BITE THE ICE

  A LAKESHORE U PREQUEL STORY

  L A COTTON

  Published by Delesty Books

  BITE THE ICE

  Copyright © L. A. Cotton 2022

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

  Edited by Kate Newman

  Proofread by Sisters Get Lit.erary Author Services

  CONTENTS

  Lakeshore U

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  LAKESHORE U

  Bite the Ice

  A Lakeshore U Prequel Story

  Ice Burn

  A Lakeshore U Story

  Break the Ice

  A Lakeshore U Story

  BITE THE ICE

  A LAKESHORE U PREQUEL

  When Ella Henshaw agrees to attend the annual Bite the Ice party at Laker House with her best friend, she knows it's a bad idea. Especially, since it’s a hockey party and she swore off hockey players a long time ago.

  Enter Connor Morgan.

  Handsome. Confident. With enough persistence to wear down even the most stubborn heart, he’s determined to win over the girl he hurt in freshman year.

  When he finds Ella at his team’s annual Halloween party, it’s his opportunity to finally make his move.

  He’s the hockey player who broke her heart. She’s the girl he let slip through his fingers.

  But can Connor persuade Ella to give him one more chance?

  Or will she always be his biggest regret?

  CHAPTER 1

  CONNOR

  “Fuck yes, this place looks amazing.” Noah grinned as he surveyed the house.

  It did look pretty dope. The team had turned the place into a living, breathing scare house, and I couldn’t wait to see everyone’s reactions to our annual Bite the Ice festivities.

  It was a team tradition. Every Halloween, the Lakeshore U hockey team transformed Lakers House into the biggest, baddest scare house in town.

  “Check this out.” I slung my arm around his shoulder and steered him toward the downstairs bathroom door. He frowned at me, and I smirked, “Open it.”

  Noah rolled his eyes, grabbing the handle and yanking. Wispy tendrils of smoke poured out of the door, a witch’s cackle filling the hall as green and white lights flashed from deep within the black void.

  “Now that is fucking creepy.”

  “You’re telling me. Took Austin and Linc all day to rig that up. You got a costume?” I asked him.

  “Relax, I picked something up.”

  “Good because if Kellan sees you slacking, he’ll make you do lightning drills until your legs fall off.”

  “He needs to lighten the fuck up.”

  Kellan was our captain, and he took his job very seriously. Even more so since it was his final year with the team.

  And no one loved to give him shit more than our hotheaded rookie, Noah Holden.

  “Incoming,” someone yelled, and we turned to find Austin and Linc limping a wooden barrel through the house.

  “What the fuck?” Noah asked.

  “For apple bobbing.”

  “Naked apple bobbing,” Austin corrected with a smirk.

  “Sounds like my kind of bobbing for apples.” Noah held out his fist for Austin, and the two of them laughed. “I sense a lot of pussy in our future. Girls love this shit. The fear and adrenaline—”

  “And alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.” Austin grinned. “It’s going to be good times. Good fucking times.”

  “Hey, maybe Con will end his dry spell,” Noah said, and they all looked at me expectantly.

  “Fuck off. I told you, it’s a new thing I’m trying.”

  “Has it shriveled up and fallen off yet?”

  “No, but your dick will if you keep going bareback, Holden.”

  “Rule number one, bro,” Linc added. “Wrap it before you tap it.”

  “Fuck off. It was once, and I didn’t know she had chlamydia.”

  Laughter rumbled in my chest. Noah Holden was a force to be reckoned with.

  “I’m going to see if the guys need any help upstairs,” I said. “Try not to wreck the place before the party gets started.”

  “Sure thing, Dad,” Noah called after me as I headed down the hall.

  The guys liked to give me shit for being the responsible one—at least, more fucking responsible than most of them—but I didn’t mind. I’d done my fair share of partying during freshman year and the first half of sophomore year. But there was more to life than getting wasted and fucking anything in a skirt.

  I followed the voices down to the end of the hall and poked my head around the door.

  “Ah, Morgan, just the guy we need. Get in here,” Kellan said.

  “What’s up, Cap?”

  “This dipshit”—he motioned to Mason—“thought it would be a good idea to rig up a strobe light in here, but he blew the fuse.”

  “Here, let me take a look.” I went over to them and took the plug from Kellan. “I should be able to fix this.”

  “Knew we could count on you, Morgan,” he said. “How are the guys getting on downstairs?”

  “It’s all coming together.”

  “You got yourself a costume? I don’t want any slackers this year.”

  “Don’t worry, Cap. I understood the assignment.” I winked, and he flipped me off.

  “Who knows, Morgan,” Mase said with a smirk. “Maybe tonight will be your lucky night, and you’ll end your dry spell.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with abstaining,” Kellan said with a fatherly nod. “Especially so early in the season.”

  “I beg to differ, Cap. If I go more than a few days without sex, it throws my whole game out of whack.”

  “You have game?”

  “Ouch,” Kellan snorted, and Mase flipped us both off.

  “And on that note, I’m outta here. I’ll see you two assholes tonight.”

  We watched him disappear into the hall. “We’ll need to keep our eyes on Noah and him this season.” Kellan let out a heavy sigh. “The last thing we need is two out-of-control rookies.”

  “Mason is good people.”

  “He is, but he’s easily influenced, and Holden is—”

  “A bad influence.”

  “Potentially.” Kellan ran a hand over his jaw. “I don’t want anything to screw this season up.”

  “It won’t.”

  So, some of the guys liked to play hard and party harder. Coach Tucker ran a tight program. So long as it didn’t interfere with your performance on the ice or cast a negative light on the team, he was most happy to stay out of our personal lives.

  “You’re a good, solid guy, Con. I’m glad I get to do this year with you by my side.”

  “Shit, Cap, don’t go getting all emotional on me. We haven’t won anything yet.”

  “No, but I have a good feeling about this season.”

  “A-fucking-men.” We bumped fists.

  “Can I leave you to sort this out while I go check on the others? Noah is probably already drinking tonight’s stash.”

  “Sure thing. Leave it with me.”

  Kellan gave me a small nod before making for the door. But he paused at the last second and glanced back. “You know, she’s out there,” he said cryptically.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said with a coy smile.

  “Sure, you don’t.” Silent laughter danced in his eyes as he slipped into the hall.

  Truth was, I’d already met her.

  The girl.

  The one who I wanted more with.

  There was just one huge fucking problem—she wanted nothing to do with me.

  CHAPTER 2

  ELLA

  “No, absolutely not.” I held up my hands, trying to avoid my roommate’s attempt at Halloween-ing me. “I hate Halloween.”

  “I know, I know. And if it weren’t for Jolie getting sick, I wouldn’t ask. But there’s this party, and I really want to go,” Mila pouted, flashing me her best puppy-dog impression.

  “Where is this party?”

  “Uh… Greek row,” she rushed out.

  “No. No way.” I leapt up and headed for the bathroom we shared. “Absolutely not.”

  “Come on, El. You have to come. Everyone’s going to be there, and I really want to see Noah. We talked again yesterday. He said he liked my boots.”

  “He was probably imagining you in nothing but said boots,” I called over my shoulder. “Noah Holden is one of the biggest players on campus.”

  “And the hottest.”

  “I beg to differ,” I murmured under my breath.

  Noah was hot in that cocky, arrogant, and knows it kind of way. But he flaunted it too much. Smiling and smirking at any girl who crossed his path. The guy only had to blink, and girls fell to their knees, offering to worship him at the altar of his impressive dick if the rumors were to be believed.

  I preferred my guys a little less obvious. Not that any of the Lakers hockey players were.

  Hockey at Lakeshore U was religion. And everyone worshiped their holy gods.

  Not me, though.

  I had no intention of ever becoming a puck bunny. Not since freshman year, when I made the fatal error of sleeping with Connor Morgan.

  After a handful of dates, I’d thought we had a deep, meaningful connection. But apparently, he thought we’d reached our expiration date and wanted to go out with a bang.

  Literally.

  God, I could still remember how mortifying it felt to wake up in his bed only to discover he’d left me a note. A fucking note saying that he’d had fun and that I could stick around and help myself to breakfast. Like I wanted to stick around and make nice with his housemates after being completely humiliated.

  I promised myself that day that I would never get tangled up with a hockey player again. And two years later, here I was. Sticking true to my word.

  The Lakeshore U Lakers were a pretty bunch, easy on the eyes and great on the ice, but beyond that, I had no desire to get up close and personal with any of them. Least of all, at some costume party at the team’s house on Greek row.

  Connor didn’t live there; most of the junior and senior players didn’t. But it was still Lakers HQ and the regular spot for their parties and general debauchery.

  Mila stuck her head around the door, meeting my eyes in the mirror. “Don’t you think it’s time you let the whole Connor thing go?”

  “This has nothing to do with Connor.”

  “Sure, it doesn’t.” She rolled her eyes. “You’ve both dated other people since. You’ve had at least two relationships, El.”

  “And that’s supposed to somehow negate the fact that he led me on for an entire month only to have sex with me and then dump me? With a note, I might add.”

  “Yeah, okay, you have a point. The note was a dick move. But he was a freshman. They do dumb shit. He’s not that guy anymore. I’ve heard he doesn’t mess around as much now.”

  “Good for him,” bitterness coated my voice.

  “El, come on. You were both young. It was freshman year.”

  She didn’t know the truth. How could she when I’d never told a soul before? But I gave myself to Connor that night.

  I was a virgin, and I trusted him with my body—and heart.

  And he crushed me.

  “I don’t care about Connor,” I said, feeling the lie snake through me.

  “So then, there’s no reason not to come to the party. It’s junior year, babe. We need to party while we still can before classes get too intense. You know the team rigged up the house with all these booby traps and scary decorations. It’ll be fun.”

  “Mila…”

  “El.” Her pout grew. “Aren’t you at least a little bit curious about Connor and what he’s like now?”

  I knew enough about Connor Morgan to last me a lifetime, but she wasn’t going to let it drop.

  Mila was stubborn to boot. And maybe she had a point. Two years had passed. I didn’t have to avoid the hockey team forever. He probably didn’t even remember me.

  My stomach dipped.

  How depressing.

  Connor probably didn’t even remember me, and I’d spent the last two years comparing every guy I dated to my first and only time with him.

  “Fine,” I said. “I’ll come. But I need a costume.”

  “Did you think I’d brought the cat ears for fun?” Mila grinned, tugging me back into the living room. “This is going to be so much fun.”

  “Fun, yeah,” I murmured. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  “So negative.” She stuck out her tongue at me. “I have a good feeling about tonight, El. Maybe you’ll finally meet your prince.”

  I highly doubted that was possible at a frat house full of drunken, immoral hockey players.

  But I didn’t argue.

  Instead, I accepted the costume from Mila and begrudgingly changed into it. If I was going to grace the Lakers House with my presence, I was going to look damn hot doing it.

  We didn’t even make it to the door before we were intercepted by a zombie hockey player. He slung his arm around Mila, and she giggled up at him.

  “Meow, who’s your friend?” His eyes were trained on me, not her.

  “Oh, this is El.”

  “Nice outfit.”

  “Thanks.” My lips thinned as I scanned the scene before me. People all dressed to be someone—or something—else spilled out of the house, music pouring out the door and windows. Skeletons hung from the porch, fake cobwebs strung up in the corners, stretching to the front door. It was effective; I’d give them that. But anyone could grab a few supplies from Target and turn their house into a place of nightmares.

  “Unimpressed?” he asked me.

  “It looks great.” I shot him a saccharine smile.

  “Is Noah inside?” Mila asked.

  “Uh, Holden is around.” The guy’s eyes flared with something.

  “Around? What does that mean?”

  “It means he’s around.” He grinned, letting his glassy eyes fall down my body. It had been a while since I’d had the attention of a guy, but it did little for me.

  He was a hockey player, and I was… so not interested. Besides, these guys fucked anything in a skirt. It wasn’t exactly a confidence booster to pass their questionable standards.

  “I need a drink,” I said, making for the door.

  “See you around.” Mila joined me, giving me a smile. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  She rang the skull and crossbones door knocker, and the door swung open, revealing the grim reaper. “Welcome to Bite the Ice.” He handed us a glass of bright green liquid.

  “I’m not drinking that,” I said.

  “Suit yourself.” He shrugged, snatching my glass back. “Shall we?” His gaze fixed on Mila.

  “On three,” she grinned.

  “Ma—”

  “One. Two. Three.” They both downed the mysterious drink, and Mila chuckled.

  “It’s just punch, El.”

  “El?” The guy narrowed his eyes at me. “Ella Henshaw?”

  “Yeah, what of it?”

  “Connor’s El?”

  “Excuse me?” My stomach plummeted into my toes.

  “I… uh, nothing. Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

  My gaze slid to Mila in question, and she shrugged. “Come on. I want to find Noah.”

  The grim reaper let us past, and we slipped into the smoky shadows.

  “Wow, they really went all out,” I said over the music as I surveyed the house.

  The place was crowded, girls and guys pressed in close, drinking, dancing, making out in dark corners.

  A flash of heat went through me. It had been a while since I’d been to a party like this. I tended to avoid the college party scene, preferring drinks with the girls and dancing at one of the downtown bars.

  Mila grabbed my hand and tugged me further down the hall into the huge open-plan kitchen. A loud cheer went up in the air, and I instantly found the source of the commotion.

  A beer pong table had been set up on the opposite side of the room, in front of the open patio doors that led to the impressive yard.

  The guys weren’t throwing regular balls, though; they were playing with eyeballs, complete with dangling optic nerves.

  “That is… ew,” Mila chuckled. “Shall we get a drink?”

  “Something in a bottle,” I said, and she frowned. “Come on, El. The guys don’t let anyone do that shit.”

  I shrugged. “You can’t be too careful.” And the last thing I wanted was to end up roofied at a frat party I didn’t want to be at in the first place.

  “You need to learn to live a little, girl,” Mila smirked. “You also need to get back on the horse.”

  “Mila,” I hissed, glancing around to make sure no one could hear her.

  “You haven’t had sex since Rich if you can call it sex.”

 

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