Page 134 of Gloves Off

I shake my head, trying not to smile. The little shit reminds me of Georgia sometimes. “Yeah, yeah. Very funny.”

“Are you okay? Let me check your temperature.” The rookie tries to put his glove on my helmet but I smack him away.

“Volkov, Walker,” Ward calls to us as the forwards hit the ice for the first face-off. “You’re up.”

Walker and I climb over the boards and skate into position.

“Ready, Rookie?” I call.

He just grins, a new light shining in his eyes.

The whistle blows and the other team steals the puck. While their forwards pass back and forth, I glance at Walker. He watches the play with hawk-eye focus, a little smirk on his mouth.

I do what I do best—use my size and strength as a weapon, disrupt the play, and pass the puck to Walker.

He’s off like a shot, dodging and swerving the other team as he handles the puck with a deftness I’ve only seen from Miller and his dad, a Canadian hockey legend. The fans are on their feet as the players trail Walker. He’s on a breakaway. The noise crescendos, energy heightening as he approaches.

He snaps the puck up and it hits the back of the net. The arena explodes with noise.

Walker crows with victory, skating past the fans as they slamtheir fists on the glass, jumping up and down. Nothing gets these fans going like a goal less than sixty seconds into the game.

“There you fucking go,” I yell as I wrap Walker in a tight hug, jostling him. “Now you’re playing hockey, Rookie.”

“Therewego,” he yells back, beaming, and pride expands through my chest, so strong and sharp it takes my breath away.

I hope his parents are watching. I hope they see Walker soar. My fucking god, that was fun to watch. The skill, the surprise, the way the game can change in an instant—it’s what I love about hockey.

Does this ever get old?Walker asked me at the beginning of the season. To my shock, watching Walker score feels even better than a goal of my own.

Behind the net, Georgia’s on her feet with Darcy, Hazel, and Pippa, smiling and cheering. Our eyes meet and my heart jumps into my throat, pounding.

Nice job,she mouths with a wink, that gorgeous mouth of hers grinning ear to ear, eyes sparkling. At the sight of her in her jersey, the one I bought for her with my name on it, I smile.

CHAPTER 62

GEORGIA

“We sawphotos online of the award ceremony,” Maria tells me and my mom in the box after the game. “You looked beautiful,solnyshko.”

Warmth hooks behind my ribcage at her endearment for me—an actual endearment, unlike his rotten tuber one.

The NHL social media account posted a picture of Alexei and I, with his arm around my waist, his dark, serious expression and my smile. The Storm fan accounts went nuts. Even the account dedicated to my outfits reposted it. I’ve stared at that picture for probably twelve hours total.Liked by @alexeivolkov.

“He looked good, too,” I tell her. “Your son knows how to wear a suit.”

The two women look at me with something sparking in their eyes. I clear my throat.

“And the ceremony, it was, um…really incredible to see what he’s accomplished over his career?—”

Alexei steps into the box, and the air changes. Our gazes meet, my heart trips, my lungs feel tight, and I can’t look away from him as he approaches.

He can’t seem to look away from me, either. Has he gotten even taller? A shiver runs down my spine. I try to think of something cool and witty to say about his play with Walker at the beginningof the game, but my brain is blank, hooked on the way his muscles move under his T-shirt and the way he prowls toward me like I’m being hunted.

“Hi—” I start to say when he steps into my space, but he wraps a big hand around the back of my neck, hauls me toward him, and kisses me.

My body responds to being kissed by Alexei Volkov. His mouth presses to mine and I melt against him. Without hesitation, I open for him. His stubble scrapes me; I think I moan. His hands frame my face, then sink into my hair, and the way he kisses me like he wants me more than anything is so deliciously addictive.

I can’t stop. It’s too good. Too intense and electric and warm.

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