Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Niko

"Jesus, Druggy, you're a machine," Mac chokes out as he braces his gloved hands on his knees to catch his breath.

I come to a stop, throwing snow at his skates. "A machine is built to excel. I work for it. We are adding a four-mile run to your morning routine, MacDougal."

He tilts his head up, cheeks crimson from exertion. "Goalies don't need that kind of endurance training." He pants. "We need flexibility and razer-sharp focus, man."

Cappy skates by and smacks the back of Mac's helmet. "If Druggy says you need it, you need it. This ain't the junior league, dipshit."

Mac straightens and glares at Cap. "Says the guy whose VH sucks worse than my sister's."

"Speaking of your sister and sucking..." Cappy taunts.

I manage to catch Mac around the middle as he lunges for his teammate. "Enough! Time for movement drills," I say, lowering my voice as I notice Coach Bowman enter the viewing area. "And if you cannot put all your focus on practice, I am sure management will be happy to trade you."

Both players' eyes drop to their skates. That is what I thought.

Mac has clearly spent too much of the offseason partying instead of working out. He is barely twenty-two and still a rookie, so perhaps it is to be expected. Cap, on the other hand, is looking sharp. He has the focus necessary to be starting goalie after I am gone; now he just needs the confidence.

We run movement drills and then proceed to puck tracking and situational drills. By the time our ice time expires, both men look ready to collapse as they drag themselves off the ice. Good.

Coach does not come over to chat, but I know he was watching with an eagle's eye and will want to discuss Mac's performance soon. The kid is full of attitude, but his instincts are on point. I will continue working on him.

I move to follow Mac and Cappy to the locker room but get sidetracked when I hear a very familiar voice shouting, "Dad!"

Ayana stands behind the glass, knocking on it to get my attention, her gap-toothed smile aimed at me. I forgot one of Chloe's open houses is this afternoon.

I skate toward my daughter, awareness prickling at the back of my neck as I spot Chloe a few feet behind her. She is surrounded by a gaggle of kids and parents, and I do my best to ignore her presence.

"Are you skating with us?" There is so much hope in Ayana's expression, I feel like an asshole when I respond.

"No. I was working."

She bites her lip, eyes dropping to her skates much like Mac's and Cappy's had.

"But I am finished now, so...I can stay if you like."

The grin is back. "I'm gonna go get my skates on!" she announces, turning to sprint in Chloe's direction.

"Listen to your coach!" I yell behind her. Ayana is strong-willed and I do not want her causing trouble for Chloe on such a busy day.

My shout draws the attention of the parents, and I curse under my breath when I see recognition dawn in a few faces.

"Oh my god! It's Nikolai Drugov!" one woman yells. It is a domino effect from there as several parents and children swarm the glass like bugs on a windshield. I nod and wave, forcing myself to paste on a polite smile.

"Okay, everybody!" Chloe shouts. "Let's get everyone in skates so we can begin."

I use the distraction to skate to the other end of the rink and exit to the locker room to strip off my gear. I should just change and leave, but I have already promised Ayana I would stay, so I wait fifteen minutes before reemerging in street clothes and my skates.

The rink is crowded with kids, some hanging onto the boards or a grownup for dear life and others gliding easily across the ice. I spot Benny on the other end of the rink and am relieved to see the parents' attention on him now. He is skating backward, holding onto the hands of one of the kids, a feat that has one mom practically swooning for some reason.

I shake my head and skate Chloe's way, coming to a stop behind her.

"Chloe, I am sorry for the intrusion, but I told Ayana I would stay."

She spins around, and instead of her usual saucy grin, her expression is all business. "Hello, Nikolai. That's perfectly fine. Banks and Bobby are here too. The kids love it." She smiles with the same distant politeness I just used with the parents minutes ago. I find myself struggling to form a response, so I say nothing. I simply nod.

As foreign as it feels, this is good. This is exactly what I wanted–to create distance between us and erase the sexual tension. So why do I miss her flirty looks and challenging gaze already? I need to have my head examined.

Ayana approaches on sure feet, executing a perfect two foot inside/outside edge stop when she reaches me.

"Whoa, Ayana! That was great!" Chloe showers her with praise, and my daughter's cheeks heat with delight.

Ayana wraps her arms around my thighs. "Thanks. Dad taught me."

My chest fills with equal parts pride and adoration for this small human who has irrevocably altered my life. "You are a very good student, zajushka ." I pat the top of her bike helmet. Now that she is interested in hockey, I will have to get her some real gear. The notion of my daughter following in my footsteps has me clearing a knot of emotion from my throat. I am definitely off today.

"Hey, Druggy, try not to eat any of the kids, yeah?" Roadie says as he skates by with a shit-eating grin.

"Behave yourself, Bobby," Chloe calls before skating after him and the three kids on his heels.

I have no idea how Chloe plans to organize such a range of skill levels and ages into a league, but if anyone can do it, she can. I spend most of the next hour lurking in the background or answering questions from curious kids. It is mayhem when Chloe brings out pool noodles to substitute for sticks. Thank god she thought better than to unleash any pucks with this crowd or we surely would be calling an ambulance by the end.

When all participants are off the ice and assembled on the bleachers, she explains what comes next for anyone interested in officially joining. Most of the youngsters look eager to sign on, not that I can fault them. Hockey is my entire life, apart from my family.

Benny and Roadie lean back into the boards beside me while Chloe wraps things up.

"Eli is in," Benny says. "I knew he'd get the bug as soon as he put on a pair of skates."

"He was outskating you by the end," Roadie replies. "Not that that's a difficult task, mind you."

I glance Benny's way. "Who is Eli?"

"Benny's little brother," Roadie answers for him. "Keep up, old man."

"Your brother from Atlanta?" Maybe I really do need my head examined after all. Benny's brother must be close to forty.

But Benny laughs and points out a kid on the bleachers, the same one he was skating with earlier. "No. The kid in the Bucs shirt. I'm in the Big Brothers program–kind of a mentorship thing."

I have heard of this program, but I had no idea Benny participated. It looks like he is more ready for fatherhood than I thought.

"I don't know about you guys, but there are a lot of MILFs giving me the eye today." Roadie waggles his fingers at a brunette on the bleachers. She smiles back as her daughter scowls at both of them.

"Keep it in your pants, Roadie. This is supposed to be about the kids," Benny warns.

The parents and kids file down from the bleachers as Chloe starts gathering completed forms from everyone.

Roadie straightens and shoots us a grin, his signature dimples flashing. "I've always been excellent at multi-tasking." Then he practically trots on his skates to catch up with the brunette.

"That idiot is going to meet his match one day, and I can't wait to see him get taken down," Benny says before patting me on the back. "Later, man. I gotta take Eli for a burger or he'll drop dead from hunger."

I nod my goodbye and stay where I am as I watch Ayana play assistant to Chloe by thanking people for coming and waving farewell. Only when everyone has left do I approach.

"Very impressive," I say before adding, "Both of you."

"I think we might have a winger on our hands here." Chloe smiles warmly at Ayana.

"They score a lot of goals, right?" my daughter asks. When we both nod, Ayana looks up at me. "Now that everyone's gone, can we get some pucks and sticks so I can practice scoring?"

Since I am finished for the day, I nod. "I can take you back out myself and we can give Chloe a break." She has put in enough hours with my chatterbox daughter for one day and could likely use a nap.

"But Chloe loves to play, don't you?" Ayana turns her innocent expression on her coach.

"I do," Chloe responds on a shrug. "Hey, who am I to pass up a chance to put the biscuit in the basket with two generations of hockey royalty?"

"Who's eating biscuits?" Ayana asks, nose wrinkling.

Chloe and I share a chuckle at her confusion, and I feel a new sense of camaraderie that has nothing to do with attraction.

"There is much to teach you," I say with a pointed look.

"I'll grab our skates!" Ayana sprints away and I turn to face Chloe.

"You do not have to stay. Ayana's attention span is like that of a fruit fly. You must have other things you want to do."

She blinks up at me, once again resembling the warm woman that has become so familiar to me. "Nikolai, I'm sorry for teasing you so much, and I understand that nothing can happen here. You need a friend, and I'm happy to help you out with no strings, okay?" She extends a hand. "Friends?"

I hesitate but finally take it, ignoring the frisson of electricity at her touch. "Friends," I agree, hoping I can manage to keep fooling myself.

Since we are not in pads and only Ayana has a helmet, we mostly skate and demonstrate skills for her. It is unsurprising that Chloe's muscle memory kicks in and she maneuvers like a seasoned pro. By the end of an hour, Ayana has scored countless goals on an empty net and is on her way to perfecting her slapshot. Chloe is just as pink-cheeked and joyful as my daughter, and, try as I might, I cannot stop from feeling the effects of her positivity and light.

But friends are supposed to make you feel good, right? This friendship thing can work for us. We are not animals, after all. We just have a small case of lust caused by pheromones and brain chemistry. Surely, we can overcome that in no time.

As we exit the facility to the parking lot, however, Chloe makes a groaning sound, and my body's reaction is primal and instantaneous. My cock jumps in my pants and my jaw tightens at the sound.

I barely hear her words as she says, "Remind me to wear gloves next time. I've got blisters already."

I am too busy cursing at myself to hear anything else. In a word, I am screwed.