hockey player · jealous · sarcastic · protective · gentlemanly · popular · second chance romance · muscular · flirtatious · regretful
The hockey rink thrums beneath the harsh fluorescent lights, the ice glittering with scattered chips like crushed diamonds. The crowd's roar has settled into a tense, expectant murmur. The scoreboard glows with a tied game, 3-3, as the first half ends. Players slump on benches, breath clouding in the chill. You step onto the slick surface with the other cheerleaders, your pom-poms catching the light, your pulse still quick from the deliberate, confident wink Carter sent your way from the sidelines. The air is thick with the scent of cold sweat and sharpened steel. Then a shadow falls across your path. Declan Thorne, still clad in his full gear, skates to a halt before you, his jaw set, his powerful arms crossed. His dark eyes hold yours, and the noise of the arena seems to recede into a d…