Page 44 of Iced Out

Meaning I don’t wanna take the chance of getting too used to it.

I clear my throat, the sudden constriction on my airway making it hard to come up with a response. Simply responding withyou tooshould be easy enough—especially because he was spot-on about the chemistry we have—but the words won’t come out of my mouth.

Instead, I say something else.

Something worse.

“I gotta go.”

I bolt up after saying it, immediately moving to redress. But I’m halted when Quinton’s expression snags my attention. The brief flash of hurt crossing his face is enough to make my regret instant. But I just keep digging my hole, driving the knife in deeper as I do.

“We, uh…fulfilled the superstition or whatever. At least, I think that should’ve covered it. So I’m gonna go home. Sleep. Big game tomorrow, you know?” I trip and stumble over the words, wanting to kick myself as each one comes out with a bitter taste. Even more when I watch as the post-orgasmic haze leaves his face and a mask of indifference takes its place.

God, I’m such a jackass.

The worst part of this entire situation is I’m still butt-ass naked and covered in our cum, only adding to the vulnerability I’m feeling. So I grab my underwear from where they’d been discarded on the floor, slipping them on before finding the rest of my clothes.

“Yeah,” Quinton says slowly, and I hear a mix of irritation and disappointment in his tone. His eyes burn with them as I toss my shirt on over my head and slide into my jeans, watching with a silence capable of making me feel like I’m still stark naked before him.

“Okay, great.” I pause, searching for my shoes...only to realize they’re in the obvious location. Out by the door. Where I took them off when I got here.

For the love of God, just hold it together for another five seconds.

Get your shoes and get out the door.

“Oakley,” he says, cutting into my thoughts.

My spine stiffens, but I ignore him, moving for his bedroom door instead. I’ve got my fingers wrapped around the knob when a hand lands on my shoulder, causing me to freeze. The grip I’ve got on the handle tightens enough to rip the damn thing off, but I’m powerless to move. To breathe. To do fucking anything other than sit and wait for him to speak.

His hand releases me a moment later, and the cool air licking at my skin where his touch is no longer present causes me to look at him.

Instantly, I wish I didn’t.

Because instead of the anger I was expecting, I find the pain of rejection lingering on his face.

He must know it’s there too, because he looks away when I meet his gaze.

“Good luck tomorrow,” he whispers before stepping away from me. “Not that you’ll need it.”

Fourteen

Oakley

December

So, despite the way I bolted like a dickhead after our first hook-up...Quinton’s theory actually works.

I shouldn’t be surprised, seeing as I’m also a firm believer in superstitions—at least when it pertains to hockey. But I’m still in complete shock when the scoreboard at the end of the game against Fall River shows we won. In a shutout.

And then later the same night, after I apologized quite a bit for my hasty exit the night before, we went for another round testing this superstition. Only this time, I took my turn learning every inch of Quinton’s dick with my tongue.

We won the game the next day, four to one, and I got a fucking hat trick out of it.

At first, I thought it was coincidental—maybe the team was finally starting to form into a cohesive unit and play well together—and had nothing to do with this little arrangement Quinton and I created. But as more time passes and we keep winning, I know it’s time to put some stock in this little superstition.

We’ve racked up six more wins in the past three weeks, and it’s safe to say our plan has turned the entire season around. We even have the eyes of the entire NCAA on us, and thankfully, it’s got nothing to do with PED or steroid use anymore. Nope, we’re being calledthe comeback kids,and the whole team is eating it up, using it as a driving force to continue competing at an elite level.

Now we’re to the point in the season where we only have a few more games before winter break starts, and it might be strange to admit, but I’m kind of worried about it. With the roll we’ve been on, I’m terrified we might lose this momentum going into the new year and the second half of our season.

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