Page 84 of Wicked Minds
When number seven is announced, I’m on my feet, screaming alongside Isabella and half the stadium as Logan bursts forth, hockey stick above his head as he grins and waves at the crowd.
Reaching our side of the rink, his eyes instantly go to mine, blown wide when he sees me in his jersey. He interrupts his lap of the ice, bringing himself to a sudden halt in front of me as his gaze rakes over my outfit.
“Turn around.” He circles his hand in the air, and I play dumb, holding my hands up as if I have no idea what he’s saying. Royce laughs beside me, and Logan glares as he bangs his fist against the glass. “Turn around, Riley!”
Giving him what he wants, I pull my hair over one shoulder as I do a slow spin so he can read the name spelled out between my shoulder blades, and when I turn back around, his chestnut hues have darkened with desire as they clash with mine. There’s a predatory glint in their depths. It’s a look that says,be prepared to be fucked stupid tonight,and my core tightens in anticipation, even as I return that voracious stare with a smug tilt of my lips.
I’m faintly aware of every eye in the arena on us. On our interaction. As if sensing it too, Logan smacks his gloved hand against the plexiglass, just like he did at my first game. This time, I know exactly what he wants. Know exactly what he’s doing.And not giving a shit that the entire arena is watching—that undoubtedly Halston students are watching—I press my much smaller hand to his, the glass cool beneath my palm as I mouthgood luck.
He grins, showing off his blue mouth guard, even as his eyes shimmer with desire and affection, that predatory glint turning more savage as his thoughts shift to his opponents. To the brutal win, I have no doubt he will achieve tonight. He hesitates a moment longer before tearing his hand away and turning in his skates, moving to join his teammates as everyone gets into position for the start of the game.
“You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t show up at Lux tonight and fuck you in the middle of the club,” Royce drawls quietly in my ear as I collapse into my seat. I smirk back at him, not entirely opposed to that idea.
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26
RILEY
The final buzzer goes off, the sound barely audible throughout the stadium over the eruption of joy and exhilaration. Everyone is on their feet, the roar of the crowd deafening as it fills the air, reverberating through the stadium and sending chills down my spine as I jump up and down, arms in the air. My voice is practically hoarse from screaming Logan’s name, and a grin splits my face.
“YES!!” Isabella squeals, giving her mom a high five before turning to give me one too.
“He won!” I fling my arms around Royce’s neck, even as I continue to bounce on my toes.
He chuckles softly against my skin, one arm banding around my waist. “Yeah, I noticed that.”
I playfully hit his chest, my attention flicking back to the ice as the Huskies fist bump and do celebratory laps of the rink, helmets and sticks raised high in the air and infectious smiles on display. I scour the team, eyes bouncing over jerseys until I find number seven wedged in the middle of a group embrace. My eyes wander over Logan’s grinning face as he pulls off his helmet and runs a hand through his sweat-slicked hair, before dropping to my name stitched onto his back.MyLogan.MyHusky. And damn, I could not be prouder of him. He performed triumphantly tonight. Made the other team look like amateurs as he darted swiftly between their defensemen, practically taunting them as he led the puck with practiced ease toward the net. He scored goal after goal after goal until it became apparent there was no way the other team could claw back the points.
Tearing my gaze from him as he celebrates with his teammates, my eyes lift to the still-cheering crowd. I drink it all in with awe. The sea of cheering fans clad in team colors, faces flush with elation. It’s a breathtaking spectacle. I can feel the thudding of stamping feet and hollered yells vibrating through me. The collective energy of the fans has the very walls of the stadium shaking, and I can’t stop smiling as I watch the joy and triumph on each of their faces.
The jumbotron flashes with images of the game’s highlights, but a nudge on my shoulder has me glancing at Royce who juts out his chin, and I turn toward the rink as Logan pulls to a stop on the other side of the glass. Eyes dancing beneath the stadium lights, my grin only broadens at seeing his wide smile up close. He bangs on the glass with a glove-encased fist and mouths something I can’t make out over the cacophony of noise around us. Pointing toward the tunnel where players are starting to disappear, his gaze darts to Royce who, seeming to understand Logan’s silent demand, nods.
“What is it?” I ask, eyes still on Logan as he shifts those glimmering chestnut hues back to mine, their depths burning with adrenaline from his win and that same hunger I witnessed before the game. His gaze drops to my lips, pupils flaring, before falling lower, taking in the sight of me in his jersey, and I could swear I hear him growl through the plexiglass.
Beside me, Royce groans. “Asshole wants to see you before we leave.”
With a roll of his eyes, Royce agrees to whatever Logan is saying, and with a winning smile directed at Ava and Isabella, he pushes away from the side and makes a beeline for the locker room.
The four of us shuffle out of our row and join the crowd of celebrating spectators as we slowly approach the exit.
“Thank you so much for tonight,” Ava says once we reach the main concourse. “We had a blast.”
“I’m just glad you enjoyed it. We’ll have to do it again.”
“Next week!” Isabella chimes in with a fist pump, making us laugh.
“I think Logan’s game is too far away next week, sweetheart, but maybe the week after that, yeah?”
She nods, giving me a quick hug before the two of them disappear into the crowd.
Royce slides his hand into mine, pulling me in a different direction until we escape the crowds down a side hallway.
“Where are we going?”
“There’s a room for friends and family to greet the team afterward,” Royce explains.
“Do you usually come back here after a game?” I wonder aloud, recalling that we didn’t after the last game I attended with him and Grayson.
