4. Braxton

Pushing my bedroom door open, I groaned at the sight of empty plastic cups littering the upstairs hallway. The house was completely trashed after the party last night, but cleanup would have to wait. Today was the first day of training camp, and the team was expected to be at Comets Arena for media day by 9 AM.

Thank God it wasn't a practice day because I was dead on my feet after hardly getting any sleep. And it wasn't because of the music pounding through the walls until nearly 4 AM.

It was because I couldn't stop thinking about her.

Reaching the kitchen, I was surprised to find it occupied. Red hair thrown haphazardly atop her head, Coop sat at the island, eating a bowl of cereal, clad only in a Comets T-shirt that was three sizes too big for her slight frame.

"Morning," I mumbled upon entry, moving toward the coffee maker.

"Morning." Her voice was scratchy.

"Levi around? You need me to call you a ride home?"

She shook her head. "I drove myself here. But thanks." I sat down opposite her at the island, sipping my coffee. She stared at me unblinkingly for so long that I began to squirm in my seat. "Did we talk last night?" Coop placed a hand to the side of her head. "The details are a little fuzzy, but I feel like we did."

I nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, I kept your friend busy while you and Levi . . ."

Pale blue eyes widened. "Oh my God! I forgot about Dakota!"

Dakota.

Now I had a name to go with the woman whose face I couldn't clear from my mind. But why had Levi called her Danny? That one, I still couldn't figure out.

"Coop, can I ask you a question?"

Smiling, she replied, "You can call me Bristol. Everyone but Nix does."

My brow wrinkled. "How do you go from Bristol to Coop?"

She shrugged. "My last name is Cooper. It was his counterattack to me calling him Nix."

"Cute," I deadpanned.

"Right?" She bounced in her seat. "He thought it would annoy me, but I secretly love it!"

Bristol went from hungover to hyper at the idea of having something "special" with Levi. She was a puck bunny through and through—the total opposite of Dakota.

"Anyway," I changed the subject. "From my brief conversation with Dakota, I gathered she's not into athletes." Pulling on the back of my neck, I confessed, "She couldn't get away from me fast enough once she learned who I was, actually. What's her deal?"

Chewing her lip, Bristol mulled over how much to tell me. Guy code was one thing, but what girls shared was stronger. I knew that, especially after spending time with Natalie and her friends. They protected one another, locking away secrets and going to war when the occasion called.

"I can't tell you the specifics," she began. "But just know that it's personal for her."

Personal.

My blood ran cold.

"Did someone hurt her?" I gritted out through clenched teeth.

Bristol sighed so heavily her body shook from the force. "Yes, but not in the way you think."

Still unsure, I hedged, "So, there's no ex I need to be on the lookout for?"

The snort that Bristol let out echoed through the kitchen. "Definitely not."

Why had she said it like that?

I was pressing my luck but couldn't help myself. "Do you think maybe you could give me her number?"

Her mouth dropped open. "You, Braxton Slate, are asking for Dakota's number?" She let out a peal of laughter, gripping her sides. "This is too freaking good!"

"Why?"

"No reason!" She smirked at me. "As much as I would love for you and Dakota to connect, she would kill me. But . . . if I happen to pin our address to the fridge when I leave, it can't be traced back to me. Maybe I left it for Nix. Who knows?" She winked. "Got it?"

Nodding in response, I replied, "Got it." Then, I paused. "Wait, you live together?"

She took a heaping spoonful of cereal and placed it in her mouth, chewing before saying, "Yup. Best friends and roomies. Two peas in a pod. Ride-or-die for life. Practically sisters."

Looks like I've got my in. Now, I just need to figure out how to play this so she doesn't slam the door in my face when I show up.

"Did I hear that you're going after the Ice Queen?" Levi bumped shoulders with me as we stood in line to get our headshots taken for the current season.

"Who?" I cocked my head.

"Danny. Who else?"

Turning toward him, I asked, "Why do you call her that? It didn't seem like she liked it very much last night."

He smirked. "Because she hates it. She's trying to ruin the good thing I have going with Coop. Sure, I can get pussy on demand anywhere we go, but with her, I don't have to work for it. I snap my fingers, and she comes running, legs open wide."

"Charming," I muttered. "I'm sure she's only looking out for her friend." My instincts demanded I defend Dakota.

"Yeah, well. Maybe she should mind her own damn business." There was a hard edge to his voice before he softened. "Actually, this works out great for me. You keep her occupied, and she leaves me and Coop alone."

If my hands weren't inside thick hockey gloves, I would have clenched them into fists. I wanted to spend time with Dakota, sure, but because I wanted to find out what made her tick, what made her different from every other girl I'd encountered since high school. Not because I was doing Levi a favor so he could use her friend and get laid.

Irritated, I challenged, "Don't you think it's wrong to string the poor girl along?"

Narrowing his brown eyes, he crossed both arms over his gear-clad chest. "I take good care of her. What more could she want?"

I shrugged. "I don't know . . . Maybe a guy who is actually committed to her? Or one that she doesn't have to worry about passing along an STD?"

"Hey! I'm clean!" Levi shouted, drawing the attention of some of our teammates gathered in line.

"Look. I can tell the girl really likes you."

"She knows the rules. I can't be tied down to one woman when I'm always on the road. I have needs."

Raising an eyebrow, I challenged, "And she's the only one you fucked last night while here in Hartford?"

Levi avoided my gaze, and I had my answer.

A wicked grin curled on his lips when he peered back up at me. "You know what? When you can't get Danny to put out, maybe I'll let you have Coop when I'm done with her. From what I hear, she's always had a crush on your big bro. You might be a cheap knockoff, but it's better than nothing."

That was it—the final straw.

I snapped, pinning Levi with a forearm to his throat against the concrete wall beneath the arena. Applying pressure to his windpipe, I wanted to crush him. He was a womanizing asshole who didn't know the value of loyalty. I didn't give a fuck if I had to find a new place to live. Hell, I didn't care if I got kicked off the team at this point. I was dealing with enough shit in my head about being the poor man's Jaxon Slate. I didn't need any more reminders.

"Break it up!"

I was barely aware of the shouting surrounding us or the hands grabbing at me, trying to pull me off Levi.

Stepping back, he crumpled to the ground. A lesser man would have kicked him for good measure while he was down, but I was confident I'd gotten my point across.

Someone turned me by the shoulders and began marching me down the hallway. "Let's take a walk."

Fucking Jaxon.

Before I could shove him off, Levi taunted from behind, "You handle your girl, and I'll take care of mine."

I spun on my heels, but Jaxon held me back, stern in my ear. "He's not worth it. Trust me."

Growling, I wrenched free of his hold, storming away, but he matched me step for step. Reaching the locker room, I threw my gloves into my stall, turning on him.

"I don't need my big brother coming in to save me. I can fight my own battles!"

Jaxon stared me down with whiskey-brown eyes that mirrored my own. "I didn't break you two up because you're my brother. I broke it up because I'm your captain. It's my job to keep the peace amongst the team."

Fuck. I was overreacting because of my personal shit. It wasn't Jaxon's fault he was incredibly skilled at hockey. It wasn't his fault that our dad expected me to be the sequel and that I disappointed him by never quite measuring up. And here I was, taking it out on Jaxon.

Dropping onto the bench, I muttered, "You're right. I'm sorry."

Softening, Jaxon asked, "Care to tell me what that was about?"

Did I want to tell my brother that being compared to him and found lacking had set me off? Hell no.

"Not really."

"Okay." He dropped onto the bench beside me. "As long as you two can figure out your shit and not have it affect the rest of the team, I don't need to know."

"Great. Thanks for the pep talk, Captain."

Jaxon chuckled. "It's strange, isn't it? Being on the same team?"

"Yeah," I breathed out.

"We've been in Hartford these past few years but have both been so busy. I'm excited to spend some time together. We never got much of a chance when we were kids."

I was like a moody teenager, mad at the world, but couldn't deny that Jaxon was a good older brother. He made an effort to attend my games when he could, including me in his life and his family here in Hartford, but there would always be this distance between us. He might think it was because of our almost nine-year age difference, but I knew the truth.

No matter how hard I tried, I would never live up to his legacy. He was the Slate the game of hockey would immortalize, not me. But even I could admit he deserved every accolade he received. It was just hard knowing you could bust your ass every day for the rest of your life and never come close to reaching the bar he'd set.

"You should come over for dinner tonight," Jaxon offered.

It was a nice gesture, but I needed some breathing room. "Thanks, but I have plans."

"With the girl?"

My head whipped around to stare at him. "What girl?"

Jaxon shrugged. "Levi mentioned ‘your girl.' Figured if you had plans for the evening, they were probably with her."

I sighed. "It's not like that."

His eyes searched mine. "But you'd like it to be?"

"I don't know. She didn't seem too interested in me."

A corner of his lips quirked up. "But you can't stop thinking about her. Am I getting closer?"

Dropping my head back, I banged it against my stall, closing my eyes. "Yeah," I groaned.

The smile in his voice was audible. "If your gut is telling you there's something there, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot. Take it from a guy who has some experience in that area. And you can choose whether that advice comes from your captain or your brother. Either way, I stand by it. You don't want to look back on your life with regrets."

I already regretted letting her get away the first time. Hopefully, when I got home, there was an address pinned to our fridge.

Dakota had left in such a rush when she found out who I was—or rather, what I did for a living—that I didn't want to come off as a stalker, showing up on her front door the very next day. So, I would take my time and carefully craft a plan before approaching her.

Even without Jaxon's advice, I wasn't ready to let her slip away without discovering more about her. In particular, her aversion to athletes.

That intrigued me more than anything.

And there was something to be said about the thrill of the chase. It had been so long that I'd almost forgotten.

As a competitor, nothing got my blood pumping like a challenge.