Page 53 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO
“Oh, come on!” I yell, spinning around to chase her.
She laughs, skating hard toward the goal. I am faster, closing the distance quickly, but she pulls another move - a quick backhand pass to herself - that catches me off guard.
She lines up her shot, and despite my best effort to block her, the puck sails past me into the net.
“Two to one,” she says, her smile triumphant. “Yippee”
“That’s cute,” I say, grabbing the puck for the next round. “But playtime’s over.”
I take off, and my strides are longer and more aggressive now. She tries to keep up, but I am faster and more precise. I fake left, then cut sharply to the right, sending her skidding to adjust.
Before she can recover, I fire the puck into the net.
“Tied,” I say, skating back to her.
She rolls her eyes, resetting for the final round.
“This is it,” she says, her tone defiant.
“You’re going down,” I reply, and we are off.
She charges first, but I am ready this time. I block her path, forcing her to veer off course. She tries to spin away, but I anticipate the move, stealing the puck and taking off toward the goal.
“Not today,” she says, chasing me down.
I feel her right behind me, but I do not let it stop me. My focus narrows, the goal in sight, she lunges, her stick colliding with mine, but I hold it tightly.
With one final push, I wind up and fire the puck straight into the net.
“Game over,” I say, slowing to a stop as the puck clinks against the back of the net.
She skates up to me, her cheeks flushed from the effort. “You’re still as obnoxious as ever,” she says, but there is a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
“And you’re still as competitive,” I reply, leaning on my stick.
For a moment, we just stand there, the frigid air between us filled with the sound of our breathing.
“Good game,” she finally says, holding out her hand.
“Good game,” I reply, shaking it, though the smirk on my face probably ruins the gesture.
She straightens, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face as she looks at me with those sharp, calculating eyes of hers. "All right," she says, crossing her arms. "You won. So, what do you want? That was the bet, wasn’t it?"
I grin, straightening up. “I’ll save it for later.”
She raises an eyebrow, her skepticism almost palpable. “Oh, come on. That wasn’t the deal. What is it?”
I shrug, keeping my tone casual. “I’ll let you know when the time’s right.”
She crosses her arms, clearly unimpressed. “That sounds ominous.”
“Maybe,” I say, grabbing my water bottle from the bench. “But fair’s fair, Hazel. You agreed to the terms.”
She huffs but does not argue further, unlacing her skates. “Whatever. Are you done here?”
“Yeah,” I reply, pulling off my gloves. “Are you ready to leave?”
She nods, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
