Chapter 10
Lincoln
Riptides smells like sweat, beer, and fryer grease; home turf for guys like us.
But it’s not our home turf. It’s the Krakens’.
But it’ll do to drink away the sting of defeat.
Korbin’s in rare form, loud and cocky; holding court while Milton heckles him from the other side of me.
I should be relaxed. I should be joining in. But my head’s somewhere else.
Or rather, with someone else.
That scent hits first—mint and green tea threading through the beer-soaked air. My pulse stumbles. I don’t even have to look to know.
Bayleigh.
She’s tucked into one of the back booths with Lennox.
For a second, I just… stop.
The world narrows to her smile, soft and bright under the dim bar lights.
Copper hair, loose and wild, catching the light every time she moves—and when she glances up, her eyes are a clear, striking green that hit harder than the liquor in my hand.
She doesn’t look like she belongs here—not in this loud, rowdy mess of a place.
She looks too good for it. Too good for all of us.
Korbin elbows me, pulling me back. “Are you seriously eyeing a Kraken groupie right now?”
Milton laughs, glancing around. “No shit. Tell me that’s not what this is.”
“People watching,” I say. The lie falls flat and easy on my tongue.
Korbin snorts. “Yeah, sure. Watching her… again.”
He’s not wrong. I can’t make myself look away.
Lennox leans toward her, says something that makes her laugh, a little rough at the edges. It hits something deep within me. Then she glances up. Our eyes meet across the room, and my stomach does that stupid drop again.
Then fucking Benton looks up too.
That protective alpha glare hits like a body check. A warning without a word.
I lift my beer, casual as hell, like I don’t notice. But I do. Every muscle in me tightens. I’ve never been good at backing down. Still, I know this is dangerous territory—a rival’s female, off-limits, and everything about her screams trouble.
Big, green-eyed, mint-and-green-tea trouble.
I try to listen to Korbin’s story about the hit he took in the second period, but it all blurs. Every time I laugh, my gaze drifts back to her. She’s not looking anymore, but I can feel it—the pull. Same as at the arena.
Then Lennox wraps his arm around her shoulders, and logic goes right out the window.
Jealousy hits first. Then the sting of reality.
I stare too long anyway. Benton catches it again, straightens like he’s ready to fight right there. Fine. He can glare all he wants. I’m not going over there to fight. I’m going over to make things right. I think.
Or maybe I just need to be next to her again.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I’m on my feet, weaving through tables. The crowd hums around me—music thumping, voices overlapping—but it all fades when I reach her booth.
Lennox’s stare could burn through steel.
I keep my hands visible, tone easy. “Didn’t mean to interrupt,” I say, eyes on Bayleigh. “Just wanted to apologize again—for earlier. Didn’t want you thinking I was an ass.”
James signs fast between us, translating. Bayleigh’s fingers move just as quickly, her eyes flicking from me to Benton.
“She says it’s fine,” James relays, half-grinning. “And… this is her brother. Benton Lennox.”
Her brother.
The words hit like a slap. My eyes flick to Lennox—no, Benton Lennox. That changes everything.
The tightness in my chest twists into something else—relief, interest, maybe both.
“Guess it makes sense why you were in a Kraken jersey.” My lip twitches.
My brother says that your brother is Korbin Brooks. Now I know why you called Benton a fucker when he checked Korbin.
James translates, and I bust out a deep belly laugh. “That would be correct.”
Benton leans back in his seat, eyes narrowing. “Is there a reason you’re at our table, Brooks?” The tone’s a pure challenge.
I meet his stare, steady. “Just clearing the air.”
“It looks like you were doing more than that.”
James’ hands stall midair, clearly deciding if translating this is a good idea. Bayleigh touches her brother’s arm, fingers moving fast. Whatever she signs makes him relax.
“She said you’re fine,” James mutters, while Benton still eyes me like he’s not totally convinced.
I grin as James reiterates what she told Benton. “Listen to your sister, Lennox. She’s got better manners than you.”
His jaw ticks. I can practically smell the territorial spike rolling off him.
Bayleigh, clearly a bit flustered with her brother, signs at him, and I can tell by her face she’s pissed. Then she looks at me, hands moving fluidly.
“She says she’ll text you later. Thanks for coming over and not just staying across the bar. But right now she needs to teach her brother etiquette, and she wants to seem like a lady still and not annihilate these wings in front of you,” James tells me.
I choke on a laugh but quickly compose myself. “Good,” I say. “Would’ve hated to think you were off-limits.”
Benton shifts beside her, shoulders tense. Warning number… I lost count.
Her lips twitch, a silent laugh, and it hits me dead center.
I back up before I do something stupid. “See you around, Bayleigh.”
Her name comes out rougher than I mean it to. She blushes, just barely, then nods.
I turn before her brother explodes. My pulse is still in my throat by the time I hit our table again.
Korbin smirks. “What the hell was that?”
“Just clearing up a misunderstanding.”
Milton snorts into his beer. “Looked more like you were trying to pick up the enemy’s girl.”
I shoot him a look, but he’s grinning, unbothered.
Korbin leans forward, forearms on the table, that edge in his voice back again. “What the fuck are you doing? You tell me not to attempt to steal his girl, but you go over there and pretty much piss on her leg.”
“That’s not his girl; she’s his sister.”
He lets out a low, humorless chuckle, eyes flat. “You really want to start something with a Kraken? The guy already hates my guts. You put your hands anywhere near his family, he’ll have your head mounted on his fucking stick.”
“Relax,” I say, though my jaw’s tight. “I wasn’t putting my hands anywhere… yet.”
Milton raises a brow. “Yet?”
Korbin’s glare swings to him, then back to me. “I’m serious, Linx. Don’t make this worse than it already is. Lennox and I barely made it through tonight without killing each other.”
“I’m not the one who started that fight,” I shoot back. “Maybe you should consider letting the whole Gina thing go. She was a puck-hopping slut, Korb. It was years ago. Let it the fuck go, man.”
Korbin’s head snaps toward me, his eyes narrowing as his voice cuts through the air. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yeah, I do,” I say, leaning back. “You’re still bleeding over someone who moved on before the ice even melted.”
“Don’t,” Milton cuts in, holding up a hand before it gets ugly. “Don’t start swinging again because your dicks are in a knot over the same family.”
That pulls a begrudging laugh out of all three of us. For a second, the tension eases.
I sink back into my seat, dragging a hand over my face. The smell of mint and green tea still clings to my skin, faint but enough to screw with my head.
Korbin shakes his head, watching me. “You’re serious, aren’t you? You actually like her.”
“I barely know her.”
“But you want to.”
I don’t answer. I don’t need to.
Milton whistles low. “Yeah, you’re fucked.”
He’s not wrong.
Because now that I know she’s not claimed… staying away just got a hell of a lot harder.