Page 80 of Gap Control

TJ:??I trained him well.

I was mid-scroll, half-asleep and 60% full of soup, when I heard the apartment door unlock. A gust of cold air came in with Mason, teasing my feverish face.

He stepped inside, cheeks pink and hair damp from a post-game shower.

"How's the patient?"

"Dramatic and underappreciated," I croaked. "How's the ice assassin?"

His expression read fond exasperation. "We won. Barely."

I held out a hand. "Come. Tell me all about your glorious battle."

"You mean the one where I nearly got a penalty for slashing and Monroe accidentally skated into the ref?"

"Yes. I need to hear about all the important moments."

He kicked off his boots, dropped his gear bag with a thud, and settled on the edge of the couch, rubbing his hands together to warm them.

"You didn't watch?"

"I was too busy surviving. Also, I didn't know the remote was under my spine until halfway through the third."

"You missed a decent game."

"Lucky for me, I have a live-in play-by-play announcer." I nudged him with my foot. "Walk me through it, but do it sexy."

Mason rolled his eyes and started talking.

Puck drops. First-period nerves. One clumsy shift and one perfect pass. With Lambert, they almost connected on a shorty in the second. Monroe got a goal and forgot how to celebrate, skated into the boards. Classic Forge chaos.

As he continued, I chimed in occasionally with commentary of my own.

"Oh yeah, that's where you deked left and baited the guy into chasing you wide."

Mason paused and tilted his head. "That's precisely what I did."

I grinned. "I may be sick, but I'm still psychic."

"You didn't see it."

"Nope."

"But you knew?"

"You're not that hard to read."

He looked at me like I'd said something scandalous, but sweet. He opened his mouth and then closed it again.

He kissed my cheek. "Fine. So, what else did I do?"

"You tried to body-check someone and missed by about two feet, but you played it off like you meant to pivot instead."

"…that did happen."

"Like I said. Psychic."

He shook his head, smiling. "You're a menace."

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