Power Play: A Second Chance Hockey Romance (Sinners on the Ice)
Power Play: A Second Chance Hockey Romance: Chapter 1

8 years ago, August

Today is not a good day.

Dealing with a hangover is the worst—especially when someone decided to blast the heat. The throbbing in my temples is unbearable. I keep massaging them with my fingers as I walk away from my best friend Colton Thompson’s car.

I reach for the door of Dot, the coffee shop close to our campus, open it, and walk inside. A strong aroma of coffee mixed with cinnamon hits me right in the face, and I’m ready to backtrack. I had way too many drinks last night, and now it feels like they’re looking for a way out.

“Move, Rodgers.” Colton pushes me forward, and I begrudgingly do as he says.

Instead of going to the counter to place an order, I trudge to the farthest corner of the shop and slump into a chair. Stretching my legs in front of me, I relax into the seat. The air conditioner is right above me, and the cool air blowing down on me feels heavenly. I cover my eyes with my hand and just sit here. The chatter of other customers, the music playing in the background…all that quickly turns into white noise, and I start drifting off to sleep.

“Your coffee.”

I bolt up in my seat, looking around, disoriented. A cup of coffee is on the table, but it’s not what I’m focused on. It’s the smirk on Thompson’s face that grates on my nerves as he sits down across from me.

Fucker.

“Why are you so loud?” I grind out, grasping the cup in my hand.

He lifts his cup to his mouth. “Because you were snoring.”

“How could I snore if I wasn’t sleeping?”

“You were.” He shrugs.

“And I didn’t notice it?” I ask incredulously.

“I knew a guy whose oldest brother was in the military. He told us once that one of the soldiers was sleepwalking during a drill.” Colton shrugs. “So sit-sleeping in your case is fully possible.”

I flip him off and take a sip of my drink. Thank God he at least got my coffee order right. I wouldn’t put it past him to order some fancy shit when all I needed was a cup of strong black coffee.

We sit quietly, drinking coffee. Usually, I’m the one filling the silence, but now I’m not in the mood. Maybe once this awful headache goes away, I’ll be able to actually enjoy this day.

The coffee shop is full of college kids as classes start in three days. When I look around, I notice some of my classmates, a few girls I hooked up with. One of them catches my gaze on her and winks at me; a flirty smile splits her lips. I nod, not even trying to remember her name. My brain is not braining right now.

I shouldn’t have drunk so much last night. It was overkill.

Slowly but surely, the pain dulls. My vision isn’t that blurry anymore, so I sit up straighter, tapping my foot in time with the music. This coffee is magic.

“What are you playing?” I ask, squinting at Colton, who’s moving his finger in a swipe motion on his phone’s screen.

He glances at me. “Subway Surfers. Why?”

“You refuse to come over when I invite you to play some normal games on my laptop but play this? This is kids’ level.”

All I get instead of an answer is an eye roll, and he focuses on his phone again. Typical Thompson.

The ding of a bell draws my attention to the door. My eyebrows go up to my hairline. “Wow,” I whisper under my breath.

A girl with blond hair pulled up into a high ponytail strolls into the shop and goes straight to the barista. She’s in a lacy, white crop top and light blue jean shorts. A little black purse hangs over her shoulder, paired with black sandals on her feet. Her body is fucking perfection. Big tits and a narrow waist, with a flat stomach, round hips, and long legs even though she’s maybe around five-foot-six. Her melodic voice reaches our table as she chats with the barista.

It’s the first time I’ve seen her on campus—I would definitely remember her.

“Do you know that girl?” I ask Thompson. My eyes are glued to the bubbly blonde. Her ponytail shakes when she breaks into giggles.

“The blonde?”

I nod, not glancing at him.

“Nope. Maybe a freshman?”

“Maybe.”

I continue observing the girl while Colton focuses on his phone. Her tiny jean shorts make it really hard to look at anything other than her round ass. And what a view it is.

Pushing myself away from the table, I stand up and head toward her. I get there right as the barista sets an iced coffee on the counter. Well, today can still be my lucky day after all.

“Hey, beautiful.” I block her path when she turns around. Her big brown eyes, framed with dark eyelashes, meet my gaze, and for a second, she appears confused. Then her mouth eases into a smile, flashing two dimples on her cheeks. Her skin is smooth and radiant, with a golden tan, her puffy lips coated in some colorless lip balm. She’s a real beauty, and I wouldn’t mind getting to know her. “I haven’t seen you here before, so I thought I’d come say hi.”

“Hi,” she says. Her lips curl around the straw, and she takes a sip of her drink. It suddenly becomes a little too hot in this air-conditioned space and a lot too tight in my jeans.

Fuck me.

“I’m Clay,” I tell her, hiding my hands in my pockets.

The corners of her mouth tremble, and then a full-blown smile blooms on her face. “I know.”

“You know who I am?”

“You’re the Panthers’ goalie,” she says.

“Love hockey?”

“I do. I went to a Stanley Cup Final with my folks in June. It was epic. Vegas deserved their win after the hardest playoffs in years.”

I don’t particularly agree, but who fucking cares? A gorgeous girl with tits to die for and an ass so fine I’m dying to have my hands full of it talking about hockey? Am I still dreaming?

“There’s a little party tonight⁠—”

She chuckles. “I know.”

I blink and scratch the back of my neck. How does she know? It’s for the hockey team and their guests. Maybe there’s another party I have no idea about?

“You sure we’re talking about the same one?” I ask.

The girl nods. “Absolutely. Someone from the hockey team invited me.”

Hell nah. This is bullshit. I saw her first.

“Who?”

“He’s big and tall, with brown hair. I don’t remember his name.” She sips her drink again, eyes glistening with mischief. “But I agreed to come.”

Dammit.

I place my hand over my heart, and my lips fall downward as I scoff. “You just broke my heart.” She bites her bottom lip, trying to suppress her growing smile. “I’ve never seen anyone as gorgeous as you are. God is probably looking everywhere for you.”

“God?” She lowers her cup, holding it tight between her palms. A silver ring on her pinkie catches my attention, and I dip my head slightly. Is it a butterfly?

“The most beautiful angel ran away from heaven. Of course he’d want you back,” I say with all the seriousness I can manage. It’s the corniest line I’ve ever used on a girl. But what else can I do if I want her to consider me instead of my teammate who invited her to the party? I need her to remember me.

The girl blinks and then bursts out into giggles. Her head is thrown back, and my eyes involuntarily travel down the delicate column of her throat. The urge to trace my fingers over her skin is strong, but I’m holding myself back. She’d think I was a creep if I did that.

“Does that line ever work?” she asks, fixing her gaze on me, a smile still curving her lips.

“Never used it before. So you tell me. Did it work?”

She taps her index finger on her mouth, thinking. “No. But at least I know you’re as hilarious as everyone says.”

I shift closer, noticing how her breath hitches. “What else do people say?”

“So many things, Clay. You’d be surprised by the rumors I’ve heard about you.”

Rumors about me? Oh, I’ve heard plenty. Not all are outright lies, but some are too much. A jokester. A clown. A fuckboy. That’s what they call me. I swallow the sudden bitterness filling my mouth and shrug. “Do you believe everything you hear?”

“Of course not. The fact that I know things about you doesn’t mean I actually believe them. I want to see for myself before I jump to any conclusions.” She smiles and tips her head. A lock of hair falls out of her ponytail, and she tucks it behind her ear. Her words make me breathe freely, and the unexpected hold on my throat loosens up.

“How about we make it even then, if you know so much about me? What’s your name?”

She opens her mouth, but the ringing of her phone stops her. She pulls it from her purse, stares at the screen, then rolls her eyes. Her tongue clicks as she slips her phone back in her bag.

“Sorry, I gotta go. See you tonight?” The specks of green in her brown eyes mesmerize me.

“Definitely.” I nod. Admitting defeat is easier because I know nothing is lost yet. I’ll have a chance to shoot my shot at tonight’s party.

“Great. See you later, Clay.” The girl turns around and takes a few steps toward the door, then pauses and glances over her shoulder. “And I’m Layla.”

A smile that has no business being so big spreads across my lips—even my cheeks hurt. She is the highlight of my day no matter how it’s going to end. I watch her walk out the door, and only when she’s gone do I go back to the table.

We have a rule on the team—never go for a girl if a teammate already has their eyes set on her. It’s taboo since no one wants the atmosphere in the locker room to be poisoned with envy and jealousy. I don’t want that either, so if the guy who invited her to the party is serious about her, I’ll back off.

A hookup isn’t worth ruining our team spirit.

Sitting on the couch at our teammate’s house, I try reasoning with Colton. His desire to go back to the dorm is giving me a headache. The party started an hour ago. He’s such a pain in my ass, it’s annoying.

“Why don’t you want to stay?” I scratch my brow with my nail.

“Because I’m bored,” he states. His deep brown eyes focus on me, and I want to fucking punch him, just to get a rise out of him. I swear, sometimes it feels as if I’m the only one who keeps this friendship going. I know he cares about me, but some days it’s hard.

Colton sighs. “It’s the second party in a row, Clay. I’m done. I met everyone, I said hi, and I want to go back to my room.”

“But—”

“I know you want to meet that girl from the coffee shop, so if you want to stay, stay.”

The girl from the coffee shop…I almost forgot. Almost. Because there’s no other reason for me to check out everyone who walks into the house. It’s like my eyes don’t even belong to me, like they’re living their own life, looking for her.

I open my mouth to reply, but a booming voice coming from the door stops me. Turning in my seat, I watch Drake Benson, the captain of our college team, heading in our direction. A big, open smile plays on his lips. “Rodgers. Thompson. Exactly the duo I wanted to see.”

Drake is big and tall, with broad shoulders and a six-foot-five frame. His eyes glimmer joyfully as he approaches us.

“What’s up, Benson?” I ask.

“I want to introduce someone to you,” he says with laughter in his voice. He stops, and then a girl steps out from behind him and comes forward to stand by his side.

My jaw unhinges. No fucking way! The girl from the coffee shop is with my captain?

Fuck my life.

“I’m not sure if you remember her, but this is Layla.” Benson drapes an arm over her shoulders. I coast my gaze over her face, her red lips, her hair cascading down her shoulders, her body. I check out her flowery pink dress with a miniskirt. Legs like hers should be fucking illegal because they’re all I want to stare at. She’s immaculate. And I want to— “She’s my little sister, and it’s her first year here at Great Lake University. So be nice to her and keep your hands to⁠—”

“Drake!” Layla gasps, swatting her brother’s hand off her shoulder.

He ignores her, his eyes shifting between Colton and me. “Keep your hands to yourselves.”

Fuck me sideways. His little sister?

“It’s nice to meet you.” Colton nods, a bored expression marring his features. If he’s surprised that the girl I was hitting on at the coffee shop is our captain’s sister, he doesn’t show it.

“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you, Layla.” I meet her gaze and see disappointment swimming behind her irises. It seems like she knew her being Benson’s sister would change everything.

I don’t do dates or relationships. And a hookup is no reason to risk my friendship with Benson.

When I was thinking about her and this party, I figured she might end up being off-limits because someone already had their eyes on her.

Little did I know, she’s off-limits for a totally different reason.

She’s my captain’s little sister…and that’s a no for me.