Charlie bursts in before Rylan can respond, his usual energy cranked to eleven."Cap! You're back!"He practically bounces across the room for a fist bump."I wanted to surprise you by reorganizing your stall, but they wouldn't let me."
Rylan's eyebrows shoot up."You what?"
"Relax,"Louis snorts."We held him back. Your precious organization system is still intact."
Rylan's lips twitch—the ghost of a real smile, and my stomach flips. The urge to kiss that almost-smile hits me so hard I have to turn away. Fuck, I'm in trouble here. This isn't just attraction anymore. This is something else. Something terrifying.
The door opens again and Austin appears, freezing mid-step when he sees Rylan."You're back,"he says softly, relief evident in his voice. Then his eyes narrow as he notices me."You're here earlier than usual, Pirelli."
The protective edge in his voice sets my teeth on edge. I've seen how Austinlooksat Rylan when he thinks no one's watching. Like Rylan hung the fucking moon.
"Didn't sleep well,"I mutter, focusing on my stall. The last thing I need is Austin figuring outwhyI couldn't sleep.
"Seems like everyone's here bright and early this morning."Coach Shaw appears in the doorway, hands on his hips and an easy smile on his face.
"Just getting settled back in,"Rylan says smoothly, but he shifts to put more space between us.Ouch.
"Can you pop into my office for a sec before you get on the ice?"Coach asks.
Rylan nods,"Yeah, of course."He follows Coach down the hall, and I can't stop myself from watching him go. His posture seemsdifferent… less tense than usual. Likemaybesome of the weight he's been carrying has lifted.
"Earth to Pirelli,"Louis's voice breaks into my thoughts."You planning to actually gear up or keep standing there lookingpretty?"
Heat crawls up my neck as I realize I've been standing with my practice jersey half-on, distracted by watching Rylan walk away.Smooth, Pirelli.
"I was, uh,admiring your, um, gear storage system,"I stutter."Very... organized."
"Unlike some people,"Austin mutters, pointedly eyeing my more chaotic stall.
I paste a grin onto my face."I try to embrace a philosophy of creative chaos."
"Children,"Louis sighs and gives us an exaggerated eye-roll."Behave or Cap will put you both in timeout."
And holy fuck, the thought of Rylan putting me anywhere should not be hot, but after the other night...
By the time we hit the ice, I'm a hot mess. Being this close to him with all this… stuff… between us is killing me. And I can't stop thinking about the way helookedthe other night. The sounds he made when…
Focus. Hockey. Think about hockey.
Coach Shaw blows the whistle, calling us in for drills."First line, show me what you got."
Rylan takes his position at center, all business now. This, I'm ready for. This is hockey. Just like we've done a hundred times before.
Except it's not.
It's fucking electric.
Whatever's changed between us off the ice, our chemistry on it has only gotten stronger. Rylan anticipates my every move like he's reading my mind. each play develops naturally. When I curl around behind the net, I know without looking that he'll be in position for the one-timer.
The puck hits his tape with perfect timing as he releases. Top shelf. Beautiful.
His eyes meet mine for a split second as the team celebrates. The intensity in his gaze knocks the breath right out of me.
"Looking good out there," Coach calls. "Run it again."
We're on fire. My body somehow knows where he is. Our passes connect almost effortlessly. It's goddamn poetry out here.
It's also torture.
