Page 94 of The Captain

Ignoring him, I chase down the puck, getting it and shooting it over to Crew, who takes it for a goal, which he misses too.

Fuck.

We need to get our heads in the game and find a way around this goalie.

They head down to our side and shoot the puck at our net, not even standing a chance against Gabriel, who is quickly becoming one of the best goalies in the league.

I nod at him, and he gets back into his normal, quiet, concentrated self.

The horn blows for the end of the first period, and I head to the sidelines, taking a breather and a gulp of water before I look up at the stands.

I’m not expecting to see her.

I’m not.

But…she’s here.

She’s here, and she’s smiling broadly at me. And when she turns around, I notice what she’s wearing for the first time.

A Vapors jersey with Ellis on the back.

She’s at my game and wearing my jersey, and if that doesn’t make me want to pound my chest and call her mine, I don’t know what will.

I grin back at her, relieved and so fucking happy I could cry. Which I won’t because I’m in the middle of a game.

I wish I could race up the stairs, take her in my arms, and kiss the hell out of her, and let everyone know that the gorgeous woman in the stands was mine.

But first, I have a game to win. I place a hand over my chest, staring at her while I do so, and get my head back into the game.

The second period goes by in a blur, and I assume it’ll get easier to concentrate the more she comes to games, but right now, my concentration is pretty much shot.

I head down the rink with the puck in front of me, angling to get the best shot into the net, and finally, it sails through the air and into the net, making a score.

But I don’t get a chance to celebrate because I’m thrown into the wall by the same jackass who’s been targeting me all night.

I turn and throw my gloves to the ground, moving toward him, ready to strike, and he does the same, tossing his helmet and gloves off and raising his fists to fight.

There are no words exchanged as we start brawling, and still, I don’t know what the hell his issue is, but I’m not about to lie down and take it.

He throws a fist at my face, and I dodge, throwing one right back and connecting with his cheek. Taking another shot, he manages to get me in the nose, and I hear the unmistakable crunch of my nose breaking.

Fuck me. Is this guy for real?

He starts to back away, pissing me off more. He’s going to back off after taunting me for the whole game?

I raise my hands and gesture forward. “Pussy! Come at me!”

The crowd is growing more and more excited as the guy keeps coming at me. I throw a jab at him and get him in the eye, knocking him back a few steps, and the refs know it’s time to step in.

Especially since there’s blood gushing down my face.

They eject the guy from the game for starting the fight, and I’m about to get stuck in the penalty box. I skate off to the side to get some tissue to shove up my nose, and I know the team doc is going to want to correct it, but I need to finish the game first.

As I’m getting shit shoved up my nose, I glance to where Cassie is sitting, her thumbnail is in her mouth, and worry is written all over her face. Mick is talking to her, probably trying to calm her down since she’s seen this a million times.

It shouldn’t make me feel good that she’s upset, but it does. She cares, and that shows me a lot right there.

“You good?” Coach points at me, a look of determination on his face. It’s not that he doesn’t care that I’m bleeding profusely, it’s that he now wants us to wipe the floor with them.

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