All Chapters of Steamy Ice Cold Hockey Romance (Compilation): Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Isla Bennett I couldn't breathe. The nightmare still had its claws in me when the lock clicked. I was on the floor, back against the couch, shaking. Then Kai was there, dropping to his knees and dragging me into his lap like he couldn't get me close enough. His arms locked around me. One big hand fisted in my hair, forcing my face against his chest so I could hear his heartbeat hammering. "Breathe, Isla... I've got you." I clutched his hoodie, but it wasn't enough. I needed skin. I needed something real. So I shoved the fabric up and pressed my palms to his hot stomach. His muscles jumped under my touch. Something inside him snapped. "Isla!" "Kai... please..." I begged. He had already helped me through nightmares like this since I was twelve, when the car accident happened. I never thought anyone could make me feel so warm and safe since my father was killed. One year later, my mom married Kai's father, and we became a family. Suddenly, I had an older brother.

For a second, my heart actually stopped. The way Kai was looking at me... the way his thumb brushed my cheek like he didn't even realize he was doing it. It felt like he was about to say something real. Like ... maybe he felt it too. I swallowed hard, and this stupid, dangerous little hope started flickering in my chest. But then he pulled his hand back like I burned him. "You're not unwanted, Kid. You're just young. You've got time. You don't need to settle for guys like him." Kid. The word hit me so hard I almost flinched. I felt my face go hot. Of course. That's all I am to him. Just the kid he has to look out for. The same little stepsister he used to mess with when we were younger. Nothing more. I let out this weak little laugh and looked away fast. "Right," I muttered. "Yeah... you're right." Kai didn't say anything else. He just sighed and ran a hand through his hair like he was tired of this whole thing. "Come on. Let's go inside." I followed him witho

Kai's voice cracked, raw and frayed with panic laced by a deeper, more dangerous edge. The next blow landed like thunder. The doorframe splintered with a grotesque crack, wood shrieking in protest as it yielded. He shoved the door open, rushing inside like a storm. He froze on the threshold. "Fuck... Isla," he rasped, the words splintering. His gaze devoured me, tracing the tear-streaked ruin of my face, then lingering on the jagged, fiercely sexy pixie cut that had transformed me into someone sharper, bolder, untouchable. His hand lifted, trembling with the urge to brush those uneven strands, before he clenched it into a white-knuckled fist at his side, restraining himself. "W–what did you do?" I shrugged, the movement shaky but defiant. "Cut it. Needed something to change. Needed to stop being the girl everyone walks away from." Kai stepped closer, the broken door hanging crooked behind him. The room felt suddenly too small. "You're drunk. We need to talk about what

"You really didn't have to do that," I said quietly once we were outside, the fresh air hitting my face. Asher stopped and turned to face me fully.His eyes performed that slow scan once more over my pixie cut, crop top, and jeans, but this time he made no attempt to hide it. A small, cocky smirk played at the corner of his mouth."Yeah, I did," he said simply. "And honestly? I've been wanting an excuse to talk to you properly for a while. Not as Kai's stepsister. As you." He reached up and lightly brushed a strand of my short hair behind my ear. "This new look? It suits you. Makes you look like trouble... the good kind."My heart skipped a beat. The way he looked at me felt thrillingly dangerous. Like he was already picturing all the things that could happen between us."You think so?" I smiled, and he only nodded and grinned, that charming winger smirk that probably got him whatever he wanted on and off the ice."So... about that home game tomorrow. You coming? I'll make it worth yo

I really didn't want to go home, but I had no other place to go. Sarah, my bestie, was on vacation with her parents in Paris. And she was the only one I had right now."Hey, you okay?" Asher asked, glancing at me while driving. We were in his car. From the moment we left campus, Asher had taken me driving around the city to clear my head. I couldn't agree more."Yeah, I'm good but just... um... not wanting to go home," I admitted.Asher smirked. Somehow, that smirk was creeping me out in the best way possible."Wanna come to my place? I live nearby." He offered. We were at 8th Ricky Road. Close enough to my home anyway, but I really didn't want to go back and get the silent treatment again from Kai."You okay with that?" I asked."Totally." We then went to his apartment. It was just a few blocks away, and we arrived quickly. Asher's apartment was on the top floor of a modern building with big windows overlooking the city. It smelled like fresh laundry and something spicy, probably h