All Chapters of Cold Friction: Chapter 21 - Chapter 24

KAEL "Don't," he warned. His chest heaved under his tight gray t-shirt. The scent of him hit my senses, making the buzz in my head spike into something far more dangerous. I didn't listen. I never listened. I stepped right into his space, crowding him against the edge of the kitchen island. The air between us instantly thickened, sparking with that invisible, violent current that had been tormenting me since the day we met. "Or what?" I taunted, my voice dropping to a gravelly murmur. I reached out, slapping my palm flat against the marble counter right next to his hip, effectively caging him in. "You going to give me extra laps at five in the morning?" Julian’s breath hitched. He tried to lean back, but the edge of the counter dug into his spine. There was nowhere to go. "You're drunk, Kael. Back off." "I'm barely buzzed," I murmured, leaning in closer. My eyes dropped to his mouth, tracking the slight part of his lips, before dropping lower. The pulse at the base of his

JULIANI stood by the luggage compartment, mechanically checking off the mental roster of my teammates as they shoved their duffel bags into the undercarriage. My muscles were still tight from yesterday's grueling practice, but the real exhaustion was buried much deeper. It was a psychological fatigue, anchored behind my eyes, born from a 3 AM macroeconomics study session that had completely shattered my understanding of Kael Sterling.We were about to embark on a three-hour drive for our away game against the Spartans. And I needed just that. I needed the brutal simplicity of a three-hour bus ride to Duluth, the sterile environment of a hotel room, and the objective reality of the ice. I needed to reset the board. I stepped onto the bus, the blast of the heater instantly warming me up after the crisp outdoor air. I headed straight for my usual spot—the solitary double seat near the back, a silent captain's privilege I had claimed since sophomore year. But as I walked down the narro