Chapter 1 Mackenzie #2
I skated for the net, pulling my helmet on as I went. Although I’d preferred having the place to myself, I felt a rush of adrenaline at the prospect of competing against someone. One day into camp and I was already addicted to the thrill of testing myself against players who weren’t my brother.
I was almost in position when I heard him take a shot, and I turned just in time to see the puck sail right past me into the net.
“Hey! I wasn’t ready.”
My mystery opponent laughed to himself before calling back. “Damn, I guess that hot streak is done.”
“Uh, because you cheated.”
Still laughing, he skated over to me. “Don’t worry. The streak might be over, but you’re still hot.”
My mouth dropped open. This guy might just be worse than the one at dinner. Though for some reason I wasn’t completely revolted by his attempts to flirt with me. I tried to convince myself it was because he wasn’t talking with his mouth full. It had nothing to do with his striking blue eyes.
“That doesn’t count,” I argued. “I want a rematch.”
“Nope.”
“Are you scared you can’t beat a girl without cheating?”
“Yes, I’m terrified.”
I scoffed. “So much for love at first sight.”
“Okay, fine,” he said. “We’ll make it best of three. But why don’t we up the stakes?”
His eyes started to do that whole glittering thing again, and I immediately grew suspicious.
“What are you thinking?” I paused. “Actually, don’t answer that,” I said before he could reply.
“I know guys like you. You’re probably going to say something like ‘loser has to take off a piece of clothing’ or ‘if you score, I have to kiss you’. ”
He slowly started to smile. “Well, those are both excellent suggestions, but the kiss seems like a worthy prize. You’re on.”
“Wait, that’s not—”
But he was already skating away. Shit. I hurried back to the net. He hadn’t allowed me a moment to consider the terms of his bet, but I wasn’t going to let him score another cheap goal. Thankfully, this time, he waited until I was in position.
I clanged my stick hard against each post and nodded that I was ready.
Instantly, he started pushing the puck down the ice toward me, switching it from side to side with impressive speed. I swallowed as I kept my eyes laser-focused on the puck. This guy was really good. But so was Max, and I’d been playing against my brother for years.
As he got closer, he suddenly deked left, then right, and flicked a shot toward the top-left corner of the net. My glove flashed out on pure instinct, and I smiled when I felt the impact of the puck hitting my glove.
He slid to a stop next to me and I smirked as I tossed the puck down at his feet.
There was a slightly stunned look on his face, but he quickly shook it off. “Good save,” he said. “Maybe there really is something special about you.”
His words surprised me, and I felt a fluttering in my stomach.
Getting a compliment from your brother was one thing, but having my game praised by a stranger, especially a talented one, was something else.
And he didn’t try to come up with some list of excuses to explain why he’d failed to score on a girl.
Instead, he flashed me an appreciative smile, scooped up the puck, and headed back to center ice.
“You better not be going easy on me,” I called.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied with a cocky grin. “We’re tied now, so there’s a lot riding on this final shot, isn’t there?”
“You’re not getting that kiss.” I realized I was enjoying this almost as much as him.
“We’ll see about that.”
He paused for a moment, as though planning something, but then, in a flash, he was speeding toward me again.
I had to remind myself I was here to defend the net, not admire how well the guy moved the puck.
It was practically impossible to keep my eye on it, but this time, when he took his shot, I almost lost sight of the puck completely.
It streaked toward the net even faster than before, and I was too slow to react.
This time, there was no thud of contact against my glove.
But apparently, luck was on my side, and I heard a resounding clang as the puck struck the post and bounced away.
I pulled my helmet from my head, a relieved smile on my face. “You missed.”
He stopped right by me and again I was surprised by his reaction. He was smiling too. “I did.”
“You don’t seem upset.”
“I’m not.”
“And why is that?”
“Don’t get me wrong,” he said with a shrug. “Your kissing idea was a good one. But I don’t want you to kiss me because of some bet. When you kiss me, it’s going to be because you really want to.”
“When?” I lifted an eyebrow at him. “You’re even cockier than I thought.”
“You have no idea.”
The mischief that danced in his eyes had my heart beating faster, and now he was standing so close I couldn’t stop myself from wondering what might have happened if he’d scored.
“This was fun,” he continued. “But a bet’s a bet. I’ll leave you to your rink.”
The words had barely passed his lips when we were plunged into darkness.
My heart leaped in shock. The lights had shut off, and it took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Apart from the dim glow of some safety lights around the rink, we were in total darkness.
Were they closing the place up for the night?
He chuckled gently. “Guess we both lost.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I still won,” I replied. My heart was beating even faster now, but, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t blame it on the sudden blackout.
“Funny,” he said, looking down at me, his eyes bright despite the darkness. “I kind of feel like I’ve won too.”
He hadn’t skated away. Neither had I. We were both staring at each other, like the rest of the world had disappeared. I wasn’t sure who reached for who first. But suddenly, we were kissing, and the feel of his lips against mine sent electricity zapping all the way down to my toes.
I’d never kissed a boy before. Though it made sense that my first time would take me by surprise. I’d always been a little reckless, and as we kissed, I couldn’t find it in me to care. My pulse fluttered, my breath stalled, and his lips were all I could think about.
When we pulled apart, he was smiling.
“You kissed me,” I whispered.
“Uh, I think you kissed me.”
I shook my head. “I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Parker,” he said, a little of his cockiness returning. “Parker Darling. And you are…”
“What’s going on here?” I jumped as my dad’s voice thundered across the ice.
“Twelve?” he barked. “You know the rink is out of bounds after hours. Why am I not surprised it’s you?”
I guessed Parker really had made a bad impression.
My dad already sounded livid, and he was yet to notice me.
There was no escaping this situation for either of us, though, so I drew in a breath before I slowly edged to Parker’s side to face my father.
As his eyes landed on me, I could clearly see his shock.
“Ma-Mackenzie?” he stuttered.
His features quickly hardened. I was used to seeing my dad angry—especially coaching—but I’d never seen him like this. His jaw tight, his eyes dark, and his expression totally leeched of warmth. It wasn’t just anger; it was disappointment.
He walked onto the ice, and I backed up a step.
“Dad, I—”
“Dad?” Parker hissed.
I grimaced at the sound of betrayal in his voice, but there was no time to explain as my dad started yelling again.
“You said you were desperate to be here, Mackenzie. That you wanted a chance to prove yourself; to show me how passionate you were about playing hockey. How much respect you have for the game. Instead, on the first day, I find you at the rink after hours kissing some boy.”
“I do respect the game, Dad. But how can I prove myself to you when you won’t even watch me play?”
“So, what, this is all just a way to get my attention?”
“That’s not fair. I didn’t kiss some boy just to—”
“I knew this was a bad idea,” he seethed. “I gave you a chance, but I don’t see a hockey player before me. Just an immature little girl who can’t be trusted. I’m not going to allow you to risk your neck on the ice if you refuse to take it seriously.”
“I am serious!”
Dad ignored me as he turned to Parker. “I’ve had enough of you already, Twelve. The ice is prohibited after hours. Call your parents to come pick you up. You’re done here.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Parker protested. “I just wanted to get some extra practice in, to prove I’m good enough to train with you.”
“I don’t care,” my dad snapped back. “We have rules here, and you broke them. I don’t want to see your face anywhere near my rink, my camp, or my daughter ever again.”
“But Coach—”
“Dad, please—”
“Enough!” My dad waved his arm across his body, like he was physically cutting us off. “Mackenzie, let’s go.”
He turned and marched away without looking back. I stared after him, unable to move. Had I just destroyed my one chance to win over my dad because of a boy? Because of a stupid kiss?
“My parents are going to kill me,” Parker groaned, before turning my way. “You could have warned me who your dad is!”
“I’m in as much trouble as you are.” I scowled at him in return. “And just so we’re clear, you kissed me.”
“No chance. You leaned in.”
“I was leaning away.”
“And yet your lips somehow ended up on mine?”
“Accidents happen.”
“Accidents? So how do you explain your arms around my neck?”
“Self-defense.”
“Kissing someone in defense? Sounds about right. Is that how you plan to win hockey games, too?”
I gripped my stick tightly and tried to remember not to use it as a weapon. “I don’t need to kiss people to win hockey games. You couldn’t score on me. Not without cheating, anyway.”
“You really think that? Well, the truth is, I was taking it easy on you.”
“Oh, of course, you were.”
“Want me to prove it?” He gave me an irritating smirk and skated back a few feet to where he’d taken his last shot.
He slammed his stick against the puck, sending it flying toward the net.
There was a familiar metallic twang as it hit the post in the exact same spot he’d struck before. My heart sank.
“I lied,” he said. “You didn’t win our bet. I can put the puck anywhere I want to. I missed on purpose.”
“You…” I gaped as I stared at him. I could feel a sense of inferiority rising up inside me, but I quickly tamped it down. “You’re an ass.”
“At least I’m a hockey player.”
Using my dad’s condescending words against me was a low blow, and it made my blood boil.
“Ugh! I’m just glad I’ll never have to see your face again.” I started across the ice, my skates pushing hard so I could put as much distance between us as possible.
“I wish I’d never seen yours in the first place,” he called after me, like he couldn’t resist stealing the final word. Fine—it was all his.
I was planning to forget tonight ever happened. And I was most definitely going to forget that my first kiss had been with a jerk like Parker Darling.