Page 80 of Ice Queen

“I don’t want her to get hurt because of me.”

His head falls to the side a bit. “Why would she?”

I blink absently at him. He more than anyone else should know the answer to that.

“You can’t punish yourself forever, man.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re both great for each other.”

“Who’s great for each other?” Andrews asks as he and Wilson drop into the seats next to us.

“Oscar the Grouch and Miss Piggy, obviously,” I say, leaning against the window.

Monroe gives me a pointed look that tells me this conversation isn’t over. But then Sterling walks by and ruins the whole mood. “How about you boys do something useful, like study plays instead of talking about who’s sticking their dic–”

I fly out of my seat, towering over our pathetic excuse of a coach. “You finish that sentence, you’ll have a set of missing teeth.” I seethe. “Learn to respect women, Sterling. Then maybe you could finally get yourself a girlfriend who would put up with your controlling ass.”

A truly evil smile grows across his face, one that has chills skittering down my spine. Who is this man? And how the hell did Savannah, or her father for that matter, think he was a good fit for this team? “Don’t you worry about me, Samuels,” he says, but something about his voice is off. “My girl is more than satisfied.”

Oooookay.

“She’d probably be more satisfied if you learned how to be a respectful human rather than a complete asshole,” Monroe adds.

Sterling’s eyes move past me, landing on my teammate. “Nah, she likes to be told what to do. Craves being controlled.”

I don’t like it. I don’t like how he talks about this poor girl like she’s a belonging instead of a human. “Doubtful,” I mutter, stepping back and sitting without taking my eyes off him.

Something about the whole interaction feels off. Not that I care to know what this guy does off the ice. Maybe it’s because Kait ran from a controlling asshole. Wyatt, she said his name was. How do I get her to tell me his last name?

I pull my texts back up, ignoring the man in front of me, fingers flying across the screen. The discomfort caused by Sterling melting away as his footsteps get further away, and I reread Kait and I’s conversation.

I’ve never named him. But if I did, I think he’d be Maximus Prime.

LMFAO.

You mean, Optimus Prime?

Does it transform?

Maximus is more fitting. ;)

No, but he’s big and likes to be the hero.

Okay, Casanova. I don’t want to hear about your past escapades.

That wasn’t…

Dios Mio, Princesa.

I meant it when I said I’m not a player.

I know.

Some ladies just walked in, good luck if I don’t talk to you before.

I look forward to seeing you in hockey gear. ;)

Have a good day.

Let me know when you leave and when you get home.