Ideally, I want to see me, Cote, and Bouchard promoted to first line together. They’ve put up with a lot from me this season, and they should be rewarded for that alone. All things considered, the three of us play really well together when I have my head on straight, like we’re reading each other’s minds. It’s only been my consistency that was the issue, so if I play well tonight, maybe Coach will try starting us again.
I glance over at Gray and relax to see her in her seat with Sully and Dean keeping an eye on her. I know at some point she’ll reject having bodyguards around her at all times, but for now she’s not fighting it.
I clench my teeth every time I see the bruises on her neck, and I wish I’d gotten a few more punches in on the fucker who gave them to her before Sully pulled me off him. My hand still hurts from hitting Barry, but it was worth it.
Gray has a long road to feel safe again – if that’s even possible – but I have my own demons to deal with. When Sully called to tell me what he’d seen, I freaked the fuck out. Losing Gray was unthinkable, and it’ll be a long time before I’m able to let her out of my sight without fearingI’ll never see her again. Getting Barry behind bars permanently will be a good start, but there are more men like him out there. Too many.
I just know one thing with certainty. Gray is the woman I plan to marry. Now isn’t the right time to tell her that, of course. We both need to heal first, but one of these days, she’ll wear my ring, and knowing that makes everything alright for now.
I turn my attention back as the ref gets ready to drop the puck. Across from me, Lapoint eyes me like he wants to eat my liver. I haven’t seen him since that preseason game when he put the tampon down my jersey, and I know the standing ovation I got pissed him off. He’ll start chirping at me as soon as he can, but I’m not worried about it. Gray is safe, and I’ve come to some realizations lately. I’m ready to play.
The puck hits the ice, and I swipe it back to Cote who takes off and slaloms between defenders like he’s an Olympic skier. He and Bouchard are feeding off my energy. They don’t care how we got to the starting spot, but the three of us are determined to keep it.
We score our first goal less than a minute into the game, and I feel vindicated for having bumped Nilsen, Aasgaard, and Fig from this first shift. The honor of the goal goes to Bouchard, but I get the assist, and the crowd surges to their feet.
The chirping starts on my next shift, but it doesn’t bother me anymore. I learned something important in this whole ordeal with Gray.
As much as I wanted to believe the misogynistic comments bothered me because I was so ‘enlightened about feminism,’ I had to face the fact I still held some deeply ingrained beliefs about how women were weaker and more limited in certain things.
When I ran toward Gray that night and saw her fighting off Barry, saw her trying to hit and buck off a man bigger than her who was holding her down as he tried to kill her, I had nothing but awe for her. She’d ultimately needed my help, but she’d fought until Sully and I could get there. She bought us time to get to her, and she’s alive because of it.
Maybe I’m stretching things, but it’s kind of like BDSM. Just becausethe submissive looks weak doesn’t mean they are. They’re actually the one with all the power in the dynamic.
In any case, once I allowed myself to truly believe how strong women are – how strong my sisters and my mother and the love of my life are – it made letting go of the trash talk easy. It has no power over me anymore, and hearing guys use it to get under my skin just seems pathetic.
Lapoint’s frustration and that of the other Ducks is apparent as the game goes on and we take them apart piece by piece. Nothing they say riles me in the least, and the crowd turns practically feral as we pull ahead by three goals in the third period, two of which are mine.
Lapoint slams into Kingston with four minutes left under the guise of not being able to stop in time, and we’re instantly on him, me in the lead. I get two minutes in the box for my trouble, but it’s worth it. Kingston may be an asshole, but he’sourasshole, and if you fuck with him, you fuck with us all.
The game ends just before things get really ugly, and we win 5-2. The chances that Cote, Bouchard, and I have secured our starting spot in the lineup moving forward are good.
Whether the crowds will continue to come once the media frenzy dies down remains to be seen, but we have a winning record at the moment, and we get better with every game. We’re in the running for a wild card spot, and Kaladin’s hopes of getting to the playoffs are not out of reach.
And for the first time this season, I believe we can make it too.
Ash
Gray’s face lights up when I exit the locker room after the game. Celena has apparently left, but Sully and Dean stand in the hall next to my woman. I ignore them and pull her into my arms before slanting my mouth across hers for a deep kiss. Her moan of pleasure goes straight to my cock.
“Ugh,” Kelsier groans as he exits behind me. He turns and calls backinto the locker room. “Warning, guys. Captain America and the doc have excessive amounts of PDA going on out here.”
I shoot him a glare, but Gray smiles and says, “Hi, Kels,” before he gives her a wink and heads out. We’ll meet him and a few of the guys out shortly.
Fig and The Don leave next, followed by Kingston, who stops to look around when he sees Gray.
“Your little friend still hiding from me?” he asks her.
Gray holds out her hand to him. “Give me her panties back,” she says, ignoring his question.
My gaze shoots to her. “What? Why does he have her panties?”
“No idea,” she says, “but he needs to give them back.”
Kingston just grins down at her. “Convince Celena to come out tonight, and maybe I’ll make a trade.”
Gray narrows her eyes. “What kind of trade?”
“That’s between me and her,” Kingston says as he turns and heads down the hall.
