Slapshot Awakening

Ryker POVI watch as I skate and I see my chance then their winger tries to thread a pass through the middle. I read it before it happens and I intercept the puck and take off. My skates cut in hard, my legs burn with every stride. Their defenseman lunges, but he's too late. Flicking my wrist, I send the puck sailing down the ice.It goes straight into their empty net, and the horn blares sending the crowd wild.Quinn is the first to slam into me, his glove smacks the back of my helmet. "There it is! Finally focused, huh? Right at the fucking edge, talk about cutting it close."I let out a breath, nodding as the rest of the team piles in. "Yeah, I had to lock in eventually."We kill off the last few seconds, and then it's over. We take the win, shaking hands with the other team before we skate off and go to our locker room.The second I step inside, I start ripping off my gear. I don't have time to mess around, I need to get out of here.Quinn notices right away. “Jesus, Ry, you in a

Jaxon POVThe applause continues and I finally release Erin's hand, but I can still feel the pressure of her grip lingering on my skin. We glide toward the center of the rink. Our breathing is still uneaven, but keep our movements graceful and poised. No one in the crowd needs to know how close that was. Actually, no one needs to know that for a second, I thought I might lose control and spiral.I say that, but Ryker does, he's watched us enough he would have spotted the change.Erin straightens her costume, smoothing out an imaginary wrinkle as we take out final bow. The energy in the arena is electric, and the cheers crash around us like waves. I look toward the stands, and I know where to focus.Ryker is there, standing near the edge of the seating section. His arms are crossed tightly over his chest, he doesn't clap, he doesn't even move. Instead, he stares, his expression is hard and unreadable, I don't need to guess at what he's thinking about. I already know.I just gave him ev

Ryker POVJaxon looks down at where my thumb brushes against his skin but doesn’t pull away. “Yeah, but guess what? I still landed it,” he mutters, smirking slightly.Quinn whistles. "Damn, Ry. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're flirting with him."Jaxon snorts. “Ryker? Flirting with me? Yeah, okay.”Yeah, he's in his own fucking world. Everyone but him and Erin know.Laughing, Kai leans back in his seat. "I don't know, man. He's got his hands all over you."Grinning I keep my hold on Jaxon's wrist a second longer before finally letting go. "What? Can't a guy appreciate his best friend's hands?" These things are vital to my entertainment. If you don't Erin, who else am I gonna make fun of?"Jaxon rolls his eyes but still doesn’t move away. “You’re an idiot.”“That's not new news Jax, and it doesn't change the fact that you still love me.”Jaxon exhales a laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah, don’t get all emotional on me.”I press my knee against his under the table, it'

Jaxon POVI instantly feel the familiar charge of energy as I dig my toe pick into the ice and launch. The air cuts around me as I rotate, my body is locked tight, and it's perfect, until I hit the landing.It's not as bad as I was expecting, there's a slight skid, a fraction of imbalance, and just like that, Ryker is there. His hands catch my waist, pulling me into him just enough to stop the skid before it can turn into a fall. His breath washes over the back of my neck.My pulse kicks up, my body tense as his fingers press firmly against my lower back. I fight back the groan from the pain it shoots through me.Exhaling, I pull away and turn to face him. "Seriously?"Ryker just smirks. "I told you. You're shit at landing when you're tired and hungover."Shaking my head I skate towards the boards, my muscles burning from the session, but it's not the jumps that have on edge. It's him. Every time that I wobbled, he was there, hands on my hips, my sides, my waist. He never hesitated, n

Ryker POVThe coach’s whistle shrills through the air, signaling the end of the break. I push off the bench, skating back onto the ice, my mind finally locked into the game.Today has been tiring. The guys are sitting and drinking. It's not a heavy one, and we won't be late tonight. It's just to unwind a bit. We celebrated the win already, so now it's back to training and being careful of how far we go.The bar is still buzzing though, and the low thrum of music blends into the warmth of the alcohol that's settling in my chest.Kai and Quinn are still arguing about something. There's no guessing needed to know it will be something stupid. I stay sitting back, letting the noise wash over me.The feel of my phone buzzing has me shifting and pulling it out of my pocket. I expect Erin or Jaxon, but it's not. Instead, there, on the screen, is Aiden's name. I didn't expect that. I click it.Aiden: Are you out?Exhaling slowly, I stare at the message. I already know where this is going. On a