Page 43 of Break the Ice
“I think I’m going to have a beer,” I announce, desperately trying to kill the awkward friction in the air as I edge around Eli, being sure not to touch him, and sling my arm over Finley’s shoulders.
Stupid idea. Idiotic. Pathetic. Bad, bad... bad.
The instant her body touches mine, the ground shifts beneath my feet. Her heat seeps straight to my blood, hitting like a drug.
“What do you like?” I ask. “I have light beer, hard seltzer, wine… like a smoky chardonnay that pairs great with the roasted butternut squash. Kills some of the sweetness and brings out the earthy flavors.”
“I don’t…” Finley shakes her head. “I’ve never… I’m not allowed to?—”
“You can do whatever you want, Fin,” Eli tells her in that semi-winded rasp that turns over my insides.
“I have soda too,” I say, sensing her trepidation. “Pretty certain there’s still some strawberry and hibiscus iced tea from the last time my sisters stayed here.”
Finley nods, canting her face up to mine with a smile. “Tea sounds nice.”
When she’s looking at me like this, it’s impossible not to notice how beautiful she is. From the dainty slope of her nose to the freckles mirroring each other on the left side of her mouth. One on top, the other on the bottom. Even though her lashes are only a tad darker than her light brown hair, they’re thick and long, perfectly curled.
Fuck.
Fuck me.
Not her.
“Tea is a good choice.” I unwind myself from her, focusing on getting drinks instead of the ridiculous thoughts going around my head.
They’re the biggest, fattest no that ever no’d in the fucking universe.
Remember that, asshole!
“I’ll take the chardonnay,” Christina announces from behind us. “Also, Blondie’s about to ruin your nuts.”
I hand Finley the bottles of drink. Beer, tea, water. Although, I’m debating whether the beer is a good idea at this point. While she takesthem to the breakfast bar on the kitchen island, I check on the pine nuts Eli’s panicking over.
“I swear it happened so quickly and… I’m useless at this.”
“They’re perfect,” I tell him even though some of the kernels are black—I’ll pick them out.
I don’t move from the stove while the pasta cooks. Eli grabs my beer from the island and sits himself on the kitchen counter beside the stovetop. The conversation weaves in and out of hockey and a few team events we have coming up to the three-game road trip over Halloween as I blitz the roasted squash, garlic, and sage with some pasta water to make the sauce.
Even though it goes against everything my parents have taught me, I do my best to ignore Finley. The urge to look for her when she’s not in my sight.
She’s not mine to look at. The same way that Eli isn’t mine to love.
Still, the heart wants what it wants, and I can’t resist either.
CHAPTER 14
ELIJAH
“Great game, boys. Let’s keep this rolling. We’re back on a streak and we got to keep it going for as long as we can.” Coach yells over the chaos in the locker room. “Bruce, beautiful goals, that bell has never sounded so good. Nano, Preacher,” he calls at Jayden and I, stepping into the middle of the circle, “fantastic work. The assists were on point and it’s the strongest our defense has been in a while. Keep it up.”
Jayden curtsies awkwardly at the round of applause we get from the team while Coach spins on the spot looking for his next mention. Tonight was spectacular. Every play, every move, face-off, power-play… everything was stellar. Coach is right, this is the strongest we’ve been as a team since the start of the season. We’re hungrier than ever to stay at the top of our division.
“Rio,” he hollers, calling Matheo up into the middle of the circle. “You took some serious hits tonight, but you showed the Vancouver defense up like a master.”
Matheo’s head becomes bigger by the second, his chest puffing up the more his ego gets blown up. Just when he’s waiting and drooling for Coach to hand him the man of the game rocket, Coach looks up and asks, “Hey, Thompson, who’s the daddy?”
“Motherfucker!” Hillier grouses, stomping his foot like a big baby when Coach launches the rocket at Dylan, which only makes everyone laugh when Andersen throws a diaper at him. “Fucking set me up again, assholes!”
