002

Chapter 2

Lila

“Lila? Are you okay?” Sophia asked.  

No. I wasn’t. I was shaking too hard, my heart racing too fast as I stood trapped between the urge to cry or laugh.  

But I couldn’t do either of those things. Instead, I forced my brightest smile and waved at the guy who had nearly destroyed my mental health.  

“Hi.” The word came out small and broken, my throat as dry as sand.  

Ethan stood still in his expensive outfit—a denim jacket, white tee, and matching denim pants. His Rolex glinted effortlessly under the dancing lights. He looked exactly like I remembered—maybe  

even better after months of training and all those rink activities.  

“Stop staring at her, Kay! I’m right here,” Sophia laughed, playfully swatting his arm.  

It hurt that they looked perfect together—typical Barbie and Ken. Sophia seemed so completely smitten with him.  

She had been dating Ethan for a couple of months. We had broken up only a few days ago and—wait a minute. That overlap meant he had been seeing both of us. At the same time.  

The realization slammed into me—hard and ugly.  

He must have known we were best friends. That must have been why he had kept our relationship completely secret.  

“I’m sorry,” Ethan chuckled uneasily, scratching the back of  

his neck. “I was trying to remember where I’d seen her before.” His gaze dropped briefly to my cleavage.  

Disgust curled low in my stomach. He was such a pervert and a liar.  

“Anyway!” Sophia pulled me into a tight hug like I was her favorite person in the world. “This is my best friend, the one I’ve been telling you about—Lila Middleton.”  

“Nice to meet you, Lila,” Ethan said, stretching a hand to me, flashing me a smile that made me want to throw up.  

“Same here.” I didn’t shake his hand, though. I couldn’t bring myself to touch him.  

“Um, guys, can you excuse me for a sec? I need to use the bathroom real quick! Drank too much water in the car,” Sophia announced  

with an apologetic wince.  

“Sure, babe,” Ethan replied a little too quickly.  

And I already knew why.  

The second she disappeared into the crowd, I turned on him.  

“You’re dating my best friend?” I whispered harshly.  

“Keep your voice down, Lila,” he hushed, glancing around like someone might hear.  

“I’m not keeping my voice down. How dare you? You were seeing her while you were with me?”  

He didn’t flinch or apologize like I had hoped.  

Instead, that cocky grin I used to find so attractive spread across his face.  

“What’s so bad about that? She’s pretty. You’re… fun in other ways.”  

“Excuse me?” I was repulsed by  

how unremorseful he was.  

“I’m good at this, Lila. I can keep a few girls happy at once and make each one feel special. You should be impressed.” He tilted his head, his eyes sliding over me again. “And that dress looks good on you, by the way. Almost makes me regret dumping you.”  

I bit the insides of my cheeks, refusing to let my body give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead I glared harder at him.  

“You think you did us both a favor, don’t you? Just wait until I tell Sophia everything. She’ll be furious—and she has no problem posting everything online. Let’s see what your fans think about you then.”  

I thought I had him cornered.  

But Ethan shrugged, completely unbothered. “Go ahead. Tell her.”  

I blinked. “What?”  

“Tell Sophia everything,” he repeated, still grinning like nothing could touch him. “We both know how that’s going to end. I’ll clear my name with a few paid blogs, and your best friend loses the love of her life. I wonder who she’ll blame for it.” He tapped his chin.  

The realization sank in—and it pierced through my heart like an invisible blade.  

He wasn’t scared of losing Sophia—just like he hadn’t been scared of losing me.  

She was head-over-heels for him. If I told her the truth, there was a real chance she would blame me, and our friendship would be over.  

Ethan saw the defeat on my face and grinned wider. “See? You won’t say anything. So drop the stupid threat.”  

A hollow ache spread through my chest. I couldn’t believe I had dated someone like him. I couldn’t believe I had cried over a guy like him.  

“You know what?” I exhaled heavily, pulling myself together. “I don’t care what you do anymore. You’re not my problem.”  

I couldn’t deal with him—not when Sophia was involved. And I couldn’t keep faking smiles while my chest burned with hurt.  

So I turned to leave, but Ethan grabbed my arm.  

“Where are you going? Sophia will think I upset you, and she won’t go back to my hotel room with me.”  

“That’s what you’re worried about?” I scoffed, and yanked my arm free.  

“What else am I supposed to  

worry about?” he asked, looking genuinely confused.  

“Oh, fuck you, Ethan. I hope your dick shrinks three sizes smaller.” I paused and gave him one last fake smile. “Oh wait—it can’t. It’s already three inches.”  

I didn’t wait for his reply. I pushed through the crowd and headed straight for the exit, anger and hurt twisting together in my chest.  

As soon as I was outside, my body shuddered from all the emotions I had been holding in. I broke down into heavy sobs, unable to stop the tears anymore.  

It was drizzling lightly, and the street was unusually busy, like something was happening nearby.  

My mind drifted back to the club—Sophia was probably asking Ethan right then why I left.  

The fact that she wasn’t outside  

already, searching for me, stung more than anything. She would rather stay with Ethan.  

And this was the story of my life—never getting picked, always the second option waiting on the bench.  

“Fuck!” I angrily kicked an empty can and—thud! It hit something hard. No, not something. Someone.  

An unmovable force—a tall, large man.  

My eyes widened as they fixed on a pair of expensive black Air Jordans. My gaze trailed up to heavy dark denim pants, then a black T-shirt that stretched with every breath he took.  

I dared to lift my gaze further and … a shaky breath escaped me.  

Stoic green eyes stared back at me, thick lips curled in a sneer.  

My heartbeat faltered as recognition hit me like ice water on skin.  

I knew that face.  

I had seen it too many times—on blogs, on TV, on almost every hockey poster.  

Standing a few feet before me was a man associated with ice and danger.  

The fierce captain of Ne

w York’s most feared hockey team, one of the league’s most decorated players—and the man my ex hated the most.  

Jax freaking Rivera.