Chapter Five

JENSON

I stare into the gorgeous blue eyes of the last person I ever expected to run into again. I’d noticed the woman recording our practice when I’d entered the rink, but I’d been too far away to really make out the details of her face and hadn’t paid her any attention once we’d started running drills. Carson had mentioned his sister would be here today, but he said his sister’s name was Grace. In Miami, this so-called “Grace” had told me her name was Lynn.

“Reece!” Carson exclaims when I come to a stop next to him. “I want to introduce you to my sister, Grace. I told you she was going to start working for me, so you’ll be seeing a lot of her around here.”

I swallow and meet the gaze of Lynn…no, Grace . Her eyes are wide, and her cheeks are bright crimson. She looks like she’s fighting back panic as she glances between me and Carson and then gives me a subtle shake of her head. If she’s worried about me telling Carson that we’ve met before, she’s got nothing to worry about. I’m not about to tell him that I spent a week buried between his sister’s legs. He would literally bust my balls.

Forcing a smile on my face, I nod to Grace and say, “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“It’s, uh, nice to meet you too,” she replies in a hesitant voice.

“Monroe!” our coach’s voice booms across the ice, startling all three of us. “I need you for a second.”

Carson calls back, “Be right there!” Turning to Grace and me again, he says, “You two hang out a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Before either of us can protest, he’s skating away, leaving us alone together. Swallowing and feeling oddly nervous, I stare into Grace’s eyes.

“What the hell?” I say. “I didn’t know you were Carson’s sister!”

“I didn’t know you were his best friend,” she hisses. “You said your name was Jensen!”

“That’s my first name,” I explain sharply. “Everybody here calls me Reece, though. What about you? You said your name was Lynn. That’s not even close to Grace!”

She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose and squeezing her eyes shut, as if fighting a headache. “My full name is Gracelynn. I go by Grace, though. I just used Lynn because I wanted to stay anonymous.”

I feel a jab of irritation. She didn’t even give me her real name. All these years, I’ve been dreaming and thinking of Lynn. Missing her and wondering what she’s been up to and if she ever thinks of me. All this time, though, I didn’t even know her damn name. That hurts more than it should.

My eyes trace over her features. She’s crinkling her nose like she did in Miami when she was thinking. The way she flutters her fingers in agitation reminds me of how she’d tap them against a glass while we hung out together and talked into the night. She’s Lynn, but she’s not … because Lynn wasn’t real. Lynn was always Grace, Carson’s sister.

“All right, Grace ,” I grumble. “So, what do we do now?”

“What do you mean, what should we do?” she snaps. “It was a week of fun almost four years ago, nothing more. We didn’t know each other then, and we don’t know each other now. I don’t see us needing to do anything.”

Her words slice through me, and I grit my teeth. Here I’ve been thinking we actually had a connection, even though she didn’t want it to go longer than spring break. Still, our time together had felt special. No woman has ever affected me the way she did. Apparently, if what she’s saying is true, she doesn’t feel the same way about me. That blow hits more than my ego.

She’s staring at me expectantly, so I release a long breath and grumble, “All right, fine. I’m not all that interested in Carson finding out either. He’ll be angry with you, but he’ll kill me.”

Her eyes light up in relief. “So you won’t say anything?”

Of course I’m not going to say anything, but I hesitate before I reassure her of that. What are the chances that the two of us would reunite like this? What are the chances she would end up being my best friend’s sister? This is significant. I don’t know if this is fate or the universe wanting something from us or whatever, but I don't think I can just let her walk away. We need to talk. Really talk. I can’t let this chance go.

I hold up a finger. “On one condition.You and I need to have a conversation,” I insist. “Alone.”

She furrows her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Meet me in the parking lot,” I tell her. “I’m going to get cleaned up and I’ll be out in fifteen.”

Holding up a hand, she shakes her head, “Woah, hold on. I haven’t agreed to anything?—”

“But you will.” My voice takes on a hard edge that my whole team knows better than to argue with. Grace, though, narrows her eyes defiantly.

“Don’t use that tone with me,” she growls.

I feel a spike of desire burn through me. Shit, she’s hot when she’s wound up. There’s a strange thrill at having her challenge me like this. It’s not something I’m used to.

"Fine," I retort, my voice a notch lower, softer. "No tone. Just...meet me in the parking lot. Please."

The fire in her eyes is replaced by a wariness, but she doesn’t outright reject my request. Instead, she turns her gaze back toward the ice rink, looking for her brother. At length, she finally mutters, “Fine. Fifteen minutes.”

Relief crashes through me and I have to fight not to let it show in my expression. “All right,” I nod. “Thank you.”

She releases a short breath. “Just don’t keep me waiting.”

With that, she turns and marches away. I can’t help but stare at her perky little ass and the sway of her hips. My body starts to respond, my dick twitching in my pants. I force myself to turn away and skate across the rink toward the locker room.

Once inside, I allow myself to lean against one of the lockers, letting out a sigh as I run my hands through my hair. The reek of sweat doesn’t matter to me right now — all that matters is her. I strip out of my gear and hurry to the showers, eager to get out to the parking lot before she changes her mind and bolts.

During my shower, my mind keeps drifting back to her – Grace or Gracelynn or Lynn or whatever her name is. I think about what she said, that our week together meant nothing to her. I can’t deny the lingering sting in my chest. Had it really meant nothing? Or was she just saying that?

Either way, there’s no denying that what we had was real — at least from my side. She stirred feelings in me that went beyond physical attraction, and as much as I want to play it off as just a fling, a part of me can't let go of the possibility that she might’ve felt something, too.

Emerging from the showers and getting dressed with more haste than usual, I can't shake the uncomfortable anticipation creeping up on me. I don’t know how this conversation is going to go. What do I actually want from her? Well, apart from wanting her , I should say. I’m torn between the same wild desire I felt for her before and total confusion about what I want us to be, moving forward. After checking my reflection one last time in the grimy locker room mirror, I suck in a deep breath and turn to leave.

“Yo, Reece! Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

I freeze mid-stride and turn to see Carson emerging from the steam of the showers, a towel wrapped around his waist. His stance is casual and his grin teasing, so I don’t think he suspects anything.

“I’m meeting someone,” I say. “Don’t want to be late.”

“Ooooh, does the captain have a date?” Zander calls out from where he’s standing buck-ass naked by his locker. He grins toward me and waggles his thick brows, his bright green eyes flashing with mischief.

“Not possible!” Cruz insists with a laugh. He at least has pants on. “Reece doesn’t date. You know that.”

“He’s saving himself for marriage!” Jayce pipes in, cackling, his wet blond hair plastered to his forehead.

“He’s waiting for his one true love!” Wilder adds as he strolls out of the shower behind Carson, tying his long dark, curly hair with a hair tie. The man is huge and has an entire lumberjack vibe going on, but he’s always one of the best men I’ve ever known.

I roll my eyes and scowl at the group of asshats.

“You all can shove it,” I declare before turning and marching out of the room, their howls of laughter following after me. It annoys me how accurate their teasing jabs are. I haven’t really dated much since that Miami trip. The guys are always giving me grief and calling me a monk. It’s not that I’m not having sex, but I haven’t been all that interested in actually having a relationship with someone. No one has ever made me feel the way Lynn did.

Grace. Not Lynn. Christ, what am I going to do about Grace? I know what I want to do. I want to pick up where we left off in Miami, regardless of how much time has passed. When I think of the fact that she’s Carson's sister, though, my stomach twists with guilt. Hooking up with her crosses so many lines and if I were Carson, I’d beat my ass into the concrete. The truth is though, I don’t know if that will stop me, because I already know I want more than a hookup.

Walking out into the cold night air, I spot Grace leaning against her car in the parking lot. The sight of her silhouette sends adrenaline rushing through me. She’s so damn beautiful, but not in the same way she was in Miami. There, she was relaxed and carefree. She wore her hair down and wore mostly bikinis and little summer dresses.

Here, she looks more elegant. Her hair is pulled up into a smooth ponytail and she’s wearing dark, high-waisted trousers with heels and a silky blouse. Still, I know the spunky girl I met once before is still in her. I’d caught a glimpse of her in her earlier defiance." Glad to see you didn’t ditch me,” I say as I approach her.

She crosses her arms over her chest and lifts her chin. "You're lucky. I was about to change my mind."

I consciously smirk from the corner of my mouth in a way that I know will drive her crazy.

"Well, I got here just in time then," I reply, shoving my hands into the pockets of my jeans. I can’t look away from her. The parking lot lights bathe her body in an ethereal glow, accentuating the contours of her face — those high cheekbones, the delicate arch of her eyebrows, the soft curve of her lips.

Her very, very kissable lips.

I clear my throat and jerk my chin toward my Audi. “Let’s go for a drive,” I say.

She frowns and shakes her head. “What? You said you wanted to talk?—”

“I do,” I nod. “But I know the rest of the team is going to be out here any moment, so we’re not going to have a lot of time to actually talk if we stay here.”

She looks around, as if expecting the other guys to pop out from behind the other cars in the lot and catch us.

“Carson will notice if my car is still here,” she says at length.

“So move it to the end of the row,” I reply easily. “He won’t see it there.”

Her lips purse as she gazes down the row of cars next to us, as if contemplating my suggestion. I stand in silence and wait for her to make up her mind. My patience is running thin. I want to get her away from here so we’re alone. Really alone. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to throw her over my shoulder and carry her to my car right then and there.

At long last, she releases a sigh and her shoulders slump slightly.

“Fine. I’ll move my car and go with you. We’re only talking, though, got it?”

I can’t stop my grin of triumph, but I nod. “Yep, got it. No worries.”

Giving me one last searching look, she moves to climb into her car and I quickly make my way to my own vehicle so I can pick her up once she reparks. I just hope she doesn’t try to slip away and speed off. Not that I wouldn’t chase after her. One way or another, we’re having this talk. I let her slip through my fingers once. I’m not making that mistake again.