods.

I straightened slightly. I was ready to be an ally as long as he didn't cross any critical barriers.

"Alright, Lumberjacks, listen up. We have our first exhibition game just two days from now. That shouldn't be news for any of you. Play sharp and play as a team. You know what that means."

He pulled out a whiteboard and started scribbling names. Tension blew back to my row from the front of the room. The exhibition would be the first chance for everyone to prove they belonged in the NHL.

The names were line and partner pairings. We'd move in and out of the game together during shifts. Quinn's line was opposite my pairing with Max on the whiteboard. I didn't know what that meant.Would we have most of our game time together?

When the meeting broke up, small groups huddled together to discuss the day's events. Some of the rookies breathed huge sighs of relief. At least they didn't get sent home during the first practice session.

I'd never known a verifiable instance of that happening, but it was a legend that somehow passed from one rookie class to another. It kept them on their toes.

To my surprise, Quinn immediately approached me. His blue eyes flashed as he started to speak. "Look, Axel…"I braced for another joke, but it didn't come.

"I know I can be a bit much,"he continued."My bad there, but I'm here to play, just like you. Mega respect for your career, and maybe you can teach me a thing or two."

I studied his earnest face. I shouldn't have been surprised, but behind the smiles and cheap jokes was someone who cared about the game and his place in it. Reluctant respect for the rookie began to take over, but I couldn't make it too easy.

I grumbled. "I'm not here to babysit."

Quinn took it from me and nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I know, and I didn't mean to come off that way. Childish maybe. Just… let's make the best of this, huh? Teammates."

I let out a long, slow breath, and the tension in my shoulders began to ease. "Don't apologize. Bring your best."I extended my right hand, and he shook it firmly. "For the team."

We headed for the arena exit, the grizzled veteran and the upstart rookie. As we approached the door, Quinn glanced over at me with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"And maybe you can school me about those body checks, yeah?"

It was impossible to suppress my smile—the first genuine one of the day. "Maybe, kid, but I want to see how you handle real game pressure. That's first on the agenda."

As we walked out into the crisp Portland air, alive with the ever-present scent of pine, I found myself stealing glances at Quinn. He'd shoved his hands in his pockets and tipped his head back slightly to catch the evening rays of autumn sun on his face.

He appeared young and carefree, utterly comfortable in his own skin. I envied that. Those days were long past for me.

Quinn suddenly turned. "Hey, I meant what I said back there. You know, about respecting your career and what you can teach me. I know I can be a cocky little shit sometimes, but down inside here somewhere,"he rubbed his muscular chest in circles, "I do want to be the best player I can be."

I stopped, startled by the sincerity. It was a glimpse of the growing man inside the boy, and something about that riveted my attention.

"Alright, then, show me."My voice was purposefully gruff. "Know that I won't be easy on you. If you want to make it, you've gotta work for it."

Quinn grinned from ear to ear, and the seriousness disappeared like a golden eagle flapping its wings and taking flight. "I wouldn't have it any other way, old man."He leaned toward me and bumped me with his shoulder.

That's where we left it, parting for the day. Something tickled my spine, but I didn't know whether it was excitement or fear. All I knew was that Quinn O'Reilly was setting himself up to be the biggest challenge I'd faced in a long time.

Chapter two

Quinn

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