Page 74 of Pucking Forbidden

Riot Forbes reacts with inhuman, lightning-fast speed, his glove flashing out to steal the goal. The puck deflects off the very edge of his leather mitt with a sharp clack, but the sheer velocity of Julian's shot carries it past, sending it tucking right into the top shelf of the net.

The red light flashes and the arena erupts.

“Holy shit,” Skyler breathes, leaning forward with wide eyes as the replay flashes across the jumbotron. “I don't think I've ever seen a goalie as good as Carson before tonight, but Riot almost had that. I didn't even see the puck, and he still managed to get a piece of it.”

Julian doesn’t seem to pay attention to any of it as he looks back up at me. His chest rises hard as he stares up into the stands, eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that almost makes me forget how to breathe.

For the past two periods, his dark expressions have made me panic. I’ve spent the whole night worrying that he was angry with me, or that I was ruining his game, or that I was causing a dangerous distraction. But thinking about Skyler’s comment and looking at him now, with the arena screaming around us and the red goal light still reflecting in his eyes, the truth finally hits me.

He isn't angry at all. He never was.

It’s just intensity. An overwhelming intensity directed entirely at me.

Heat curls low in my belly.

The game ties again before the end of the period with the Kingsmen refusing to back down. The twins keep creating problems every shift they’re on the ice, and even Grandpa looks more tense than usual behind the bench.

But by the time third starts, our guys seem to have pulled it together. Their passing sharpens again, and communication picks up. Their defensive coverage closes faster, and they stop reacting emotionally and start forcing the Kingsmen into mistakes instead. That’s when the momentum shifts.

Zander scores first off a rebound scramble that sends the Night Hawks bench into chaos.

Then late in the third, Julian assists on another goal after fighting the puck free along the boards despite the twins trying to pin him there.

The Kingsmen get desperate after that, which makes them even more aggressive.

A fight nearly breaks out with less than three minutes left after Owen takes a late hit near the net.

Instantly, players from both teams crowd together into a chaotic mass of navy and crimson. Julian gets right into the middle of it, dropping his stick and grabbing a Kingsmen jersey by the collar. For a second, his face is twisted in pure fury, and he looks genuinely ready to swing.

But the Kingsmen don't back down and swarm like a pack of wolves.

Ledger and Asher Winthrop dive into the melee together with terrifying, synchronized speed, their dark eyes flashing as they shove Julian back. Riot Forbes skates straight out of his net, throwing his massive frame right into the center of the pileup, his blockers raised as he locks eyes with Julian.

The referees struggle frantically, throwing themselves between the giants and screaming into their whistles. Thankfully, Julian manages to pull back before a glove is fully dropped. The refs finally manage to tear the teams apart, but the lethal energy radiating from the Kingsmen trio leaves the entire arena breathless.

The final buzzer sounds not long after, and the Night Hawks win. It’s by the skin of their teeth. The team spills over the boards, exhausted and adrenaline-high as the crowd roars around them.

“Whoooo, that was crazy!” Grace shouts over the deafening noise, dropping her phone into her lap as she lets out a massive breath she looks like she’s been holding all period. She watches the two teams glance back at each other with lingering, tense glares before heading to their locker rooms. “I think we just saw the start of a huge new rivalry. This season is going to be a bloodbath.”

Before he skates off the ice toward the tunnel, Julian looks up at me once more.

The intense heat of his gaze is completely overwhelming, sending a frantic flutter straight through my chest, but this time, I don’t look away.

Catching his eye, I lift a hand and give him a small smile and deliberate wave, letting the gold stripes of his own jersey flash in the arena lights.

Julian freezes for a fraction of a second, his dark eyes widening, then a slow deep smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, his chest expanding with a proud breath before he turns and disappears down the tunnel.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: ONLY SEE YOU

HADLEY

Grace leads us through the press entrance after the game, bypassing the main crowd. The noise fades as we move deeper into the building. As we pass a set of seemingly empty offices, I’m barely paying attention to my surroundings, so I don’t see the hand reaching for me until it’s wrapped around my arm.

I’m pulled sideways through a door before I can fully process what’s going on. The door shuts behind me, and I whirl around to face whoever’s grabbed me.

“What the hell…?” My words fade when I meet Julian’s wild gaze.

He’s breathing hard, still in his skates and gear, and with his damp hair and dark eyes, I’m momentarily reminded of a ferocious grizzly bear.