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Bennett was wearing his practice uniform and skates, standing on the ice and taking shots from impossible angles. Nico paused for a moment to appreciate the precision and skill with which Bennett wielded his stick. Pucks sailed into the net, one after the other, with hardly a miss. It was impressive. But then, Bennett was one of the best in the entire league and this had not occurred by accident.

Hunching his shoulders for warmth, Nico waited as Bennett skated to collect the pucks, the other man’s head down to focus only on the ice. It was like nothing else existed, and Nico found the concentration, the dedication incredibly fucking sexy.

Mozzafiato.

Nico was truly fucked, but he couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment. He only knew he wanted Bennett’s undivided attention.

He walked around the rink, toward one end, behind the goal Bennett was working on, and waited. It didn’t take long before Bennett’s head shot up and his eyes grew wide. “Nico? What the—How did you find me here?”

Nico’s mouth curled, but he didn’t want to have this conversation separated by glass. He kept his eyes on Bennett as he went around to the door that led to the ice. Bennett was already skating over, closing the distance between them, so he was already there by the time Nico arrived at the bench.

“What are you doing here?” Bennett asked, his eyebrows pinched.

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Bennett’s face and Nico traced the single drop like he was memorizing it. The bead slid across Bennett’s jaw, his throat, then disappeared into the plain jersey. Never had Nico wanted to lick a man more than at this moment.

He cleared his throat and pointed at Bennett’s phone, resting on the edge of the rink next to a water bottle. “You ignored me.”

Bennett grabbed the water bottle and lifted his chin defensively. “Sucks, doesn’t it?” He squirted water in his mouth, slate-blue gaze locked on Nico the entire time.

“I do not like to play games, bello.”

“That’s too bad, because I do.” Bennett waved his hand to indicate the rink behind him as he set the water bottle down again. “And I’m pretty fucking good at them, too.”

“Do you think this is funny?”

“Am I laughing?”

They stared at each other, neither one wanting to give an inch. Nico wished Bennett was closer, that they weren’t in such a public space, because he longed to push the other man up against a hard surface and kiss him stupid.

Bennett dropped his eyes first. “How did you know I was here?”

“I tracked your phone.” It had been an awkward ask, but Sergei complied without fuss. This was why Nico overpaid his hackers. “And I bribed the security guard. Luckily, he remembered me from the game.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Bennett said with a sneer. “And I’m appalled at how little you respect my privacy.”

“Your privacy? Dai, you are not a teenage girl, Verreault.” He paused, pretending to think about it. “Though if you want to call me Daddy . . . ”

“Oh, fuck off.” Bennett skated back over to where he was practicing. “You can go now. I have nothing to say to you. Especially here.”

Nico perched on the edge of the rink and folded his arms. “No one is around. You have no reason to worry.”

“Someone is always around,” Bennett said, using his stick easily to maneuver the pucks in place.

Nico didn’t argue because this was more Bennett’s domain than his, so he just watched as the other man shot pucks at the net like they had wronged him. The way Bennett’s body moved, fluid and strong, was even more impressive up close. The stick was an extension of his arm, and he made it all look so easy when Nico knew that it was really fucking difficult.

When he finished with his row, Bennett leaned against the stick, breathing hard and glaring at Nico. “You aren’t going to leave, are you?”

“No. Not until you apologize for ignoring me.”

Bennett threw back his head and let out a frustrated sound toward the rafters. “You should apologize for ignoring me, you asshole.”

“I am sorry for ignoring you.”

Nico said the words simply, with total sincerity, and it clearly took Bennett by surprise. The man’s lips parted as his mouth dropped open. “Okay, then. Apology accepted.”

When Bennett began playing with his pucks again, Nico said, “Bello, this is the part where you apologize.”

“Jesus Christ, Marzano. I ignored you for two hours, not twenty-four. Get over it.”