Most Desirable Player (Face-Off Legacy/Campus Kings 7)

After Julian skates away, Shannon leans over my armrest. “Maybe you two will get back together.”

I shake my head and leave it at that.

Thankfully, she doesn’t ask any more questions about Julian and my current or previous relationship with him. She cheers on her boyfriend, who waves to her as he skates past us down the ice. I get lost in the sea of jerseys. With Penn State wearing the same colors as Strickland University, it’s hard to spot the Senators from the Nittany Lions. If not for the announcer clarifying which team scored, I would be super lost.

Bex yells when another goal horn sounds throughout the arena. She raises her arms above her head and waves them in the air with a bright smile plastered on her face. The crowd goes wild, people cheering and chanting for the home team. I forgot how electric sporting events are on campus.

Shannon bumps her elbow into mine, sending a jolt of pain up my arm. “Julian scored again,” she says. “He’s one goal away from a hat trick.”

A what trick?

I rub the ache in my elbow, cupping it with my hand. “Yeah, that’s great.”

I have no idea what she’s talking about.

Note to self: Google hat trick.

A few minutes later, one of the teams score again, though I have no idea which one, seeing as I s

till can’t tell the difference between the players’ jerseys. But it becomes clear when the announcer says Julian’s name over the loudspeaker. He’s responsible for the goal this time. People are screaming. The announcer is shouting something over them. It’s a mess of lights and sounds and obnoxiousness that’s making me claustrophobic.

“He did it,” Shannon shouts in my ear.

“Who did what?” I’m so damn confused.

Shannon doesn’t hear me.

Seconds later, ball caps, shirts, and random shit are thrown in the air. What the hell is wrong with these people? Julian’s teammates crowd around him, taking turns slapping each other’s backs and the tops of their helmets. The second my eyes meet Julian’s I smile. I wish I knew what a hat trick meant. That would make this a little more exciting for me.

But before I can process the look he’s giving me, or the tiny bumps it causes to dot my arms, something hits me hard on the side of my head like a Mac truck driving into my skull. The entire room starts spinning, my stomach turning in the process. I blink a few times to clear the blurry black dots clouding my vision.

“Briana, oh, my God,” Shannon says in my ear the second before I lose consciousness.

Chapter Nine

Briana

When I open my eyes, my head is pounding. There’s a thick blanket beneath me, the fabric somewhat scratchy against my skin. My tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth, which is too dry to form saliva. I blink a few times, the fluorescent lights above my head blinding me.

“She’s awake.” His voice sounds familiar, but I’m too groggy to place it. “Doc, get over here.”

His arrogance reminds me of someone. And I know before I roll over onto my side that I will see Julian staring down at me.

“What the…” In addition to Julian, three more broad-shouldered men with muscles bulging from everywhere are looking down at me—Knox, Nash, and Harker. Of course, they are by his side.

“Briana, I’m Dr. Carter,” an older man with grayish black hair says, stepping into my blurred vision. “Do you know what happened?”

I look at him, still confused as to how I ended up in the middle of what appears to be a locker room and on a long wooden bench that’s large enough to sleep on. “Umm... No, not really.”

“Do you remember where you were last?”

“A stupid hockey game,” I mutter.

The players behind him snicker at my comment.

“Do you remember the last thing that happened before you blacked out?” Dr. Carter asks.

I glance up at the players surrounding me, my eyes fixed on Julian. My mouth twists in disgust when his green irises meet mine. Fucking bastard. I’m in excruciating pain because of him, forced to come to his game. Seething mad, I hate him with every ounce of my being. This is his fault. If he hadn’t scored the goal that sent the rink into complete chaos, people wouldn’t have thrown shit into the air. And I wouldn’t be in this damn locker room right now.