Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 89535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89535 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“You want us to put down cones or something?”
He taps the railing. “I have a better idea. I’ll be right back.”
Simms skates up to me. “Do you think he’s as sadistic as his dad? Should we be scared?”
“Please. Kole is a kitten.” A sexy kitten. No, wait, that’s weird. I watch him the whole way down the chute.
Kaplan joins us. “I kind of had a crazy idea for a play.”
We turn to him.
“We’re listening,” I say.
He goes into way too much excited detail, drawing on the ice with his stick, and it doesn’t take long for him to lose me.
He’s still rambling when Kole reappears wearing hockey gear and one of the team’s practice jerseys.
My mouth drops, and I go to say something, but Kole points his stick at me.
“Not a word. I’m doing this to help.”
“Can you even skate?” Simms asks.
Kole lifts his chin. “It’s been a while, but it’s like riding a bike, right?”
“This should be fun,” I say.
I watch as Kole wobbles his way out onto the ice. Right before he reaches us, his eyes widen, and I know where this is going. He’s forgotten how to stop.
With quick reflexes, I wrap my arm around his back and pull him against me. Just being near him now has my body warming and my cock taking interest. Down, boy. This is not sexual, damn it. “You good?”
“Give me a few minutes.”
He takes off, starting slow, but before I know it, he’s doing crossovers, jumps, lunges, and switching between skating forward and backward. He sends a smug smile in our direction.
He remembers how to stop now apparently too, doing a hard stop and shaving ice all over us. “Two on two. Asher and Simms against me and Kaplan.”
Kole’s eyes shine with confidence, but he’s so going down.
“You’re on.” I face off with him and immediately pass to Simms.
Kole tries to shove me out of his way, and I want to pat him on his head and coo that he’s a big bad enforcer, but I don’t get the chance because he’s too fast. And he’s got moves.
He bodychecks Simms and steals the puck, but when he goes to pass to Kaplan, I intercept it and take it back.
Kole was right. This is what we needed.
I shoot to Simms, but he’s not where I expect him to be. Kaplan digs the puck out from the boards and flies down the ice where Kole’s waiting to put it in the net.
“Damn, the future doc has skills,” I call out.
“I could skate circles around you, hotshot,” Kole taunts.
We continue our two-on-two scrimmage, and it’s the first time it feels like our work is paying off because Simms and I start clicking.
When we’ve sunk five goals against Kaplan and Kole, Kole switches us up. “Okay, Kaplan with Asher now.”
“Aww, you don’t want to play on my team?” I taunt.
“Nope. I’d rather kick your ass.”
“Ooh, challenge thrown.” And I love it.
It’s the first time since last season when Cohen and I raced each other to score a hat trick that I’ve truly had fun on the ice.
Hockey is good for me. It’s a healthy outlet for my aggression and energy. I love it. But yeah, it’s been a while since I found it fun.
And even when Simms manages to get by Kaplan and me and passes to Kole, who’s next to the net, I can’t stop smiling when Kole scores again.
The last rearrangement has the three of us against Kole, and even though it’s a lot easier to get around only one obstacle, having him there helps us find a groove.
We finally call it when Kole’s phone alarm starts blaring through the space.
“Three hours. Time’s up,” Kole says. “Dad didn’t want you guys to wreck yourselves.”
“Says the guy who waits until someone throws up first practice every year,” I point out.
But yeah, three hours is longer than most of our practices.
We leave the ice, Simms and Kaplan ahead of us, and I grab the jersey Kole’s wearing and pull him back. “You know, if you practiced—”
“I’d still hate hockey as much as I always have.”
I pause. “Really? You can’t tell me you hated it out there. That was the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”
Kole mockingly gasps and then lowers his voice. “My blowjob skills take offense.”
“The most fun I’ve had on the ice.”
“That’s better. But that was just helping you guys. It wasn’t as horrible or grueling as what Dad used to put me through, but sports aren’t my thing.”
“Pity. You look hot in a jersey.”
“I probably should’ve kept my ass in the seat and studied for this massive midterm coming up. I decided helping you guys was more important.”
It’s already happening. Kole is prioritizing helping me instead of his studies.
“You should take the rest of the day to study.”
“I will. I just have to resurface the ice first. I promised Dad—”