The Golden Captain's Heart On Ice

Marina

"Marina, if you don't knock on that damn door, I swear I'll do it for you."

"Lower your voice." I glared at Maya, my best friend.

"Go ahead. Eden should be inside."

My stomach twisted.

Eden Cooper is one of my brother's friends. I had loved him for so long that I couldn't remember when it had started.

I held a bottle of wine in one hand and a flower in the other.

Maya followed my gaze and sighed.

"Oh my God. You're really doing this. You bought flowers, changed out of your work clothes, spent forty minutes getting ready, and you shaved your-"

"Maya!"

"And you're standing outside a man's apartment looking like you're about to interview him instead of confessing your feelings," she continued.

I shot her a look, but she only grinned.

After spending the entire night at the arena, the Aurora Blades had finally won the championship. I'd been assigned to cover the biggest game of my career, interviewing the golden captain, Dane Whitaker.

I'd gone home afterward, changed, stared at myself in the mirror for almost an hour, and nearly changed my mind six times.

But tonight was supposed to be different.

For years, I had been Grant's little sister. The girl Eden protected, he always smiled at me with that soft, patient expression that made my heart beat loudly.

"I'd rather hear the truth than spend another year hoping."

Maya studied me for a moment before nudging my shoulder.

"Then go. But I have to leave. Marina, best of luck. And make sure you give me all the tea tomorrow."

I laughed weakly.

We hugged, said our goodbyes, and she disappeared down the hallway.

I turned back to the apartment door, for a moment, I just stood there.

Then I reached into my bag and pulled out the spare key Eden had given me years ago.

Sometimes I want to escape my overprotective brother's shadow. Eden's apartment had always been the easiest place for me to disappear.

He traveled constantly for work as a lifestyle photographer, so most of the time, I had the place to myself.

Tonight, he's finally home. I slid the key into the lock.

Click.

I pushed the door open. The apartment is dark. But I stepped inside.

"Eden?"

A woman laughed somewhere deep in the apartment.

I froze, my stomach knotted, the sound came again. I took one hesitant step forward.

"Ed-"

A moan cut me off.

"Ah, Eden. Right there. You just hit that spot."

My entire body went rigid.

"You take my cock so well." Eden's raspy voice filled the apartment.

Something inside my chest tightened so violently that I could barely breathe.

He was never mine, so why did it feel as though someone had reached inside my chest and ripped my heart out?

The wet slap of skin against skin echoed through the hallway.

I should have turned around. Instead, I walked toward the bedroom.

The door was open and I stopped at the entrance.

Eden laid on his back, a woman bouncing up and down on his cock. His hand rested firmly on her butt cheek, guiding her as though she had every right to be there.

She shrieked as if she was having a fucking orgarsm. "Yes! Make a mess on my cock, baby."

Eden's voice came out rough and hoarse, and then she suddenly collapsed on top of him.

I went numb. I could barely breathe as I stared into the dim room, my mind struggling to process what I was seeing.

After loving Eden for years, I was apparently the stupidest girl alive.

The woman with him said something, but I couldn't hear a word.

"I told you," Eden said softly. "Marina has always been like a little sister to me."

My heart stopped, they were talking about me.

"She doesn't look at you like a brother," her voice sounded strangely familiar.

"She's never going to be anything more than a kid to me."

The world tilted.

A kid, after every smile, and moment I had convinced myself meant something.

The woman said something else.

Eden sighed. "Don't start." The warning in his voice made me flinch.

"I'm only saying everyone can see it," she said with a laugh.

I knew I should walk away.

But the same stupid part of me that always needed to know the truth pushed me towards the room.

My fingers found the light switch.

Click.

The room flooded with light, both of them turned.

"Marina?" The woman gasped.

"Oh my gosh," It's Blaire, Dane Whitaker's girlfriend.

She had kissed the golden captain on the ice barely two hours ago while I had stood behind a camera, taking notes.

My fingers went numb, the wine bottle slipped from my hand. It hit the floor with a violent crack.

I stumbled backward.

For years, I had imagined Eden looking at me as though losing me would destroy him.

Standing in his bedroom, I finally understood the truth.

I had never been the woman in his story. I will always be Grant's little sister.

Blaire recovered first. Her eyes traveled slowly over my clothes, the flowers, the broken bottle, and the bag hanging from my shoulder.

Then she smirked.

Eden's expression hardened. He had always been impossible to read.

So I turned ready to walk away.

"Marina." Eden's voice followed me.

I kept walking.

"Marina, wait."

Blaire stepped in front of him before he could follow.

She was naked and completely unashamed.

"How sweet," she said. "You finally grew some balls."

I stopped, my hand formed in a fist.

"Oh, wait. You're upset about the person making me scream?"

"Blaire." Eden's warning was unmistakable.

"What?" she asked innocently.

Then she looked directly at me.

"Just admit it, girl. You love him. You were about to confess."

I couldn't breathe. It felt as though the air had been sucked from the room.

I looked past her. Eden stared at me in confusion.

"Did you really think he would want you?"

"Enough." Eden's voice cracked like a whip.

Blaire rolled her eyes before disappearing back into the bedroom.

Eden remained in the doorway, for one second, neither of us moved. He opened his mouth, but I turned and walked away.

My heart hammered so violently I could hear it in my ears.

Blaire returned a moment later, she's dressed now.

Tears burned behind my eyes. I refused to let either of them watch me break.

But the first tear streamed down my face anyway, I hated that Eden saw them.

His expression changed.

"Marina..." I looked away.

But Blaire wasn't finished, because she stepped closer. Her eyes locked on mine, and the cruelty in them sent a cold warning through my body.

She stopped inches away. I could smell Eden's cologne clinging to her skin.

Her smile was slow and vicious.

"Tell Dane about this," she whispered, "and consider your career dead."

I didn't wait as I rushed out the door.

"Marina, wait!" Eden's voice followed me.

But I didn't stop.

My hand was already on the apartment door. I yanked it open and stumbled into the hallway.

I stood with my back against the wall, staring blindly down the empty hallway, trying to force air into my lungs.

Then I heard the handle turn. I pushed myself away from the wall. This time, I didn't wait.

I took the stairs instead of the elevator, my heart hammered against my ribs. My lungs burned, but I kept moving.

By the time I reached the street, tears were streaming down my face.

I wiped them away furiously.

So stupid.

A man like Eden didn't suddenly wake up one morning and decide the little girl he had known for years was the love of his life.

I walked past the coffee shop.

The city was still alive.

The Aurora Blades had won.

People crowded the sidewalks, laughing, shouting, celebrating.

"Dane! Dane! Dane!"

I lowered my head and kept walking. I still had a story to file.

My phone rang. It's Chloe, my editor. I stared at the screen until the call stopped. I couldn't answer.

I didn't know how long I walked before I found myself back at the arena. Most of the fans had already gone home.

The place felt strangely hollow after the chaos of the championship celebration.

I dropped onto a bench near the edge of the arena and stared at the empty rink.

"That's a dangerous place to sit."

I jumped. I hadn't realized anyone was nearby.

I looked up.

Dane stood a few feet away, his hockey bag hanging from one shoulder. His dark hair was damp, and he wore dark trousers beneath the team jacket.

How could someone be insanely beautiful and still have a girlfriend who is cheating on him? My gender needed to be studied.

Dane studied me carefully, his brow furrowed.

"What happened?"

Of course. He was one of my brother's friends. Protecting me came naturally to him.

"Nothing," I said too quickly.

One corner of his mouth lifted. "That answer was way too fast." He walked around the bench until he squatted directly in front of me. "Who hurt you?"

"No one." My voice cracked.

Dane's eyes dropped to my face. "You're crying."

I quickly wiped my cheeks. "I'm fine."

He didn't believe me. But instead of demanding an explanation, he opened his arms and pulled me against him.

I froze.

Then something inside me gave way. My fingers curled into his jacket. I buried my face against his chest and cried.

His hand moved slowly over my hair.

"Whoever did this," he murmured, "I hope you tell me."

If only he knew. I quickly pulled away before I said something stupid.

Dane looked down at me.

His thumb brushed beneath my eye, catching the tear I hadn't managed to wipe away.

Neither of us moved.

My brother is somehow more comfortable with me being around Eden than Dane.

Dane was different.

You can't really tell his next move. He acted like nothing in the world could hurt him.

I stepped back.

Dane looked away first. He moved to the other end of the bench and sat down.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

Across the arena, the crew rolled a stack of barriers toward the storage entrance.

"Your article." Dane's voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I looked at him. "What about it?"

"Chloe isn't going to be happy if the championship story doesn't get filed."

I stared at him. "You remember my deadline?"

"Of course." His mouth twitched. "You complained about it enough."

I let out a small, broken sound. It was barely a smile, but it was real.

Dane looked almost pleased with himself.

We sat in silence, each lost in our own thoughts.

"Dane."

He turned toward me. "I need to tell you something."

He didn't say a word, but my heart started pounding again.

Tell him.

Tell him what you saw.

Tell him about Eden and Blaire.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out, as Blaire's threat flashed through my mind. She had connections.

And what was it even my business if his girlfriend was sleeping with half the men in New York?

I swallowed.

How could I take the happiest night of his career and split it open with one sentence?

"Never mind."

Dane studied me for a long moment.

He didn't push, he only nodded, as my eyes burned again.

I could still hear Eden's voice.

"Blaire is probably looking for me," he said eventually. "I should probably get going."

He rose, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

My stomach dropped. The secret on my tongue suddenly felt unbearably heavy.

Your girlfriend is sleeping with your best friend. The words were right there, but I swallowed them.

This was what I was supposed to do. To keep my mouth shut.

Let him have his perfect night.

"Actually..."

Dane looked back at me. For the first time since I'd known him, the golden captain looked nervous.

"What?"

He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "There's something I want to tell you."

My heart stuttered. Then raced.

Dane glanced toward the arena lights before looking back at me.

"You're probably going to laugh at me."

"Why?"

"I need your opinion on something." He reached into his bag.

"About what?" I managed.

My brows pulled together. Then he opened a small box.

A diamond caught the arena light. My heart slammed against my ribs. For one terrifying second, I thought I had stopped breathing.

Dane looked down at the ring. "I've been thinking about asking Blaire to marry me."

Everything inside me went still. I stared at him in horror.

"I'm thinking about proposing to Blaire."

Marina

By the time I got home, my heart was pounding so hard I was half-convinced it might give out.

Eden. Blaire. Dane.

Their faces kept flashing through my mind in an endless, brutal loop.

I shoved through the front door, kicked it shut, and headed straight for the kitchen.

I needed a drink. I switched on the light.

"Fuck!" I jumped so hard my heart nearly stopped. Grant sat at the kitchen island, a glass of amber liquid in his hand.

"Fuck, Grant! You scared me." I pressed a hand to my chest.

"Language, young lady," he warned.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm a freaking twenty-three-year-old grown ass woman," and he still treated me like I was four.

"Apparently not," he said. "Not if you're still coming home looking like you've been chased by a ghost."

I said nothing.

Grant had stepped into the role of taking care of me after our parents died in a car accident. When every other relative seemed to disappear, he stayed.

He had been nineteen, barely an adult himself. Yet somehow, he had become both my brother and my parent. Now he's a successful architect with his own firm.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

Here we go again.

"Eden called about thirty minutes ago," he added. "He wanted to know if you'd gotten home."

Of course he had. That's the kind of nonsense Eden does.

He made me feel like he cared. And now, just hearing his name made something bitter twist inside me.

"I had to go back to the rink." I dumped my bag on the counter and reached for a glass.

My emotions were too raw to give Grant a sane answer-one that wouldn't make me say something I'd regret.

He stayed quiet. But I could feel his eyes following me.

I grabbed the glass and headed for my room.

Grant had built a life from the ashes of ours. I just wished he would stop trying to build mine for me.

I collapsed on my bed, but I didn't sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Eden and Blaire.

Then a picture of Dane holding me close, his hand rubbing slow circles over my back while I cried over a man who felt nothing for me.

That memory stayed with me. It tugged at something deep inside my chest, something I didn't have words for.

By six in the morning, I gave up. My laptop was still open on the bed. My championship article stared back at me.

I had a job to do. Hockey didn't care that my life had fallen apart.

By eight-thirty, I was walking through the arena entrance again, my press badge hanging around my neck, a coffee I didn't want in one hand and a headache I definitely didn't deserve pounding behind my eyes.

Maya was waiting in the media workroom with two coffees.

"You look like shit."

"Good morning to you too."

"I assume it didn't go well last night."

I rolled my eyes as she handed me a cup.

"I already have one."

"That isn't coffee. That's sadness in liquid form."

A small smile tugged at my lips before I could stop it.

"You're annoying."

"I know, babe. And you've been stuck with me for how many years?"

I shook my head.

"Too many."

She grinned as we entered the media room. I knew she was waiting for the story.

I hesitated, but I told her all of it. I trust Maya. She had been there through every high and every miserable low.

When I finished, she stared at me.

"You know what? That's his loss."

I frowned.

"I wonder why you were even obsessed with him in the first place. You're gorgeous, you're building a career, and you should see the way people stare whenever you walk past."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

"I think you're the only person who can't see yourself," she continued. "You're practically perfect for any man."

We had been friends since college. She knows exactly how to get under my defenses.

"I'm not obsessed with him." It was the only thing I could say.

Maya stood and pulled me into a hug.

"I know you'll find your man. Trust me." She squeezed me once before letting go. "Now get your ass back to work before your editor starts demanding an explanation for why our star journalist is crying over a man who doesn't deserve her."

She grabbed her clipboard. "I need to sort out the ticketing for today's event." Then she walked out.

By ten, I was getting ready to interview the players.

First was Derek, the goaltender. He wore sunglasses indoors and looked like he hadn't slept since the championship started.

Then Shane, he spent half the interview describing the championship-winning play as though he had personally invented hockey.

For the first time all morning, I felt almost normal. I listened, took notes and asked questions.

Then the media-room door opened, everything inside me stopped. Dane walked in.

Black trousers, with a fitted charcoal shirt, the sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms.

His dark hair was still slightly damp, and he looked composed, controlled, untouchable. Unlike everyone else, he didn't look as though he had celebrated too hard. Or maybe he had but simply mastered the art of hiding it.

I swallowed. My mind flashed back to last night.

The warmth of his chest, his arms around me. His hand moved slowly across my back while I cried. My heart betrayed me with one hard, stupid beat.

Dane smirked. I immediately looked away before he caught me staring.

"Good morning." His voice was low.

"Good morning."

"What time did you file the story?" The question broke the silence.

I blinked. "At six twenty-three this morning."

"That's dedication."

I gestured toward the chair. "Sit."

He did, then he looked up at me.

"Did you sleep?" Of all the questions he could have asked. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from reacting.

"Yes." It's a lie. I hadn't slept for even a minute. I would have looked like a walking zombie if he had noticed.

"About last night-"

"You're here for an interview." I picked up my pen. "Let's get started."

Something flickered across his face, then it disappeared behind a familiar smirk. It did something strange to my chest.

"I know last night was about a boy," he said quietly. "But whoever broke your heart has to be the biggest fool alive."

My fingers curled around the pen. The image of Eden and Blaire slammed back into my mind. My chest tightened.

"I..." The door opened.

"Hey, babe." Blaire walked in.

My stomach dropped.

She slid her arms around Dane and pressed herself against him.

I stared at them, Blaire looked at me and smiled before resting her head against his shoulder.

"Hey, Marina. I didn't see you at the after-party."

She kissed his cheek.

My nails dug into my palm beneath the table.

Blaire turned Dane's face toward hers and kissed him softly. He kissed her back.

I lowered my gaze to my laptop. The words on the screen blurred. I could feel Dane's eyes on me.

I didn't understand why seeing them together hurt in two completely different ways.

Blaire pulled away, her smile remained perfectly composed.

But her eyes told a different story. She wasn't afraid that I knew her secret.

She was afraid I might discover just how many secrets she was hiding.