Page 29 of It’s A Little Bit Bunny (Fangs on Ice #4)

Twenty-eight

Nikolai

W e had our rematch game against the Gators in Osterfeld two days after I first hugged Jules. We hadn’t touched any more except for a small hug to say goodbye, but his touch sat like a talisman on my chest.

I went into the game thinking that nothing could dampen my good mood. I was wrong. The Gators played dirty—even dirtier than usual. With their leading man, Chase Harper, traded, they had to rely on brute strength to get past us. And they did. I couldn’t even begin to count the penalties Bo, Luis, and I racked up.

Jarno Lipponen was one of the players I would never see eye to eye with. The worst part of the game was the moment he had me against the boards and gave me a black eye with the end of his stick.

I thought for a moment Bo would lose his temper and beat the Fox hybrid into a pulp.

“Lorenz!“ Coach called me over to the bench so the doctor could check my eye. It hurt, but I knew it was nothing serious. What was serious was my murderous intent. I wanted to end Lipponen.

“That bloody asshole!“ I snarled as I accepted a bottle of water from S?ren.“That bloody motherfucking asshole.“

“Don’t let him get to you, Nikolai. The team needs you. Can’t you tell how much better they play now that they have you back? He’s not worth it.“

A couple of minutes later, Arne and I switched. Maybe S?ren was right: the best revenge would be kicking the Gators’ asses so thoroughly they would have to scrape their deflated egos off the ice.

I’d never seen Guns protect his home like he had today. He’d always hated playing the Gators. You couldn’t blame him. The way Chase Harper taunted him relentlessly every time he’d hammered a goal past him would have gotten under my skin as well.

Not that we could allow their bully tactics to rile us. We had to be bigger than that. But sometimes you couldn’t, especially with an asshole like Harper.

We dominated the game. When the last third was over, we led by three goals.

I had hardly ever seen Nate and Max grin so big. After the game, we went out to a bar near the rink to celebrate our win. By the time I slipped into bed that night, I felt truly invincible.

Next morning, I got up and checked myself in the bathroom mirror. A deep purple bruise bloomed under my eye, giving me a reckless look.

Maybe Jules will want to fuss over me. Wouldn’t say no to that.

I peed and washed my hands, giving myself a sly grin in the mirror.

We arrived back at the rink in Veitsreuth around noon on Saturday. I’d left my car there so I could drive straight out to the labyrinth.

How the hell did I stay away from Jules a few weeks last time?

I had to force myself not to speed too much and drummed on the steering wheel when a tractor pulled out on the road a couple hundred metres in front of me.

Fuck! It was one of the tiny old ones that didn’t drive but crept down the street.

He indicated right after three long, impatient minutes, and I continued on the dirt trail.

A short time later, I arrived at the labyrinth. I snagged the last empty parking spot and jogged to the archway. Again I made sure no hikers saw me go through.

A low thrumming ran through the ground like an earthquake.

Only a few minutes before I see him again!

Much like when I’d been stuck behind the tractor, the time it took Jules to get to the arch felt like hours.

Then, finally, I spotted him through the trees.

“Bunny?” Jules stopped dead in the middle of the forest path. His irises clouded over. It looked like a summer storm swallowed the forest in his eyes. He stalked closer, shifting with every step. Sweet twink Jules was replaced by imposing scary AF forest god.

He towered over me, the breath rasping in and out of him. It brushed over my lips as he gripped my chin and forced my face up.

Fuck, that’s so sexy. Make me kneel, daddy?

A high wind suddenly tore through the trees around us, whipping his long copper hair around his head. Jules didn’t even blink an eye.

“Who hurt you?” he thundered.

“This? It’s just a black eye, Jules.” The hold he had on my chin tightened.

“ Who did this to you , Nikolai? Tell me. ”

“Another hockey player. The asshole high sticked me.” I still hated Lipponen’s guts. “You should see him, though.”

No matter what S?ren had said, my hot head had gotten the better of me. The penalty I got for boarding that asshole had been worth it.

“I want to hurt him for wounding you,” Jules forced out between his clenched teeth. I had never seen him like this before.

“I told you what I do, Jules. I can take care of myself.” My voice was harsher than it needed to be. “I’m not a child.”

As his gaze bored into mine, the storm clouds dissipated. His mossy green eyes softened, but his hold on me didn’t.

“I know you are not, Nikolai. What do I do when my feelings tell me to take care of you, too?” he murmured, thumb trailing over the dimple in my chin.

He kept his eyes open and leaned forward. In no universe did the peck he placed on my lips count as a real kiss.

In no universe but mine.

I was stunned.

“Jules,” I whispered, not knowing what to say. He released me, shrinking as he stepped away.

“Let me take you home, Bunny.”

I was still numb with shock. Once or twice he had to steady me when I stumbled on tree roots.

No, not shock. What’s the opposite of shock? Elation? Euphoria?

I raised two fingers to my mouth to check if there was an imprint of his lips on mine. There was nothing, only the memory of Jules kissing me.

For fuck’s sake. An actual fucking god kissed me.