Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Hope’s POV

“Are you spying on your crush, little Hopie?”

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The annoying and very familiar voice nearly made me jump out of my skin. My eyes widened as I whipped around, only to find Desmond standing there with the twins and Forest beside him, all staring at me with identical teasing expressions.

I immediately turned back toward the rink in panic. Thankfully, Levi and Delaney still seemed completely/unaware of us,

Still, there was absolutely no way I could let these four idiots expose me. Without thinking, I frantically motioned for them to duck.

I must’ve temporarily lost my mind because somehow I was gesturing for four giant professional hockey players to crouch behind a wall like children hiding from their parents. Somehow, they actually listened.

Now all five of us were crouched awkwardly behind the half-wall of the arena in a line while secretly watching Delaney stand near Levi on the ice. Honestly, if anyone saw us right now, we would absolutely look insane.

Delaney carefully held out a bottle of water toward Levi with a soft smile.

I was sure he was going to take it, but instead, he barely even glanced at the bottle before looking back toward the net.

“What do you want, Delaney?”

My breath caught softly.

The blunt dismissal surprised me.

Honestly, I’d always thought Delaney Rhodes was practically hockey royalty when it came to popularity. She was beautiful, charming, constantly around players and media-it felt like everyone in the league liked her.

Yet Levi sounded completely uninterested.

The disappointment that flashed across Delaney’s face sparked a tiny, shamefully satisfying feeling inside my chest.

“I just wanted to check if you were okay,” Delaney said softly.

Her voice turned gentler.

“Did you see the articles? They keep saying you can’t play properly anymore, but that can’t be true, right?”

As she spoke, she reached toward his arm. However, Levi moved away at the last second.

I had to bite the inside of my cheek just to stop myself from giggling.

“You’re the star player of the team,” Delaney continued quickly. “Even if you’re injured, you still play better than the rest of the league.”

That made my smile fade slightly. Somehow, despite sounding supportive, her words felt wrong.

It felt like she wasn’t comforting him and was reminding him of expectations instead.

Levi finally looked at her directly.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

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Chapter 28

“If not, then leave. Heels aren’t allowed on the ice.”

His gaze flickered toward her shoes.

“They damage it.”

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I immediately dropped down to sit against the half-wall, pressing a hand against my mouth to hide my grin. That man was unbelievably harsh.

“So,” Desmond whispered beside me, “you really do like him, huh?”

That snapped me right out of my amusement.

I whipped around toward the four men beside me.

All of them stared back with raised brows and entertained expressions.

“It’s not like that-”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about Delaney,” Desmond interrupted casually.

“What?”

Desmond shrugged.

“She’s been chasing Levi ever since he entered the league, and he’s never given her a chance.”

“That’s why she bounced around from guy to guy instead,” Desmond continued. “She even got me once.”

I stared at him with wide eyes.

“You dated Delaney?”

“Unfortunately,” he sighed.

“Me too,” Spencer added.

“Same here,” Scott said with a tired expression.

My jaw dropped with every confession.

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” Desmond said proudly. “First year in the league. She was hot.”

Spencer nodded solemnly. “She still is.”

Scott sighed. “She broke up with me on my birthday.”

Forest snorted loudly beside us. I turned to him with a questioning gaze, but he quickly shook his head.

“I didn’t date her, Hope. I love my wife too much for that to happen. I married my first love and she’ll be my last love.”

I nodded, amazed by his answer, before turning back to the three younger men.

“All three of you dated her?”

“Not just us,” Desmond admitted. “Honestly, it feels like she’s gone through half the league.”

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Chapter 28

“So when she got with Connor, nobody was really shocked.”

I sat there absolutely dumbfounded.

How had all of this stayed hidden from the media?

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If this was true, then there had probably been cheating involved multiple times already. And Connor still chose to get involved with her anyway. Idiots truly found each other.

“But Levi’s different,” Forest suddenly added.

“That guy’s not weak-minded like these idiots.”

“Hey,” Spencer complained.

Forest ignored him.

“That’s also why he’s impossible to control. Right, captain?,” Spencer muttered afterward.

Forest opened his mouth to argue, but sighed in the end. “… Okay, maybe that part’s true.”

The twins burst out laughing quietly.

“Maybe Levi does need to become a little weak-minded sometimes,” Scott teased.

Desmond smirked. “Preferably because of a certain physical therapist.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Desmond, you’re really pushing my buttons”

“Anyway,” Forest continued, thankfully saving me from further teasing, “that’s probably why Delaney’s still trying.”

He nodded toward the ice.

“She can’t stand the fact that Levi’s the only guy who’s never wanted her.”

“So don’t be too surprised if she acts hostile toward you,” Forest added.

I bit my lip softly. If only they knew.

Delaney already hated me. Probably more now after the Connor situation.

“Don’t worry,” I muttered quietly. “I don’t really plan on crossing paths with her.”

The moment the words left my mouth, my thoughts drifted back toward Levi again. Toward the impossible situation hanging over all of us now.

Desmond, despite being painfully annoying, studied me more carefully. His teasing expression faded slightly.

“You looked troubled when we saw you from afar. That’s why we came here,” he said. “Do you need help with something?”

I puffed air into my cheeks while thinking before looking toward them again. “Has Levi ever stopped playing hockey?” I asked quietly. “Like… ever?”

The four of them went silent. After several seconds, they collectively shook their heads.

“Levi stop playing?” Desmond muttered. “Yeah, no.”

“That guy’s a machine,” Spencer admitted.

Chapter 28

Scott nodded in agreement.

“I genuinely don’t know how he’s still functioning.”

I looked back toward the rink again.

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Levi had already resumed shooting pucks into the net aggressively, his movements aggressive despite the injuries.

Suddenly, the mission Margaret gave me felt even more impossible than before.

Still… I couldn’t give up.

I swallowed softly before turning back toward them.

“So,” I started carefully, “if there was even the slightest chance… do you think there’s a way to make Levi rest until the season starts?”

Silence greeted me again, followed by quiet chuckles spread among them. Still, they didn’t sound mocking. It felt like they were out of resignation.

“Yeah,” Desmond said carefully, “that’s basically impossible.”.

My shoulders sank slightly. But then his expression softened when he noticed my face.

“I can tell you’re under a lot of pressure right now, Hopie,” he admitted gently.

“If you need help, just ask us,” he continued. “Seriously.”

The twins nodded immediately.

“We’ve wanted Levi to rest for years,” Spencer admitted.

“He just doesn’t listen to anybody,” Scott added.

Forest crossed his arms while watching Levi from afar.

“That man’s stubbornness could probably survive the apocalypse.”

A reluctant smile tugged at my lips.

Desmond suddenly grinned again.

“Honestly, if Levi ever listens to someone completely,” he said, “I’d probably assume he’s in love with them.”

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