Page 21

KAYDEN

“ I ’m deeply disappointed in you, Erik,” Coach Hardison said.

Music to my ears. For once Mister Goody-Two-Shoes would get the bad rap he deserved.

Like, what gives with that cheap shot he gave me out on the ice?

That was completely uncalled for. All I’d done was give him a wake-up call shot, and he’d gone berserk.

I even wanted to add my two cents about that but knew better than to interrupt the coach when he was on a roll.

He'd sat us both down in his office after practice, which had ended the moment our teammates had pulled us apart. Another screwup for Erik, for the record.

Erik said nothing. He might as well have sat there with his head down, wallowing in shame. For him, this must’ve felt like being sent to the principal’s office for the first time. Only he wouldn’t really know that feeling because he was such a kiss-ass that it’d never happened. Some hockey player.

“I’ve always thought of you as being the picture of maturity on our team,” the coach continued.

“You’re the voice of reason. You’re a freshman, I know that, but this is a young team, and other players look up to guys like you.

I’ve even told them that they can learn a lot from you. Now I’m starting to feel stupid.”

I couldn’t hide my smile. This was too good.

“And when you go losing your cool like that, the others are going to think it’s okay for them to do it too. Then we’ll have chaos instead of teamwork. No one ever won a championship like that. Now, tell me, why did you do that?”

Erik muttered something I couldn’t understand. He looked so sheepish. You should’ve seen it. If I would’ve known he would look like this much of a wuss in the coach’s office, I would’ve goaded him into a fight a long time ago.

Erik still said nothing. Part of me wanted to tell the coach that he wasn’t just a troublemaker but a tease. If that wouldn’t have revealed far too much, I probably would’ve said it.

For now, I would enjoy watching Erik receive a lecture.

“I want you to be aware of your position on this team,” Hardison said “You’re in a position of responsibility.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yes, sir. Yes, sir . That sounded so perfect, like something he would’ve said on the farm when his dad took him to the woodshed. In fact, it was so perfect that I clapped my hands together in satisfaction.

And it caught Hardison’s attention.

“You’re not off the hook here, Preston,” he said.

I had opened my mouth to speak but shut up immediately.

“I saw the little shots you pulled too. I’m not stupid. I don’t like the way Erik reacted, but you’ve got to admit you provoked him enough.”

I nodded but stayed quiet. Okay, fine, the tables had turned, and I wasn’t laughing. Now I was in the hot seat, but no way in hell would I look like a wimp.

“I don’t need to remind you of how much trouble you’ve already been in this season, and we haven’t even played our first game.”

“I know.”

“You know?”

“I do, yeah.”

“Then why are you instigating fights with your own teammates?”

“I don’t know. I guess I…”

I guess I what? How did I expect to finish that sentence? Hockey’s a rough sport, and he should get used to tough play in the good old U.S. of A. That’d crash and burn too.

Or I could tell him that we’d given each other the best sex of our lives. Then I could say I was pissed because he wouldn’t give me round two when I demanded it.

Perfect, right?

Even now, I couldn’t look directly at Erik because all my hottest desires would come flooding back.

“I’m waiting,” the coach said.

“I dunno. I shouldn’t have done it. It was a stupid thing to do.”

“That’s really it? Judging from the intensity between the two of you, I’d say it was way more than that. Plus, I know that you and telling the truth aren’t even on speaking terms.”

Now it was Erik’s turn to show his amusement by snorting. He quit the moment Hardison glanced at him. Of course. He couldn’t know specifically what was going on, but he understood it wasn’t nothing. There were no coincidences. If Hardison saw it, could the rest of the team?

“Yeah,” I said, “that’s really it.”

Hardison sucked in his cheeks a little as if considering what I’d said.

He knew I’d only said it because I wouldn’t tell him the truth.

Couldn’t tell him, more like it. But what the hell was I supposed to say?

That Erik De Ruiter had the most perfect ass in this or any galaxy, and I only wanted to fuck it again?

Another kickass answer.

“We’ve had conversations like these before, one-on-one,” Hardison said.

“You already know that there will be steep consequences for you if this behavior persists. And Erik, I now have to give you the same warning. I won’t have fighting on my team, period.

From now on, it’s zero tolerance, and that goes for both of you. Is that understood?”

We both muttered yes. Well, Erik muttered yes sir , because you can’t take the farm out of the boy. Also, he was the biggest suck-up I’d ever seen.

Hardison was one of those guys that can’t just make his point and then shut up. He had to slip in a few more jabs right when you thought it was over.

“I also want you both to understand that you’re not just on a hockey team but in college. You’re not in high school anymore. You’re expected to act like adults here. That means you’ve got to work out your differences. No one’s going to do it for you.”

Even the long-winded Hardison surprised me with that. Usually, this was the point at which the authority figure says, “Okay, men, shake hands and make up.” And you would go through the motions, but keep hating each other because that’s just how these things work.

“That’s what you two are going to do starting now,” he said. “And remember, if you want to keep a place on this team, you’ll want to get your issues sorted out really fast. Have a good day, gentlemen.”

He stood up and walked out the door, leaving us alone.

Normally, that was a dangerous thing to do for other reasons.

When we stood up and faced each other, I looked Erik in the eyes for the first time since the fight.

I wanted to kiss him, wanted to feel his arms and back.

I wanted to clutch his ass and feel his hard member pressed against me.

“What were you thinking out there?” he asked. “You could’ve gotten us both in a lot of trouble.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, De Ruiter. I did get us in a lot of trouble.”

“Yeah, real nice answer.”

“Look, I know I got a little out of hand out there?—”

“A little out of hand? You were fucking brutal, Kayden. You trashed that same cheap shot when an opponent did it. How does this make you any better than Trevor?”

“Because I didn’t put you out of commission. You came back fired up and ready to go.”

“Who cares? It was still cheap.”

“I wasn’t trying to seriously hurt you.”

“Just rough me up a little?”

I shrugged and looked away from him. Yeah, it was wrong. I shouldn’t have done it. It was bullshit and no better than Trombley. I’d already admitted to Coach Hardison that I’d been stupid. Did I have to admit it to Erik too?

“I thought maybe things didn’t have to be so bad between us,” he said. “Like, I honestly thought maybe we?—”

“Have something?”

“Yeah.”

“De Ruiter, come on. You know as well as I do that the only thing we’ve ever had between us is a pair of throbbing cocks.”

He sputtered like he should’ve known I would find some way to turn a serious conversation dirty. That was what he got for taking the discussion in that direction.

“You’re wrong,” he said, shaking his head. “I know there’s something between us, something special. And I know you’re scared shitless.”

“Fuck off, De Ruiter. I’m warning you.”

“What are you going to do? Punch me? I can always tell Hardison that I tried patching everything up like a civilized human being but that you had to be a hothead and came at me with a fist anyway.”

I pursed my lips, trying to stay sane. Why did this asshole have to be right every time?

“I also know that’s why you came after me,” he said. “There was nothing random about it.”

“Everyone probably thought it was, though.”

“But I know why. It’s because we’re hot for each other, and it’s amazing we’ve kept our clothes on this long. That’s all that matters.”

“You know we can never coexist on the same team, right?” I asked.

“Says who?”

“You’ve made that pretty clear to me, dude.”

“So, we can’t coexist because I won’t just give you what you want?”

“The season is about to start, and the team captain hasn’t been officially named yet. Aren’t you going to go nuts when the team hands me my rightful title?”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“No, I’m not.”

I realized we’d just gone back to square one with this. That proved my point, didn’t it? We couldn’t handle much of anything without fighting—or fucking.

“But we’re going to be on the team together,” I said, “and something’s got to give eventually.”

“Remember, naming the team captain is up to the rest of the team, and they all saw the shit you pulled.”

He was right in that they didn’t know the real reason behind it all. Oh, of course, he would say that him knowing was all that mattered. What bullshit.

“As for everything else,” I said, “does the offer still stand? I hear the couch in this office pulls out.”

“Of course it still stands…and so do the conditions.”

Again, I struggled not to scream in madness. Of course he would put his stupid conditions ahead of hot sex. That was so Erik De Ruiter.