Page 102 of The Rule Breaker
Her eyes find mine for half a second before she glances away. She doesn’t smile. Doesn’t give anything away, and yeah I get it. We can’t afford to slip, not with a bus full of guys who live to talk shit.
Still, part of me wishes she’d smile at me and walk straight to the back and sit beside me.
But that would definitely raise a few eyebrows.
The rest of the guys, a mix of rookies and bench players, pile in behind her and take their usual spots up front.
Logan hops on next, taking a deep, dramatic inhale and sighs. “Ah, you smell that? That’s the scent of victory, boys.”
Austin snorts as he steps on. “No. That’s the scent of your rank-ass gear. Jesus.”
Logan just grins like an idiot. “Still smells like winning to me.” Then he turns and throws me a look. “You ready for tonight?”
“Always,” I reply with a shrug. “Westbrook’s fast, but their D is a mess. We hit hard, push early, they’ll fall apart.”
Logan nods, and just like that, his game face clicks in. He jokes a lot, but when the puck drops, he flips the switch. “Think they’ll come for you early?”
“They can try,” I say, smirking. “I’ll be ready.”
“Good.” He leans back in his seat. “I got twenty bucks on you throwing the first hit.”
I chuckle, but my head’s already in the game. First shift. First hit. First goal.
And maybe, if I don’t totally screw up, a glance from the girl standing on the sidelines—who I’m not supposed to want.
Yeah. That too.
Cole gets on next. Doesn’t say a word. Just beelines it to the back, drops into his seat. Pops a piece of gum in his mouth and stares out the window.
Austin—who has never been quiet a day in his life—flops onto the seat in front of me. Stretches like he’s been doing hard labor, cracks his neck, and glances around.
“All right, boys. Who’s getting lucky tonight?”
I groan. “Jesus, Austin.”
Logan grins. “It’s a legit question.”
Cole doesn’t even bother looking up. Just raises a brow and mutters, “Not you.”
Austin, used to Cole’s charming personality, blows out a breath. “Sounds like jealousy to me.”
Nathan’s got his headphones on, like always. Zoned out, probably blasting music. We all know better than to mess with him pre-game.
I shake my head, leaning back in my seat. “Let’s focus on winning first.”
Austin smirks. “Winning on the ice or winning in bed?”
I level him with a deadpan stare.
He chuckles. “C’mon. You guys know away games mean girls are dying to?—”
A throat clears. Loudly.
The entire bus goes silent.
Isabella stands in the aisle, arms crossed, one brow raised. “Excuse me?” she says.
Austin looks like he’s about to shit himself. “Uh—team bonding. We were talking about team bonding.”
