Page 49 of Overtime Goal (Buffalo Warriors Hockey #4)

logan

A few days later, we had set up our first unofficial morning skate before training camp, a chance to shake the rust and get our legs back.

Harpy had organized it, and eighteen Warriors showed up at the practice facility in Amherst. After stretching, we started with simple laps around the ice.

The laps soon turned into races, but even those got boring.

A bunch of hockey players can never just skate around for long, so we were soon playing shinny, basically street hockey on ice.

Rules were thrown out the window as we went at each other like kids on a frozen pond.

A couple of minutes into the game, Brody checked Abby into the boards so hard that Abby shouted a string of Russian curses.

“Love tap,” Brody yelled. “If you think that’s bad, wait till one of Montreal’s men goes after you.”

When I missed a pass, Dog shouted, “Get your head out of Riley’s ass and into the game.”

“Fuck off,” Riles yelled. “I like Logan’s head right where it is.”

Packy glided over and asked, “Who pitches and catches, anyway?”

“Think I’ll tell you?” I asked. “Maybe we do both.”

A few minutes later, Harpy cut in front just as Riles was winding up on goal. When Ade cursed, Harpy shouted, “Careful, boys! Riley’s got that post-sex glow. Don’t blind yourselves.”

“Jealous?” Riles shot back. “Don’t worry, Cap. I’ll give you skincare tips if you ask real nice.”

Edwards coasted past and couldn’t resist chiming in, “Bet I know what kind of skin care Logan gives you.”

I came in from the side and delivered a hip check that nearly took Edwards down. “Fuck off. You looking for someone to give you a facial?”

The boys cracked up, and one by one we ground to a halt, doubling over our sticks and laughing too hard to skate.

Later, Riles snatched the puck and took off on the wildest run I’d ever seen. He jinked around one guy after another like a video game on cheat mode, and when Brody tried to cut him off, Riles snapped a shot low. It slid through Brody’s legs, then right on through Gabe’s five-hole into the net.

“Bet Riley’s stamina’s gone now,” Blunt yelled. “One shot and he needs a nap.”

“Funny,” Riles called, still mid-celly. “Ask your girlfriend how much rest I needed last year.”

Blunt didn’t miss a beat. “Fuck you! She said you looked at her once and were out cold.”

The guys howled.

I told myself to stay out of it, but who was I kidding? I pushed off, ripped up beside them, and stopped hard, spraying Blunt with snow. “I assure you, Riles doesn’t need any rest.”

“Look at Riley blush,” Holky said. “He’s thinking about it right now.”

I glanced at Ade in time to catch his cocky grin. “Yeah. And you’re wishing you were me.”

“Hey Riley,” Packy called. “Does Logan call you ‘stud’ in bed, or is it ‘princess’?”

Laughter exploded, and Abby cackled so hard he collapsed flat on his ass. As his stick clattered across the ice, Blunt had a coughing fit and went down too.

Riles looped around Packy in a wide arc, brandishing his stick like a sword. “Keep dreaming, bud. What I hear in bed is ‘better than Packy’ll ever be.’”

The roar shook the rafters, and Packy chased Riles half the length of the ice while the rest of us laughed our asses off.

The game completely unraveled after that.

As we dragged ourselves off the ice to the locker room, the chirps were still flying.

Most of them were aimed at Riles. The boys couldn’t resist giving him shit because he’d been the biggest man-slut on the team for years, regaling us all with stories like they were medals of honor.

Brody looked up from taking off his skates and smirked at Riles. “How do you like being with a man? Learning how to play with that new toy?”

Riley gave him a deadpan look. “New toy, my ass. I’ve been playing with mine for years, and it’s even more fun when it’s Logan’s.”

After the chorus of hoots died down, Harpy said, “You guys need to start a new TikTok channel. Call it Romeo and Julian on Skates .”

“Who’s Romeo and who’s Julian?” Packy called out.

“Why so curious, Packy?” Riley asked. “Hoping we’ll ask you to be a third?”

“Bullshit. I don’t… Fuck! No way. I’m not trying to… Shut the hell up!”

The catcalls were even louder than they’d been before.

“Know what else you guys need?” Dog asked. “A joint Instagram. Holky can take some lovey-dovey pics, and I’ll set it up for you.”

“Riley,” Holky called, then tossed Riles a protein bar.

Ade looked at it like it might bite him. “The fuck’s this for?”

Holky’s smirk was pure trouble. “Share it with your boyfriend. Tell him to suck it, get in some practice.”

Riles tossed the bar back to Holky. “Why don’t you suck it? Logan doesn’t need practice.”

“But… You… I…”

Everyone howled again. Ade had always been the only one who could leave Holky speechless.

When the noise died down, Harpy gave Ade and me a snarky look. “Careful, boys. You were going too easy on each other out there. If you pull that shit at camp, Criswell will fry your asses.”

“Bullshit,” I said. “Riles checked me hard. Look at this bruise on my shoulder.”

Brody snorted. “I’m sure he’ll find a way to kiss it better.”

Harpy’s grin turned so devilish I could see the horns sprouting through his halo. “Who knows? Maybe Riley will let you spank his ass.”

“We haven’t tried that yet,” Ade deadpanned.

“Explore, boys.” Harpy looked smug as hell. “You never know what you’ll enjoy.”

I was a little surprised Riles held his tongue since we’d all seen Harpy’s ass bright red a few times. Packy asked him about it once, and after blushing the same shade, Harpy stammered out an excuse that he’d fallen on the stairs.

Gabe leaned in to inspect my bruise. “You owe Riley a good spanking for that hit.” He glanced at Riles. “And something tells me he’d enjoy it.”

“Fuck you,” Riles said. “Do you spank Brody?”

It didn’t stop there. We were all happy to see each other again, and the boys couldn’t leave Riles and me alone. The chirps kept flying through showering and getting dressed. When we finally left, my sides ached from laughing.

I couldn’t stop smiling as Riles and I walked to the parking garage. No one had pulled back or acted weird. They chirped us because that’s what hockey players do, and the only real difference had been that they saw us as a couple. To them, we were the same two dumbasses as always.

After dinner, we curled up on the sectional for a movie.

Ade surprised me by picking Love, Simon , a gay rom-com.

Instead of asking his usual million questions, he only made occasional comments about the story.

When the movie ended, he was leaning against me with his head on my shoulder and his eyes closed.

He was a warm, heavy weight against me, and my body reacted before my brain could catch up. I was hard, aching to have him on his back and open for me, with his reckless green eyes fixed on mine as he begged for more.

But love made a mess of it in the most wonderful way.

As much as I wanted to tear his clothes off and fuck him senseless, I wanted just as badly to keep him right here, tucked against me, safe.

My chest tightened at the memories of his soft gasps when I’d lick his throat and tell him he was beautiful.

My lips tingled with the need to claim his, but part of me wanted to wait, to let him be the one to slip his tongue into my mouth so I could suck it.

I wanted to drag things out until we were both shaking with anticipation.

Ade deserved that, to be touched, kissed, worshipped like he was the only thing that mattered, because he was. And for me, there was no greater pleasure than knowing he felt it, that he knew I’d keep him safe, even in the middle of my own hunger.

I had to get him to bed before we could do any of that, so I grazed a hand up his thigh. His breathing changed, and although he didn’t open his eyes, one side of his mouth inched upward.

“Were you asleep?” I asked.

“No. Just thinking.”

“Dangerous.”

“Sometimes, but not now.” He reached for my hand and threaded our fingers together.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked. “If you feel like talking about it.”

“Starting therapy next week, for one thing. I have you to thank for that.”

“No, you don’t. You’re the one who was brave enough to decide to go. That’s not always an easy decision.”

He pressed his lips together and scratched his head. “True, but…”

“But what?”

“I’ve never been great at taking care of myself, mostly because of my past. I didn’t think I was worth it. If I weren’t in love with you and wanting to be the best I can be for us, I may never have found the courage to go.”

“Oh, babe.” I pressed a kiss against the top of his head. “You deserve to have a wonderful life, and I hope this will help you put some of your ghosts to rest. Maybe it’s time I went back to therapy, make sure I’m giving the best of me.”

He looked up, widening his eyes. “You’ve been through therapy?”

“Sure. I never told you about that?”

“No.”

“It was when I was in college. I’d known I was gay for years, but hockey was different back then. I hate to say it, but the culture of the game was homophobic. Since staying in the closet was hurting me emotionally, I finally realized I had two choices. It was either go get help or quit playing.”

“That was before Nick Johnson came out, right?”

I nodded. “Nick changed everything. Hockey culture is more accepting because of him.”

“I’ve heard about what happened, and I read an article about him once.”

“He’s a great man.” I paused, wanting to put the focus back on Riles. “And so are you, Ade. You deserve everything good. Are you happy about your new therapist?”

He let my hand go and rubbed his cheek. “As much as I can be before meeting her. Luca said she’s helped him resolve problems he’s had for years.

He thinks that since she’s married to a football player, she understands some of the problems facing professional athletes.

I have high hopes I can leave a lot of my issues behind once and for all. ”

“My old therapist always said determination to improve is the biggest part of successful therapy, and you seem to have that. If you’re as stubborn about it as you are everything else?—”

“Hey! I’m stubborn?”

I couldn’t help laughing. “You know you are. And stubbornness can be a valuable trait, so make the most of it.”

He brushed his lips over mine and said, “I’ve always heard happiness slips up on you, and I guess it’s true. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been happy to have you as a friend. But I was so busy trying to keep up my image as the world’s most active straight guy, I never thought about us being more.”

“You’re young, and you were sowing your wild oats. Were you attracted to me at all?”

He rolled his eyes. “Hello, remember LA?”

“I mean before that.”

“For a while. It kept growing, but I didn’t know what to do with it. You said you were attracted to me for a long time. Will you tell me how long?”

I let the words roll out before I could second-guess myself. “Since you walked into the Warriors locker room the first time. My stomach flipped, and my heart did a crazy dance. When it became obvious you were straight, or at least thought you were, I tried to let those feelings go. No luck.”

He studied his hands for a moment, then looked into my eyes and said, “I’m not sure when I fell in love with you. I always liked you so much, but I kept telling myself you were only my best friend. Loving you wasn’t a new thing in Positano, but it had taken me too long to realize what I felt.”

“I’ll never forget the way you came charging into that bar, ready to go to war for me. You may have been in overtime, but you scored the perfect goal.”

Riles shrugged, flashing a grin. “Hey, everyone says I’m a clutch player. I just hate it took me so long to come after you.”

I brushed his hair back and kissed the tip of his nose. “I’ve loved you for years. As much as I wanted us to be together, I never thought it would actually happen.”

He gave me one of his playful looks, all mischief and bright eyes. “Look at us now, madly in love and here to stay.”

“We sure are. I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.”

A crooked smile tugged at his lips, and he bounced his eyebrows. “I’ve got a pretty good idea of what’ll be coming in a little while. Or should I say who will be coming?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m sure you’re right. The guy I love is so young, he keeps me going all night.”

“Please. You’re not that old, gramps.”

I lunged forward and dug my fingers into his ribs. “Don’t call me ‘gramps’ again. I’m not that much older than you.”

He caught my wrists, still laughing, before schooling his face into mock seriousness. “Old enough. You’re the one talking about how I keep you going all night. And I have to say, you do pretty damn good for a man your age. Nobody could fuck me better.”

“Because you set me on fire every time you look at me.” I couldn’t keep joking right then because I felt too much. “The sex is phenomenal, but it’s who you are that does it for me.”

Our gazes locked, and he said, “I never want to let this go. I love you, and I’ll do anything to make this work.”

“It is working. And I’m right there with you, exactly what you said.”

“Is love like hockey? You have to want it enough to work your ass off every day?”

Nodding, I said, “I think that’s a pretty good analogy. Loving you isn’t hard, but all relationships need attention. As long as we remember that, we’ll be fine.”

He traced a finger over my lips. “Nobody’s ever had my attention like you do.”

My breath caught. It was a moment before I could whisper, “Did you feel that? When you touched my mouth, I shivered. That’s how much I love you, and I’ll never stop.”

His grin tilted, more mischief sparking in his eyes. “We’re lucky, Blue Eyes. And if you’re ready, we’re about to get even luckier.”

“Mm. If you mean bedtime, I’m all in.”

He stood, helped me up, and twined our fingers together. “ Definitely bedtime. Let’s go.”

We walked down the hall side by side, and the wonder hit me all over again. Ade was mine. My boyfriend, my love, my every dream come true. To paraphrase Walt Whitman, “We were together. I forget the rest.” The line was now my truth.