22. Twenty-two

Twenty-two

Ollie

L unch with the team was an amazing affair. They took me to their favourite place near the rink where they indulged in healthy, protein packed meals and entertained me with funny stories.

Decks, Bo, and I were the first ones to leave because Nate was going back home for a bit before the game, and my big boy seemed eager to spend some quality time with me.

In his apartment, he dragged me into his bed, wrapped me in a hug, and told me to pick a movie for us.

"I need to save my strength for the game, but cuddles with you are the next best thing," he murmured into the crook of my neck before falling asleep.

I had never napped with anyone before, well, unless you counted my mum or baby brother, but never in the last twenty-five years. And for the first time, I realised what I might have missed out on.

I bloody love this.

But really, I only loved it because of him, and how beautiful he smelled, and how he cradled me in his bulk. As if I was breakable and he'd been charged with protecting me at all cost.

I would do the same for him. Protect this precious man with all I have.

For an hour or two I hovered between sleeping and waking, in the shelter of Bo's warm body, until his alarm woke us.

"I wish I could stay here forever," he said, his lips moving over the back of my neck. "With you in my arms."

"Me, too, darling, but I'm also so excited to see you play. It was cute to see you with the kids, but I bet you're going to absolutely blow my mind in an actual game."

Bo pulled me over, bringing our faces together. "I can't wait to play, knowing you are watching me. And I'll gladly blow anything you want me to blow." A cheeky grin sneaked over his face before he leaned in to kiss me. "Do you want to come with me now or hang out here?"

"I think I'll stay here if that's all right with you. I don't want to distract you."

"You're never not distracting me, ?lskling. No matter where you are. In a good way," he added at the look on my face. "Always in a good way."

"I'll leave your ticket at the door. You'll be sitting behind the bench and I'll see you after the game. Just follow the green chicken."

"The what?" I snorted.

"Nate's fiancé is a giant chicken guy. Just tell him you are mine, and he will take you to meet us."

Just tell him you're mine.

Bo's eyes darkened, and I found myself pressed to the bed, staring up at him, his thick thigh wedged between my legs.

"You like it when I call you this? Mine? "

I exhaled a shaking breath. "I do. So fucking much."

"Good. Get used to it because you are. Mine. My mate. And I would love to show you exactly how much you own me, Ollie." With a little sigh, he gave me a soft kiss. "Later. And every day for the rest of my life."

Bo pecked me on the forehead and smoothly got up off the bed. "Quarter to seven is the best time to leave here. I'll see you after the game."

To my surprise, I found everything on the first attempt, and Bo had arranged for a young German guy to come and pick me up from the box office.

Bouncing on the soles of his boots, the mohawk-like fur between his cute ears flopping over his high brow, he waved at me. He reminded me of an eager puppy about to play fetch with his human. "Hi, you must be Ollie. I'm Finn, the team's new PR guy. Bo asked me to help you find your seat."

"Wow, thanks. Now I feel special."

He considered me for a moment, as if wondering if he dared to say what was on his mind. "Judging by the way Bo looks when he talks about you, you are special to him."

It was rare that I was lost for words. Small Talk King Oliver Bright was usually all professional charm and in control of the moment.

Yet I blushed beetroot red at Finn's words, lost for anything to reply with.

"Come, I'll take you to the family seats."

Am I considered Bo's family?

It was cold in the rink, naturally, but a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through my body. And I had stolen one of Bo's Pumas hoodies to keep me warm.

"I'll introduce you real quick. Vee?"

With my thoughts still on my family , I hadn't noticed the green. Oh my God, he was a chicken. Exactly how Bo had said.

"This is Ollie, Bo's partner. Ollie, meet Vee, Nate Decker's fiancé." The young man's smile grew wider at the word, exposing his sharp fangs. Gosh, I had never met anyone as happy about other people in love as this guy. Adorable .

The enormous chicken in a blue and yellow jersey with the number seven got up, and offered me a four-fingered hand to shake.

That guy is even taller than Bo.

"It's lovely to meet you." I shook hands with him.

"And you. Welcome to Veitsreuth."

"Cheers, mate." Damn, my grin widened even further.

"Vee, can you take Ollie down to the back door after the game? He doesn't know his way around yet."

Yet. Family. Everyone behaves like I'm here to stay.

Are they wrong?

A second, smaller voice in my head dared to ask the question I had no answer to yet.

After I'd been stupid enough to get myself fired over my feelings, I hadn't thought I'd ever be in a position where I considered risking everything again.

With Bo, it differed from what Arden and I'd had. We'd been colleagues at a fancy hotel in the south of England, we'd been attracted to each other, sure. But I knew now that I had never loved him. We hadn't even had much to say to each other apart from all the bickering at work.

Bo took up every single ounce of space in my head, my heart, my soul. If I was being truly honest with myself, I wouldn't have come here if it had only been a physical thing.

I would have let that little seedling of mutual attraction wither and die, because Lone Fox was more to me than a mere job. For the first time in years, I had felt like I belonged somewhere.

And then I met him. And everything had changed. When he called me his, I didn't cringe or want to run. I wanted the world to know he was mine. I wanted to nap with him, and watch him play, wanted him in me, wanted him to own all of me.

You need to tell him before you fly back.

Coming back to the present day made me realise what felt like an eternity in my head must have been barely a few seconds in real life.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a moment."

"No worries. We're good here, Finn. I'll take Ollie under my wing. You get back to your command centre." Vee gave the young man a small wink. He returned it with a grateful smile and bounded away down the stairs. "He's in charge of the social media coverage. Sit. Is this your first time at a game?"

I liked the chicken man. "Yeah, unless you're counting that time when the guys played against the kids in Scotland."

He snorted. "I daresay you might find this a bit more intense."

"Who are they playing? I forgot to ask Bo earlier." I was too busy snogging him.

Vee looked like he knew exactly what I'd been thinking. "The Osterfeld Gators. They're pretty good, well their right winger is, but they are no match for our guys."

"Right winger? Gosh, sorry, outing myself here. I don't speak hockey…yet." You know you will obsess over this game.

"You're in the right place, Ollie. I used to play hockey. I'll be your translator. The right winger is the guy flanking their centre. I'll show you who that is when they're out. Our centre is Nate." His face glowed with pride. Then he got up again. "I'll go grab us beers before the game starts. I'll be right back."

"Hang on, I—"

"Nah, don't be daft. I got you." He clapped his hand to my shoulder and sidled out of our row, climbing the steps to the bar. As he walked away from me, I noticed it said DECKER across his shoulders. Oh goodness, how cute are they?

He returned a couple of minutes later carrying two plastic cups of Bavarian beer, just in time for the hype music and deafening applause to pick up.

"Here they come."

He was right, of course. Arne, followed by the rest of the guys, dashed out of the tunnel leading to the locker room. I saw Nate, and recognised a few players I knew from their training camp, and the new kid Max, his helmet perched on the glossy black curls.

Watching Bo enter the ice was weirdly arousing. He set one skate on the smooth surface, then the other, and took off as if he'd been born with blades under his feet. My eyes followed him hungrily around the rink, watching him readjust his chin strap before his gaze lifted.

My beautiful boyfriend, his dark green eyes searching the ranks behind their bench until he found me and his face splitting into a warm smile, was everything . I raised a hand to wave at him, earning myself a little wink and a wave with his gloved hand.

Like bloody teenagers in love. My grin was so wide by now it hurt my cheeks.

The opposing team huddled together, and the Pumas followed suit. I saw Decks talk intently with Arne, and Bo clapping a peaky looking Max on the shoulder and gifting him with some encouragement, I thought, when the rookie perked up.

He's so good.

Just how good he was became even clear to an utter hockey noob like me when the game began.

Vee hadn't been lying. It was intense. The Gator's right winger was a head shorter than Bo, but nearly as broad-shouldered. Even from my seat I saw his eyes sparkle with sheer pleasure and he gave Bo and Arne, the other defenceman, a hard time.

"Oh God," I groaned, slapping a hand over my eyes when they slammed into the boards— yet again .

"That Chase Harper is something else," Vee muttered, sounding impressed against his will. I hated Chase Harper's guts. Even more when he scored what even I could admit was an elegant goal, loping the puck easily over Martin's leg.

Brandishing his stick, he took off to huddle with his team before the game took up again. By the time I remembered my beer, the first period was almost over.

Bo shot me a quick smile as they disappeared into the locker rooms.

"Is it normal that they are this sweaty?" I asked Vee without taking my eyes off the spot where my hunk had vanished.

"Yep. Hockey is hard work." He met me with a grin when I turned around to face him.

"Want another beer?"

"Yeah, but I'll get this round." I took his cup and made my way up the stairs, barely making it back to my seat when the intermission was over.

Nate and Max got one goal each in the second period. It was the cutest thing ever to see the rookie being celebrated by his team. His captain hugged him tightly and then let go again, looking a little flustered.

Bo was benched for about half of the second period and was involved in an incident of high sticking in the third period. The Gators were getting desperate, and that Chase Harper asshole butted him in the face with his stick.

God, I wanted him to go all Troll on Harper, rip off his head or whatever he needed to do to drive the point home.

Vee growled next to me, hands curled into fists, as if he, too, was ready to end Harper. "That fucking asshole."

"Is he okay?" I asked, craning my neck to get a look at Bo's face.

"I know it sucks to see them like this," he huffed. "He is okay, I promise. Bo is tough."

I knew he was, but bloody hell. Seeing him getting hurt sucked big time.

With under ten minutes on the clock, things got more heated now. The Gators' centre got another goal past Martin, but Nate scored a second time with a minute fifteen seconds to go.

Vee yelled so loudly that Nate noticed even over the absolute raucous the crowd made. He threw his fiancé a dazzling smile. Goodness, he's stunning. No wonder Vee was head over heels for him.

Nate had nothing on my glorious Troll, though. When the buzzer sounded and Bo took off his helmet, his long hair dark with sweat, all I wanted to do was get on my knees for that beautiful man. Bathe in his sweat and let him do anything to me…

He skated over to the exit and met my eyes. The look he gave me said he knew exactly what was on my mind. I saw him swallow hard, before one corner of his mouth lifted in a smile that had me fidget in my seat.

"They won't be out in under half an hour. They have to do some PR stuff, shower, change," Vee explained. He clearly hadn't noticed Bo and me eye-fucking each other. "We can stay here for a bit longer, let the crowd mill out, then we'll meet them by the back door."

"Okay."

I eventually followed him down some stairs and into the tunnel the team had taken. A handful of people were hanging around, and Arne came over to meet us. With his dark stubble and the dark blue eyes, a dark grey functional shirt plastered to his bulging muscles, the team captain looked like a model.

Damn, I had forgotten how unfairly attractive so many of them were.

He clasped my hand in both of his, wringing it. "Oliver, it's great to see you again."

"And you, Arne. How are you?"

"Great!" He grinned widely. "I'm so proud of my team." What a daddy…

"Ah, here they come."

I looked around in time to see an enormous green man stride in my direction, before I was enveloped in a tight hug. He smelled like shower gel, wet hair, and…the way the forest smelled after a warm rain shower. I would have recognised his scent anywhere.

"I promised we would win this game," he whispered in my ear.

"You were amazing." I bumped my nose into his cheek. "Is your lip okay?"

Bo hummed, searching for my mouth so he could kiss me. "You can inspect it later, ?lskling ."

"Damn, aren't you two the cutest?" I didn't even need to see Nate's face to know he was grinning widely at us from where Vee had him tucked to his side.

"Oh, I don't know about me, Decks. Ollie is, though," Bo murmured without backing away.

My face heated, and I hid it in Bo's neck. "Stop it, you're making me blush."

"Never." Bo slipped his arm around my shoulders. "Are we ready?"

"Yeah, Martin isn't coming. He has a date," Arne informed us, trying his hardest not to show any sign of amusement.

"Well, let's go. I need a beer," Nikolai huffed. "That was a tough game. Chase fucking Harper."