Beneath the Ice

Blood dripped from my split knuckle, a steady trickle against the white of the ice. I rolled my wrist, flexing my fingers, feeling the sharp sting of victory. The guy I just dropped lay flat on his back, groaning, while the refs pretended to care about separating us. The crowd was losing their damn minds.

“Killer Kane! Killer Kane!”

Yeah, that’s me. Jagger Kane. The guy they call when things get messy. The guy who makes sure no one forgets whose rink this is.

I shoved my opponent aside as I skated toward the bench, my smirk stretching wide when I saw his teammates hesitate. Good. Let ’em hesitate. Let ’em wonder if they’re next.

By the time the final buzzer sounded, we had the win, and I had two goals, a bruised rib, and a busted lip. A solid night.

The bar was loud, packed with fans still high off the game. My teammates sprawled across the VIP section, most with a puck bunny draped over them, soaking up the attention.

I leaned back in my chair, legs spread, beer in hand, enjoying the way people watched me—some in awe, some in fear. That’s how it should be.

People always compared me to my old man, but they got it wrong. He was great. I’m better.

A prodigy, they called me. The next legend. The future of hockey.

And yeah, I knew it. I owned it. I didn’t waste time being nice about it, either. Why should I? People kiss your ass when you’re on top, and I had no patience for fake pleasantries. I fought hard for my spot in this league, and I’d fight even harder to keep it.

But there was one person I’d drop everything for.

Sophia.

My niece. My world. Born deaf, but that never stopped her from making herself heard.

She grabbed my hand earlier, tugging on my sleeve, her brows furrowed as she signed, “Uncle Jagger, you promised.”

And just like that, my entire world flipped.

That’s how I ended up at the town’s ice rink the next evening, standing off to the side while kids gathered around the rink’s edge, their faces full of awe.

I followed their gazes—and that’s when I saw her.

She was drop-dead gorgeous. The kind of beautiful that stopped time. The sun was setting behind her, casting a golden glow on her skin, making her look almost unreal. Her long chestnut hair flowed behind her as she skated, effortless, like the ice had been made just for her.

Then, she took off.

One powerful push, a blur of movement, and she launched into the air, twisting—one, two, three times before landing smoothly, her blades carving into the ice as if it were second nature. The kids erupted into cheers, clapping excitedly. Even Sophia bounced on her heels, signing something too fast for me to catch.

I didn’t blame her.

For the first time in my life, I was completely off my game.

And I hadn’t even taken a hit.

Sophia’s little hand gripped mine with surprising strength, tugging me forward with relentless determination.

I dug my heels in, my body resisting out of pure instinct. No way in hell.

“Soph,” I signed, trying to keep my voice calm even as my stomach twisted. “What are you doing?”

She didn’t answer. Just turned and signed something rapid and excited before pointing to the figure skater—Lilia.

The same woman I’d been staring at like a damn fool for the past five minutes.

My jaw clenched. “Sophia—”

She yanked harder. I could have stopped her. I was a damn enforcer on the ice—took punches from guys twice her size for a living—but something about her enthusiasm made it impossible to say no.

Before I knew it, I was standing way too close to the rink’s entrance, face-to-face with her.

Up close, she was even more ridiculously beautiful. Sun-kissed skin, deep chestnut hair still flowing in the breeze from her last spin, and a smile that could probably bring a guy to his knees if he wasn’t careful.

Sophia tugged on my arm, her small fingers tightening like she thought I’d run if she let go.

I sighed, already knowing I’d lost whatever battle was about to happen. “What is it, Soph?”

She turned, her bright eyes full of determination as her hands moved quickly. “Uncle Jagger, can you please tell her my name?”

My jaw clenched. I exhaled sharply through my nose, already dreading what I had to do.

But before I could even lift my hands to respond, I saw hers.

She gently tapped Sophia’s shoulder, effortlessly stepping into the conversation as if she belonged there. As if she had every right to.

Her hands moved smoothly, her fingers signing without hesitation. “My name is Lilia what is yours beautiful girl?”

My entire body locked up.

Sophia lit up like a damn Christmas tree signing her name.

"Do you like skating?" Lilia signed to my eager niece.

She nodded enthusiastically, her hands launching into rapid-fire signing. I barely caught half of it before Lilia responded just as fast, like this wasn’t her first language—but her only one.

I stood there, useless.

It wasn’t just that Lilia knew sign language. It was how she used it—fluid, natural, like she didn’t even have to think about it.

And it definitely wasn’t just that.

Up close, she was stunning. Her bright green eyes locked onto Sophia’s, shining with warmth, completely unaware of how I was staring. The freckles across her nose caught in the golden light of the setting sun, and I felt my pulse flicker, thrown off by something I didn’t understand.

I needed to look away.

I didn’t.

And worst of all? Lilia didn’t even glance at me.

She had my niece’s full attention—and in return, she had Sophia’s.

Me?

For the first time in my life, I was completely irrelevant.

And I had no idea how I felt about that.

She laughed softly as she watched Sophia’s enthusiastic movements, keeping up effortlessly. My niece, usually shy with strangers, looked at Lilia like she’d just found a long-lost best friend.

I cleared my throat, crossing my arms. “You sign?”

Lilia’s gaze flicked to me, eyes full of something unreadable. Then she smirked, like she could sense how off-balance I was.

“Fluently,” she said. “Looks like you don’t.”

I frowned, about to argue, but she was already turning back to Sophia, signing again.

I didn’t like this. I didn’t like how easily she fit into this moment, how effortlessly she connected with the one person who mattered most to me.

I didn’t like how my pulse had picked up for no damn reason.

I definitely didn’t like the way she looked at me—like she wasn’t even slightly impressed by who I was.

And yet, I couldn’t stop staring at her.

Sophia spun toward me, her hands already moving before I had the chance to escape.

“Uncle Jagger, can I learn a new trick from her?”

Her face was bright with excitement, her little hands nearly shaking with how fast she signed.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “Soph—”

I should have said no. Should have come up with some excuse to get us the hell out of here before this figure skater—this woman—made me any more uncomfortable.

But how the hell was I supposed to say no to that face?

My niece was six years old and determined to skate even if she was wobbly. A little too fearless for my liking, but I couldn’t deny that she was getting good for her age.

She had this obsession with hockey—with me.

Sophia and her parents—my sister Carliegh and brother-in-law Hunter—came to every home game, sitting right near the glass, waving signs she made herself. She couldn’t hear the roar of the crowd, but she felt it. And she fed off it just as much as I did.

She wanted to be just like me.

And hell, if she wasn’t well on her way already.

I exhaled heavily, dropping my hands in defeat. “Yeah, fine,” I muttered.

Sophia cheered, bouncing excitedly before spinning back toward Lilia, signing her request at lightning speed.

She laughed, shaking her head in amusement before meeting my eyes for the first time.

And I instantly regretted everything.

Because she was smirking.

Like she knew damn well I’d never been able to tell this kid no.

Like she knew exactly what kind of hold my niece had on me.

And I hated that she was right.