Page 121 of Unrivaled

Max smiled in spite of himself. “Oh really. That simple, is it?”

Grady cupped his face. His expression saidI’m being a shithead, but his voice rang with sincerity. “I believe in you.”

No one would ever believe Max if he told them what a sap Grady was. That only made it sweeter. “You can do one better. You can help me with it.” Max got off the couch and tugged Grady to his feet. “First step to a good game is nap time.”

PIRANHAS TAKE BITE OUT OF ORCAS, SET PACIFIC DIVISION PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

By Craig MacLeod

With tonight’s 1–0 win over the Vancouver Orcas, the Anaheim Piranhas claimed the top seed in the Pacific Division. Max Lockhart scored the lone goal in the game. The victory means the Piranhas will face the Las Vegas Heatwave in the first round of the playoffs.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. PST, when the puck drops in LA for the first game of the Condors-Orcas series.

“I DON’Tknow,” Grady said for what had to be the fifth time. “Should I—”

“If you ask me if you should ditch the tie again, I’m going to rip it off you and stuff it in your mouth. Not even for sexy times.” Max tossed his tablet onto the bed beside him. “You’re a built guy wearing a custom suit. You look fuckable. It’s extremely rude of you not to be following through on that right now.”

Okay, so maybe Grady was being a little extra about this whole first-game-of-the-playoffs aesthetic. Sue him. It had been years since he’d gotten to play in the postseason.

But he definitely wasn’t letting Max get the last word, even if fucking was technically off the table because they both got too into it and were too likely to pull something. He turned around and tugged the tie loose for the final time. “Everything I learn about Canadian notions of politeness is against my will.” He balled up the tie and threw it at Max’s chest.

“Ooh, now undo the top two buttons. Yeah, baby. Work it.”

“I hate you,” Grady said without heat.

Max batted his eyelashes. “Does that mean we can have nasty, disrespectful sex later? I miss it.”

“I literally came all over your face this morning.” In the shower, so it barely counted, but still.

“Maybe I want to disrespect you for a change.”

Grady snorted. For all Max talked a big game, he also talked a lotperiod. It was hard to feel disrespected when Max kept telling him how hot he looked and how good he felt, but whatever Max had to tell himself to sleep at night. “As long as you leave me in game condition… also probably only if we win tonight.”

“I accept your terms,” Max said solemnly. “Now get out of here. You’re going to hit rush hour traffic.”

Grady stole a kiss, rubbed Gru’s ears for luck, and left the house.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Media, warm-ups, puck drop. Farouk put the puck in the net ten minutes into the game. Grady roofed one twenty-seven seconds later.

The Orcas pushed back. They were a good team and they wanted this victory. In the back half of the third, Nico Kirschbaum slipped through the Condors’ defense like a hot knife through butter.

But Mitch shut the door on everything the Orcas threw at the net.

When the clock ran out, the Condors mobbed their goalie. Every fan in the building shot to their feet. Grady slapped the back of Farouk’s helmet in appreciation and whooped into Mitch’s face.

In the locker room, the guys were debating where to go to celebrate. Grady didn’t care; the game mattered, but drinks were just gravy. Before he could say he’d probably go, but only for one beer, his phone buzzed with a new notification.

This is what ur goal did 2 me, Max’s text said. The attached picture showed his hard dick straining the fabric of a threadbare pair of tiny sweat shorts. Max was framing the bulge with one hand.

The back of Grady’s neck went red hot. “I’m out,” he said.

Mitch took one look at his face and burst into laughter. Farouk whistled. “Get it, Grades.”

Dawg hunched his shoulders, but he perked up again when Farouk brought up his beautiful center-ice empty-netter, and right now that was the best Grady could hope for.

Max—still naked except for the shorts—met him the second he set foot in the door. “Hi,” he said. Then his mouth was on Grady’s in a filthy kiss that made Grady’s lips tingle and his hands itch to feel Max’s skin.

He was light-headed already when Max grabbed his hand and moved it to his crotch. He broke the kiss with a last wet lick over Grady’s tongue and put his other hand on Grady’s shoulder. “You gonna let me disrespect you in the hallway?”

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