Ice Contact (Milwaukee Steel Riders #1)

18. Hayes

18

hayes

W e beat Denver 2-1 in OT tonight. I’m exhausted from the game, but I head down to the weight room to get a few reps in to force out the lactic acid while my muscles are warmed up. Otherwise, I’ll be sore and stiff as fuck in the morning. Well…not that I’m not stiff every morning thinking about what my sweet little siren’s lips will feel like on my dick.

Walking into the visitor’s gym, I feel the base thumping in my chest as Russian metal music blares through the speakers. Fuck. I’ve been avoiding Vladi’s meddling self all damn day. I spin on my heel, beelining back to the cardio area, when I’m yanked back by my shirt.

“Well, well, look who it is. You’re just in time to spot me,” he says, dragging me over to the squat rack, my eyes nearly popping out of my head from the force.

Could I get away from him? Yes. But I don’t need an angry Russian chasing me through the underground tunnels of the arena.

“Why are you avoiding me, Hayes Larson?”

Double fuck . He didn’t use Larsy, which means he’s pissed. Full name means he’s inching toward blowing up entirely. Motherfucker…someone send help.

“Vladi,” I awkwardly laugh, gently yanking myself from his grip, “I am not avoiding you.”

“The fuck you’re not! I saved a seat for you on the plane yesterday, but somehow Bougie sat next to me and talked my fucking ear off about his millions of social media followers. Do you know how much vodka you owe me to make up for that little seat switch?”

I can’t help the evil smile spreading across my face. The plan fucking worked, and it didn’t totally fuck us for the game today. I planted Bougie for him yesterday, knowing it was risking a full Vladi meltdown that would bleed into the game. “Alright! Alright,” I hold my hands up, trying to smother my smile, “I owe you vodka.”

“A lot. And top shelf. None of that shitty American crap. Motherland vodka; the water you idiots drink tastes like piss,” he grumbles, sliding more plates onto the bar. “Now, tell me about you and The Weapon?”

“I just gave her a ride home. That’s it. What’s it to you?”

“She looked upset. And you just got out of that shit-show of a relationship with C-3PO, so I wanted to make sur-”

Holding my hand up, confused as fuck, I halt him mid-sentence.

“Wait, wait, wait…C-3PO?”

“Cheating Cunt Chelsea, Pregnant and Obnoxious.” He blinks at me, settling under the bar and setting his feet. “You know this nickname, yes? We used to just call her C3, but then…well…you know.”

The dead-serious look on his face, paired with his wide-eyed disbelief that I didn’t know how my friends referred to my ex, makes me burst into laughter. “I didn’t,” I say, still chuckling, “But it’s fucking brilliant.”

He nods, stone faced as he drops into a series of punishing reps. “As I was saying, I wanted to make sure you were thinking with your brain, not your lonely cock. Also, I’m your fucking best friend, which means I get to know what the fuck is going on in your life. Lie to me again, asshole, and I’ll throw you through a goddamn wall.”

Damn. He’s right.

“Remember me telling you about the girl I met the first night I was in town?”

He grunts, dropping into a deep squat with controlled precision. “Yes. You haven’t stopped droning on. You talked my goddamn ear off the entire first day of training camp. I’m tempted to start wearing earplugs around you, brother. What ever happened with that situat-” Vladi stands up fully from his squat, standing strong under the bar flexing under his warmup weight as his eyes widen with realization. “Oh, fuck. You said she was a singer. It’s her, isn’t it?”

“Yep.” I lean my head back against the rack, not bothering to fight the goofy ass grin stretching my cheeks.

“You said she was your dream girl, but she was dating some other guy. You said you weren’t going to get in the way. What happened to him?”

“Cocksucker dumped her after the home opener. And got her fired from the anthem job. That’s why she was crying.”

“He got her fired ? What the fuck? She can’t be fired. She’s part of the Riders.”

“I know. I asked if I could talk to someone about it, but she said no. I wanted to respect her wishes. And you know…I’m kind of the new guy.”

“Right. Nothing to do with your panty-dropping good looks swooping in to be her hero?”

“There was no panty-dropping involved.” Not yet anyway . I sigh, standing up from the squat rack as my heart races just thinking about being Olivia’s harbor from the toxic shit she was evicted from. Little victories, even if it comes from a painful place. “This girl is different. There’s something about the way she crinkles her nose when she laughs, the way her eyes light up when she talks about hockey, the way the entire room stops to listen when she sings. She’s funny, smart, and wicked talented. Even in the short amount of time I’ve spent with her, I feel like she’s my equal instead of someone trying to be with me because of my job. I don’t want anything to jeopardize this. I don’t want to be her rebound or a random hookup. She deserves so much more than that. I just want to be…I don’t know…”

Vladi’s eyes meet mine in the mirror, understanding and concern coloring their depths. “You want to be hers.”

“Yeah.” My heart pounds in my chest as I swipe a shaky hand down my face. “Permanently. I’m playing for keeps this time.”

The clang of metal plates pings through the room as Vladi adds more weights, his breathing steady as he waits for me to go on.

“Shit, Vladi; I’m fucking losing my mind over this girl! I can’t think of anything but making her mine. Giving her everything that asshat never did. Never could.” I collapse against the bench, staring at the ground between my feet. “How am I falling for a girl I barely know?”

“You know, Larsy, there’s a saying in Russian. Yesli lyubov' ne bezumna, to eto ne Lyubov . When love is not madness, it is not love.”

“Fuck, man, that’s deep.” And surprisingly fitting for my situation. How does he always know? It’s madness that her smile, her voice, and her scent consume my every thought. The emptiness I felt after our embrace at Walt’s vanished with one touch of her luscious fucking lips on mine. And now I am a madman willing to do anything to make her mine. Even that first day of training camp, when I was rambling to Vladi, I was already a goner.

Wait… son of a bitch. I jump up from the bench, adrenaline pumping, and block Vladi from moving out of the squat rack. “Mother fucker …I told you about a redheaded singer named Olivia, and you didn’t think to mention our anthem singer matched that description to a fucking T?!”

Vladi stares back at me with the same evil grin I gave him earlier. “Larsy, I am in my own world during pre-game. It’s just me, my net, and the fresh ice. I know they call her ‘The Weapon,’ but I never paid attention to her name. Brother, I tuned you out when you were rambling on and on and on about this dream girl of yours. So, I may have missed some details. I blame the vodka.”

“Buy your own vodka, motherfucker. And I’m going to figure out how to get her back singing for us, so pay attention to the damn anthem next time.”

“I will now that I know you’re trying to get into her five hole,” Vladi says with a wink.

“I need to get my reps in too, Vladi, finish your damn squats.”