Breakaway (Pro-U #1)

by Ali Parker

  "Yep. Let's tear this shit up and move one more step closer as North Eastern champs. It's going to be a win for us today. I have no doubt." I nodded at my coach as the other players emptied onto the ice with us.

  "Warm up. Get ready. Take no prisoners," Coach called from the side of the ice.

  "Let’s do this." I skated toward the puck and pulled it easily from Parks before taking off down the center of the rink. We would play around for ten to twenty minutes and then give up half the ice for the Huskies to warm up too.

  We worked up a good sweat and ran drills until Coach called us off the ice for announcements and beginning game festivities. The stands were packed, but I found my parents with ease. The grimace on my father’s face was only outdone by the sadness on my mother’s. Why they felt the need to come to my games was beyond me. There was nothing good that would come out of them being here.

  My dad would be pissed over every wrong move I made, and my mom would cry three or four times during the game because it was me playing instead of Bret.

  I swallowed my regrets and glanced around, looking for the Ice Queens and hoping to find Aubrey with them. She was sure to be sour at me for leaving the party before she got back, but she'd get over it. There wasn't anything between us but untapped lust. She and I both knew it.

  "All right. And this afternoon from the heart of Rhode Island, we have starting senior and Captain of the Friars, Lucas White." The announcer’s voice boomed over the speakers as the crowd went wild.

  "All right, kid. Show us what you got. There're lots of watching eyes in the stands if you know what I mean. Bust a nut. Someone else's." Coach patted me on the back and chuckled as I gave him a look and moved out onto the ice.

  *

  The game went far too fast for my liking, and we won by more than a few points, most of which I scored. I pulled Jayce aside as we headed to the locker room, both of us panting from the final showdown with Southern Maine's star player.

  "Where's Aubrey? I was going to give her the information she wanted last night." I popped him in the shoulder. "She laying down on the job?"

  "Naw, something came up with her dance instructor. They had an event this weekend that the underclassmen were in charge of, but I guess a couple of them were popped for pills late last night, or early this morning really. She had to go fill in." He shrugged and moved back into the crowd. "Give me the stuff and I'll get it to her."

  "No, I wanted to talk to her for a minute." I moved in behind him as people patted my back and head like I was a fucking lap dog. "She's at the dance hall now?"

  "I think it's called a studio." He glanced back and laughed. "But yeah. She should be there."

  "All right, thanks man." I moved into the locker room and turned as Coach gave his quick spiel on us being the best and still striving to be better. He was a good speaker, but I'd heard it all ten times at least.

  The guys all decided to head over to Merskys for a beer after the game, which was our usual choice. The burgers were good, and the waitresses were hot.

  "You coming?" William stopped behind me at my locker and clamped his hands down on my shoulders tightly.

  "Naw. I gotta take care of a few things. Don't get in trouble and keep your nose clean." I gave him a stern look over my shoulder.

  "Never any fun, Lucas." He popped my butt and walked out with the rest of the crowd. I took a few minutes to look around the locker room as memories assaulted me. My time was running short and soon I'd be ejected out into the real world, which seemed far less appealing than the one I was currently thriving in. I'd seen my folks struggle with real shit, and though I'd seen plenty of it myself, I wasn't looking forward to entering the working world.

  "But you're going to the pros." I grabbed my keys and let out a long sigh. "Aren't you excited? Fuck yeah, but only because you expect me to be."

  I walked to the parking lot quickly and got on my bike before anyone could accost me. My parents were waiting out front no doubt, but I couldn't take any more disapproving looks from them. I just didn't have it in me to respond kindly and keep walking.

  A group of girls waved and bounced up and down on their feet as I started my bike and gave them a curt nod before pulling out. I'd go talk to Aubrey for a few minutes and then head to my apartment and veg on the couch for the rest of the night. I didn't need to celebrate every time we won. We always won. Even that was getting old.

  The wind slammed against me as I made my way around to the other side of campus and parked the bike. It was almost exhilarating to fight against it and push as hard as I could. I pulled off my helmet and glanced up to see a single figure spinning in circles inside the dance building. The floor to ceiling windows that lined the whole building had to be a pain in the ass for the girls, but for anyone who wanted to admire them from afar, it was bliss.

  Aubrey was lost to her dance as I walked up and stood in front of the glass. Her dark hair brushed the ground as she bent over and rolled her back until she was in a ball, balancing in a squat. She slid across the floor, and my breath caught in my chest.

  "Beautiful," I whispered and slid my hands into the pockets of my jeans to keep from reaching out and touching the glass.

  She rolled over and arched her back hard as her knees lifted. The position jutted out her breasts and left my lungs screaming for air. She almost looked as if she were making love to an unseen force. I didn't realize how sensual dance could be. Maybe it had nothing to do with the dance and everything to do with the woman.

  She moved gracefully to her feet and cupped her face as her shoulders shook.

  "Aw fuck. Is she crying?" I moved closer to the glass. She was laughing or crying. I turned and walked around the building to the front door as I pulled a rolled handful of papers from my back pocket. I needed a reason to be there, and the information she wanted for the upcoming tournament was good enough.

  The door opened as I reached for it, and she plowed into me, yelping as I grabbed her.

  "Hey. It's me. Sorry." I released her and moved back as the sweet smell of her perfume raced across my senses. "You okay?"

  She wiped at her face and nodded. "Yeah. Just a bad day. That for me?"

  "Yeah. It's the information you wanted for the tournament." I handed it to her, forcing myself to take a step back.

  "Awesome. The game go good?" She moved past me and walked outside as the smell of her shampoo brushed by me.

  "Yeah. We missed you, but it was good. We won by ten points or so." I let my eyes drag down the back of her tight yoga pants. She had to be the finest woman on campus. Why was I so quick to reject the idea of spending the night with her?

  "That's great news." She held up the packet. "Thanks for this. See you around." She turned around and walked toward the center of campus.

  See you around? Fuck... Go after her.

  Chapter 7

  Aubrey

  The day couldn't have been worse. Having Lucas see me cry was the cherry on the shit sundae. Some part of me wanted him to come after me, to chase me down and what?

  An ugly chuckle left me as I made my way through the center of campus. I took a quick glance back to see that I was alone. It was for the better anyway. I needed some time to process the ass-chewing I'd received after the event earlier that day.

  If I wanted the lead in the summer traveling company, then I had to up my game. A lot.

  I sat down on one of the many stone benches in front of the library and pressed my fingers to my eyes as my bag slid off my shoulder and hit the ground. I was putting in too many hours with dance as it was. To give more of myself to it seemed an impossible feat.

  Bending over, I tugged my socks off and rubbed my feet carefully as I pressed my cheek to my knee. The image of McCraven up in my face, yelling and losing her shit rolled over me, causing a fresh wave of tears to blur my vision.

  "Do you think this is a free ride? That those who try and give their best is the ticket to getting on it?" She pressed her chest to mine as I stood rigid in her office.
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  "No-"

  "Don't speak. Not a damn word. Your best isn't good enough, Aubrey. It's not even close. Katrina was good, and you would call her great." She poked me in the chest before moving closer and pressing her nose to mine. "You don't want it. I can see it in your eyes. You're going to settle and become something far less than you could. Bravo to you. Everyone expects that of you, you know. Society expects everyone to settle. Greatness is shunned. You are shunned."

  Was she calling me great? I had no clue. I was barely holding my composure together. Being affronted was something I was used to, thanks to her being in my face for the last three years, but before that it was always my mother.

  How many times had she stood at the door to my room with her arms crossed and a look of disdain on her face? I wasn't great. I was barely good.

  "I'll try harder," I whispered before pressing my teeth into my bottom lip and sucking in my stomach as tightly as I could.

  "Start by going on a diet. I'm going to start weighing you. You're at the edge of being too big for the lead part in anything." McCraven took a step back. Her blond hair was pulled tightly in a bun, her makeup spot on, her blue eyes driving into the deepest parts of my struggle.

  "Of course." I didn't dare let out the breath I was holding. One more year was all I had to catch the eye of a major dance company. I'd gotten so caught up in trying to grab one of those highly coveted spots that my grades were suffering.

  "Good. Now, go practice your pirouette piquée. You stumbled once today while showing those younger girls. That's not acceptable. This is a basic step that you should be capable of doing with your eyes closed. It's your weight. It's throwing you off balance."

  "It's my weight," I stated matter-of-fact. No wonder Lucas was good with working beside me on the needs of Ice Kings and yet not feeling any of the desire that I did. I could fool myself to think that something sat between us yesterday before I left the party, but it was a lie. A lie to comfort myself. He was being a typical guy. Flirt with the fat girl and make her feel wanted so you had access to her time and mental capacities for your team. "Smart guy."

  "Aubrey."

  I glanced up at the sound of his voice. Had he heard me talking to myself? Shit.

  "Hey." I reached down and picked up my bag, dropping it in my lap.

  "What's going on?" He glanced around as if nervous that someone might see us together, or maybe my shitty sense of self-worth was assigning him attributes that didn't quite fit his character. He was stiff and unyielding, but there was a great guy around the edges of the asshole persona.

  I looked around and went for sarcasm. "We're having a party. You wanna join us? All of us?"

  He shook his head and chuckled before turning and sitting down beside me. The musky tones of his cologne mixed with the scent of his soap filled my lungs, and I stifled the need to moan. He looked like heaven and smelled like lust.

  "You always this welcoming?" He glanced down, and I tucked my feet under the bench as quickly as I could. "Good Lord. What happened to your feet?"

  I swatted at him as he reached down and pulled my legs up, resting them on the side of his as he cupped my feet carefully. Mortified wouldn't have covered it.

  "Stop. Leave my feet alone, Lucas." I pushed at his shoulder and tried to move the ugliest part of me off the only guy I found in my dreams at night.

  He clamped one hand down on my shins and studied my feet. "Is this from dancing?"

  "Yes. It's hard on my feet." I let out a long sigh as my shoulders rounded. "It's hard on all of us. Your feet weren't meant to do some of the things we force them to do."

  "You need to put some ointment on them, Aubrey." He glanced back at me, his blue eyes filled with genuine concern. He glanced back down at my feet as he ran the soft pads of his fingertips over one of my many bruises. "Come back to the Ice House and we'll get you bandaged up."

  "No." I took a shaky breath as my heart contracted in my chest. "I'm good. Seriously."

  I finally got my legs free and worked to get my socks and shoes back on as my hands shook slightly. He was the only guy in the world that I wouldn't have wanted to see my feet.

  Figures.

  "Were you crying earlier because of the pain?" The softness in his voice was something new to me. I had to get the hell out of there. It was going to unravel me fast. I'd heard him yell at the team and bark out orders every day of the week for the last three years, but whatever he was doing now... it was a new side of him that I wouldn't survive.

  "No." I stood. "It's nothing. Seriously. You don't have to feel obligated to check on me, Lucas. My brother already thinks you hung the moon."

  His face contorted. I'd offended him. "I'm not sure who you think I am, but my guess by your response is that whoever it may be, he's not that great of a guy."

  "Hey. I didn't mean it like that." I reached out and gripped his forearm. He tensed, and I did as well. "I'm fine. Really."

  "Good. Then let's grab something and talk through the tournament and the fundraiser coming up." He moved down and grabbed my bag before I could. "You want something to eat or just a coffee?"

  I'd love something to eat, but obviously I need to be dieting.

  "Coffee is good." I reached out and snagged my bag from him. "How many points did Jayce score in the game?"

  "Three. Why?" He glanced over at me in a way that left me feeling exposed.

  "We have a running bet. If he gets more than five, I buy him dinner. If he gets less, then he's paying." I wagged my eyebrows as I forced my facade to slide into place. "Looks like I get a free meal today."

  He chuckled and reached for the door to the coffee shop. "I like that. Seems like a good way to hold him accountable. Was it your idea or his?"

  "His, of course." I walked in and moved up to the counter as my heart fluttered in my chest. Three years of nothing more than business conversations with Lucas and over the last two days we'd made up for it. "I'll get this."

  "No way." He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and glanced up at the menu. "I'm starving. Are their sandwiches any good?"

  "Yeah. They're delicious." I forced myself to keep looking over the menu above us as he looked over at me, studying me.

  "Let me get you one. You didn't eat at the event, did you?" The deep timbre of his voice danced along my exposed shoulders and left the air so hard to access.

  "No, but I'm okay. I need to lose a few pounds anyway." I gave him a cheeky grin and moved up to order my coffee.

  He scoffed and stepped up beside me. "We'll take two of those turkey clubs and some chips too."

  "Lucas." I gave him a look that said back off.

  "Aubrey." He turned his strong gaze onto me and lifted his eyebrow, beckoning me to challenge him.

  "Fine. Whatever." I shook my head and walked over to one of the two empty tables in the room. Everyone seemed to be watching him, but it was no wonder. He and his family had brought a lot of fame to the hockey program at Providence. There were pictures of his older brother, his dad, and several of his uncles up in the sports building showcasing their talents.

  No wonder Jayce worships the guy. He's a god to all these people.

  For some reason, that thought only made me feel worse.

  Chapter 8

  Lucas

  I paid the guy at the front and couldn't help but notice the way he watched Aubrey. Hell, the way all the guys around me watched her. From her little comment about losing weight, she obviously had no clue just how perfect she was. I should have been the guy to tell her differently, but we were already skating on thin ice together. I could see it in her eyes. The way she watched me. As if she were waiting for me to step up and be something great for her. For all of them.

  "Here's your receipt, Lucas." The guy smiled as he gave me the receipt and my change.

  "Thanks man." I dropped all of it in his tip jar and turned to join Aubrey. I didn't know anyone in the small coffee shop, but they all seemed to know me. It wasn't anything new, and yet I hated it all the s
ame.

  She lifted her chin a little and gave me a tight smile as I sat down across from her. I wanted to know with a passion why she was crying earlier, but I wasn't asking. If she wanted to tell me, then she would. Plain and simple.

  "All right. So we have the supplies for the car wash, and I'll be working with some of the Ice Queens to make signs next week. I figure having everyone half naked will help." She leaned over and pulled the papers from her bag that I'd given her at the dance studio. "We should have music too. I can make a playlist."

  "You need to learn to delegate." I didn't mean for my words to sound like a command, but by the way her expression hardened, obviously they did.

  "It's easier said than done. The other girls are far more concerned with getting their next high in whatever form it comes in." She lowered her eyes to study the paper below her. A long strand of dark hair slipped from the messy bun she had her hair in, and I didn't hesitate.

  "And how do you get your highs?" I pinched the hair softly and tucked it behind her ear as she looked back up at me. The need in her eyes was enough to force me to let my guard down.

  Three more months. Three more months of school and I was off to the pros. Tread lightly.

  "I dance." She sat up as her shoulders stiffened. "It's enough of a release."

  "I get that. That's hockey to me, I guess, though it's not my sport of choice." Was I really going to open this can of worms?

  "No? I'm surprised to hear that." She picked up a pen from the table and lifted the list in front of her face. "So the hotel has the rooms booked, and you guys are good with staying six to a room?"

  Back to business. It seemed to be a safe place for her. The need to destroy her calm raced through me like a wildfire. It had been a few years since I'd wanted to do anything more than mutter a response or just get through another day.

  "I'm not staying with anyone. Put us in a room together." I turned and took the food from the server as he walked up. I could feel her eyes on me, but it was all part of the game. The question was whether I was going to allow myself to play it.