Breaking the Ice (Men of the Ice, #7)

by Michele Shriver

  “It’ll be fine,” Riley said.

  “You don’t know that. Have you even met this guy?”

  “No,” Riley admitted, shaking her head. “I don’t know Trenton, but I do know Noah, and I trust him. I think this is going to go well.”

  “And if it doesn’t?” Lauren wanted to know.

  “Then the guy’s a jerk, and he doesn’t deserve you,” Riley said. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, though.” She smiled at Lauren. “Come on. You’re pretty, and sweet, and fun to be around, and smart, too.”

  “And fat...”

  “You’re not fat. Stop saying that.”

  “Whatever.” Lauren tugged on her favorite black boots, then gave herself a final once-over in the mirror. The tunic top did have a slimming effect, and she was having a good hair day, as her light brown hair fell to her shoulders just the way she wanted it to. She might not like her body much, but she at least she had good hair. “Let’s do this, before I lose my nerve.”

  ***

  Trenton Majest had no idea what he got himself into. He’d played golf only four times in his life—and badly each time. Yet here he was, at the San Antonio Golf Club, helping to launch his teammate’s charity golf venture. And not only that, he was somehow expected to entertain Noah’s girlfriend’s colleague, as well.

  If he died now, it might be less awkward, but that didn’t seem to be an option. Trenton was still breathing, and Noah had left him conspicuously alone—after little more than a cursory introduction— with a woman whom he guessed was his blind date. Trenton hated blind dates, and he had no idea what to say to her. Thanks for nothing, Noah. “So,” he began awkwardly, “your name is Lauren, right?” Not the most auspicious of beginnings.

  She nodded. “Yes. Lauren Chase. I’m a nurse.”

  He nodded. Good profession. He liked nurses, at least most of the ones he’d met, which admittedly wasn’t very many. “Trenton Majest, though most everyone calls me Trent. I play hockey. Sometimes.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  Trenton hesitated. “I mean, I play, but not as much as I’d like. I warm the bench a lot. Or I sit in the nacho box.” Lately, it had been more of that.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what that term means.”

  “Yeah, it’s a hockey thing.” Trenton shoved his hands in the pockets of his gray Dockers. “It’s what we say about healthy scratches. We’re not injured, but not dressed for the game, either. We don’t even warm the bench as subs. We sit in the press box, dressed in our pretty suits.”

  “And eat nachos?”

  “Occasionally.” Trenton’s hands dug deeper in his pockets as he looked at the ground. The truth was, he hated nachos, and he hated sitting in that box. He tilted his head up, meeting her eyes. “I don’t know what you expected out of this, but if you thought you were meeting an All-Star, it’s not me.”

  “To be honest, I didn’t expect much of anything.” Lauren reached for a strand of her hair, twisting it around her finger. “I hope you weren’t expecting a skinny girl, because, well...”

  Her voice trailed off, and Trenton looked at her—really looked at her—for the first time. He’d been caught so caught up in his own doubts about the afternoon, but now he studied her. She had dark blond hair, worn long and straight, and brown eyes. As for the rest of her, the word curvy came to mind, although other people might not be as kind in their assessment. She didn’t come right out and say it, but Trenton suspected Lauren’s weight was an issue for her. He had a sister with a weight problem, so he wasn’t ignorant of the struggle.

  Trenton decked a guy once, for calling his sister fat, so what kind of asshole would he be if he cut and ran now? No way he was doing that. Besides, Lauren was pretty. He hadn’t even noticed her weight until she decided to draw attention to it, but now that she had, he didn’t want to say anything to step on a landmine.

  “Expectations are overrated,” Trenton said. “What I hoped for was to meet a nice woman I could have a conversation with while I passed a few hours at an event I don’t really belong at. Heck, I don’t even play golf. I’m only here to support Noah.” He glanced down at his Dockers and Polo shirt. “Hopefully I don’t look too out of place.”

  Lauren smiled, and her whole face lit up. “You look like you fit in just fine,” she said. “I’m the one that doesn’t belong here.”

  “On the contrary,” Trenton said. “I think you look great. Green is a good color on you.”

  “Thank you,” Lauren said, while casting her eyes downward.

  Trenton didn’t claim to be a genius, but he didn’t have to be to know Lauren struggled with confidence. Kara did, too. “You’re welcome.” He hesitated, unsure what to say next. Should he stick to easy topics, avoid anything that might be awkward and uncomfortable? Yeah. That seemed like a good course. “Can I get you something to drink, while we watch Noah fumble for the right words on stage?”

  “Sure, okay,” Lauren said. “Whatever you’re having.”

  “I was going to get a beer, seeing as how I’m not playing golf and I’m a little out of my element here,” he said.

  Lauren nodded. “Me too. Maybe a glass of white wine, if it’s not too much trouble?”

  “No trouble at all,” Trenton said. “I’ll be right back.”

  ***

  Wine. Lauren seldom drank, and worried she’d made a poor decision. What if she babbled and made a fool of herself? It was too late now, as Trenton returned with their drinks. “You didn’t specify what kind of white,” he said, holding the glass out to her. “I hope Chenin Blanc is okay.”

  “It’s fine, thank you.” Lauren accepted the glass from him and took a drink. The wine was good, and would hopefully help her relax a little bit, but not too much. She didn’t want to be uninhibited and crazy, but it would be nice to be able to talk to a guy and not feel self-conscious. “I don’t drink often, so I’ll try not to make a fool out of myself,” she said. “I admit I’m a little nervous, though.”

  “If it helps, I am, too.” Trenton smiled at her. It was probably intended to put her at ease, but had the opposite effect. He was very attractive, with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a smile Lauren would describe as shy. Yes, he was nervous, too, but knowing that didn’t quell Lauren’s nerves. No. She was way too attracted to him not to be nervous. “I bet our nerves can’t even come close to matching Noah’s right now.” He nodded toward the stage.

  It was time for Noah’s speech, and Lauren turned her attention in that direction. She’d met him a few times when he came by the hospital to see Riley or visit some of the patients. He was a great guy, if not the best at public speaking, and Lauren was glad Riley found him. She couldn’t help but be a little jealous as Noah exited the stage after his brief remarks and went straight for Riley, giving her a kiss. She wasn’t jealous because she wanted Noah for himself. Not at all. He was perfect for Riley. Lauren only wanted her own chance at happiness with a man who loved her.

  “Are you okay?” Trenton asked, interrupting Lauren’s thoughts.

  She nodded and tried to put on a brave front. “Sure. I’m just thinking about what a good idea this is, trying to raise money for the youth center.”

  “I agree.”

  “I thought you said it wasn’t your gig.”

  “Golf isn’t,” Trenton said. “I’m all for the charity aspect, though. I think it’s a great cause, at least for guys like Noah.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t lend much name power to something like this.”

  It was hard for Lauren to believe. “That’s ridiculous. You’re an NHL player.”

  “Yeah, but barely. I average seven minutes a game, if I play at all. Compared to some of the other guys, I’m a nobody.”

  It seemed like a harsh assessment, but then again, Lauren knew plenty about those. “You’re way too hard on yourself,” she said.

  Trenton raised an eyebrow. “You think so, huh?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, and I consider myself an expert on that kind of thing. I
’ve been beating myself up for years.”

  He smiled at her. “In that case, maybe we both need a jolt of confidence.”

  “I can’t argue with that,” Lauren said. “How do you propose we make that happen?”

  Books by Michele Shriver

  Women’s Fiction:

  After Ten

  Tears and Laughter

  Aggravated Circumstances

  Contemporary Romance:

  Finding Forever

  Leap of Faith

  The Art of Love

  Starting Over

  Love & Light

  Dissonance

  Fade into Love (2017)

  Healing Hearts (2017)

  The Men of the Ice Novellas:

  Playing for Keeps

  Crossing the Line

  Winning it All

  Scoring at Love

  Chasing the Prize

  Making an Impact

  Breaking the Ice

  Going all In (2017)

  Beating the Odds (2017)

  Contemporary Holiday Romance:

  The Christmas Wish

  Home for the Holidays

  Boxed Sets:

  Heroes to Swoon For

  Spring into Love

  Score One For Love

  Christmas Pets and Kisses

  Spring into Romance

  Love Notes

  First Glance

  Christmas Pets and Kisses 2

  Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the story and will consider posting an honest review of this book on the site you purchased it from.

  If you purchased this book prior to October 31, 2016, please visit: http://bit.ly/1U1T4iD

  to enter to win an autographed San Antonio Generals jersey.

  Receive a free digital download of the San Antonio Generals program by subscribing to Michele Shriver’s newsletter: http://eepurl.com/323sj

  Authors Notes and Acknowledgements

  I am so excited to finally share Noah and Riley’s story with the world, just about a year to the day that the first seeds for this book were planted in my head. It was October 2015, at the Midwestern Book Lovers Unite conference in Minnesota, and I was at lunch with PA, Valentina Rodriguez, two other authors, and model Jax Turyna. I knew I wanted Jax on one of my covers. It was just a matter of what the story would be.

  After more conversation, I had the beginning ideas of a story in my head. It’s a tough job for an author poring over pictures of hot guys, but I forced myself to do it, and decided Josh Gil would make a perfect Noah.

  Next up- the custom Generals jersey. I put Val to work on that, and Keener Jerseys of Winnipeg, Canada became the official jersey retailer of the San Antonio Generals.

  VJ Dunraven/Period Images did the photo shoot, and I think Josh and Jax did a wonderful job capturing the characters. So I had my cover. I just had to write the book. I you enjoyed reading it as much as you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And should come as no surprise that the Men of the Ice series isn’t ending quite yet. Nurse Lauren Chase first appeared in Scoring at Love, and plays a big role in this book. It was only natural that she would get her own book, too, and her own chance at happiness with a sexy man of the ice. Look for Trenton and Lauren’s story in early 2017.

  Thank you for reading and continuing to support this series. Enjoy hockey season!

  Michele

  About the Author

  Michele Shriver writes women’s fiction and contemporary romance. Her books feature flawed-but-likeable characters in real-life settings. She’s not afraid to break the rules, but never stops believing in happily ever after. Michele counts among her favorite things a good glass of wine, a hockey game, and a sweet and sexy book boyfriend, not necessarily in that order.

  Contact:

  Website: www.micheleshriver.com

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  Email: micheleshriver@gmail.com

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