Page 49 of Much Ado About Hockey

Savage stood there, looking at him, but Jett could see the wheels turning in his expression.

“It’s like your wife on the plane…”

“Don’t talk about Ashley,” Savage growled, leaning into his words almost aggressively, and Jett fought back a smile. That was exactly what he saw in the man except Savage had to acknowledge it, grasp at it, and bring it to the ‘table’ all on his own.

With a little encouragement, of course.

“Man, she’s so hot – but I couldn’t believe that I had to tell you on the plane…”

“DON’T TALK ABOUT ASHLEY!”Savage roared, his shoulders heaving in anger as his words echoed in the empty arena. It was just the two of them out there on the ice.

Jett was still pushing buttons, cranking up the beast inside the man, relishing this moment as almost therapeutic for both of them. He didn’t want to argue with Karen ever again, but they also weren’t ready to get frisky in bed either. All that pent-up energy had to go somewhere, and picking at Savage was the perfect thing.

“That shapely body,” Jett whistled. “I bet in that tiny airplane bathroom she could hike her leg and…”

The team captain, the one everyone jokingly called ‘boy scout’ behind his back and to his face, seemed to explode… livingup to his name. The man let out an unholy roar, threw down his stick, and sprang at Jett like a creature possessed.

Maybe I shouldn’t have poked quite so hard…

This is gonna hurt!

Savage slammed into him, knocking Jett flat onto his back on the ice, and he was really grateful for the God-given good sense to have yanked on his helmet despite it being just practice. His helmet popped against the ice, jarring his teeth, and he saw stars behind his eyes – just as he saw fists headed for his face. Jett tensed and felt the explosion of pain in his nose and jaw, immediately throwing up his hands to protect himself as he began backpedaling, screaming to reach the man who he’d pushed beyond all reasoning.

“Liam!LIAM!” Jett hollered wildly, taking hit after hit and dodging a few. “SAVAGE! BRO! I AIN’T INTERESTED IN YOUR GIRL – I LOVE MY WIFE!”

And paused just as Savage hit him once more, right in the nose – again.

I love my wife…

Jett was flinching at the pain and felt Savage get up off his chest where he’d been literally attacking him. The captain slid off of Jett, collapsing on the ice beside him, and the two men lay there looking at each other – spent.

“I love my wife,” Jett repeated simply, testing the words aloud, his voice full of amazement and disbelief at everything that just happened with him. The captain, the display of force, the realization of how infatuated he was with Karen, and what a miracle it was to have found someone like her by chance. “I love Karen and was only teasing you, brother… and whatever you just unlocked? Dude, that was epic – but aim it at the other team, okay?”

Savage chuckled nervously and then sighed, flopping onto his back on the ice almost in a mirror image of Jett – and then looked at him again.

“Are you okay?”

“Bruh –are you?”

“We’re struggling,” Savage admitted in a hushed voice. “I love Ashley so much, but things are hard between us sometimes, and I just don’t get it.”

“I think it’s girls in general,” Jett agreed, reaching up to touch his nose to make sure it wasn’t broken. “Karen can really push my buttons, but gosh, she’s so freakin’ hot when she gets angry. I swear I like doing it just so I can see her all fired up and raging at me.”

“You’re messed up, you know that?”

“In so many,manyways…”

Both men looked at each other – and laughed.

“Seriously,” Jett began after a few moments, smiling. “Whatever that monster was, you need to unleash that on the ice and start bossing a few of us guys around. You’ve got that ‘C’ on your uniform for a reason. Start thumpin’ it. Beat your chest and show us you’re the boss. Everyone is expecting it.”

“It feels weird – especially when Boucher was supposed to be the captain, and they picked me.”

“So make them realize you were the right choice,” Jett coached. “Hang onto your title as long as you can – earn it – wave it around – whip it out and flaunt it.”

Savage chuckled nervously and nodded, looking at him strangely. “Did you do all of this on purpose? Did you say those things to get me angry?”

“Hulk smashed… my poor, sweet, ‘widdle’face,” Jett mocked and stuck out his lower lip to pout – and winced.

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