Page 158 of Puck My Life

Deacon uses my hands to suddenly hit the puck; he sends us both zooming across the ice. I throw my head back and laugh as I realise he’s going to literally push me around to win.

While Mal might be good, Raynor is terrible. We’re actually evenly matched.

Deacon spins me around in a circle and shoves off, sending us into a smooth glide around the net.

I laugh as Mal shoots past us on a hunt for the puck that Raynor sends in the wrong direction. Deacon huffs a laugh in my ear and kisses the back of my neck.

“Win for me?” I purr.

He grips my hair and kisses me hard, then takes the stick and chases Malcolm down.

“Hey! That’s cheating!” Mal shouts, but Deacon sends the puck sailing into the net.

“Woo!” I throw my freezing fingers of one hand up as I cling to the net with the other. “Go team!”

Raynor puts his hands on his waist and shakes his head. “You are a cruel mistress, Vae.”

“Get that email ready, Hadthrop.”

He snarls, but it’s half hearted, and then, all of a sudden, he loses his balance and goes down hard. He lies on the ice and doesn’t move. My heart explodes in my chest!

“Raynor!”

I race to him as quickly as I can, but when I get there, he just turns his head in my direction and smiles.

He grabs me and wrestles me down. I shriek. The ice is freezing, but he throws a thigh over mine and kisses me.

“This isn’t sportsman like,” Mal whines.

“Not at all,” Deacon says.

Raynor lets me go and is instantly wrestled onto his stomach. He howls, but Deacon licks the side of his face before he’s up and gone so quickly I barely have time to even get my balance.

Raynor struggles up and then groans. “I ache in places I didn’t know I could ache.”

“That’s what she said,” Deacon shouts with a chortle.

“HEY!” I shout.

“Come on, Raynor! We can still win!” Mal shouts.

“No, I’m done. I’m cold, and it’s clear my talents are better served seducing omegas with my dulcet tones.”

He skates over to me and starts singing, and, just like he predicted, I forget about the game and focus on him with my mouth open in a large O.

Deacon slams into his back and puts a hand over his mouth. “None of that now, cheater, cheater.”

“Just for that, I’m giving Deacon the win,” Mal says in disgust.

I snort a laugh and then shriek when Deacon whisks me up and glides me around the ice, going so fast my hair whips past my face. I let out a laughing scream as Mal races past us, and then he stops beside Raynor.

I turn in his arms as Mal circles back, skids to a stop on my other side, sending a cloud of ice into the air.

I glance up, and sitting on a chair in the arena watching is Marilyn. She stands up, smiles, nods her head, and turns and walks away. My throat tightens. It seemed so long ago I went to her for help. I never imagined…never dreamed life could be this good.

That one last unanswered question makes everything perfect. We saved their careers.

Deacon, Mal, and Raynor watch her go, too.