Page 1 of Scoring Slater
CHAPTER ONE
The sun breaking through the storm clouds over the Toronto skyline made for a perfect picture.
Slater Knox lifted his phone, tapped the camera icon, and then took a moment to play with a filter, deepening the blue of the sky and the gleam of sunlight off of the buildings.
The peaceful scene before him, the calm after the storm, called to him. His left side ached from the punches he'd received in the previous night's game. His right hand ached from the punches he'd thrown. Thinking about the events that led up to that fight, and the dirty hit the opposing team's player had taken at Slater's captain was enough to get his blood boiling all over again. He'd done more damage than he'd received, and had likely made a new enemy, but hopefully had taught that rookie a lesson.
In the three years he'd been in the league, he'd carved out a reputation. Fighter, enforcer, protector, the names all meant the same thing to him. He didn't play dirty, but if opposing teams did, he doled out retaliation, or his preferred term, justice, fast and furious.
He took a few photos, then noticed the lens had also captured his reflection in the hotel room window. Inspiration struck. The fans were always happy to see him in a photo, but adding in other teammates always made them even happier. He adjusted the angle of the phone and shifted his body closer to the teammate by his side. In the corner of his vision, Noah Alzado didn't move, didn't even look up from his gazing out the window, and Slater captured three photos before moving back to his original perch at the other end of the window. He scrolled through the photos, examining them for the best one to post to social. The ones with his and Noah's reflections, side by side, were his favorites.
Hotel room hangouts while on a road trip were a regular thing, not a big deal at all. But everything was different with Noah. The fans had picked up on it too, from their comments and speculations whenever Slater shared a photo of the two of them together.
"Careful, Knoxie." Noah’s amused voice curled around Slater’s nickname like an endearment. "You’ve taken so many pictures today, you'll end up with a repetitive motion injury in your finger."
He lifted his gaze from his phone to where Noah leaned against the hotel room's windowsill a few feet away. The mug of tea steaming in his hands sent wisps of heat curling around his face.
With the sunlight spilling across Noah's features, highlighting his dark hair, perfect profile, the stubble on his jaw, and the inked images covering his arms, the man looked even more devastatingly handsome than usual. And that was saying a lot.
Breath caught in Slater's lungs, and the sarcastic reply he'd readied died in his throat. He couldn't help taking a photo to capture that moment. He could already imagine the image, tinted in black and white or left in full color, hanging as a print in a gallery. Just like the photography exhibit they'd visited on their last day off.
Noah grimaced and raised his mug to shield his face. "No more pictures."
"Come on, one more?" Slater made his plea with a smile and his best puppy dog eyes. The guys liked to give him a hard time about how often he posted, but most of them were happy to pose for a photo to share with the fans. Noah, however, had limited patience for it. "Take a selfie with me. I promised the fans I'd check in before the game."
An eye roll followed a sip of tea, and Noah shook his head, but his blue eyes were twinkling. "You've already checked in with them three times today. One selfie at breakfast, one live video during the morning skate after you found out you won the fan vote as Last Man In for the All Star game, and another selfie after you woke up from your pre-game nap."
Slater grinned. "Stalking my feed, were we?"
A flush bloomed into Noah's cheeks and ears and he shifted his gaze to the horizon. "I can't help noticing when you tag me in things."
But he hadn't tagged Noah in the photo of himself in bed, posted hours after the morning skate video. Thinking of bed, and of what he'd been dreaming about during that nap, and more specificallywho, Slater swallowed and willed his traitorous body and heart not to react. He'd kept his attraction a secret for the almost five months that they'd been roommates. Falling in love with his best friend hadn't been part of his plan, but it had happened, slowly, and he didn't know what to do about it.
He certainly couldn'tacton it… Could he? They'd been friends for years. Noah's last relationship had ended that summer, right before he'd been traded to the Bedlam. After his breakup, he'd said that he needed a break from dating. Even now, he still didn't seem eager to set out to find someone new. But if Noah was ready, what was the chance that he could return those feelings? There were too many unknowns and too many risks.
Slater set his phone down and reached for his cup of coffee. For the past month, he'd been wrestling with the question of whether to tell Noah how he felt. A hotel room in Toronto, hours before a game, was not the time to share his feelings. Maybe there wouldn't be a good time. Ever. He needed to shift his focus to something else. "It's great that we're both going to the All Star Game. I wasn't sure I'd get voted in."
"Yeah, right. You have the largest social media following of any of the guys in the running for Last Man In. Hell, you're one of the most-followed guys in the league."
That was true. He worked hard at the relationship he'd developed with the fans. "Still, it's different getting in because I interact a ton with the fans rather than getting in because I have one of the hardest shots in the league or lead the team in points."
Both of those reasons were why Noah had been selected. Slater couldn't have been prouder for his friend, but now, being able to share the All Star weekend experience with him made getting in that much sweeter.
Noah shifted away from his spot by the window and rested his hip against the back of the chair behind him. His black T-shirt and black athletic pants more than hinted at the strong muscles they hid, they beckoned and tempted. "You might not lead in points, but you do lead our team in penalty minutes. I'd like to see a game with the enforcers from each team."
"Might as well just put us all in a boxing ring." He snorted at the idea. "It would be fun, but I don't think that's the image the league wants to project."
"No kidding, but you know people would watch it." Noah laughed, and then sent Slater a beaming smile. "Knoxie, you being there is going to make that weekend even better."
"Yeah? You're not going to get sick of me?" They were roommates, drove to and from games and practice together, spent the bulk of their spare time together, had vacationed together, and spent holidays together. Fans and teammates joked that they were joined at the hip. There wasn't anyone else Slater wanted to be with.
Noah's gaze roamed over his face, lingered on his lips for a moment, and then lifted to meet Slater's gaze. He licked his lips and his eyes sparked with an intensity that sent warmth buzzing along Slater's skin. "No."
"Oh." Slater's heartbeat kicked into higher gear, thudding as wonder mixed with desire. He and Noah watched each other, and the urge to reach out and touch was overwhelming, but so was the notion that if he moved an inch, he'd break whatever spell was holding them captivated. Maybe heshouldsay something to Noah.
His phone buzzed and chimed, startling him. Noah glanced at the phone and something in his eyes shuttered and he took a step back.
Instinct had him reaching for the phone before his thoughts caught up with his movements. Slater read the message, blinked, and then read it again, out loud. "It's a message from the Hockey Allies charity. They're holding a bachelor auction during All Star weekend and want me to be one of the bachelors."
