We nod, pulling on our gear.
“Grayson, King, Blackwell—you’re with me on breakouts,” Coach says, ticking names off his list.
“What about me?” Kieran pipes up.
Coach doesn’t even look up. “You’re a sub, Donovan. Stay ready.”
Kieran groans, and I suppress a smirk.
Practice is brutal. Breakout drills, line changes, scrimmages. Mason stands tall in the net, blocking shots left and right. Rhett and Ryder are solid on defense, laying hits that echo through the arena.
“Move your ass, Blaze!” Coach yells as I chase a loose puck.
I dig deep, beating Tanner to it. I fake right, cut left, and rip a shot top shelf. It clangs off the crossbar and in.
“Nice shot!” Hunter calls from the bench.
“Lucky,” Tanner mutters as he skates past me.
By the time practice ends, I’m drenched in sweat, and my legs are like jelly.
“Good work today,” Coach says, addressing the team. “Keep this up, and we’ll get that Cup.”
We nod and head back to the locker room.
As I peel off my jersey, my mind drifts back to Daisy. The way she moved, the way she looked at me. Damn it, why’d she have to leave without saying goodbye?
I stuff my gear into my bag, grab my keys, and head for the showers.
“See you on the ice tomorrow,” Kieran calls after me.
“Yeah,” I say, already lost in my own thoughts.
The gym shower is hot, scalding even, but it does the job of washing away the sweat from practice. I scrub harder than necessary, dragging the loofah over the scratches Daisy left on my chest.
They’re still red, her nails having dug deep enough last night to make me hiss in pain and pleasure at the same time. I rinse off, staring at the faint outline of the marks. They’re on my hips, too. And my back.
Hell, it looks like I got into a fight with a goddamn cat.
I shake my head. Gotta stop thinking about her. But it’s hard not to. Last night was… insane. She was fire. Wild. The way she moved, the way she—damn it. I shove those thoughts aside.
After I’m out and dressed in joggers and a black hoodie, I stuff my damp towel into my gym bag and toss it over my shoulder.
It’s barely noon, and I’m already thinking about paddleboarding. The weather’s perfect for it. I’ll hit the store first—grab eggs, bread, and coffee. Maybe some steaks.
My phone buzzes in the pocket of my hoodie. Probably Kieran texting some stupid meme or asking me to grab beers later. I ignore it for now, stepping into the elevator.
The doors open, and I almost slam straight into someone walking out.
Not just anyone, though. Daisy.
“What the fuck?” The words slip out before I can stop them.
She’s standing there, wide-eyed, like a deer caught in headlights.
She’s wearing a tight black pencil skirt that hugs her hips and a silky white blouse. Professional. Polished. Her red hair is pulled into a sleek ponytail, and the heels on her feet are just as killer as they were last night.
But what catches my attention is the lanyard around her neck.