Shut. Out.
It’s not even a close game. We annihilate them 4-0.
“You fuckingownedthem!” Hayes yelling over the riotous applause around the rink as he comes my way. Our chests collide as he launches himself at me, and our goalie hug tonight is so fucking extra that even I can’t stand it. But fuck it, we deserve to celebrate that win and the crowd adores nothing more than a little goalie love.
My shut out earns me the first star of the game and my high soars even more. In a sea of black and green in the stands, I search for my pink-haired girl, the only person I give a shit about.
This rush is intoxicating, addictive, and if I’m not careful I’m going to need to go to rehab again, only this time it’ll be for an obsession with a tiny pixie.
Hugs and head pats continue in the locker room. The electricity from our win thrums through the air, and the guys are on top of the world. I shower as quickly as I can, and when I get back to my bag, Athena has texted to say the girls will meet us in the bar.
I’m half a foot out the door when Coach’s voice yelling my name stops me in my tracks, my equipment bag catching on the door frame.
“Yes, Coach?”
He approaches me with his lips flat, his eyes hard, and his expression unreadable. When he finally blinks, his lips twitch. “Good game tonight, rookie. We should have scouts in the Trash Can for every game if you’re going to play like that.”
“Scouts?” My eyes widen. I wasn’t playing for scouts, I was playing for my girl. No way in fucking hell I’m going to tell that to Bales. Does this mean I’m not on probation? Am I out of his crosshairs?
“Yeah. Scouts.” He claps a hand over my shoulder. “And a little bird in a fancy-ass dress suit tells me that Iowa is interested in my starting goaltender.”
Iowa. Our home state NHL team is interested in me.
Only one person I want to share this news with, and she’s waiting for me in the bar. I thank Coach, tell him I intend to stand on my head again tomorrow, and he tells me to be in his office at nine tomorrow morning.
This time there’s no crushing anxiety on my chest because I’ve done nothing wrong, and it’s to discuss my future in the big leagues.
It’s time to go kiss my girl.
Her back is to me when I enter the bar, but there’s no sneaking up on her when the crowd goes wild at my entrance. Most of the guys are already in line for a drink, and Justin catches my eye over the crowd, pointing to our usual section at the back of the bar for nights like this.
I’m not interested in Justin, though I’m relieved he finally pulled his head out of his ass and played a solid game. I’m not interested in the line for beer, though when Apollo asks what I’m drinking, I ask for a Coke.
The only thing I’m interested in is the pink-haired sprite running at me from ten feet away. She launches herself at me, and I catch her with ease, her legs looping around my waist. She plants both palms on my cheeks and squeals. “I have no idea what most of that was, but you did so good!”
Her praise lights me up inside.
I skim the length of her thighs with both hands under her knee-length jersey with my name stitched into the fabric and cup her ass. The first thing I’m doing tomorrow is ordering her a Raccoons shirt with my name and number on it. Once it gets here, I’m going to fuck her senseless in it, so that every single time she comes to a game, we’ll both be reminded that I banged her in the shirt she’s wearing.
Searching her face for permission to kiss her senseless in front of all these people isn’t necessary, because she lays one on me, for all to see.
It starts off a chaste brush of our lips and noses but quickly turns hungry, feral, she nips at my bottom lip and her body shakes in my arms as she giggles. My teammates are whooping and cheering around us, and when she pulls back her chest is rising and falling pretty heavily.
¡Por Dios!What a fucking kiss.
What. A. Fucking. Kiss!
I want her to kiss me like that after every single game I play from now on.
I have a raging boner that I’m not even going to try to hide. One drink. One fucking glass of Coke and then I’m hauling my girl out of this bar and fucking her until she can’t walk straight, the first chance I get.
CHAPTER22
Eloise
Ican’t believe I did that.
I can’t believe I vaulted off the ground into his waiting arms and then kissed him until his lips started to swell.
