Chapter 23

Game day, baby.

My first game with the Dallas Knights.

And I was a fucking nervous wreck.

I sat in the locker room doing my visualizations.

I was a wall. A fucking wall.

“You look a little green, Disney,” Camden said, plopping down on the bench as he pulled on his skates.

“I feel a little green,” I grumbled. I glanced over at him and he looked fresh as a daisy. “I hate you.”

“I would say I was offended, but I would be more offended if you puked on me right now,” he said, scooching away from me.

“Walker’s fine. He just needs a little dance party,” Ari said, shaking his hips in my face. I batted him away and he jumped back right before I got him in the balls.

“Dance party?” Logan said, popping from behind a wall like a damn groundhog. He did a little shimmy like the words “dance party” got him going.

“We’re not doing a dance party,” I told Ari, and he chuckled like I’d said something funny.

Ari did a spin move. “Golden Boy, tell them all what a fantastic dancer I am.”

Lincoln was pulling on his jersey. “We’re not dancing. I—am not dancing.”

“No one likes a pooper, Linc,” Ari commented.

Lincoln raised an eyebrow.

“Sorry, scratch that. No one likes a party pooper. Knew I’d forgotten something there.”

Logan went over to the speaker system, and a second later, “Sexy Back” was blaring from the speakers. He immediately began doing some kind of hip move that I had no doubt Justin Timberlake would approve of.

“Fucking rookies,” Lincoln growled, going over to the system and pressing buttons.

“Hey!” Logan retorted.

“When you grow hair on your chin, you can pick a song, Rookie,” Camden drawled.

Logan scoffed. “Ugh, I can’t even comment on your hair, because you still have a head of luscious locks.”

Camden flipped his hair out of his face dramatically before frowning. “I’m not a fucking dinosaur, York!”

Logan raised an eyebrow condescendingly.

Camden flipped him off and the whole locker room erupted into laughter.

A second later, a club beat of “Love Story” filled the room.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Ari crowed as he snapped his fingers and slid from side to side.

“Okay, I can get behind this,” Logan said as he resumed his smooth moves.

“We don’t really care, rookie,” Ari drawled.

The whole team was trying to show off, and I had a little foot tap going, some of my nerves drifting away.

After an entire season with Ari and Tay-Tay, this felt normal. That was kind of weird in and of itself.

Twenty-three grown ass men having a dance party to get themselves hyped.

“Come on, Disney. This is your jam,” Ari said, shaking his ass at me.

I glanced over at Lincoln who was leaning against the wall, a small, cool smirk on his lips as he watched everyone make an idiot of themselves.

“Ooooh, Golden Boy. I think you’re going to have to dance to make Walker feel better,” Ari commented, shimmying up to Lincoln.

Lincoln looked at him in disgust…and then finally sighed.

My jaw dropped when Lincoln unleashed a flurry of smooth, slick moves that left us all gaping in awe. He spun and twirled and I was mesmerized.

“Ugh, you disgust me,” Ari called out. “Now, Disney’s going to simp even harder.”

I was up now, because if Lincoln ‘Fucking’ Daniels was going to dance like an angel…I was going to dance too.

Camden whooped as I pulled out my electric slide and the moneymaker—the running man.

Coach Porter walked in and stared at us all, aghast. “Get your fucking heads in the game and get out to warm-ups,” he growled, shaking his head as he stormed towards the tunnel.

“You alright, Davis?” Lincoln asked, slapping me on the back. I nodded, feeling muchhh calmer after that nonsense. “That’s my goalie.”

I was fucking beaming as we made it out on the ice.

The game was about to start and I looked over to where Olivia was sitting with Blake and Monroe. She wasn’t wearing any disguises this time around, and best of all…she was wearing my jersey.

I immediately started thinking about after the game…when I was for sure going to fuck her in nothing but that jersey.

Don’t get hard now, Disney.

Fucking hell…I’d just referred to myself as Disney.

I blew her a kiss and she blushed, and unlike the last time she’d been sitting at one of my games…she didn’t flip me off.

What a difference a few months could make.

The puck dropped and we were off.

Midway through the first period, Denver executed a perfectly timed cross-ice pass, setting up a one-timer from the faceoff circle. As the puck came in, I kicked out my left leg in a sweeping motion, deflecting it away from my net.

Ari slapped my head as he passed by. “Yes!” he yelled with a fist pump.

I grinned and glanced over to Olivia…just to make sure she was paying attention. She was on her feet screaming and clapping, perfect in every way.

What the hell…I glared at a guy near Olivia that was definitely staring at her ass. But of course, he didn’t notice he’d gotten my attention…my helmet made death glares a bit difficult.

The crowd roared with excitement as the puck flew back and forth across the ice. As Denver moved in again, Camden slammed one of the forwards into the glass, sending him sprawling to the ice afterwards.

“That’s a fucking cheap shot, asshole,” Clayton hissed as he scrambled to his feet. Camden’s grin was all teeth. “How’s it feel to be a fucking prick?”

“Let’s see…what am I feeling? It’s not bittersweet. Hmm. Oh, got it. It’s sweet. That’s what I’m feeling,” said Camden.

I snorted and he gave me a wink before skating away.

“He is kind of dreamy, Disney,” Ari commented as he came up from behind me. “I’m going to tell Blake she’d better gird her loins.”

“What does that even mean?” I mused. “I hear it all the time. I think I fucking use it. But I have no idea what it means.”

“Hey, Golden Boy, what does ‘gird your loins’ mean,” he called out to Lincoln who was skating by to line up for a face off.

“It means get in your fucking spot, Lancaster,” he scowled, coming to a stop by the ref.

“Touchy, touchy. We’ll have to table that discussion. Just keep being a wall, Disney!” Ari yelled as he raced forward.

I checked on Olivia again, stiffening when I saw that the same guy was leaning in so close to her that she was having to lean into Blake to have some space.

“Walker!” Ari growled, and I glanced up to see a Denver forward skipping past Fredericks and bearing down on me, the puck hurtling towards the net. I lunged towards the puck, managing to snag it just inches before it could cross the goal line.

Holy fuck, that had been close.

The clock was ticking down the final seconds of the period. Ari sprinted down the ice with the puck on his stick. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the puck sailing across the ice toward Lincoln, who streaked forward, receiving the pass before sending it hurtling towards the goal.

The entire arena seemed to be holding its collective breath as the puck soared through the air. A second later, the goal light lit up as the puck collided with the back of the net right as the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the period.

The crowd roared its approval. Lincoln raised his arms in triumph, a cocky grin spreading across his face before he skated over to Monroe, made a heart sign, and then pointed right at her just like he’d done since they’d started dating.

Only then was he swarmed by our teammates.

“Disney, stop simping after Golden Boy, and compliment me on my assist,” Ari snapped as we headed towards the bench.

“Should I give you an ass slap, Lancaster. Or what are you looking for?” I huffed as I glanced over to Olivia’s seat, happy that the guy was nowhere to be found.

“I love you,” I mouthed at her, and her smile about did me in.

“Oh shoot, let me help you with that,” Camden suddenly called out, picking up a foam finger that a little girl had dropped over the glass into the tunnel.

Logan rolled his eyes dramatically and pretended that he was throwing up.

“What?” Camden asked, when he noticed we were all waiting for him to move down the tunnel.

“Keep moving, Hero, I gotta piss,” Logan snarked.

“Just helping out the fans,” Camden said defensively.

“Sure, had nothing to do with the hot as fuck mom she had with her.”

Camden winked and Logan shook his head…all the way into the locker room for the break.

“Oh shit, does your coach know you’re out here,” Logan said in a shocked voice to the Denver guy he was facing off with.

I scoffed and he winked at me.

Cheeky little rookie.

We were halfway through the second period, still up by only one. But so far I hadn’t allowed a goal.

Logan won and took the goal down the ice, so I took a second to check on Olivia.

Seriously, what the fuck.

The guy was back. He was again sitting way too close. She was doing her best to pay attention to the game, but the fucker wouldn’t stop talking to her.

Crap, the puck was back on our side.

Denver took it behind the net, and I hugged the left pole, tracking the back and forth as our guys tried to get the puck back. A split second later the puck was on the edge of the crease, Denver trying to push it towards my backhand side. I quickly shifted my weight to cover the angle, snapping my glove down to grab the puck.

The crowd cheered, but my focus was back on Olivia, watching as the guy reached over and touched her fucking arm.

The ref blew the whistle, but instead of giving the puck back, I dropped it to the ice and then smashed it towards the glass with a forceful smack of my stick.

The guy jumped as the puck cracked against the barrier in front of him, his eyes wide in shock. Someone next to him said something and his gaze shot to mine. I ripped my helmet off and gave him my best death glare, making a cutting motion across my throat as I mouthed the words: ‘She’s mine.’

The guy’s expression faltered, a mixture of fear and uncertainty flickering across his face. A second later he scrambled out of his seat and ran up the stairs, glancing back every couple of steps like he was afraid I was coming after him.

Pussy.

Olivia’s mouth was open, a cute little shocked expression on her face, and I winked at her before pulling my helmet back on to get back to the game.

My teammates were watching me, stunned.

All except Lincoln and Ari…who were…slow clapping for me?

“That’s how it’s done, Disney. True ‘Circle of Trust’ behavior right there. I mean, you might get suspended for threatening to end someone in a nationally syndicated program…but that is how it’s fucking DONE,” Ari whooped as he skated by.

The refs must have been too stunned to know what to do since I’m pretty sure nothing like that had happened in the history of the league…so play resumed.

The guy never came back and I was able to keep my head in the game, secure in knowing Olivia was safe from douchebags…for at least the rest of this game.

Which we won.