Breaking the Ice (Men of the Ice, #7)

by Michele Shriver

  Breaking

  the Ice

  Michele Shriver

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Breaking the Ice (Men of the Ice, #7)

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Going All In

  Books by Michele Shriver

  Authors Notes and Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  SMC Publishing

  Breaking the Ice: A Men of the Ice Novella

  By Michele Shriver

  Copyright 2016 Michele Shriver

  Published by SMC Publishing

  All Rights Reserved

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, locales and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design by Michele Shriver. Photography by VJ Dunraven/Period Images. Cover models Jax Turyna and Josh Gil.

  “Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious.” — Brendan Gill

  Chapter One

  The NHL All-Star game. It wasn’t the Stanley Cup, not even close, and some of the guys who were used to being selected to the game year after year didn’t get excited about it anymore. For Noah Mann, it was an honor to be participating. It would be his first All-Star game, and he’d be playing in front of the hometown fans in San Antonio. Because San Antonio was the host city, there were more Generals players selected to the game than there would be if it were played in any other NHL city. The league wanted to play to the home crowd and give them something to cheer for.

  Noah was well aware that this played a factor in his selection, but he didn’t really care. For a kid from Red Deer, Alberta who’d been drafted in the fifth round and toiled in relative obscurity for the American Hockey League affiliate in Iowa for years before finally earning a shot in the NHL—thank you, expansion draft—playing in the All-Star game wasn’t something that happened every year. Noah planned to enjoy it.

  He especially planned to enjoy the skills competition, which would allow him to show off his powerful shot in the hardest shot competition, and have a little fun in the Breakaway Challenge. He might not win either one, but that didn’t matter to Noah nearly as much as having a good time. Sure, his more serious teammates sometimes razzed him about being too much of a practical joker, but Noah knew it was only teasing. He’d proven, time and again, that he took hockey seriously, especially when it came to giving his all for his team and his community. But Noah also lived by the motto that life was too short to be serious all the time.

  The actual All-Star game would be the following afternoon, and Noah would take that seriously. Tonight, though, his primary objective was to have fun and entertain the fans.

  “What do you have planned tonight?” Noah’s teammate, Generals goalkeeper Becker Lawson, asked him in the locker room as they prepared to take the ice. “Anything special?”

  Noah shrugged. “Maybe, but I’m not going to tell you. I want it to be a secret until I unveil it to the crowd.”

  Beck gave him a puzzled look. “Huh?” Then it dawned on him. “Oh. You mean for the challenge. You must have some gag planned.”

  Noah didn’t care for the term gag, but he didn’t object to it, either. “What’d you think I meant?”

  “Never mind,” Beck said. “I was talking about later, after the competition. Do you have any plans?”

  “Oh, that.” Talk about being on opposite pages. Noah shook his head. “Nah. I’ll probably just go home, make it a quiet night.” Noah was single, which wasn’t always easy on a team where it seemed like a lot of the guys were settling down, or at least pairing up. Heck, even the Generals’ most notorious playboy, Casey Denault, turned into a one-woman man in recent months, after finding love with the director of the team’s charity foundation.

  Charlene Simmons might be sixteen years older than Casey, but for some reason, they seemed to fit together, and all the guys were hoping it would work out. For one thing, Casey’s scoring streak since getting together with Char resulted in quite a winning streak for the Generals. Noah sure wouldn’t complain about that, even if he did wonder if the world had suddenly gone mad. Casey, monogamous? If not mad, something close to it.

  “Why? Are you going out?” Noah asked Beck. He assumed the goaltender would have plans with his girlfriend.

  His teammate nodded. “Yeah. That’s why I asked. Kendall’s hoping you’ll join us for a late dinner.”

  “As a third wheel?” Yeah. The world had gone mad. “Sorry, not my gig.”

  “Yep, that’s what I told Kendall,” Beck said dryly. “Don’t shoot the messenger, but she’s got something else in mind. Like a blind date.”

  “A blind date?” Noah was shaking his head before the words were even out, and when they were out, they weren’t no. Instead, he asked, “With who?”

  “One of Ali’s doctors,” Beck said. “Her name is Riley.”

  Beck’s girlfriend’s daughter suffered from a condition called Rett Syndrome, which Noah didn’t know much about, other than she couldn’t walk on her own and had seizures. She also apparently had a doctor that Kendall thought he needed to meet. “Kendall wants to set me up with her daughter’s doctor?”

  “Yep. She’s a pediatric neurology resident,” Beck said. “And she’s pretty hot.”

  “Not the most important criteria,” Noah muttered. Still, he had to admit it didn’t hurt.

  “I didn’t say it was,” Beck countered. He reached for his mask. “Anyway, she’s here tonight. Sitting with Kendall and Char. Have a look. Give it some thought. No pressure, though.”

  No pressure? Right. Noah already felt as if he had no choice but to accept. The woman was here. He’d look like an ass if he didn’t even want to so much as meet her. Gee, thanks, Beck.

  ***

  It was her first full day off in more than two weeks, and Dr. Riley Marks wanted to spend it sleeping. Sleep was an increasingly precious commodity for a second-year medical resident, and when Riley clocked out after her last shift, the only date she had any interest in was one with her pillow. Kendall Myers had other ideas, which explained—sort of—why Riley found herself sitting in the stands of a hockey arena, along with Kendall and a woman she’d never met before, who also dated a player from the San Antonio Generals, preparing to watch the NHL All-Star Skills Competition.

  “I’d rather be in my bed,” Riley muttered. She sipped Diet Mountain Dew through a straw, hoping the caffeine jolt would keep her awake. She was used to running on adrenaline, anyway.

  “No, you wouldn’t,” Kendall said. “Sleep is overrated, and this will be fun. I’ve been trying to get you to come to a game all season.”

  It was true. Ever since Kendall met Becker Lawson the previous summer when he coached her son in the Generals’ youth hockey camp, she’d become a huge fan of all things hockey. And ever since Riley joined the medical team providing care to Kendall’s daughter Alison, Kendall started on a mission to try to turn Riley into a fan, too. Her reasoning was that Riley needed to occasionally relax and have fun, something Riley didn’t disagree with. The problem was she didn’t have time.

  This afternoon, when Kendall’s phone call woke Riley from her sleep, she’d reluctantly agreed to tag along. Maybe by Riley accepting, Kendall would stop asking. And maybe it woul
d take Riley’s mind off of work for a little while.

  “Besides, I want you to see Noah,” Kendall continued. “I think he’d be perfect for you.”

  “Whoa, wait a minute, what?” Maybe it was the lack of sleep interfering with her cognitive speed, but it took Riley a second to catch up to the implication of Kendall’s words. “You’re trying to set me up on a date? With a hockey player?” She shook her head. “No. That’s all sorts of inappropriate.”

  “Why?” Kendall countered.

  “Um...” Riley searched for a reason. “Because your daughter is my patient.”

  “Right, which would be a problem if I suggested that we go on a date. As in you and me,” Kendall said, circling her finger from Riley back to herself. “Which is so not happening, for a number of obvious reasons. Did you miss the part where I said it was Noah I wanted you meet? Noah, a hockey player who has absolutely zero connection to your work?”

  “No.” Riley sighed. “Okay, maybe inappropriate was the wrong word. It’s still a bad idea.”

  “Why are you so opposed?”

  “Because I’ve told you. Repeatedly. I don’t have time.”

  “Yes, and if every busy professional used that as an excuse, no one would ever date or get married, and the population would eventually die off.”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “Melodramatic much?”

  “Fine. I won’t say another word,” Kendall promised. “Just sit and watch, and when it’s all over, if you haven’t had a good time, if you aren’t even a little bit interested, we can forget we ever had this conversation.”

  It sounded like a good enough deal to Riley, so she settled back into her seat. She’d try to relax and have fun. She wasn’t being fixed up with any hockey player, though. No way, no how.

  She sat through the introduction of the Eastern Conference All-Stars, none of whom Riley knew anything about. It wasn’t like she’d ever watched a hockey game before in her life. Then it was time to introduce the All-Stars from the Western Conference, ending with the players representing the home team. Becker first, followed by Casey Denault, who was dating the other woman who’d accompanied them to the game.

  “At defense, from your hometown San Antonio Generals, number forty-seven, Noah Mann!” At the announcement, the crowd let out a loud cheer, and Riley leaned forward in her seat, trying to get a closer look at the guy Kendall seemed to think was perfect for her. He skated to the center of the ice, waved to each side of the arena, then went to join the other players where they all stood.

  “So what do you think?” Kendall wanted to know.

  “I don’t know... it’s a little hard to tell from this far away,” Riley said. “I suppose he’s kind of cute.”

  “He’s a really nice, guy, too,” Casey’s girlfriend said. “I’m working with him to start up a new charity golf event.”

  Riley nodded. “That is nice.” So he was cute, and believed in doing things for charity. That didn’t mean she was going on a date with him.

  The competition began with the fastest skater, which Casey participated in, but didn’t win, then it was time for the Breakaway Challenge, in which players took one-on-one breakaway shots at the goal. Instead of just shooting the puck, though, they also tried to entertain the crowd. That seemed to play to Noah’s strength, and in his first attempt, he fired a beach ball at the goal instead of the puck.

  “He did that move last summer at the camp,” Kendall said. “The kids all loved it.”

  “I’m sure,” Riley said absently. Okay, it was kind of clever, but she wasn’t won over.

  On his second attempt, Noah donned a super hero cape, and Riley’s interest was piqued. Was it? No. Surely not. She peered closer. It was.

  “Who is he dressed as?” Kendall asked. “I know it’s not Superman. The color is wrong.”

  “It’s Hyperion,” Riley said.

  Kendall frowned. “I’ve never heard of him, and I have a ten-year-old. I feel like a failure as a mother.”

  Riley laughed. “Relax. Plenty of people don’t know Hyperion.” She did, because she knew her superheroes. And so, apparently, did Noah, which meant Riley was officially intrigued.

  “Okay, you win,” she told Kendall. “I’d like to meet this guy after all.”

  ***

  The Breakaway Challenge was less about hockey shots than it was about entertaining the crowd, and Noah did his best to oblige. For some of the guys, that meant trick shots, for others it meant costumes and disguises. Noah tried a little bit of both. The beach ball shot was an old favorite, but he knew he could do better, and that was why he brought out the superhero for his next attempt. Not just any superhero, though. No, he went with Hyperion, whom he figured half the audience didn’t know. There was a reason for the choice, though, and the move garnered big applause, even if people might not recognize the cape. He then did a basic spin-o-rama move for his last attempt, and hoped it was enough and that the hometown crowd would vote him to victory.

  Sure enough, when all the fan votes were in, Noah was declared the winner of the Breakaway Challenge. It meant a point for the Western Conference, but more importantly, he won a new car. He didn’t need a car, but Noah wanted to win it. He had big plans for that car, and when he was interviewed by the television crew after the presentation, he let the fans know.

  Even though he wasn’t a fan of public speaking, Noah was happy to take the microphone for this. “First, I want to say thanks to the all the fans here in the arena, and those watching at home, for voting for me, and thanks to our sponsors for the car, which I will be donating to the youth center here in San Antonio. I’ve had a chance to visit before, and see firsthand the work they do, and it’s something I believe a lot in and want to support,” he said. “Besides, they need a new car a lot more than I do.”

  The last line earned laughter from the fans, and plenty of applause. As Noah finished the interview, he tried to glance into the rows of spectators to see where Kendall sat with the mystery woman he was supposed to meet, but there were too many people and too many cameras. So much for that. He’d have to find out what she looked like when he met for the first time, assuming he agreed to go. He hadn’t committed himself to anything yet.

  Noah also competed in the hardest shot competition, which he knew going into that he wouldn’t win. He liked to believe his shot was hard, and knew plenty of goalies hated to face it, but it wasn’t anywhere close to setting any records. No, his big moment of glory, such that it was, was getting that car for the youth center.

  The Western Conference won the competition, and Noah was glad to have contributed. He got plenty of props from the other guys, especially those on his team, for gifting the car to charity.

  “Congrats, man,” Beck said when they were back in the locker room afterward. “You won her over and she hasn’t even met you yet.”

  Noah frowned. “Won who over?”

  “Riley. C’mon, don’t tell me you forgot. I just got a text from Kendall. Must’ve been the whole charity thing, but Riley’s anxious to meet you.” Beck said. “So hurry up and get changed.”

  “I didn’t do it to impress the girl,” Noah grumbled as he headed off to the shower. “I didn’t agree to go out with her, either.” It wasn’t looking like he had much choice in the matter, though.

  Fifteen minutes later, he stood in front of the mirror combing his hair while Beck tried to hurry him along. “Kendall’s waiting outside with Riley. You’re pretty enough. Let’s go.”

  “Bite me.” Noah shot him a glare, but set the comb back in his locker and put his watch on. “I hate blind dates.” He’d been on two before, and both had been disasters. If this one turned out the same, Noah would make sure Beck didn’t forget it.

  “Yeah, but look at the bright side. You’ll be with Kendall and me,” Beck said. “So if it’s not working out, we’ll know, and we’ll just call it a night.”

  “That might be the one saving grace.” Noah left the locker room with Beck and they went out the players' entrance
. A few yards away, he saw Kendall waiting, along with a petite blonde. Was that the famous Riley? If so, she was, quite possibly, the most beautiful woman Noah had ever seen. “That’s the doctor?”

  Beck chuckled. “Sure is. Bet you’re glad you agreed to this now.”

  Chapter Two

  She might have been too swayed by Hyperion, but Riley loved her superheroes, and especially the obscure ones. Maybe it came from working with kids, or having two young nephews. Or perhaps she was just a geek girl at heart. Either way, Hyperion sealed the deal.

  It also didn’t hurt that Noah opted to donate the car he won to the local youth center. The gesture had prompted more discussion from Casey’s girlfriend, Char, who headed the team’s charity foundation, about all of the things Noah did in the name of helping others. Yes, he definitely sounded like a good guy, but that didn’t stop Riley from second guessing her decision to meet him as she stood with Kendall outside the arena, waiting as various players exited.

  None of them were Becker and Noah, though.

  “Is it too late to back out?” Riley asked, half-joking. Kendall would never go for it. No. Riley was stuck.

  “Yes! I already texted Beck and told him you were anxious to meet Noah.”

  Great. “I didn’t say anxious, exactly,” Riley protested.

  “Whatever. Either way, it’s too late.” Kendall glanced at her phone again. “They should be out in just a minute.”

  Nope. There would be no backing out. The next time the door opened, it was Beck that exited. Riley had met him a few times when he’d accompanied Kendall to her daughter’s medical appointments. The guy with him must be Noah, looking quite a bit different than he had from a distance and dressed in hockey gear.

  Now he wore gray dress slacks paired with a blue shirt that was open at the collar. His hair was dark, and slightly damp, and hung over his forehead. He was tall, about the same size as Beck, and walked with a purposeful stride. As they approached, and Beck leaned in to kiss Kendall’s cheek, Noah gave Riley an uncertain smile.

  ‘I’m not sure why I’m doing this, or what I’m getting into,’ it seemed to say. Something Riley could relate to. He had a nice smile, though, with a bit of a dimple, and green eyes. Face to face, there was no denying it. He was cute. Very cute.