Page 76 of Confessions of a Former Puck Bunny

And I worried that no matter how much space I put between us, I’d never truly stop.

Chapter Forty-Four

Ryder

Hulk-rage took more energy than simply playing hockey. My nerves stretched tighter and tighter. I’d taken in the lecture on stupid penalties from Coach, but after blocking that last shot, I felt like I’d redeemed myself.

No proud, victorious feeling came over me, though. Exhaustion set in, but I couldn’t let it slow me down. Not for three more minutes at least. Game minutes, that was, which could stretch into a lot more, especially if we went into overtime.

Focus, Maddox. You’ve got to concentrate on something besides your pathetic love life for three little minutes.

Naturally, telling myself not to think about her only made it impossible to not conjure up her image. Memories from our relationship flickered through my head. How she’d hidden from me in the library, and how surprised she’d been to find out I tutored math. The night she’d made me dinner and curled up on my lap. How deadly she’d been at paintball. My blood heated as I recalled washing all that paint off her naked, slippery body in the shower.

Beck and the center from the other team got into position for the face-off.

As the ref lifted the puck between them, frantic tension vibrated through the air.

I was pretty sure I’d lost control of my life the first moment I saw Lindsay. I couldn’t hold back my emotions with her. The ugly possessive and jealous reactions came on so strong I hadn’t known how to handle them. But if it meant she would be in my life, who cared if I had control? I’d work on the other stuff, too, so I didn’t end up being an overbearing asshole she couldn’t take anywhere—I just needed her by my side so I could find the right balance.

My friends are right. Iaman idiot. And I can’t just let her leave without at least letting her know how I feel.

Before I could figure out what to do about it, everyone on the ice sprung into motion, and on autopilot, I lurched forward, too.

Without everything else messing with my mind, my thoughts cleared and my world narrowed to the game and the puck, and finding a way to clear a path to the goal now that Beck had possession.

He passed to Hudson, but he couldn’t get a shot off, so he passed it back to Beck. They set up the offense. Ran it once. Set it up again.

I determined the weakest link was the guy I’d slammed into the first play of the game. He was guarding Dane, sticking to him when most guys couldn’t. He might have speed, but I had way more bulk to throw around.

I rushed forward and set up a pick for Dane’s defender.

It worked like a charm. I must’ve rattled his teeth good that first hit, because he barely put up a fight.

Dane cut to the middle, lined up his shot, and then swung.

The puck soared across the ice. The goalie’s knees hit the line, his legs going out to try to block every possible inch.

But he was too slow.

The red lights flashed and we edged ahead by one.

The other team made an attempt to score in the last minute and a half, but scoring had the entire team fired up and determined to do whatever it took to keep our lead. Coach constantly preached thinking as one, and it was the first time we’d done it so flawlessly.

Hudson came out from the mess of players with the puck, and the clock counted down as he skated back toward our goal. Six seconds…

Five…

Four…

He shot and the red lights flashed, bringing our lead to two.

Three seconds later, we advanced to the Frozen Four Tournament.

Two seconds after that, the rest of the team rushed the ice.

One second after that, I searched out my roommates and Beck, because it was time to try to win back my girl, and I had a feeling I was going to need a lot of help.

Chapter Forty-Five

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