Page 21 of Breakaway Goals
“I don’t think you’re very easy to impress.” Hayes wet his lips, pink tongue flicking out.
“Good thing you’re so fucking amazing at hockey, then.” Morgan curled his gloved hand over Hayes’ shoulder. There were so many layers between his skin and Hayes’, but all the padding felt like nothing. Like he was already touching him.
“Don’t flatter me,” Hayes said, the corner of his mouth turning up.
“It’s not flattery if you’ve got it.” Morgan squeezed his shoulder. “So let’s see it, baby.”
Hayes’ jaw dropped open. And yeah, that had been very stupid. Flirty, yes, and stupid, yes. Even stupider that he hadn’t even thought about it before the word was out of his mouth.
He’d said it because it felt natural and right. Teasing and affectionate.
Hayes looked like he wanted to say a whole lot, but then snapped his mouth shut again.
Morgan wasn’t ready to explain why he’d said it so he reached out with his stick and grabbed a nearby puck, taking off, and just hoping—praying, really—that Hayes would follow without questioning him.
One second. Then two. And then there he was, a shadow behind him.
Morgan wasn’t quite up to full speed, but when Hayes pulled even with him, he was barely breathing hard. Hayes shoved his stick in, trying to steal the puck as they headed towards the empty goal.
“Come on, baby, take it if you can,” Morgan said under his breath, hoping that Hayes could still hear him.
Hayes’ movements grew more determined, and a second later, the puck was bouncing off Morgan’s skate blade and it was on Hayes’ tape.
He took off, twirling in a tight circle, still fast as anything, proving with every move he made just how fucking incredible he was. Morgan took off after him, not quite as sharp at changing direction at that speed, and then Hayes changed again and again, using his edges in that way that it felt like only he could, until Morgan finally had to give up, sliding over in front of the goal, hoping to play some more general defense.
He wasn’t a goalie, by any stretch, but he’d won the Selke twice. He could still hold his own, even against the league’s new hotshots.
And Hayes, no matter how much he tried to deny it, was one of them.
Wasthehotshot, frankly.
“You gonna play goalie,baby?” Hayes retorted, grinning so brightly it took Morgan’s breath away.
“Against you? Hell no.”
He let Hayes get lulled into a momentary complacency as he passed the puck back and forth to himself, and then he took off, intending to steal it back.
But before he could, Hayes shot the puck off and to Morgan’s surprise, there was Danny, smug smile on his face as he and Hayes tag-teamed him all the way to the crease.
Danny flicked the puck behind him, and it took a full second for Morgan to realize he’d been passing it back to Hayes, who took the shot, practically skating around Morgan and sinking the puck right into the net.
Danny screeched behind him, but Hayes was only staring at Morgan, and brilliance looked fucking amazing on him. Flushed cheeks, bright eyes, the knowing edge to his smile as Hayes reached out and tapped Morgan’s thigh with his stick.
“Good showing,” he teased.
“You cheated.” Though that goal had been ninety-five percent Hayes and five percent Danny.
“Thought we were supposed to be practicing our plays, Cap,” Hayes said, all innocence, but Morgan knew better at this point. Maybe he hadn’t saidbabyagain, but Morgan could feel it, as good as a brush on his cheek, the back of his neck, a brief touch, Hayes’ hand warm and firm, on the small of his back.
“I . . .uh. Yeah. We’re good.”
Coach was on the other end of the rink, signaling the end of practice—it had never been meant to be a long, grueling one, with a game the day before and another game tomorrow.
In the locker room, after he’d gotten showered and changed, Danny crowded into his space before they headed towards the bus. “What the fuck was up with that?” he asked lowly.
Morgan’s heart started to beat a little faster. On the other side of the room, Hayes’ back was to him, all slim muscles as he pulled on a T-shirt.
He hadn’t let himself look before now, and he told himself hestillwasn’t looking, but that was a lie. He’djustlooked.
