I salute him and head to my locker to do as he instructed, throwing Gardner’s jersey inside to deal with it later.
Slipping another jersey over my head, I head to my usual spot beside Alex on the bench for the pre-game speech from Coach Jensen. He moves to the center, commanding our attention with his presence alone. I sure as hell hope I look as good as he does when I’m thirty-nine and can command a room like he does.
Feeling eyes boring into me, I look up. Josh is staring at me, suspicion in his eyes. Gardner sits beside him, a smirk on his face, with Landin Walker, the right winger on the team, on his left.
A silent stare down ensures between Gardner and me. I smirk when he drops his gaze to the floor.
Alex leans closer, his voice low. “I may need to find new roommates after this war,killa.”
“Good. Move in with me, and Josh can live with them.” My eyes meet Walker’s, who shrugs and gives me a smile. He’s tight with Gardner, but he’ll defer to me and show respect because I’m the captain.
Alex chuckles. “Throwin’ down before throwin’ the Bears down on the ice. I like it, killa.”
I smirk at Alex. “You know it.”
“Nice job claiming your girl by putting your jersey on her.”
“Her best friend is wearing yours.”
He groans, grabbing his dick. “Don’t remind me. I’ve been hard as fuck since I spotted her in it.” A pained hiss comes from him as he shifts. “Christ, I’m thinking about it again. If my pants rip and my cup shoots across the room, it’s all your damn fault.”
I chuckle. “I may join you.” I shift on the bench, my dick thickening as images of my kitten wearing my jersey run through my mind.
“I’m surprised you didn’t jizz in your pants when you put your jersey on voyeur.”
“How do you know I didn’t?”
Alex laughs as Coach looks in our direction. I brace myself for the public lashing Alex and I are about to receive for talking while he is speaking. Instead, he gives me a brief smile. “A few words from your captain to get you fired up. Harrington, the floor is yours.”
Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I stand. Alex and I do our typical fist bump before I move to the center of the locker room, confidence oozing from me as I pump up my guys. My speech has never been so passionate and inspired. The blonde wearing my jersey is responsible for that.
“Let’s wipe the ice with these assholes,” I conclude, earning a round of sticks pounding against the floor as my teammates whoop andyell.
As we exit the locker room, Alex gives me a huge smile. “Inspirational as fuck, killa. She’s good for you.” His look is loaded with meaning. “Work things out with her after we take care of these guys.”
A confident smile spreads across my face. “You know it, Graves.”
We do our extensive pre-game handshake, which Alex developed during our freshman year. “You kill ‘em, I bury ‘em,” he says, referring to my nickname, killa, and his last name, Graves.
“Killa and Graves are gonna take care of business like we always do.”
The roar of the crowd reaches my ears as we head to the ice. “I live for this,” Alex yells over the noise, a glimmer in his eyes.
“Hell, yes.”
My gaze moves to the stands, easily spotting Jordyn, still wearing my jersey. I figured she’d take it off as an act of defiance, and the fact that she didn’t makes my heart pound faster than when I’m on the ice.
Alex may live for the game, but I have something far more important to live for.
Jordyn.
CHAPTER 26
Jordyn
It’s deafening as the Wolverines, who have home team advantage, file out from the locker room. The crowd leaps to their feet, screaming and yelling, as they skate across the rink.
“This is insane,” I scream into Chelsea’s ear, on my feet with the rest of the crowd.