30. Lincoln
LINCOLN
Practice involving the Cranham Kings, our hated local rivals, was a whole new experience.
My body was buzzing, adrenaline coursing through me as I skated across the rink, deking around Jay and smacking my stick into the puck, sending it in the direction of my captain, who was ready and prepared to flick it between Volkov’s legs.
Straight into the net.
Not being allowed to check the opposing team when it was a natural instinct to smash number eighteen up against the boards wasn’t something I wanted to repeat, although on the plus side, there would be fewer bruises decorating Daniel’s skin.
Until later. I gritted my teeth as I flew across the ice, evading Cranham players.
What had I been thinking, inviting him over after the game?
The answer was, I hadn’t been thinking. I’d watched him glide across the ice in my direction, his entire focus fixed on me.
Being the recipient of Daniel Hoyton’s full attention was so heady.
The words had just spilled out, and then he’d smiled at me, and I was completely gone.
My concentration was at an all-time low, my mind stuck on my hot-as-fuck nemesis, and I completely missed the moment Jasper purposely body-checked Kane Worthington, and all hell broke loose.
“No fucking body-checking!” Ryker roared, diving for Jasper, and then my teammates were piling on him, and their goalie and Enzo were punching each other, and I—
I was pulled backwards into someone’s chest, and then gloved hands were lifting my helmet off my head and dropping it to the ice. “Hi,” a voice said in my ear. “Wanna fight?”
Turning around, I was confronted with Daniel, also sans helmet, which had been dropped carelessly next to his stick in front of the boards. I felt my lips curve upwards as I tapped my stick against his skate. “Strangely enough, no. Our teammates have it covered.”
He glanced over my shoulder, pulling a face. “It’s basically a brawl at this point. Amateurs. We should show them how it’s done.”
“Or…” I lifted my stick, angling it so the blade went around the back of his thigh. I pulled lightly, and he laughed, so I used the flat of the blade to tap him in warning. “You could come here.”
“I could.”
“You will. Now.”
His pupils blew wide, and he instantly surged forwards.
“Good boy,” I murmured, my hands going to his sides.
“Am I good?” he whispered into the space between us.
“You’re so fucking good, baby.”
“Fuck you, Bellingham. I’m getting an extremely uncomfortable hard-on now. I should sue you for damages.”
“What if you’re giving me one too?”
“Am I?”
I nodded, and he smirked. “Good. I hope it hurts, you wanker.”
“Want to fight me about it?” I suggested, and his eyes lit up.
“You changed your mind? That’s great. I’ve gotta throw people off the scent.
Clayts and Worthy were giving me shit about you earlier.
They seem to think I, uh…” His cheeks flushed as he lowered his gaze, his lashes sweeping down.
Tugging his lip between his teeth, he shifted on his skates. “Never mind.”
Shit. If his friends thought something was going on between us, that made everything a hundred times more complicated.
I sprang into action as sudden panic hit me. Lunging forwards, I shoved him up against the boards. “What do they think?”
He pushed back at me, getting his arms around my back. We grappled, sliding across the ice as we both tried to gain the upper hand. “That I have a thing for you. I set them straight, but they didn’t believe me. You didn’t help, attacking Kane at the party. He probably thinks it’s mutual.”
“Mutual hate,” I panted, smashing him up against the boards again.
“Exactly. Why does no one else get that?” Our eyes connected, and I really, really wanted to kiss him. I wouldn’t, because I still had some self-control, and instead, I punched him with a glancing blow off his jaw. He grinned widely, swinging back his own fist—
“Break it up!” Hands grabbed at my jersey, yanking me backwards, and then my team captain was pushing in between us, breathing heavily and looking far more dishevelled than I’d ever seen him before. My gaze swung to the other players grouping around us. They were all in similar states.
Daniel’s mind was clearly going along the same lines, because his brows flew up, and he said, “Guess we can’t manage a friendly practice between the Kings and the Flames after all. Or are we inventing a new sport? Hockey pub brawls? Ooh, you know how they have Disney On Ice? What about MMA On Ice?”
“Shut up.” Kane cuffed him around the head.
“Rude. It could be a big moneymaker. It’s a good idea, right, Banks?”
“Don’t bring me into it,” Jay muttered. He relented when Daniel shot him a wounded look. “It has potential, but it needs a lot of thought.”
“Sorry, why are we standing around entertaining this ugly ginger scumbag’s delusions?”
I saw red, spinning on Jasper and slamming my fist into his face as hard as I could. He roared in pain, flying backwards and crashing down onto the ice, blood pouring out of his nose.
“Shit, I think you broke it,” one of my teammates mumbled.
“That’s it. Everyone, off the fucking ice. Now. Practice is over,” Enzo boomed. He slid to the floor, ripping off his gloves. “Someone get me the medical kit.”
I winced as he prodded at Jasper’s nose, and Jasper howled in pain. Neo came flying across the rink with the medical kit, and I dropped to the ice next to my teammate, grabbing the kit from Neo’s outstretched hand and yanking off my gloves so I could open it. “Sorry, Jas,” I murmured.
“Fuck you,” he spat, clutching at his nose.
“You deserved the hit, but I shouldn’t have broken your nose.”
“It’s not broken,” Enzo cut in. He pulled the case towards himself, opening it up and pulling items out at speed. Working to stem the bleeding, he glanced up. “I thought I told you all to leave.”
“Off the ice, now,” Ryker commanded, and finally, everyone began to move.
“Do you need any help?” I asked Enzo.
“No. Go. And don’t think I’m letting you get away with this. Whether you think it was justified or not, you leave that shit off the ice. He’s your teammate, Bells.”
“I know. But he said—”
“Why the hell do you care what I said?” Jasper struggled upright, supported by Enzo. “You hate that little shit even more than I do.”
“My problem with him is my problem, not yours. Don’t fucking talk about him that way again,” I snarled.
Enzo shot me a warning look as he pressed an instant ice pack to Jasper’s face.
“Enough. You don’t want to see me angry, Bellingham.
Get out of the rink, now.” He returned his attention to Jasper.
“Drop it, okay? He’s said he’s sorry, and he’ll be appropriately disciplined for his actions.
I don’t need a feud in my team, so please try and remember the two of you are friends. ”
“You can punch me later, if it makes you feel better,” I suggested, climbing to my feet.
Jasper sighed. “I will. And I accept your apology, you knob, but I’m still pissed off with you.”
“Fair enough.” Swiping my gloves from the ice, I lifted my hand in a goodbye gesture and then skated over to the boards to retrieve my helmet and stick.
When I was back in the locker room, I took my skates off and slumped back against the wall. How had everything managed to go so wrong?
My teammates gave me a wide berth, unsurprisingly, showering and changing without superfluous conversation. I could feel their silent judgement as I remained on the bench, staring down at the floor until I was finally alone.
After everyone had left, I reached for my phone and powered it up. A notification immediately appeared on the screen.
@danhfirestarter:
come and find me
A smile tugged at my lips as I tapped out a reply, my mood lifting immediately.
@linkb_flames:
do I get a clue?
@danhfirestarter:
ok. I have a waterproof phone and i’m sending this from somewhere with water
Dickhead. I laughed aloud, grabbing my kit bag before making my way to his locker room.
Pausing in front of the door, I took a second to listen for any noise before I reached for the handle.
I assumed his teammates were no longer at the rink, otherwise he wouldn’t have invited me to join him, but I was still prepared to leg it at any moment.
The locker room was empty, and I wasted no time in stripping off my layers, dumping them in a pile next to Daniel’s things. Grabbing my towel from my bag, I strode naked through the Kings’ locker room into the shower area.
My head turned to the left, to the furthest shower in the row, and I stopped dead, my towel falling to the floor as I took in the sight before me. Daniel Hoyton, with his head tipped back and his eyes closed, water streaming over his hard body as he lazily stroked his dick.
“Fucking hell,” I breathed when I remembered how to speak.
His eyes fluttered open, and he turned his head. “Like what you see?” He glanced down at my rapidly rising cock. “Yep, guess you do. Get in here. I’ve been hard for, like, an hour or something, and I don’t think that’s good for me medically. You need to fix it.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I murmured, coming up behind him. I slid my hand up his chest to curl my fingers around his throat. “I’m in trouble with my captain now because of you.”
“Mmm. That was so fucking hot. I nearly came when you punched Campbell. In fact, I think I did come a bit.”
“Of course you’d find violence a turn-on.”
“Like you don’t.” He pressed back into me. “We’re more alike than you think.”
I mouthed at the shell of his ear, tightening my grip on his throat before dipping my head to his shoulders, kissing across the light dusting of freckles on his skin.
“I seem to act so irrationally when it comes to you. When he said that, I didn’t even stop to think.
All I wanted to do was hurt him for hurting you. ”
“Yeah?” Daniel wrapped his hand around my wrist, pulling it away from his neck. Turning around so we were facing each other, he backed me up against the shower wall, nipping at my jaw. “If he’d hit you back, I would’ve broken more than his nose. No one touches what’s mine and gets away with it.”
My heart jolted at his low threat, a giddy sensation swirling in my stomach. I tipped my head back so he could suck a mark onto my throat. “Don’t come to any of my games, then.”
“Don’t come to mine. You’ll be banned for life. You should stay away from the yard too. And my, uh, extracurricular family-based activities.”
“Fuck you.” I clawed down his back. “Stop. I don’t even want to think about anyone else hurting you.”
He drew back, studying me. He was so fucking beautiful, with his bright eyes almost eclipsed by his pupils and his lashes spiky and wet.
A reluctant smile curved over his plush lips as he cupped my jaw.
“I think we’ll have to agree that fights we have with other people are going to happen in those kinds of situations, and we shouldn’t interfere.
Not unless there’s a justification. Yeah? ”
“Fine,” I muttered.
“Look at us, compromising. We’re so good at that.
” He leaned in, his mouth sliding over mine.
“Outside of the situations we just mentioned, no one fucking touches you. Especially not the way I’m touching you right now.
” He pressed his hips forwards as he kissed me, his erection sliding up against mine.
“No one else. Not for me, and not for you. You’re mine, baby, until we get each other out of our systems.” I mouthed at his throat, marking up his skin the same way he’d marked mine.
“Mine.” His hands went to my ass, tugging me even closer. “I really, really want to fuck you. Right here.” His finger traced a line down my crease. “Are you gonna let me?”