Page 141 of Cold As Ice

“Like you don’t spend most of your life daydreaming about my sister.”

“True, but I don’t let it affect my game.”

“Asshole,” I muttered.

“Sorry, what was that? I was too busydaydreaming about your sister.” His brows waggled suggestively, and I flipped him off. Not that he could tell under my glove.

Thankfully, when we ran the play again, I managed to block the shot. Coach was right, though. I was distracted, trying to figure out my game plan.

Asking the guys wasn’t an option. It was bad enough that they kept making snide comments or trying to give me advice.

I didn’t want their advice. I wanted to do this on my own.

I needed to.

The only person I trusted enough with my plans was Rory, and things were still shaky between us after the other night.

“Okay, bring it in,” Coach boomed across the ice, and we all filed in. “Leon, much better today. You’re learning to read the rest of your D line. Good work, son. Austin, I don’t even want to know what that was.” He cut me with a scathing look. “Just make sure it doesn’t happen this weekend.”

We had away games in Michigan. Which meant any plans I had for Operation Prove It needed to happen before or after. And I wasn’t sure I could hold off seeing Madison until Sunday.

I’d given her three days.

Three days of radio silence. Of stepping back and giving her space.

But I was done waiting.

It was time to turn words into actions.

* * *

O’Shea’s was busy. Busier than I expected for a Thursday night. But not so busy that I couldn’t get a booth.

I slid into one, offering the security guy a nod in greeting. He tipped his head toward a table near the stage, and I saw Madison taking an order.

Fuck. She looked good. Working the simple black uniform like it was made for her. It fit her gorgeous curves to perfection.

A lick of possessiveness went through me at the knowledge that I was the only guy in here who knew what lay underneath. At least, I hoped like fuck I was.

I wasn’t here to seduce her, though, not tonight.

This was just step one in my plan to prove to her that I could be the kind of guy she could depend on—that she could trust with her heartandher daughter.

Nervous energy zipped through me as she finally lifted her eyes and found me across the room.

A flash of something streaked across her face, but I couldn’t decipher if it was surprise, anger, relief, or something else entirely.

She headed for the bar and rang in the table’s order, before whispering something to the other server and heading in my direction.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I told you I’d give you some space.”

“And you decided three days was enough?” Her brow quirked.

“I leave tomorrow. We have back-to-back games in Michigan. I wanted to see you before I left.”

“Austin, I—”

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