Twin Babies for my Pucking Defenders (Chicago Icebreakers #2)

7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Axel

I’ve seen her.

Every fucking time she’s in the stands, I notice her.

Jade. Jared’s little sister. Black hair flying around her face, in those damn tight leggings that hug every curve just right. I promised myself I’d stay away, but fuck if that’s easy when she’s looking like that.

I try to keep my eyes on the game, but they drift, searching her out in the seats, and of course, she’s there, like always.

“Axel!” Coach Nate’s voice snaps me back to reality.

Shit. I shake my head and refocus, forcing myself to concentrate on the practice match. Carter’s coming at me fast, and I brace for impact, but damn, he’s quicker than I thought. We collide hard, my shoulder slamming into his, and before I know it, I’m down on the ice, the wind knocked out of me.

Everything goes blurry for a second. I’m trying to catch my breath, but fuck, it hurts. I hear Coach shouting something, the guys circling around, but it’s all muffled like I’m underwater.

Someone’s pulling me up, but my head’s spinning. I’m barely upright when I catch a whiff of something—mint and eucalyptus. The scent cuts through the fog, and suddenly, I’m more aware than I’ve ever been.

I know that scent.

“Axel?” Her voice is like a shock to my system. Jade.

Fuck.

I look up, and there she is, standing in front of me, concern etched on her face. She’s the last person I want seeing me like this—fucked up and dazed—but here we are.

“Take off your helmet,” she says, her voice gentle but firm. I do as she says, the cold air hitting my face as I pull it off.

She freezes, staring at me like she’s seen a ghost. “Axel?” she breathes out, like she can’t believe it. Then she’s smiling, and before I can react, she’s hugging me. Hugging me like she used to when we were kids, before things got complicated.

“Jade,” I say, my voice rough. “You’re here.”

She pulls back, still smiling. “Jared never mentioned that his best friend was on the team.”

“Yeah, well… I’ve always been here,” I lie, avoiding her eyes because the truth is, I’ve been avoiding her. And I sure as hell didn’t want to run into her today. “Just busy with the season.”

She laughs, the sound light and familiar, and fuck, I’ve missed that. “Busy enough to miss Thanksgiving two years in a row? Come on, Axel, what’s the real reason?”

How the hell do I tell her that the last Thanksgiving I showed up to, she was wearing that little red dress that made it impossible for me to breathe, let alone think straight? That I had to leave because every second around her was pure fucking torture?

Instead, I shrug. “You know how it is. Season’s hectic.”

Jade tilts her head, studying me, and I can see she’s not buying it. “Is Jared still your lawyer?”

“Yeah,” I nod, shifting uncomfortably under her gaze. “He’s still handling my contract.”

“Then why wouldn’t he tell me you’re on the team? I told him I was joining.”

“Because I asked him not to,” I admit, rubbing the back of my neck. “Didn’t want you worrying about me.”

She snorts. “Worried? About you? Come on, Axel. I’m the team’s PT now, not some damsel in distress. But I do need to check you out. Make sure you’re okay.”

I sit on the bench, trying like hell to keep my heartbeat steady as she kneels in front of me. Her hands are gentle as she tilts my head, checking for signs of a concussion. But all I can focus on is how close she is, how her scent wraps around me and how her touch sends heat racing through my veins.

“Any dizziness?” she asks, her eyes locked on mine.

“Just from seeing you,” I mutter, before I can stop myself.

She rolls her eyes, but there’s a hint of a smile on her lips. “You’re incorrigible, Axel.”

“Can’t help it,” I shrug, trying to play it off, but inside, I’m fucking losing it. Her fingers brush my forehead, and I swear, I’m about to explode.

“Your pulse is fast,” she notes, pressing her fingers to my neck. “I hope that’s not from the collision.”

“Yeah, probably just the collision,” I lie again, knowing damn well it’s her, not the hit.

Jade finishes her examination and steps back, satisfied that I’m not about to drop dead, but the tension between us is thick. Too thick. I can feel her eyes on me, like she’s trying to figure me out, but I don’t let her. I can’t.

“All right,” she says, finally stepping back. “You’re clear to keep playing. Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“Sure,” I nod, standing up too quickly and swaying a bit. Jade catches me, steadying me with a hand on my arm. The contact is brief, but it sends a jolt through me and I know she felt it too.

“Axel,” she starts, but I cut her off.

“Thanks, Jade,” I say quickly, pulling away before I do something stupid like kiss her. “I’ll see you around.”

Before she can say anything else, I’m out of the PT room, my heart hammering in my chest like I just sprinted ten miles. But even as I walk away, I can’t get the image of her out of my head—Jade, Jared’s little sister, the one I’m supposed to stay away from.

But fuck, if she isn’t making that impossible.

As I head back to the locker room, I know one thing for sure—this season just got a hell of a lot more complicated.

I push through the locker room doors, my mind still spinning from that collision—and from seeing Jade. Fuck, I need to get it together. But the second I walk in, I spot Carter leaning against the wall, a smug look on his face like he’s waiting for me.

“What the hell’s your problem?” I snap, throwing my helmet down on the bench.

Carter crosses his arms, not budging. “My problem? You were the one who wasn’t paying attention out there.”

“Bullshit. You came at me like a damn freight train.”

“Maybe if you kept your head in the game instead of staring at the stands, you wouldn’t be eating ice,” Carter shoots back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

That’s it. I’m done. I lunge at him, shoving him hard. He stumbles back, but doesn’t waste a second before coming at me. His fist connects with my jaw and pain explodes across my face. I swing back, but he ducks and my momentum carries me forward, right into his shoulder. We’re grappling, fists flying, neither of us willing to back down.

“Fuck you, Axel!” Carter yells, landing a punch to my ribs.

“Fuck you, too, asshole!” I roar back, slamming him against the lockers. The sound echoes through the room, metallic and angry.

Carter throws another punch, but I dodge, and he ends up slamming his fist into the lockers, his knuckles crunching against the metal. He hisses in pain, but he’s still swinging, still trying to take me down. I grab his arm, twisting, but my foot slips on the wet floor, and suddenly, I’m falling.

My ankle twists at a horrible angle, and I hit the ground hard, pain shooting up my leg like fire.

“Shit!” I curse, grabbing my ankle as Carter backs off, shaking out his hand.

“Guys, break it up!” Declan and Finn rush in, pulling us apart before we can do more damage.

“What the fuck are you two thinking?” Declan barks, shoving Carter away from me while Finn hauls me up to my feet.

“I’m thinking he’s a fucking idiot,” I growl, still clutching my ankle.

Carter’s holding his hand, knuckles already swelling and bruised. “And I’m thinking he’s a dumbass who needs to watch where he’s going.”

“Enough!” Coach Nate’s voice cuts through the room like a whip. He storms in, eyes blazing with fury. “What the hell is wrong with you two? You’re on the same damn team and you’re acting like fucking amateurs!”

We both stay silent, glaring at each other while Coach tears into us. “You think I need this bullshit right now? At the start of the season? I need you both on the ice, not in some fucking brawl like a couple of damn fools!”

“He started it,” Carter mutters, but it only pisses Coach off more.

“I don’t give a shit who started it! I need you both to get your heads out of your asses and start acting like the professionals you’re supposed to be.” Coach’s voice is hard as steel, leaving no room for argument. “Carter, you’re gonna help walk Axel’s dumb ass to the PT office, and you’re gonna do it without another word of complaint.”

“I can get there myself,” I grunt, trying to take a step, but my ankle gives out under me and I nearly go down again.

“It’s not negotiable, Axel. You either work together, or you’re both benched. And I’m not fucking around—you can’t afford to be benched, not with Minnesota coming up.”

The thought of missing a game, especially at the start of the season, makes my stomach twist. I shoot Carter a look, and he just shrugs, like he couldn’t care less, but I can see the tension in his jaw. He knows we can’t miss that game either.

“Fine,” I grind out, leaning on Carter as we start hobbling toward the PT office. Every step sends a sharp pain up my leg, but I grit my teeth and keep moving. Carter stays silent, his face hard, but I can see his knuckles are already swelling. He’s in pain too.

When we finally make it to the PT office, Jade’s eyes widen in surprise. “What the hell happened?”

“Fell,” I mutter, trying not to wince as I put weight on my bad ankle.

“Fell?” she echoes, clearly not buying it. Her eyes flick to Carter, who’s cradling his hand, and she sighs. “Let me see your knuckles.”

Carter holds out his hand, and Jade gently takes it, her fingers brushing over the bruised skin. There’s something in the way they’re interacting—silent, but comfortable—that makes my chest tighten. They’ve got some kind of history, something unspoken between them, and it pisses me off more than I want to admit.

Jade grabs an ice pack, wrapping it around Carter’s hand with practiced ease. “You need to be more careful,” she says softly, her tone more familiar than I like.

“Yeah,” Carter mutters, not meeting her eyes. “Thanks, láska.”

She nods, then turns her attention back to me. “All right, let’s take a look at that ankle. Sit down.”

I lower myself onto the table, gritting my teeth as the pain flares up again. Jade kneels in front of me, her hands gentle as she starts dragging my pants off. I try to focus on anything else, but it’s fucking impossible with her this close, her hands on me.

When my pants are finally off, she lets out a low whistle. “Shit, Axel, it’s already swelling. How bad is the pain?”

“Bad enough,” I admit, trying to keep my voice steady. But seeing my ankle like this—it’s fucking terrifying. I tore my ACL a couple of seasons back, and if this is worse, I’m screwed. “Jade…do you think it’s serious?”

She frowns, carefully pressing around the swollen area. I flinch, and she looks up at me, her eyes filled with concern. “It’s hard to say right now without x-rays or a full exam. I need to review those results, and then if it’s not broken, you’re definitely gonna need to come in for therapy every day if you have any hope of playing against Minnesota in two weeks.”

“I can’t miss that game, Jade,” I say, panic creeping into my voice. “I can’t.”

She stands, grabbing another ice pack and wrapping it around my ankle. “You probably won’t, as long as you listen to me and stay out of trouble. That means no more fights, Axel.”

“I’m not making any promises,” I mutter, but the truth is, I’ll do whatever the hell she says if it means I can play.

Jade’s eyes soften, and she places a hand on my shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll make sure you’re okay. But you have to trust me.”

I nod, swallowing hard. “I trust you.”

“Good,” she says, her voice firm but kind. “Now, let’s get some x-rays taken and we’ll start your therapy tomorrow morning if you are good to go.”

Carter stands off to the side, watching us with a blank expression. I can’t read him, and that pisses me off too. But there’s no time to dwell on it. Jade’s helping me off the table, her arm around my waist, and all I can think about is getting better, getting back on the ice, and not letting this fucking injury take me down.

As she leads me out of the office, I catch Carter’s eye one last time. There’s something there—something unspoken, but heavy—and it’s clear that whatever this is between us, it’s far from over.