Page 46 of Glory Troll

He snorted. “I daresay you might find this a bit more intense.”

“Who are they playing? I forgot to ask Bo earlier.” I was too busy snogging him.

Vee looked like he knew exactly what I’d been thinking. “The Osterfeld Gators. They’re pretty good, well their right winger is, but they are no match for our guys.”

“Right winger? Gosh, sorry, outing myself here. I don’t speak hockey…yet.”You know you will obsess over this game.

“You’re in the right place, Ollie. I used to play hockey. I’ll be your translator. The right winger is the guy flanking their centre. I’ll show you who that is when they’re out. Our centre is Nate.” His face glowed with pride. Then he got up again. “I’ll go grab us beers before the game starts. I’ll be right back.”

“Hang on, I—”

“Nah, don’t be daft. I got you.” He clapped his hand to my shoulder and sidled out of our row, climbing the steps to the bar. As he walked away from me, I noticed it said DECKER across his shoulders.Oh goodness, how cute are they?

He returned a couple of minutes later carrying two plastic cups of Bavarian beer, just in time for the hype music and deafening applause to pick up.

“Here they come.”

He was right, of course. Arne, followed by the rest of the guys, dashed out of the tunnel leading to the locker room. I saw Nate, and recognised a few players I knew from their training camp, and the new kid Max, his helmet perched on the glossy black curls.

Watching Bo enter the ice was weirdly arousing. He set one skate on the smooth surface, then the other, and took off as if he’d been born with blades under his feet. My eyes followed him hungrily around the rink, watching him readjust his chin strap before his gaze lifted.

My beautiful boyfriend, his dark green eyes searching the ranks behind their bench until he found me and his face splittinginto a warm smile, waseverything. I raised a hand to wave at him, earning myself a little wink and a wave with his gloved hand.

Like bloody teenagers in love.My grin was so wide by now it hurt my cheeks.

The opposing team huddled together, and the Pumas followed suit. I saw Decks talk intently with Arne, and Bo clapping a peaky looking Max on the shoulder and gifting him with some encouragement, I thought, when the rookie perked up.

He’s so good.

Just how good he was became even clear to an utter hockey noob like me when the game began.

Vee hadn’t been lying. It was intense. The Gator’s right winger was a head shorter than Bo, but nearly as broad-shouldered. Even from my seat I saw his eyes sparkle with sheer pleasure and he gave Bo and Arne, the other defenceman, a hard time.

“Oh God,” I groaned, slapping a hand over my eyes when they slammed into the boards—yetagain.

“That Chase Harper is something else,” Vee muttered, sounding impressed against his will. I hated Chase Harper’s guts. Even more when he scored what even I could admit was an elegant goal, loping the puck easily over Martin’s leg.

Brandishing his stick, he took off to huddle with his team before the game took up again. By the time I remembered my beer, the first period was almost over.

Bo shot me a quick smile as they disappeared into the locker rooms.

“Is it normal that they are this sweaty?” I asked Vee without taking my eyes off the spot where my hunk had vanished.

“Yep. Hockey is hard work.” He met me with a grin when I turned around to face him.

“Want another beer?”

“Yeah, but I’ll get this round.” I took his cup and made my way up the stairs, barely making it back to my seat when the intermission was over.

Nate and Max got one goal each in the second period. It was the cutest thing ever to see the rookie being celebrated by his team. His captain hugged him tightly and then let go again, looking a little flustered.

Bo was benched for about half of the second period and was involved in an incident of high sticking in the third period. The Gators were getting desperate, and that Chase Harper asshole butted him in the face with his stick.

God, I wanted him to go all Troll on Harper, rip off his head or whatever he needed to do to drive the point home.

Vee growled next to me, hands curled into fists, as if he, too, was ready to end Harper. “That fucking asshole.”

“Is he okay?” I asked, craning my neck to get a look at Bo’s face.

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