Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Hope’s POV

“It feels like forever since the last time I saw you, little Hope,” Desmond greeted.

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I felt his arm wrap around my shoulder, and normally, I would have had the energy to banter with him. But all I could’ manage was a small smile, especially when Connor walked in looking as though he hadn’t just said the most outrageous things to me.

“Hey, stop that,” I heard Scott chime in from behind us. “Your new model girlfriend might get jealous.”

Desmond removed his arm from around me and clicked his tongue. “I told you, she’s not my girlfriend. We just slept together. I made sure to make that clear to her.”

“It doesn’t look clear to me,” Spencer chuckled, enjoying Desmond’s suffering. “She went live and said the two of you are in

love.”

Desmond massaged the bridge of his nose.

“Fuck. I shouldn’t have slept with her. I already regret it.”

“Where’s our lover boy?” Forest asked the moment he entered the locker room.

The players burst into laughter, but I merely smiled before moving to the side to prepare.

“Are you okay?”

I turned and found Lia looking at me with concern. Although she didn’t look too great herself.

I could guess why.

From the way she glanced at Desmond with melancholic eyes, she clearly wasn’t taking the news about Desmond’s new girl well. Honestly, neither was I. I had been rooting for Lia and Desmond!

Still, Lia was kind enough to ask about me when she wasn’t feeling okay herself.

“Yeah, just nervous,” I muttered.

“Right.” She offered me a shaky smile. “Today’s the day Levi gets back to playing. Has he been doing well? He really hasn’t touched a hockey stick ever since, which is a miracle in itself.”

I ran my fingers through my hair.

“His injuries are definitely better, but we could have done more hockey-related exercises. I’m worried his body might have forgotten some things.”

She nudged my shoulder lightly.

“You still did your best. The fact that he didn’t retaliate means he really needed that rest.”

I gave her a small smile, but it quickly disappeared when Levi finally arrived.

Crap.

Was he always this attractive in my eyes?

He was only wearing his hockey pants and an undershirt, but somehow, he looked ridiculously handsome.

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Chapter 75

The devil sitting on my shoulder chose that exact moment to speak.

I told you to just sleep with him. This one hunky human deserves to be tasted by you.’

I swallowed hard and looked away.

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I could feel him glancing at me from time to time, but I didn’t dare hold his gaze. My heart was racing far too fast and beating far too loudly.

At that moment, Coach Dennis and Delaney entered the locker room.

“Levi is going to be playing center after a break,” Dennis announced, glancing at Levi, who was already purting on his uniform. “Do you think you can handle the game again?”

“Since when have I not handled the game?” Levi asked.

His teammates erupted with reactions.

“Confident, aren’t we?” Forest smirked. “We’ve improved during the two weeks you weren’t here. You might lag behind since you haven’t played in a while.”

Levi’s smirk remained firmly in place, and I mentally scolded myself for finding it attractive.

“Even if I stopped playing for a year, I’d still play better than you.”

The locker room exploded.

“Ouch!”

“Damn!”

“Someone call an ambulance!”

“I kind of missed this cockiness from Levi,” Scott admitted. “I can’t believe I’m saying that.”

“It’s not cockiness. It’s confidence,” Levi replied.

“I’m stealing that line,” Desmond said as he picked up his hockey stick and prepared to head out. “How do you say cool things all the time?”

Levi simply smirked again.

And, despite myself, I smiled.

For someone who claimed to dislike people in general, Levi actually had a good relationship with his teammates. They teased one another constantly, but there was an undeniable trust between them.

For a brief second, our eyes met.

Heat rushed into my cheeks, but I looked away before he could notice.

Unfortunately, my gaze landed on Connor.

He looked like he had swallowed something rotten. No. It looked worse than that. It looked like he wanted to do something

rotten.

His hands trembled slightly as he clenched them into fists.

The sight lasted only a second before his expression smoothed over again, making me wonder if I had imagined it.

Chapter 75

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“Let’s see how you are now,” Dennis said with a smile. “The original lineup will be playing against the new players.”

I felt the atmosphere in the room grow more competitive.

“So Connor will take the center role against Levi.”

Connor merely nodded.

With that, everyone headed toward the ice rink to prepare for the mock game before the first official game the day after

tomorrow.

“It’s basically to see who’s better between the new players and the old ones,” Lia explained as we walked side by side. “Forest, the twins, Desmond, and Levi have been part of the original lineup for a while now, while the fifth-man role changes from time to time.”

“Even though they’ve already proven themselves to the team, Coach Dennis still checks whether anyone has improved enough to take their spots.”

I nodded. I was familiar with the concept.

The moment we arrived at the bench, the players were already making their way onto the ice.

Coach Dennis would serve as the referee, meaning the players were completely on their own when it came to strategy.

Forest gathered his team and began discussing something, Every player around him looked serious and ready, but I found myself only watching Levi.

The second the whistle blew, the game exploded into motion. And Levi had the puck almost instantly. My mouth fell open.

It happened so fast that I nearly missed it. One second, the puck was free. The next, it belonged to him. Levi surged forward like he had never stopped playing. Like his injuries had never existed.

Levi slipped between his defenders with effortless control, every action perfectly evaluated.

Everyone could see it.

Levi was back. Actually, it felt like he had never left.

A surge of excitement shot through me. Honestly, I had questioned whether we had done enough. However, right now, Levi looked completely in his element.

The opposing players tried to close the distance. Connor was among them.

For a split second, their eyes met before Levi accelerated. The move was so sudden that even I nearly lost track of him.

The puck remained glued to his stick. The sound of the puck striking the back of the net echoed through the rink.

Goal!