Dean (Face-Off 6)

Chapter One

Dean

The first time I met Kat Baldwin, I sat in a cold rink, palms sweaty and afraid to speak to her. I’d never been intimidated by a girl before I met her. But Kat isn’t an ordinary girl. She’s the daughter of Nick Baldwin, the professional hockey player I have idolized for most of my life.

Kat skates down the ice, with a few girls in tow, switching the puck to her right as the winger comes up on her left side. They collide against the boards, and Kat scrambles to maintain possession of the puck. She elbows the girl in her jaw to create some distance between them. Luckily for Kat, the linesman doesn’t catch the hit.

While Kat has her father’s skating and puck-handling abilities, she also has her older brothers’ scrappiness. Duke and Austin Baldwin are two of the best defensive players in the NHL. I see a lot of them in Kat. No matter how many games of hers I watch, I’m still in awe of her, smiling from the stands like an idiot that she’s my best friend… and the one girl I can never have.

Over three years ago, my teammates laughed and told me I was crazy for seeking out Kat. When I’d heard that Nick’s daughter made the women’s ice hockey team at Strickland University, I had to see for myself if she lived up to the Baldwin name. She didn’t disappoint, not even a little bit. The next year, her younger brothers joined my team and then moved into the house I share with my teammates, which complicated my plans for Kat.

Theo stands up, shoves two fingers in his mouth, and whistles. “C’mon, Kit-Kat.”

Travis, his identical twin, shoots up from his chair and starts clapping for his sister, yelling shit about crushing the competition. Not like Kat can hear them from the ice. She’s in the zone, her eyes on the puck and headed toward the net.

I laugh at these idiots. Much like her two older brothers, Kat’s younger brothers love her fiercely. They’re so overprotective that I never stood a chance with Kat. All of them made it abundantly clear that I’m not allowed to touch Kat. Not allowed to kiss Kat. Or think about her in appropriate ways. At first, I wanted just friendship from Kat. But as the years pass, I find myself wanting her more each day.

“Oooh,” Travis says, nudging Theo in the arm with his elbow. “Did you see that shot? Damn, Kit-Kat.”

Theo cups his hands around his mouth and yells. “That’s my sister.”

They’re so damn loud the people sitting around us look over at Theo and Travis. The Baldwin twins take after their father with their height, lean, muscular build, and dark features. A few of the girls several rows in front of us are staring over their shoulders at them and licking their lips. The pretty redhead with big tits flags Theo down. He glances over at Travis, who gives him the go-ahead with the tip of his head.

“We’ll be back,” Theo says to me.

A mischievous smirk turns up the corner of Travis’ mouth as he winks.

The twins hop over the seats in front of us. Theo slides his arm across the back of the redhead’s neck. Travis sandwiches himself between two blondes to their right, pulling one of them onto his lap. If Kat were here, she would lose her shit. She’s constantly yelling at her brothers for how they act with women. I’m supposed to “watch over them” for her. But there’s no way I’m telling Theo and Travis not to have fun. If I weren’t so damn in love with my best friend, I would be down there with them right now.

After the game ends, I wait by the rink entrance for Kat as the Strickland Senators smack the hands of their opponents. Kat was the sole reason for this win at home. She dominated every second she was on the ice.

I call out to Kat as she exits the ice. She cocks her head in my direction and rolls her eyes when I hold up my hand and gesture for her to come over with my index finger.

“Did you just beckon me?” She rips off her gloves and holds them against her navy-and-white jersey.

I shove my hands into my pockets and shrug, giving her one of my boyish smiles that make it impossible for her to be mad at me. “Umm… I guess so.”

“You should know by now not to treat me like a puck bunny. I’m not your beck and call girl, Dean.” A hint of a smirk crosses her lips. She loves to give me shit. Isn’t that what best friends are for? “Don’t point your finger at me and expect me to come running over,” she finishes.

The corners of my mouth turn up into a wicked grin. “But you did,” I point out.

“No, don’t do that.” She shakes her head. “Dirty Dean doesn’t work on me.”

I laugh at her comment.

She’s used to women giving me more attention than I can handle. On plenty of occasions, I’ve gotten shitfaced and done stupid shit that has earned me the nickname Dirty Dean from Kat. Whenever I act like an ass, she’s quick to let me know that my alter ego has come out to play.

“C’mon, Baldwin.” Kat’s coach yells from behind her. “Let’s get a move on.”

Kat glances over her shoulder and says okay before turning her focus back to me. “I have to go before Coach gives me shit. Did you want something?”

I shake my head. “Nah, I just wanted to say good game and tell you to get ready. We’re going out later.”

Her eyebrows rise. “Oh, is that so? I didn’t realize you keep my social calendar.”

“What were you planning to do tonight?”