Page 92 of Play Maker

“Oh sure. You’re in love.”

I dropped the skates I was holding and thank God the guards were still on. They clattered to the floor between my feet and my teammates turned to look at me.

“Have you been popping Maddox’s edibles?” I hissed.

“Not before a game,” Kayden laughed and sat down beside me. “And it wasn’t a huge jump in logic. You have that dopey look on your face. It’s like looking in a mirror.”

“I’m not—” It was way too soon for the L word. I’d just gotten used to calling him my boyfriend and that was a shock in itself. “I’m just sort of…hung up on someone.”

“Anyone I know?”

“Can’t say.”

“Ooh, why not?”

“Kay—”

“Alright. I won’t push,” he replied and nudged me with his elbow. “Guy or girl?”

“What does it matter?”

“It doesn’t. I’m just nosy as fuck. You know that.”

“He’s not—” I swiped a hand over my face. “Shit, he’s not out, okay?”

“Got it. Say no more.”

“Thanks.”

Kayden leaned in. “He must be special if you’re worked up over him.”

“He is,” I confessed. “But I don’t know if he feels the same. I think he does. Or maybe he’s just experimenting.”

Stating my anxiety out loud left me colder than this drafty locker room.

CHAPTER 28

AXEL

It was never easy to step onto the opposing team’s home ice, and hearing the thunderous roar of the crowd chanting Grainger College’s name only ratcheted up my adrenaline.

Suddenly the reality of this game, do or die, hit me. We were playing for a spot in the finals and that was huge. It was funny, because in all the games I played with Langston, I never felt pressure. Maybe because I knew that I wasn’t staying with the team, or because my instinct told me that bigger things were on the horizon.

Speaking of bigger things, there was a rumor that several professional scouts were here at this game. I’d heard Finn and Colin talking about it with Sean when we headed out of the locker room. I forcefully pushed that thought out of my head. Nothing was going to threaten my concentration.

Well, except for my parents. No. I couldn’t let that happen either. Fuck them.

Instead, I focused on my usual pregame routine and replayed the drills from our recent practice. One thing for sure was different from the last game. The only opponent I was playing against now was the other team.

And maybe, sometimes, myself.

Jace skated by me, and my pulse spiked higher, our eyes holding for a long moment. If anything was going to screw with my head tonight, it was him. Playing with someone I was sleeping with was new. New and unnerving. How was I going to stay calm when the other team would be gunning for him? The guy I once hated was now the one I was possessive of. And the thought of anyone touching what was mine made me ragey as fuck. The only way to cope was to channel my fire, and make it work for me. Listen to my teammates and focus on our strategy. Coach wanted communication on the ice, and he was going to get it.

So much went unsaid in one look, and despite the space between Jace and I, I’d never felt closer to anyone. Or more certain that this was where we were meant to be. Instead of angsting about my past or worrying about the future, there was only here, now.

Me and Jace? We could do this.

“We got this,” he whispered, as if reading my mind, and I nodded.

---