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I end up sandwiched between Rose and BJ. The seats are amazing, giving us a perfect view of the rink and the action. While the crowd is dominated by Chicago fans, there are still lots of Philly jerseys dotting the crowd, and a startling number of fans appear to be college-aged women.
When Kody takes the ice, several girls scream and hold up homemade signs professing their undying love. It seems to happen no matter where he plays this season. He’s on every hockey blog, and the fact that he’s otherworldly gorgeous increases his popularity.
When the team takes the bench, he removes one of his gloves and stops in front of Lavender. A camera homes in on them, projecting them onto the Jumbotron, but they’re too wrapped up in each other to notice. Kody brings his fingers to his lips, then taps the plexiglass. Lavender does the same thing, and then they draw a figure-eight together and say, “I love you.”
There’s a collective sigh throughout the arena, followed by cheering. That’s when they realize the entire hockey-watching nation has witnessed this. Their faces turn red, and Lavender slouches, pulling her hood over her head as she waves at the cheering crowd. Kody shrugs and takes a seat on the bench, cheeks flushed, but he’s wearing a smile.
“Why do they have to be so cute all the damn time? They’re like couple goals on crack, especially now that I know they’re kinky freaks,” Rose says.
The camera pans back to the rink, and the first shift is called onto the ice. Kody scores a goal and an assist during the first period, and Chicago ties it up in the second. But Philly recovers in the third with another goal by Kody, and they keep the lead, winning three-two.
After the game, we end up at the restaurant with Kody’s team, and I meet a bunch of the players before we all go back to our place to hang out. We lounge around in the living room. Kody, BJ, Maverick, and Quinn talk hockey, and I’m sitting with the girls, making plans for tomorrow since Lavender doesn’t leave until late in the afternoon. I’m half paying attention to their conversation, but also half listening to the guys, who are trying to get some ice time tomorrow morning. Maverick and Clover rented a hotel room so they can see Kody in the morning.
“When do you think you’ll be cleared to get back on the ice?” Kody asks BJ.
“Dunno. I’m not really in a rush, now that the Olympics are off the table,” BJ replies.
“That’s temporary, though. Maybe you’re not looking at next year, but you could aim for the ones after that, can’t you?” Mav asks.
“I’m not skating pairs again. Not after this.” BJ’s voice is tight, clipped.
“That’s fair, but you skated solo before Caroline and Adele. You can go back to that.”
“I dunno if it’s what I want anymore.”
“BJ just needs some time,” Quinn says. “It’s only been a few weeks since the accident. Being physically ready is one thing; being mentally and emotionally ready is something else. All those pieces need to line up.” He points at BJ. “You can keep score for us tomorrow.”
“That’d be good.” BJ yawns loudly and stretches. “I can’t miss my first-period class though, so I’m gonna hit the pit.”
He welcomes a round of back-pat hugs from Kody and Lavender, and I excuse myself as well. We get ready for bed, and I slide under the sheets and stretch out alongside him.
“You have fun tonight?” he asks.
“It was amazing. So cool to watch a live game. Kody’s a fantastic player.”
“He really is. He’s going to blow his dad’s career out of the water.”
“That’s a lot of pressure, isn’t it?”
BJ trails his fingers along my spine. “It is, but the only thing Kody’s ever been obsessed with—apart from Lavender—is hockey. He used to play in his crib, so he was sort of born for the sport.”
“Sort of like you were born to figure skate,” I murmur.
“It felt that way for a lot of years.”
“But not anymore?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I worked so hard to get where I was, but if I get back on the ice, I’ll be starting at square one, just like when I started skating with Adele. It took us years to get where we were, and that was without an injury. Walking up and down those stairs at the arena tonight was a challenge. My leg is achy all the time, and the nerve pain makes it hard to think sometimes. I just…don’t know if the things I wanted are possible now.” He brings my fingers to his lips and kisses the tips. “Can we put a pin in this? I had a great night, and thinking about this stuff… It just messes with my headspace.”
I kiss his neck. “You want a distraction from the noise in your head?”
“You sure you want to get into that now? It’s late, and I know orgasms aren’t a sedative for you like they are for me.” His fingers are already dipping under my sleep tank.
I run my hand down his stomach and slide my hand into the waistband of his boxer shorts. He’s halfway hard. “I can handle a night light on sleep if it means I can help get your head out of bad places.”
“I love you,” he groans as I wrap my hand around his length.
“I know. I love you too.” I press my lips to his and help him get lost in feeling good.
