Home Ice (Rink Romance #1)

Prologue - Cameron

Eleven years earlier…

I fucking love college.

Freedom from my dick of a father and a chance to make my own decisions.

Decisions that involve me getting absolutely plastered at a frat party hosted by my team captain, Harry.

The captain of the women’s team is apparently in their paired sorority, so the women are all here as well.

My fucking Kryptonite because I’m a slut for an athletic woman.

Just a slut in general, really.

One more reason to love college.

Another is the tall woman pouring herself a drink in the kitchen.

Her back is turned to me, so I can’t see her face, but I can see how fit she is even from here. Tight, defined muscles under smooth, dark skin. And she’s tall.

Like, taller-than-some-of-my-teammates tall.

Her light pink top hugs her perfectly, and the black miniskirt she’s wearing shows off those long legs.

Like a magnet, she pulls me right in, and a few moments later, I’m standing right behind her.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing grabbing her own drink?” I drawl, leaning against the counter.

She startles slightly before turning to face me, and fuck, she’s even prettier than I expected.

Full lips. Deep brown eyes. Flawless skin.

Damn.

“Can I help you?” she replies, annoyed.

“I’m just saying I’m more than happy to pour you a drink, baby.”

She scrunches up her nose. “Ew. I’m not your baby. I don’t even know you.”

I shoot her my dazzling smile. “So get to know me then. I’m Cameron Kovacic.”

“I know who you are,” she scoffs.

“Yeah?” I grin. “What do you know?”

“I know you’ve never had to work as hard as the rest of us because your dad played in the NHL. I know that you stick your dick in any woman you meet. I know that I’ve been talking to you for two minutes, and you’re already annoying the hell out of me.”

I cross my arms. “My dad barely played in the NHL.”

Ivor Kova?i? spent two years playing on the third line for the Boston Patriots before he ruptured his Achilles tendon. He couldn’t get back to the level he was at before, never playing professionally again, and spent the rest of his life trying to live vicariously through his son.

“Love that that’s the only point you refute.” The pretty, still-unnamed woman rolls her eyes.

“What else can I refute?” I shrug. “I can’t decide that I’m not annoying you, and I like sex. My dad may have played in the NHL, though, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t work my ass off to get where I am.”

She snickers. “Not according to my boyfriend.”

“Who’s your boyfriend?”

“There you are, Z,” I hear a man chime as he joins us in the kitchen.

Jack Ledger.

My teammate, who has decided he knows everything about me and hates it all.

Suddenly, this interaction makes a lot more sense. If she’s dating him, I can only imagine the shit he’s tried to tell her about me.

Personally, I think it’s just because he’s jealous that I’m a better center than he is, even though he’s a sophomore. He hates having a freshman actually challenging him.

Jack smirks at me. “I see you’ve met my girlfriend, Zhuri.”

“I have. Not sure what she’s doing with you, though.”

“Watch yourself, Kovacic,” he seethes. “Coach can always bench you if you don’t want to be a good teammate.”

I laugh in his face. “Coach isn’t going to bench me because the team needs me. You can call it nepotism or whatever you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m a damn good player.”

“You’re overrated,” he bites.

“Tell me that again when I’m playing pro, Ledger.”

Jack practically cackles. “I already got fucking drafted. If anyone here is going pro, it’s me.”

“What the fuck, Jack?” Zhuri says.

“You know I wasn’t talking about you,” he sighs before focusing back on me. “Why are you still here?”

“I was talking to Zhuri,” I state.

“No, you were annoying me. I was just trying to get a drink.”

“Were you hitting on my girl?” Jack stands up straighter, trying to intimidate me, but I’ve still got a few inches on him.

“Nope,” I lie because as much as I don’t like him, I’m not the kinda guy to go after my teammate’s girl. Even if that teammate is a dick, and I didn’t know she was his girlfriend. “She’s all yours, Jack.”

“You’re an asshole,” Zhuri snarks.

“You were never going to think any differently after the shit I’m sure your boyfriend has said about me.”

“I make up my own mind, fuck you very much,” she challenges.

“You had an opinion of me before we even met. Say whatever you want, but we both know I had no chance to change your mind.”

“You’ve done nothing to try. Just go, Cameron.”

“With pleasure,” I smirk, turning my ass around and stalking out of the kitchen, leaving my teammate and his girlfriend pissed off behind me.

It’s not even October, and I think I’ve made myself a couple of enemies, and one of them can ensure my life is absolute hell on the ice.

Great.

Just fucking great.