Page 66 of Callous Shot

Turning around, I was confronted with Daniel, also sans helmet, which had been dropped carelessly next to his stick in front of the boards. I felt my lips curve upwards as I tapped my stick against his skate. “Strangely enough, no. Our teammates have it covered.”

He glanced over my shoulder, pulling a face. “It’s basically a brawl at this point. Amateurs. We should show them how it’s done.”

“Or…” I lifted my stick, angling it so the blade went around the back of his thigh. I pulled lightly, and he laughed, so I used the flat of the blade to tap him in warning. “You could come here.”

“I could.”

“You will. Now.”

His pupils blew wide, and he instantly surged forwards.

“Good boy,” I murmured, my hands going to his sides.

“Am I good?” he whispered into the space between us.

“You’re so fucking good, baby.”

“Fuck you, Bellingham. I’m getting an extremely uncomfortable hard-on now. I should sue you for damages.”

“What if you’re giving me one too?”

“Am I?”

I nodded, and he smirked. “Good. I hope it hurts, you wanker.”

“Want to fight me about it?” I suggested, and his eyes lit up.

“You changed your mind? That’s great. I’ve gotta throw people off the scent. Clayts and Worthy were giving me shit about you earlier. They seem to think I, uh…” His cheeks flushed as he lowered his gaze, his lashes sweeping down. Tugging his lip between his teeth, he shifted on his skates. “Never mind.”

Shit. If his friends thought something was going on between us, that made everything a hundred times more complicated.

I sprang into action as sudden panic hit me. Lunging forwards, I shoved him up against the boards. “What do they think?”

He pushed back at me, getting his arms around my back. We grappled, sliding across the ice as we both tried to gain the upper hand. “That I have a thing for you. I set them straight, but they didn’t believe me. You didn’t help, attacking Kane at the party. He probably thinks it’s mutual.”

“Mutual hate,” I panted, smashing him up against the boards again.

“Exactly. Why does no one else get that?” Our eyes connected, and I really, really wanted to kiss him. I wouldn’t, because I still had some self-control, and instead, I punched him with a glancing blow off his jaw. He grinned widely, swinging back his own fist⁠—

“Break it up!” Hands grabbed at my jersey, yanking me backwards, and then my team captain was pushing in between us, breathing heavily and looking far more dishevelled than I’d ever seen him before. My gaze swung to the other players grouping around us. They were all in similar states.

Daniel’s mind was clearly going along the same lines, because his brows flew up, and he said, “Guess we can’t manage a friendly practice between the Kings and the Flames after all. Or are we inventing a new sport? Hockey pub brawls? Ooh, you know how they have Disney On Ice? What about MMA On Ice?”

“Shut up.” Kane cuffed him around the head.

“Rude. It could be a big moneymaker. It’s a good idea, right, Banks?”

“Don’t bring me into it,” Jay muttered. He relented when Daniel shot him a wounded look. “It has potential, but it needs a lot of thought.”

“Sorry, why are we standing around entertaining this ugly ginger scumbag’s delusions?”

I saw red, spinning on Jasper and slamming my fist into his face as hard as I could. He roared in pain, flying backwards and crashing down onto the ice, blood pouring out of his nose.

“Shit, I think you broke it,” one of my teammates mumbled.

“That’s it. Everyone, off the fucking ice. Now. Practice is over,” Enzo boomed. He slid to the floor, ripping off his gloves. “Someone get me the medical kit.”

I winced as he prodded at Jasper’s nose, and Jasper howled in pain. Neo came flying across the rink with the medical kit, and I dropped to the ice next to my teammate, grabbing the kit from Neo’s outstretched hand and yanking off my gloves so I could open it. “Sorry, Jas,” I murmured.