Chapter Nine
Jagger
Hockey is in full swing, so between training, weights, and games, it leaves us with little free time.
Our last chase feels like it happened forever ago, when in reality it was a little over a week.
I often see Leila at the athletic center, and our text chat is active, but I want my cock buried inside her again.
I flop down on the couch, exhausted after tonight’s game, on the opposite end from where Riven is lying with his head in Knox’s lap.
It’s all good for these two—they fuck like rabbits—but since we started messing around with Leila, I haven’t touched a single puck bunny.
There might be plenty of me to go around, but having been raised by my mom and four sisters, I could never show disrespect by fucking multiple women at once.
“I need to get laid,” I announce.
Riven snorts. “If you want me to suck your cock, you only need to ask.”
“You’re not my type; your hands are too masculine.” I grin at him. “You two up for some fun?”
Riven looks at Knox, then back to me, and he nods. “Just as long as we keep the running to a minimum. My knees are wrecked from dropping into the crease all game.”
“Speaking of,” I pull out my phone and check our group chat. “She said she was at the athletic center watching the team play.”
“And?” Riven asks, though he’s already sitting up.
“And I think it’s time we paid her a visit.” I stand up and grab my keys. “You two coming or what?”
Knox groans but gets up anyway. “Fine, but this feels a lot like stalking.”
“We’re not stalking,” I say as I head toward the door. “We’re checking on her.”
Twenty minutes later, we pull into the parking lot, which is empty besides her brother’s car. The sun is setting behind the athletic center building, turning the sky to twilight. Most people will be at a party after the game, where we should probably be.
Riven adjusts his rearview mirror and puts on his mask. “What if she’s not alone? What if she’s with that friend of hers?”
“Then we improvise.” I check my phone one more time.
Her last message in the group chat was over a few hours ago. A simple “Gotta go to the athletic center” with a bored emoji.
We make our way into the building through the side entrance that’s keyed for students with late access. Usually it’s only the team, as GU is strict about who can get in after hours. Leila must have booked an after-hours gym session.
“You hear that?” Knox whispers.
We all stop and listen.
The unmistakable sound of skates carving into ice echoes through the hallway, along with music playing from speakers in the rink.
“She’s skating,” Riven says quietly. His mask is on, but the voice distorter is off. “I didn’t know she could skate.”
“Makes sense, though,” Knox points out. “Her brothers are hockey players. She probably grew up on the ice.”
We move toward the rink entrance but try to stay hidden. The rink is dimly lit, with only about half the overhead lights on. And there she is, gliding across the ice.
Leila is wearing black leggings and a fitted long-sleeved shirt, with her red hair pulled back in a high ponytail that swirls behind her as she moves. Yet it’s the way she moves that stops me in my tracks. She’s not just skating; she’s dancing on the ice.
“Fuuuuck,” Knox drawls beside me.
She’s beautiful. Not just a regular level of beauty, but the kind that makes you forget how to breathe. The way she glides backward, her arms extended, or spins with her head thrown back—completely lost in the music—is breathtaking.
“She’s good,” Riven observes quietly. “Like, really good.”
The song changes to something slower, and she transitions into what I think might be a spiral, one leg extended behind her as she glides across the ice.
“How long are we going to stand here watching her?” Knox asks.
“As long as it takes,” I mutter, but I’m already pulling my mask down over my head and moving forward. “You two stay here. I’m going in.”
“Jagger,” Riven starts, but I’m already pushing through the door.
Leila is at the far end of the rink, practicing a jump sequence, oblivious to my presence. I make my way to where the spare skates are kept for public skating sessions, hoping to find a pair in my size.
It must be my lucky day, as I find a pair and lace them up quickly. My fingers work using muscle memory, and I step onto the ice as quietly as possible.
Leila still hasn’t noticed me. She’s working on something more complicated now—a combination that involves a jump and several turns. She lands it perfectly, then skates backward to set up for another attempt. And that’s when her gaze locks with mine.
“I wondered when I would see you again,” she says.
I push off from the boards and glide toward her. “Nice routine,” I say, my voice distorted through the mask. “Didn’t know you had moves like that.”
“How did you find me?”
“You told us where you were.” I stop about ten feet away from her, close enough to talk but far enough to give her space. “Though you didn’t mention you were going to put on a private show for us.”
“It’s not a show. I was just . . .” She trails off, looking embarrassed. “I needed to clear my head.”
“Stressful day?”
“You could say that.” She crosses her arms, and I smile behind my mask when I see she is still wearing the necklace. “I had a heated conversation with my brothers.”
“Oh?” I skate a slow circle around her. “How did that go?”
“I hate having to keep secrets from them, but they bring it on themselves.”
“Secrets can be fun.”
“Can they?” She pushes backward, staying just out of reach. “Or are they simply a way for someone to mess with another person’s head?”
“Depends on the secret.” I change direction, skating forward now so we’re facing each other. “And the people involved.”
She executes a perfect turn, showing off a little, and I can’t help but grin, even though she can’t see it.
“So what’s your secret?” she asks, skating closer. “Besides the obvious mask thing?”
“Which secret? I have several.”
“Start with why you’re here alone this time.”
I glance to where I know Knox and Riven are watching from the entrance. “Who says I’m alone?”
Her eyes follow my gaze, and she spots the two figures in the shadows.
“I thought you had a game tonight,” she asks.
“We did,” I reply. “We left right after and came straight here.”
She frowns, and I can practically see the wheels turning in her head. Leila still thinks we play on her brothers’ team. We realized after she made a comment in the chat a few days ago. We should have corrected her, but we didn’t.
“Why?” she asks.
“Because you said you were here, and we wanted to see you.” I reach out slowly and touch the red heart pendant.
She shivers at the contact but doesn’t pull away. “This is crazy.”
“The best things usually are.”
“My brothers—”
“Aren’t here,” I finish for her. “It’s only you and us.”
She looks over at Knox and Riven, then back at me. “What do you want from me?”
“Everything,” I say simply. “But we’ll start with another chase.”
“Here? On the ice?”
“Scared you can’t outrun us on our home turf?”
A spark of challenge flashes in her eyes. “You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
“Challenge accepted, but when I catch you, I plan to fuck your pretty little body right here on the ice.”
She shivers. Yeah, baby, we know you have a little temperature kink, and lucky for her, the ice gets my cock hard.
I skate backward toward the boards, giving her space, as Knox and Riven finally come down to the rink and find themselves skates.
The music is still playing, now pumping an upbeat pop song as Knox and Riven skate out onto the ice.
“Are we seriously doing this?” Knox calls out as he makes his way over.
We are hockey players, not figure skaters, but I love a challenge.
“We’re seriously doing this,” I confirm, watching as Riven glides across the ice with the fluid grace that makes him such a good goalie.
Leila is in the center circle, her hands on her hips, watching us fan out around the rink. “So how does this work? Same rules as before?”
“New rules,” I say, skating in a wide circle around her. “Ice rules. If you can avoid all three of us for ten minutes, you win.”
“What do I win?”
“Whatever you want,” Riven says, now also skating a circle around her.
“And if you catch me?”
“Then we win,” Knox adds.
She considers this for a moment, then suddenly takes off toward the far end of the rink. “Time starts now!”
“That’s cheating!” I shout, but I’m laughing as I take off after her.
What I don’t expect is how fast she can skate.
But it’s not just her speed; it’s the way she moves, like the ice is part of her.
She executes a perfect hockey stop at the far end, spraying ice, then immediately transitions into a backward crossover with a level of skill that would make most hockey players jealous.
“Holy shit,” Knox huffs out, chasing after her but quickly falling behind.
She toys with us using a combination of hockey and figure skating finesse. Every time one of us gets close, she spins away with some fancy move. A spiral here, a pivot and then a jump there—at one point she actually goes into a brief spin to avoid Riven’s attempt to corner her.
We regroup quickly, years of playing together giving us an advantage in communication even if she has us beat in pure skating ability. At my signal to Knox and Riven, we spread out to form a triangle, trying to herd her toward one corner.
Leila sees it coming. She picks up speed and heads straight for the corner we’re driving her toward, and right when it looks like she’s trapped, she executes a move where she drops low and spins, then somehow ends up behind us.
“How the hell did she do that?” Knox asks, turning around in confusion.
“Magic,” she calls out, now skating backward in front of us with her arms spread wide. “Pure magic.”
The chase becomes less about catching her and more about us trying to keep up. She’s having fun, showing off moves I didn’t even know were possible.