Arctic Titans of Northwood U, Volume 2

1. Grayson

Chapter One

GRAYSON

The air pulsed with the thumping bass. Beer flowed like a river and people moved with a sway in their stride. Our small pack of outsiders stood in the midst of chaos and our opponents bristled on the other side of the spacious common area.

The Alpha Kappa Phi frat house welcomed students from all over the city, not exclusively from their university.

That meant we often crossed paths with our rivals.

But it was worth it. Northwood campus parties were notoriously superior to ours.

That was the extent of their qualities though.

Their university ranked below ours in academic achievements; their volleyball team hadn’t won a game against ours in a year; their flagship hockey program had once been the pride of Northwood.

Their Frozen Four victory last year would be short lived.

Since I took over the Blizzard Breakers and the new season kicked off six weeks ago, we had scored two out of two victories against the Arctic Titans, which was the first in living memory, and I was determined to keep this streak going.

I tapped Spencer’s shoulder. “Get us something to drink, bud.”

“Sure thing, Cap,” he said. Spencer was my right-hand man and best friend since childhood.

When we joined the Breakers, we added our teammate Cole to the group.

We were also the main offensive on our team, with me taking center and my friends playing on the wings.

We were the dream team that the Breakers had been waiting for.

We had known that last year, but we were starting to prove it to everyone this season.

“Is that Caden Jones?” Cole tugged on my sleeve.

I followed his gaze and, sure enough, found the Titans’ winger, Caden, striking up a flirty looking conversation with some dude.

You go, buddy, I thought, respecting an openly gay guy on a hockey team with all my heart but also preemptively gloating about kicking his ass in the rink this weekend.

I looked around and found that Caden wasn’t the only Titan in the room. I spotted their goalie, Sawyer, and a couple of their defensemen. Tyler and Sebastian, if I recalled correctly.

Our third friendly game against the Titans was only two days away.

I could feel the current of the electric excitement course through my veins.

To come face to face with Beckett Partridge, the nephew of the very popular, very skilled NHL star, Nate Partridge, and snatch the third victory from under his nose was a dream come true.

As a bonus, I hoped to face off against my long-time rival in one of the periods.

There was nothing I liked more than hard-checking Avery Collins.

I’d crossed paths with him countless times.

So often in fact that I knew he wore an alpine breeze cologne with strong notes of sage and cypress, lemon and musk, juniper and cedar.

As if I had Beetlejuiced him, Avery Collins flung the front door open and drew my attention instantly.

He scanned the crowd with his steel-gray eyes.

His lips were pressed tight and thin, the Cupid’s bow even more pronounced with the tense set of his facial muscles, and his nose was perfectly straight.

The way he shaved two lines on the outer side of his right eyebrow marked him as a fuckboy. I was rarely mistaken about that.

He turned his cold gray gaze to me as if I had summoned him. It was as intense as touching a bare wire. It stirred something deep inside of me, but I didn’t look away. He was only scanning the room for his friends, so his gaze left me like I hadn’t even been there.

I had seen him up close often enough. I knew both what it felt like to slam into him and trap him against the boards and to be trapped by him in turn.

Beneath the layers of his Arctic Titan jersey and the pads under it, I knew he had a firm, wiry figure.

His broad shoulders were rounded with exercise and his stride was as determined on a hardwood floor as it was on the polished surface of the ice.

He charged through the crowd, emotionless and focused, like a mystery in a tight T-shirt.

For an entire year, I couldn’t get a read on that guy.

The most I saw was pure contempt. For me.

For my team. For everyone outside his social circle.

I was almost certain that was what it was.

Whatever brewed beneath the cool mask he wore every day, Avery hid it well.

But I had also seen the bloodlust and the sparks in his eyes when we battled one another in the rink.

He had been hellbent on besting me, but the feelings had always been mutual.

Spencer returned with three plastic cups full of beer and handed them to Cole and myself. I toasted to our upcoming victory. “Because there’s no way we’re losing against the Titans,” I insisted.

“You’re very sure of yourself, Captain,” Cole said, but he drank to it anyway.

I harrumphed. My gaze trailed Avery Collins across the room as he coolly nodded to their goalie, Sawyer, and the nerdy-looking guy standing next to him.

Another couple. I wondered how one team could attract so many guys from across the spectrum when my own team was as straight as an arrow now that Jonah Hamilton had graduated.

I was the last gay man standing on the Breakers.

“Only three things are certain in life, my friend. Death, taxes, and the Titans blundering this season.”

Cole and Spencer nodded reluctantly. “Your hubris outshines a Shakespeare character, Gray.” Spencer wore his skeptical mask, but I knew the fire in those eyes. He was ready for battle.

“Not even the best bard could imagine the likes of you,” Cole said, deadpan.

I shrugged. “I’m telling you, we bagged it already. Their morale is low after two consecutive defeats. Their leadership is in shambles. Look at them. They’re worried even now.”

My friends looked at the scattered Titans around the room. “They look fine to me,” Spencer said.

“You’re not gonna go tragically mad if we actually, you know, lose, right?” Cole asked with exaggerated concern for my sanity.

“We haven’t lost a game in six weeks. We’re not about to start this weekend,” I said firmly.

Spencer was the one who seemed genuinely worried. “Yeah, but what if we do?”

“Knock on wood, dammit,” I said.

“You’re the one tempting fate, Gray,” Spencer insisted.

“I would never,” I said, incredulous. “I’m just that confident.”

Spencer shrugged. “Alright. Are you willing to put that to the test?”

Cole’s ears perked and his eyes glimmered with mischief. “Ooh, are we betting against ourselves?”

Spencer laughed it off while I considered this. “Not betting against ourselves, just testing how confident our Captain really is.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “That way, we can ward off the evil spirits he is summoning.”

“How so?” I asked flatly.

“Simple. If you keep pushing that we’re an unsinkable ship, I am willing to bet we’re on a collision course with an iceberg. However, if this is just a test of your daring, then it’s got no reason to tickle any hockey god’s wrath.” Spencer laid his case like he was a tribe shaman.

“We athletes really are a superstitious bunch,” Cole huffed.

“You know what? Whatever. I’ll prove it to you.” I drained my beer, set my cup on the windowsill, and crossed my arms. “Let me hear your terms, traitor.”

Spencer narrowed his eyes. “If we win the third game against the Titans, I’ll never again question your prophetic powers.” He bit his lip, then added: “For a month.”

Cole snorted and I shook my head. “Nah, if I’m right, you’ll wear their jersey in public the weekend after.”

Spencer’s eyes widened. “You are cruel.”

“You wanted to make it personal,” I said with a shrug.

“That’s actually fair,” Cole offered.

“Easy for you to say,” Spencer said.

“And if we lose?” I asked, putting a stop to their banter. “What do I do?”

Spencer glanced around. I felt a moment of dread before he spoke. And when his words poured over his lips, my fright was justified. “Easy enough. You have to hook up with one of the Titans.”

Cole’s eyes widened with shock and then a grin split his face. “Nice.”

“Out of the question,” I shook my head. “I’m not sleeping with anyone on a dare. What if none of them want it? Do I lose?”

Spencer raised his hands in defense. “Fine, alright. Take one out on a date, then.”

I considered it. A date could be anything. We could see a movie or have dinner. It didn’t necessarily have to be the most romantic night of our lives. As my eyes narrowed, Spencer inhaled to continue.

“But I mean the mother of all dates, do you hear me? Cole and I will be nearby to make sure you are doing everything in your power to seduce him. Fair enough, you don’t have to get into his pants, but you have to do your best.” He crossed his arms and pushed his chest out.

My lips pursed in thought. Most of the Titans were probably more gay than straight, so much so that I had heard them called the Arctic Unicorns once or twice.

Aside from the coupled ones, there had to be one willing to go out on a date with me.

Not to brag, but I was a cutie when I dressed up and a hottie when I dressed down.

I had never gotten a ‘no’ in my life. At least when it came to taking someone out on a date.

“Which one?” I asked Spencer. “Or is at least that much up to me?”

My best friend sucked his teeth. “Jones.”

I threw my head back and laughed out loud. “And here I was, thinking this would be fun.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Cole asked.

“Too easy,” I said quietly. “But I wouldn’t trust you to pay attention. Caden Jones has been on a bender since before the season kicked off. I can go over there and get his number before you even finish your beer.”

Spencer bristled, but Cole cocked his head. “How about one of those two?” Cole pointed at the defensemen, Tyler and Sebastian.

“Nah, we don’t want to create friction in their relationship,” Spencer said.

“They’re straight, dude,” I pointed out.

“How do you keep tabs on everyone?” Spencer asked, mock concerned about his privacy.

“We have a mutual friend,” I said. “Those two have girlfriends.”

“So, Jones is too easy. Defensemen are too hard. Who else?” Cole summarized.

I looked around the room, my gaze landing on the Mount Everest of all dates. He had slept with a guy I knew, although discreetly, so he wasn’t totally straight. It was just that we had fought against each other so many times that it was all we knew.

As I examined him, knowing where Spencer was headed, my best friend sealed my fate. “Avery Collins.” He nodded to reaffirm his decision. “That’s who you need to take out on a date.”

Fuck. I had no excuses. “He hates my guts,” I said.

“Perfect,” Cole said, clapping his hands together. “When has that ever stopped you?”

“It’ll be more of a challenge,” Spencer said.

And I knew it was the sort of challenge that I craved. I liked winning. Sue me. I liked it more than anything. And if I got his number and scored a date that wasn’t a total flop, then it would be a victory for the ages.

I sighed. “That guy’s a robot. A psycho, probably.” I’d found myself inadvertently in his arms, although not particularly romantically, more than a few times. I knew what sort of roughness I was getting into.

Cole shrugged. “Why does it matter? We’re gonna win anyway. Right, Cap?”

Spencer lifted one knowing finger. “You can’t pull out, Gray. What’s done is done.”

I forced a calm wave to pass through me. It was the same thing I did out on the ice to focus on solutions, rather than get dragged into battles. “I’ve got nothing to worry about.” And I meant it. I was about to take this team to the greatness it hadn’t seen in years.

Spencer disappeared for a minute, then returned with three more beers.

“Let’s drink on it.” He raised his cup between the two of us and I mimicked his solemn expression as we sealed the dare by draining our cups.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, laughed at the childishness of the whole thing, and scanned the room again.

Avery Collins.

I ran a mental checklist on him. Of all the whispers I’d picked up through my friends, anything regarding him was the quietest. I knew he had been with a guy last year and I knew he was single. If he was on any dates recently, the word didn’t reach me.

I had no idea what he did this summer or if he was pursuing anyone privately. What I did know was not comforting. Scoring a date with him would be a real challenge. But if I was right, it would never have to come to that.

So why wasn’t I satisfied with that? Why did I feel like winning the next game was going to lose me something I had never had?

The sneakiest idea crossed my mind and I banished it as quickly as it had arrived. It was a ridiculous thought. I would never jeopardize my integrity and the benefit of my team for something as silly as a boyish dare. Not even if it gave me a good reason to walk up to Avery Collins.