3. Sage

CHAPTER 3

SAGE

A charge fills the atmosphere at Henderson's arena. There's double the amount of people than the last time we played here. Teddy Bear Toss Night will do that. Twelve thousand fans, all waiting for the home team to score so they can lob their stuffed animals onto the ice.

We're scoreless through a period and a half of play. Soren's been amazing in goal, and having Rhys here has elevated our team.

Facing off against Henderson's captain, I get into position, my focus on the puck. We lost a pair of games to these guys to start off the season, and that can't happen again.

The linesman drops the puck. I get my stick on it first and knock it back to Morgan.

He races up the ice, passing it to our line mate, Gordy. Gordy plays it along the boards and gets into a battle with a Henderson defenseman.

The dude kicks it free. I swoop in, dodging a dropped stick, and gain control of the puck. Two Henderson jerseys are coming in hot.

From years of playing together, I know Morgan's set up in front of the goalie. He's created an effective screen. Gordy's ready too. I shoot it over to Gordy. He passes it back to me. Then I fire it toward Morgan, aiming for the side of the net. The puck hits the post with a ping, but Morgan's right there, and flips it over the goalie's pad, and into the back of the net.

Goal!

The red goal light comes on, and the handful of Slash fans in the arena cheer. I rush to hug Morgan and Gordy. "Nice work, boys."

Phil and Gio, on defense, join our group hug. As we skate back to our bench, Phil pats me on the back. "I thought your shot was going in."

"I did too. Damn post getting in the way. Morgan did a great job burying it." I tap gloves with my teammates, one after the next, going along the front of the bench.

When I reach Rhys and meet his blue-gray gaze, a charge zips through me. A little breathless, I climb over the boards and sit between him and Morgan.

He leans into me. "Nice job."

"Felt good to get one past that goalie. He shut us out the first game of the season." I down a mouthful of water from the bottle in front of me before passing it to Morgan.

Play resumes. Rhys hops over the boards on the line change, and all of my focus goes to him.

At six foot four, with a strong skating stride, Rhys just looks like a top tier defenseman. Which he is. It's odd seeing him in our yellow jersey instead of the Metros purple. He's paired with Yanni. The kid's been Rhys's shadow since he joined us earlier in the week. They sat together during the flight here, talking hockey the entire way.

My teammates slide down the bench as guys come on and off. Rhys returns, and our backup goalie, Pavel, opens the bench door for him so he doesn't have to climb over the boards.

I watch him settle his big body beside me.

Further down the bench, Phil calls out encouragement to our third liners.

The goal horn sounds. The crowd roars. I whip around to face the ice. The red goal light behind Soren is going off, and the Henderson players crash into each other in celebration. Fans join in with a torrential downpour of teddy bears as well as unicorns, cats, dogs, and countless other plushies, all to be collected and donated to charities.

Rhys smiles, shaking his head at the stuffed animals pelting the ice. "This is wild."

"Teddy bear tosses are some of my favorite games. We held ours in December."

He lets out a low whistle. Toys cover the ice, and they continue to fall in wave after wave. "There are so many, and they just keep coming."

"Every team tries to outdo each other by getting the most animals." Something smacks into the top of my helmet. I jerk forward, twisting to peer behind me. "What…"

Rhys lays a gloved hand on my shoulder. He picks up a hot pink T-Rex and glares into the crowd. "I'm trying to figure out who threw this."

"Don't worry about it. They probably didn't mean to hit me. Getting the animals over the glass is tough, depending on where people are sitting." This is nowhere near the same as a fan dumping beer or food on a player.

A line forms between his brows as he studies my face. Concern and protectiveness radiate from him. "Even so. Are you okay?"

"Better than I'd be if I encountered an actual T-Rex." I put the furry pink plushie on Rhys's shoulder. " Rawr ."

His rich chuckle rings out. After lobbing the toy onto the ice, he sits back. "Maybe I should come by and check on you after the game, just to make sure."

Playful Rhys is as hot as protective Rhys. I wet my lips and bump his shoulder. "Maybe you should."

Humming along to the song playing from my phone, I tug on my shirt. My mellow playlist for unwinding after games isn't quite the right mood for tonight, but I don't have a playlist for sexy defensemen coming to visit me.

Morgan wanders around our hotel room, gathering his phone and keys, an extra bounce in his step from scoring the goal in the third period that gave us the win tonight. "I'll text you before I come back."

I stop fussing with my mop of hair. "You don't have to do that."

"Rhys is coming over. So I think I do."

Half the team knows he and I are hanging out tonight. Nerves and excitement tangle through me with every breath. "Nothing's gonna happen."

"Still." He snags his hoodie from the pile of clothes strewn across his bed. His text notifications keep chiming from teammates gathering to play video games in Soren's room. "You good? You're not spiraling about him coming over?"

Blowing out a breath, I catch my reflection in the mirror. My black tee and athletic pants fit me well, but maybe they're too casual. "Not spiraling. A little nervous. And excited."

He clamps his hand on my shoulder. "You look good. Have fun."

"Thanks. I hope your avatar, or whatever the thing in the game is called, wins."

"As long as I beat Soren, I'm happy. See you later." He slips past me and opens the door. "Oh, hey, Rhys. Come in. I was just leaving."

Based on the Tyrannosaurus stomping in my chest, a little nervous may have been an understatement. I hurry forward as Morgan heads out.

Rhys steps into the room, closing the door behind him. The flex of his muscles pulls the fabric of his gray T-shirt and navy joggers. His subtle spice scent tempts me closer. "Hi."

Being the focus of his attention sends shivery sparks through me. "Hey."

Eyes twinkling, his gaze journeys over me from head to toe. "Still feeling fine from the dinosaur attack?"

"I think I'll live." As stealthy as possible, I wipe my palms on my pants, then gesture to the practical room. The reality of having him here is evident in every pounding beat of my heart. "Make yourself comfortable."

Hands tucked into his pockets, he strolls to the middle of the room, then pauses by the beds. "Who's is whose?"

I grab bottles of water from the snack stash and pass one over. "Mine is the one without the minefield of clothes. You can sit there if you want. I am."

He steps out of his sneakers, setting the water on the side table before he sinks into the same mattress I'll be sleeping on tonight.

My pulse trips with every step toward the bed, awareness amplifying everything from the feel of the carpet beneath my socks to the brush of clothes against my body, the softness of the mattress as I sit, and the weight of his gaze.

"So," he says. His teeth drag over his lower lip, and he focuses on my mouth like he wants to drag them over me. There's an electricity crackling the air.

"So," I echo, heat curling through me. The space between us is small, easy to bridge.

He stretches his legs in front of him, his shin bumping my foot. "You were right when you said your team was a fun group. They are. I've had a good time with everyone this week."

We've spent a lot of hours together during practices and a couple of meals with the entire team. Now that tonight's game is over, we'll only be teammates for one more day. After tomorrow's game, that's it. He'll return to the Metros. The thought of not seeing him leaves me hollow. "Having you around has been great. Everyone will miss you."

He presses his shoulder to mine, tipping his head until his lips are so close the heat of his breath brushes my skin, summoning a cascade of goosebumps. "Will you? Miss me."

"Yeah." The admission is a whisper as soft as the blanket beneath my fingertips. My heart beats faster. The word's out now, there's no calling it back.

He twists toward me, half-sitting and half-lying on his side, his expression earnest. "There's a connection here, you and me. I don't want to lose it."

The happy feeling fluttering through me collides with the worry he'll drop me once he experiences the annoyance of my anxiety. Folding my legs under me, I face him, steeling myself, because I hate talking about this, but think I have to. "I want to keep seeing you, too."

"Good." He lays his hand on my forearm. It's so warm, and the touch of skin on skin singes my nerve endings.

"But if we're spending more time together, you'll learn that I worry. A lot." Looking into his eyes is too hard. I focus on his fingers resting on my skin and the light freckles on the back of his hand. "I have anxiety. Some people find it too annoying and frustrating to deal with."

With the lightest of touches, his fingertips stroke up and down my forearm, soothing the disquiet in my brain that he's going to get up and book it the hell out of here. "You're afraid I'll be one of those people."

That was a statement, not a question, but I nod anyway. "My ex was. My parents are. Some former friends were too." I shrug, but pretending the hurt is gone doesn't take it away. "I've tried meds and therapy. Breathing techniques. Playing guitar helps a lot. So does listening to music."

"People who care about you should help you through it, not abandon you or push you away."

"My friends—Remy, Morgan, Phil, Gio, Soren—help me. They're great." With every brush of his fingers, my stomach unclenches a little more. "Being this way isn't fun. I do the best I can, but it's still a lot to handle."

In his soft smile, there is understanding, acceptance… hope. "Not to me."

"You say that now." I chew on my bottom lip and push down the flutter in my gut. As much as I want to believe Rhys means what he says, I've been down this road before, and I've learned it's better to keep expectations low. "You have yet to witness me spiraling about things you would find minor."

"Try me." A fierce warrior's glint in his eyes, he wraps his fingers around mine, strong and secure. "I'm serious. Try me. I'll prove it to you."

A lump forms in my throat. The threatening tingle of tears pricks the backs of my eyes, surprising the hell out of me. I want to believe him. "Okay. We'll try."

He brings my fingers to his lips and presses a kiss to my knuckles. "Thank you for telling me about all that. I want us to be open with each other."

"I do too."

The grip of his fingers loosens as he lowers our hands to his lap. "Since you shared, I will too… My first year on the Metros, I was a mess. Depressed, angry, and hurt over everything that happened in Vancouver. I lived with Jonas for months because I couldn't handle finding a place on top of everything else."

I tighten my grip on him, wanting to give him the same support he gave me. "What happened with Vancouver? It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."

"The short answer is, my teammate was sleeping with my boyfriend."

"Seriously?" Shock shifts my voice louder. That betrayal is overwhelming.

"I caught them hooking up at the team's holiday party. Apparently it had been going on for a while. Weeks, if not more." Hurt clouds his expression. "I confronted them both right there. The rest of my teammates had my back."

"As they should. You never sleep with someone's significant other."

Rhys leans his head against the padded headboard. "I ended my relationship that night. The next morning, I went to the coach, told him I wouldn't play with a teammate who'd do that and demanded he trade one of us. They traded me that week."

This story is wild. I press closer, stroking my free hand along his thigh, picturing a shellshocked, heartbroken Rhys. "Why did they keep him ?"

"Don't know. My teammates were pissed about that. The locker room turned toxic, and the team ended up trading him that off season. Last I heard, he's bouncing around the minors."

"I'm sorry. Everything about that situation is awful. We came to the Twin Cities around the same time. I wish I'd known you then. I could've helped somehow."

Smiling, he presses another kiss to my fingers. "I wasn't alone. Jonas, Maxim, and Quinn welcomed me the minute I arrived. They were there for me when it felt like my life was falling apart. I'd do anything for them."

"That's how I feel about my friends. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have them. They gave me a home, a place where I can be myself."

His gaze turns softer and warmer. "You can be yourself with me."

I believe he means that, and I want to try. After sharing what we did, I feel closer to him. Bonded. "So can you."

Rhys presses forward, still holding my hand. "I've wanted to kiss you for days."

"I've been thinking about it since we met." My gaze drops to his mouth, and I move my hand from his thigh to his chest. His heart beats under my palm. We're inches apart, and the distance keeps shrinking. I sway toward him, an invisible line reeling me in.

We watch each other. His eyes darkening, he slides his other hand into my hair. Every throb of my pulse is an ache for his lips on mine.

I catch his inhale and the way his eyes flutter closed. Rhys's lips meet mine, and the sensation is like a live wire sparking. Heat, electricity, shattering fireworks.

He angles his head, and his hand in my hair guides mine where he wants me. His beard is soft, teasing my chin and cheeks. His tongue traces my lips, and he follows that with a nip, drawing my lower lip between his teeth. The kisses grow deeper, waking up every inch of my body and making it ache for Rhys.

Shifting onto my knees, I straddle him. With a groan of approval, his hands palm my waist, sliding up and down my sides. I'm hard and his pants can't hide his bulge either. Riding the wave of desire, I expand my explorations, the well-defined pecs, the ridges of his abs, the strength in his shoulders. But I'm still taking things slow. I don't want to rush anything at all tonight.

We linger over each kiss, like we have all the time in the world to savor and enjoy.

My lips tingling, I raise my head. "That was worth waiting for."

His hands slide to my back. He noses along my cheek, his breath ghosting my skin. "I like holding you."

"We can keep doing that. Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Sure."

I pass him the remote from the bedside table then climb off his lap. "You pick."

I want to stay right here like this for the rest of the night. Snuggled into his side, with his arm around me. The way I've yearned to be for days.

Rhys presses a kiss to my head and turns on the TV.

Holding him, I want to believe that things will work out, but the best I can muster is to be cautiously optimistic.