My Hockey God Hated Me, Then Begged for Me

Elena Vance flees a fight with her parents over her figure skating and flies straight to her brother Kane's city. Kane, a player on the Ivy League hockey team, smuggles her into the locker room before practice. The second his teammates spot her, the teasing starts—until the door slams open and Grady, the team captain, walks in. The room goes dead silent. Grady's dominance on the ice is legendary, his face belongs on a magazine cover, and he has been Elena's idol. But his personality is ice-cold. He spots her skates on the floor, grabs them, and tosses them carelessly into a locker. "This isn't a figure skating rink," he says. "Keep your gear and all those fancy little tricks out of the way." Elena's anger ignites. She steps forward, slams the locker shut with a sharp bang, and meets his eyes. "Thanks," she says. "But they're not tricks, Grady. That's called strength." He pauses, visibly caught off guard by the kind of power figure skaters train for. Later, he corners her with a list of rules: keep her distance, stay out of his sight, stop dressing like that. She mutters "whatever" under her breath. But in her pocket, her phone buzzes nonstop. Her online boyfriend—sweet, obsessive, and hopelessly devoted—is spamming her with voice messages and money transfers, begging her not to ignore him.

He calls her "Babe" and "my sweetheart," sends photos of his sharply defined abs in a hockey jersey, and pleads to finally meet in person. Elena has turned him down ten times, insecure about her appearance, but he swears he will love her at first sight no matter what. That night, she has a nightmare. She dreams she finally agrees to meet him at the VIP lounge of the hockey rink. A hand taps her shoulder. She whirls around, full of anticipation—and finds Grady backing her into a corner, bracing his arms on either side of her, leaning down. She jolts awake, trembling. Something about the background in her boyfriend's abs photo looked eerily similar to the training center bathroom. The thought gnaws at her, unsettling and impossible to shake. That evening, Kane tells her Grady is taking everyone out for dinner. He gets held back by the coach, so Grady picks her up himself. He orders her into the backseat and explains that the front passenger seat is reserved for his future girlfriend. When Elena says she must be really pretty, Grady goes quiet for a moment. "She's a bit shy," he says. "We haven't met in person yet. But I'm sure no matter what she looks like, I'll still love her." Elena, sitting in the back of his Porsche, has no idea she just heard him describe herself.