บททั้งหมดของ Off Ice: A Forbidden Rink Romance : บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭I'm never drinking again.That's what I said two months ago when I got fired from my job as a kitchen assistant at Wendies, that's what I also said a month ago when my sister Katherine had took us out to celebrate her divorce, that's what I also said two weeks ago when my boyfriend of two years had broken up with me and left the country to pursue his education.Clearly, I was a liar.And now, here I am drinking again at a team dinner to celebrate me joining Saint Aurelius University as their new hockey coach while pursuing my masters in the grad division.“Let's go for round two!” One suggested, I looked at him and he looked fucked up real bad. The alcohol in his system made it hard for him to keep a steady posture, swaying like what seemed to be the direction of wind.“You're drunk, and besides we need to get started on our curriculum.” A lady said, she turned to me. "I heard you used to play competitively, the team could use someone with actual experience.”She had a

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭First rule of one nightstand: always slip out before the person you were on his bed wakes up.The moment the sun came up, I quickly wore my clothes as silently as possible then tiptoed out of the bed in hopes I did not wake him up. I froze the moment I felt him stir, then his hands reaching out for something to touch. I gave him the pillow which he brought closer to his chest and let out a satisfied sigh.Thank God.I released a quiet sigh and continued getting dressed. My shirt was on the floor, one shoe had somehow ended up near the closet. I found my phone beneath the nightstand after nearly giving myself a heart attack when I couldn't locate it.Once I've gotten everything back in place, I finally allowed myself a proper look at him.He looked different while sleeping.Softer.His dark hair had fallen across his forehead and part of his face. His expression was relaxed, free from the teasing confidence he seemed to wear so naturally from last night. He looked almos

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭"Sorry I'm late."Nobody even looks up. They're all skating around, yelling at each other like a bunch of kids who never grew up.I wasn't supposed to be late. I meant to be early, professional, first day and all that, but I went home first because my head was a mess and I needed a minute. That minute turned into me sitting on my couch going through the players list, name after name, position after position, until none of it stuck because my brain kept sliding somewhere else.To his hands…His annoyingly perfect abs that I can't seem to get off my mind and to last night, God I feel like a sex freak—with all those images running wildly through my head.I have zero business thinking about that right now.The captain's picture is missing from the file. I noticed it before I left, and didn't think much of it. Every other guy has a photo stapled to his page, some blurry team shot, but the captain's page is just stats, no face, nothing. Maybe he forgot to pose for the picture

𝑴𝒂𝒍𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒊 "Yeah, I understand." "Perfectly, coach." He gave me a small nod, satisfied, like the conversation had gone exactly the way he needed it to, and walked off the ice without looking back again. I watched the door swing shut behind him and let myself laugh once he was gone. Sure. We'll see about that. I changed out of my gear in the empty locker room, tossed everything in my bag, and was halfway to my car when my phone buzzed. Ronan. "Yo, where you at?" His voice came through loud, music thumping in the background, someone yelling something incoherent behind him. "We're at Fitz's, few of the guys are here. Come through." "I literally just got off the ice." "And? Come smell like a locker room, nobody cares. Live a little, Joslael." I almost said no. Almost went home instead, replaying the whole Beckett situation in my head one more time before bed like some lovesick idiot, some guy who actually cared what a man in a coach's polo thought about him. But

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐭"Line drills, now."Nobody said anything back, which was smart of them honestly, cause I was not about to deal with attitude this morning on top of everything else. My head was already pounding from two hours of sleep and a bag of gas station coffee I drank on the drive over.I ran them hard. Suicides, then passing at double speed, then suicides again, and by the third round half of them were bent over gasping like they'd never run a drill in their life. Good, maybe next time they'd think twice before getting arrested the night before a real practice. Maybe not, honestly, some of these guys didn't seem like the type to learn a lesson the first time around.Ronan looked like he wanted to say something about the pace and thought better of it.I kept looking at the doors.Malakai wasn't there.Practice started at nine, it was nine-fifteen now, and fifteen minutes doesn't sound like a lot until you remember this same guy sat across from me less than twelve hours ago swea