Page 26 of Cold as Ice

Why would he even do that?

Coach had never gotten up their asses about fighting, or bickering, even, and it had never occurred to Malcolm that Elliottwantedto stop fighting.

If that was true, maybe he shouldn’t have pushed him again.

But Elliott had clearly not minded, because he was currently tearing through the Bend’s defense like it was butter and he was a hot knife. Carving them up, taking shot after shot, most of them good, some of them even brilliant.

He’d scored one goal since the first period and assisted Ivan on another.

But regardless of the score on the board, it was his attitude that was back.

Thatfuck youchip was back on his shoulder, and every time he took a shot, he’d look right over at Mal.

On the last one, he’d shot him a triumphant smile that was no doubt calculated precisely to piss Malcolm off.

And itdid, but it had another unexpected effect, too.

It made him nearly stop in his tracks.

HeknewElliott was attractive, sure. He had been pretty fucking good at keeping that particular fact buried deep.

But the hallway had loosened it, and now that smile had unearthed it, big time.

Elliott feeling himself made Mal want to feelhimself.

He skated to a halt, sending a shower of ice against the boards as the final horn of the game sounded.

The Evergreens had won four to one, and it felt damn good.

“Great play today, McCoy,” Zach said to him as he walked through the doorway towards the locker room. “Aggressive. I like it.”

“Better than the first period, for sure,” Ivan retorted, pulling up next to them.

“Yeah, what the hell, guys?” Brody wondered. “But you turned it around.”

“Wasn’t me,” Mal said, even though it kind ofhadbeen him.

“It sure fucking wasn’t,” Elliott retorted as he dropped down next to Ivan. “I wasn’t waiting around for you old men to get your shit together.”

Mal chuckled darkly. Hated, a little, how Elliott insulting him somehow felt better than Elliott saying nothing.

“I’ll show you old,” Ivan muttered.

“Nobody’s old,” Brody said, forever the peacemaker.

“I like to think of myself as well-seasoned,” Ramsey added with a smirk. “In all the best kinds of ways.”

Mal rolled his eyes as he began to strip his equipment off. “Youwouldthink that.”

“Hey, I’m a real catch,” Ramsey insisted.

Maybe he was.

But Mal had never been tempted by his looks. Same as he’d never been tempted by Brody or any of the other guys on their team.

Only one guy had ever caught his eye, despite him despising the fact that it washim, of all fucking people.

He was on the other side of Mal now, pulling off his gear, wiping down his damp chest with his shirt.

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