Free Melting Ice by Jami Davenport

lecture from Izzy on safe sex.
    If Izzy read the guilt on her face, she didn’t show it. “The Sockeyes got him on a trade last week to replace an injured defenseman.”
    “Sockeyes?” Avery’s breath caught in her throat. Oh, crap, no, he couldn’t be a teammate of Cooper’s.
    “Yes.” Izzy studied her closely. “You sure you haven’t met him? Good looking guy, talented player, but all attitude.”
    That pretty much summed him up. “No, haven’t had the pleasure.”
    “Well, stay away from him. He’s bad news. Been involved in all kinds of scandals. Rumor has it this is his last chance in the NHL. Despite how talented he is, no one else wants to take a chance on him. He’s disruptive and selfish. Cooper says Isaac rips the soul right out of a team.”
    “Cooper doesn’t like him?” Avery gnawed on a fingernail, an annoying nervous habit she couldn’t curb.
    “Not one damn bit, but so far Isaac is keeping his nose clean and staying out of trouble. He’s not exactly personable but like Cooper says, they didn’t hire him to be Miss Congeniality. And you know Coach. He thinks he’s a regular miracle worker.”
    “Well, I’ll be sure to stay away from him,” Avery assured her sister, as she concentrated on shoveling shit.
    “I doubt you’ll have to worry about him. I can’t imagine him going near a horse barn. He’s a city boy.”
    “I’m sure you’re right.”
    Izzy gave her another look, as if trying to figure out what Avery was hiding. Finally she shrugged and headed toward the apartment. “See you later,” she called over her shoulder.
    “Later.”
    Avery emptied the wheelbarrow onto the manure pile and started on the next stall, fretting about what kind of mess she’d gotten herself into this time.
     
    * * * *
     
    Isaac laced up his skates, emotionally distanced from the lively banter around him. The guys avoided his space as if crime scene tape was draped around his locker. Many of them glanced his way, while others pointedly ignored him, especially Tom Glanden, his former best friend and current biggest enemy. Isaac kept his head down and pretended they didn’t exist. Opening his mouth always got him in trouble.
    He couldn’t help but notice almost every one of these idiots had a tattoo of a blue and green fish standing on its tail with the Space Needle hooked in its mouth. Most of the tats were on their biceps, and when the guys flexed, the fish bloated like a beached whale. Those that didn’t have room for the tattoo on their arms had it elsewhere. One guy even had it on his ass. These guys were nuts. Who tattooed their team mascot on their bodies when they could be traded or sent to the minors any day of the week? The only way you’d ever catch Isaac doing that was if he won the Cup.
    Cooper sat down next to him and nudged him with a shoulder. Isaac forced himself not to move away or show any weakness. Instead he held his ground, ignoring the fact that the team captain breeched the crime scene tape and invaded his personal space. He hated being touched, even friendly slaps on the back. The only time he tolerated touching was during sex.
    “I hear you’re renting Brad Reynolds’s country house.” Cooper watched him; despite his friendly tone, his eyes were anything but friendly, more like suspicious and distrustful.
    “Yeah.”
    “My fiancée’s sisters live in the apartment on the horse farm next door. Maybe you’ve met them?”
    Isaac shrugged, noncommittally, and grunted something unintelligible. Cooper stared at him, and Isaac stared right back, unblinking.
    “They’re twins.”
    Again Isaac didn’t respond.
    “They’re nice girls. I’m warning you right now to stay away from them, or I’ll hang you by your balls and castrate you with a dull knife.” Cooper’s tone was conversational, but his warning wasn’t.
    “Duly noted.” Isaac shrugged and went back to lacing his skates. Cooper sat there for a moment longer then returned to his own locker.
    Crap.