Page 129 of Stick It
I shiver, just remembering the delicious stretch of him inside me, the feel of his slick skin sliding over mine, our breaths and heartbeats in sync.
That’s now two Steelhawks I’ve slept with, and perhaps I should feel guilty about that, but remembering both last night and my time with Jax, I can’t bring myself to regret a single thing.
The only thing I want is to do it again.
“Attention, everyone.” Ethan’s voice snaps me out of my wandering thoughts. He’s standing in front of the room now, his gaze sweeping over us. He waits until everyone quiets down, all heads turned toward him. “This is it. Our first game of the season against our biggest rival. You all know how much this game means, not just for points but for pride. They think they can push us around. They think they own this conference.” He smirks, the reminder of how they dominated us and rubbed it in during the exhibition game boiling in our blood. “We’re about to remind them whose ice this is.”
A few of the guys let out quiet cheers, fists knocking against pads. The energy shifts, turning sharp, focused.
Bear steps up next, giving his usual pre-game words about discipline and execution. Ethan moves to stand beside me, hisvoice pitched low when he says, “They’re going to come after you.”
I keep my gaze straight ahead, jaw hard as I stare at where Bear stands. “I know.”
I feel the other guys move to crowd around us, the five of us forming a group at the back of the room. Even Finn is here—although why, I don’t fully understand.
“You’re not alone.”
I’m not sure if Ethan understands how significant those words are. How deeply they bury themselves in my heart. Wrapping around the organ like vines and permanently latching on.
In agreement, Jax’s pinkie curls around mine, and Griffin’s hand squeezes my shoulder. Even Finn seems to shuffle closer. I glance his way, our gazes meeting, and he gives a subtle nod. We might not be on the same page when it comes to Kyle, but in this—against NSU—we are aligned.
“Steelhawks hunt—” Ethan calls, stepping forward and moving through the locker room when Coach has finished his speech.
“And never fall!” we all recite.
“Steelhawks strike—” Ethan bellows, reaching the front of the room and turning to face us all with a look of severe consternation. The charming boy next door is gone, and in his place is a competitor who hates to lose. A champion who knows nothing else.
“And take it all!” we shout in return. Our voices bounce off the walls, every single player getting to their feet.
“Steelhawks on three,” Ethan calls. The buzz of anticipation has my pulse kicking up, my body already humming with adrenaline. “One, two, three!”
“Steelhawks!”
We are united in our determination, in our desire to win as we pile out of the locker room and stomp down the tunnel.
It’s time.
We step out of the tunnel, onto the ice, and the arena erupts. The home crowd roars, the sound vibrating in my chest as we take our warm-up laps. The moment my skates touch the ice, the rest of the world fades away. This is what I’ve been waiting for. What I fought to get back to.
Across the rink, Lucas watches me, a smirk playing on his lips. He tries to get in my head right away. A few choice words as soon as we’re all lined up for the start of the game. A sneer when I ignore him altogether. But it’s different this time.
This time, I’m not alone.
“Keep running your mouth, Tremble,” Ethan interjects, jaw ticking even though his voice comes out even, calm. “See how long you last on your feet.”
Lucas laughs. “Protecting your girl, Maddox? Cute.”
Instead of getting annoyed, Ethan chuckles, a smugness entering his gaze as he faces off against Lucas. “If you knewanythingabout Dylan, you’d know she doesn’t need protecting.” He skates an inch closer, the humor draining from his expression as his gaze turns hard, deadly. “But if you touch her, I’ll make you regret it.”
Lucas looks like he wants to push it, but before he can, the ref’s whistle cuts through the air, and we drop into position for the face-off.
The game is brutal. NSU is aggressive, taking every chance to check me hard, slash at my stick, and make their presence known. But every time they try to take me out, one of my guys is there. Never undermining my position but backing me up when needed.
Even Finn is a force on the ice. He clears space for me, knocking Lucas against the boards so hard the glass rattles.
I give as good as I get, landing hits of my own, digging deep to keep the advantage. By the time the second period ends, we’re up by two points.
We head back to the locker room, the guys bumping shoulders and hyping each other up. I towel the sweat off my face, my hands still shaking with adrenaline. We’re doing it. We’re winning.
