by Dee, Cara
“Of course! I’m not stupid.”
“Uh-huh. Then Madigan sees through you in a hot second and puts you on a two-week-long orgasm denial.”
Abel cursed. “He would too, fuckin’ Sadist.”
Gray grinned and shook his head.
Sixteen
Yesterday, Gray had been beyond grateful when his brothers had offered to book the rink for them, thus sparing him from having to contact Craig. But they’d warned him that Coach would probably be there, seeing as he had his office in the back. He was always there, and now, so was Gray.
He should’ve just bitten the bullet last night.
Darius was on the phone—with one of his brothers, Gray assumed—so Gray helped the boys out of the car once they’d parked outside the arena.
“I can help him, Gray,” Jayden said pointedly. He had a tight grip on Justin’s hand. “Come, stay close to me.” Adeline hadn’t been kidding when she’d said Jayden had a protective nature about him.
It was sweet, to an extent. Gray wouldn’t have Jayden reverting to the tiny adult he’d acted like before. Gray would show him he could be trusted with Justin too.
“I’m not gonna listen to your bitching anymore,” Darius told whoever he was on the phone with. “If you want a verbal lashing, I’m at the Tridents’ Arena the next few hours.” He hung up the phone and sighed, “Ethan” as he grabbed the last duffel out of the trunk. “He’s become more of an insufferable dick lately. I didn’t think it was possible.”
Gray’s forehead creased. He’d only met Ethan very briefly in Florida, but he’d seemed like a nice guy. Before he knew he was Darius’s brother, he’d also seen him plenty at the gym where Abel and Gray worked out together. Turned out, Ethan owned it.
Gabriel and Gid showed up on their bikes a couple minutes later, and Jayden stepped closer with Justin’s hand still in his. “They look like you so much.”
Gray smiled. If Jayden said that about him and the twins, wait till he met Gage. Gray and Gage shared the same biological father and had inherited his coloring and features.
Gray liked to think of his twin brothers as annoying kids, but the truth of the matter was that they would graduate from high school next year. At seventeen, they were louder and more obnoxious than ever, at the same time as they’d matured a little and started using their brains.
“You gonna gear up properly or dick around?” Gabriel asked Gray.
Gray lifted the duffel he held. A big fucking bag that was the same size as their own. “Does this look like I only brought skates?”
Gabriel grinned. “Fuckin’ A. I need a challenge.”
Gideon glowered at him. “Fuck you, I got two past you last practice.”
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Outta fifty tries.”
Gray shook his head and smoothed back Jayden’s hair. “So, these are my hell-raisin’ brothers. Gabriel is a goalie, and Gideon spends most of his time with his face in the ice.” Before Gid could come up with a no doubt vicious retort, Gray lifted a brow at his brothers. “Remember what Adeline tells everyone who visits the shelter?”
Pipe the fuck down because some of these kids have PTSD. Maybe not in those words…
The twins took him seriously, thankfully, and they turned on the charm for Jayden and Justin. It wasn’t their first rodeo. Hockey teams were often involved in charities for kids, and both Gabriel and Gid did two weeks every summer where they coached underprivileged children at a camp.
They headed inside the arena, and Gray was taken back to all the years he’d wrestled with his gear in these halls. When the Tridents of Ponderosa met the Camas Ravens, two thousand people raised the roof with their shouting and cheering. The Tridents played in blue, and the Ravens wore red and black.
Gray remembered being miserable when he’d first switched to the Ravens in an attempt to get away from Craig, but if he could choose a team today, he’d go with Camas. He’d always had a thing for the underdog, and he kind of found the Tridents unbearably arrogant these days.
“Do you miss the game?” Darius sidled up next to him.
Gray didn’t know how to answer. He wasn’t the carefree hockey fanatic he’d once been.
Gid came to a stop at a door Gray knew led to a big closet with gear, skates, sticks, and clothes for juniors.
Dodging the question, Gray waited while Gid unlocked the door, then ushered the boys inside.
“Okay, let’s see if we can find you some skates.”
The twins announced they’d go change.
Jayden sat down with Justin on a bench and looked around curiously, and Gray took the opportunity to squat down in front of the youngest boy. It was telling when Jayden stiffened.
“Relax, Jayden.” Gray touched Jayden’s cheek quickly before refocusing on the shy kid in front of him. “Have you gone ice-skating before, Justin?”
Justin nodded uncertainly and glanced at Jayden.
“He likes hockey,” Jayden supplied.
“Cool.” Gray smiled. “I just wanted to give you a warning that it can get loud on the ice, but it’s all in good fun. It’s like laughing. Laughing can get loud, right? But it’s a good kind of loud.”
Justin nodded again, and then he signed something with his fingers that made Gray curse internally. He really should’ve taken that class in ASL in college, but he’d opted for a series of seminars on mental health in sports instead, figuring it would benefit his friendship with Abel.
“He’s saying he thinks it’s exciting,” Darius murmured from the doorway. “He’s not afraid.”
Gray looked back at him as realization hit. Fucking duh, Darius knew sign language because of Willow. He mouthed a thank-you and turned back to Justin.
Jayden raised his brows and pointed at Justin’s hands. “Are those words?”
Gray chuckled. “It’s a whole language. He hasn’t told you?”
Jayden shrugged while Justin nodded with an almost exasperated expression.
“You’ve tried explaining to him?” Gray guessed, to which Justin offered another nod. “Well, luckily for us, we have Darius here. He understands. There’s no pressure for you to go only to Jayden if you want to say something. We’ll make it work, okay?”
They were good to go. Gray observed Justin as they found gear for the boys, and it would take a minute to tap into his language, but Gray could already detect the truth in Justin’s eyes. Because while they laced up the skates, the anticipation was clear. The boy was almost vibrating with a sense of let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.
Gray relaxed and pulled out his own skates from his bag. Before they’d left the cabin, and before he’d pulled on sweats and a hoodie, he’d put on his base layer consisting of a long-sleeved, skintight shirt and compression pants.
He’d taken a lot of pleasure from seeing Darius eye-fuck him.
Gray skipped the pads for now, though. He could gear up later when the boys had snacks. They’d brought graham crackers, hot chocolate in a thermos, and a container of brownies.
As he spotted Darius tying his laces, Gray frowned. He’d completely forgotten to ask him about his own experience. Judging by the Bauer brand on Darius’s well-worn skates, he wasn’t a novice.
When was he ever?
“Do you know how to play?” Gray asked curiously.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Darius grunted and exchanged his leather jacket for a hoodie. Jeans, hoodie, and skates. “We played a lot of field hockey growing up, but then it was twenty years before I stood on a pair of skates again.” He lifted a foot and made sure the blade cover was attached. “I bought these a couple years ago when we took my niece ice-skating for the first time.”
Well, Gray was looking forward to seeing Darius on the ice.
The twins were already on the ice when Gray and the others reached the rink.
He took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp, cold air, and heard the familiar sound of a puck hitting the boards with an echoing smack.
“Where’s your gear?” Gideon hollered, wi
dening his arms.
“What’s the rush?” Gray countered.
Gid snorted and skated closer. “You’ve forgotten how it’s done. Admit it. Need me to pad you up, big brother? I’m sure we can find some Raven threads in the cleaning closet if that makes you feel better.”
“Ooof,” Gabriel chuckled. “Shots fired.”
Gray wasn’t new here. He didn’t take the bait, though he couldn’t deny the trash talk ignited something in him.
Instead, he squatted down to help Justin with his blade covers.
“Are you better than him?” Jayden asked.
“Hell yeah,” Gray said. It was only half true, but it had the desired effect on Gideon, who got riled up way too easily.
In reality—well, before last fall—Gray made a good aggressor. He was fast and gave Gid a good run for his money, but in the end, Gideon had him beat.
Jayden picked up on the sibling rivalry and looked giddy. “Can we see you compete?”
“Right now?” But, Gray thought…they could play around for a bit first. Let the boys work up a sweat and have fun.
“I wanna see,” Jayden pleaded.
Darius shot Gray an amused glance and sat down on the bench. “You better show us how it’s done, knucklehead.”
Ugh. Gray hadn’t warmed up, and he hadn’t used his skates in months. For all he knew, he’d fall on his ass the second he hit the ice.
“Let’s goooo,” Gabriel yelled, hitting his stick on the side of the goal.
Gray surrendered.
While Jayden and Justin stumbled over to Darius, Gray unpacked his all-black training gear, matching jersey included, and Gabriel left the ice to put on some music behind the booth where off-ice officials sat during bigger games.
“Gimme a stick,” Gray told Gid.
The twins exchanged a smirk before Gideon burst out, “That’s what he tells Darius every night!”
Jesus Christ. Gray shot Darius an apologetic look, but Darius only laughed.
On his way out, Gray passed Darius and said, “I haven’t told them anything.”
“I don’t care,” he chuckled. “Get outta here. I wanna see too.”
Well, fine. Weirdo.
Gid came over with his reserve, and Gray gripped the stick and rolled his shoulders. Of course, Gideon wouldn’t be Gideon without some more trash talk, and Gray got to hear what an old cripple he’d become while he attached his helmet. Gray took it all in stride and smiled, because that was how one pissed off the twins. By not letting it show that your feathers had been ruffled.
Lastly, he grabbed his mouthguard and opened the gate to the ice. “Are you done letting your mouth run, kid?”
Gid grinned. “I can slow down if you want, Gramps.”
In the corner of his eye, Gray saw Gabriel returning to the net, and a second later, the first notes of an upbeat Green Day song filtered through the air.
Gray slid his gaze back to Gideon. “Get a puck. I’ll grab it from you and nail it between Gabriel’s legs.”
The twins whistled and hooted, and the game was on.
As Gideon skated out and rounded the net, grabbing a puck from Gabriel, Gray let the adrenaline course through him. For the first time in ages, he blocked out Darius and everything else. Hockey became everything once more.
Gray knew that his best option, if he wanted to stand a chance, was to come at his brother hard, right off the bat. Before he got tired. So, to the soundtrack of electric guitars and fast-beating drums, Gray hit the ice and zeroed in on Gid at the other end of the rink.
“I’m cheering for you, Gray!” Jayden shouted. “You can clap, Justin. Like this.”
Gray bolted across the ice and chewed on his mouthguard, quickly adjusting it into place right before he made a swift turn around the net. Gid pushed forward but didn’t wanna get too close to Gabriel, so Gray followed the strategy. Gid knew that if Gray got the puck, he’d want a chance to steal it back before Gray could score. Which told Gray that his brother wasn’t so cocky when push came to shove.
Anticipating Gid’s next move, Gray stopped short before a turn, sending a spray of snow in his wake, and darted in front of the goal instead. Then he sucked in a breath, took off as fast as he could, and slammed himself into Gid, shoving him up against the boards with a force that sent Gideon’s helmet flying.
“You having a yard sale, bud?” Gray asked, breathing heavily. Without waiting for a response, he stole the puck and went coast to coast and rounded the net. “Between the legs, Gabriel. Watch this.”
“Come at me, fucker!” Gabriel growled.
“Check your position,” Gray barked out. “You always suck at this. Look at you—you part your legs more than a whore.” In his periphery, he could see Gideon getting ready to go on the offensive. Gray was down to a couple of seconds. “You ready, Gabriel? You ready?”
“Are you just gonna stand there?” Gabriel snapped.
Gray responded by darting behind the net, circling it, confusing his brother, riling him up, then coming to the front a heartbeat before Gid reached them.
“Hupp—get it!” Gray deked left and fired the puck right as Gideon rammed into him.
Gray went down with a painful thump, but not before he saw the puck hitting the net in the upper right corner.
He started laughing his ass off.
“You said between the legs!” Gabriel yelled furiously.
“And you listened, you moron!” Gray laughed.
Gideon cursed and threw his stick across the ice.
Holy shit, that was invigorating.
After peeling himself off the ice, he smirked at his pissed-off brothers and skated over to the gate. On the way, he removed his helmet and mouthguard.
“You were so fast!” Jayden exclaimed, gesturing wildly. “You were there, and then whoosh, over there!”
Gray grinned and leaned over the gate to plant a loud smooch on Jayden’s forehead, to which he giggled and quickly wiped off with his hand. “Your turn to show ’em who’s boss, boys.” He opened the gate and offered his hand to Justin. His blade covers were already off.
“I can help him,” Jayden said urgently.
“Hey.” Gray gave Jayden’s neck a gentle squeeze. “So can I. Put on your helmet.”
Jayden needed to relax a little. He chewed on his thumbnail while Gray helped Justin onto the ice, and the youngest boy exhaled a laugh when he noticed how slick it was. Just inside the gate were a couple traffic cones, and Gray grabbed one for Justin.
“Here, buddy. You can hold on to this and push it in front of you.”
Justin caught on quick and lit up, pushing the cone ahead of him and using it to stay upright. Jesus Christ, he was adorable. He giggled under his breath and was far from gun-shy. He ventured out to the center line without looking back.
It gave Gray an opportunity to have a word with Jayden.
He got down on one knee and adjusted the kid’s helmet. “Lookin’ sharp, champ.”
Jayden smiled unsurely.
“You don’t have to worry about Justin,” Gray explained carefully. “He’s safe with us, and I’m keeping an eye on him the whole time—even now. I see him in the corner of my eye.” He pointed, then stilled when he caught Justin falling over. He looked over and halted Jayden from rushing to him. “Give it a second. Look at him. What’s he doing?”
Justin was pretending to swim on the ice, that’s what he was doing. He was being a complete goofball.
“I don’t think there’s a word for that,” Jayden muttered.
Gray chuckled softly. “But he’s not upset, is he? He’s having fun.”
“Okay.” Jayden nodded once.
“It’s sweet of you to be protective of him, but don’t forget we’re here. It’s our job to look out for you so you two can have fun together.”
“Okay, we will,” Jayden promised.
“Good.” Gray stood up and watched Jayden skate toward the center cautiously, testing the waters on his way to Justin, and it called for some picture
s. He left the ice and took off his gear in between keeping an eye on the boys. “I’m ready to be showered with praise for my performance,” he told Darius.
Darius smirked and gave Gray some space by stepping out on the ice. “We need to transfer your confidence from the ice to the field.” That didn’t sound like praise… “You’re an unstoppable force out here. You’re fast as fuck and strategic in your thinking.” He tapped his temple. “Don’t think I missed that. You predicted Gideon’s moves within seconds.”
“Keep talking. You’re making me hard.” Gray joined him on the ice once he’d shed extra weight. Jayden and Justin were enjoying themselves, watching Gideon practice slap shots on Gabriel.
“I’m serious, you shit,” Darius chuckled. “If you were half as cocky when you’re sparring with me as you are right here, I’d have one hell of an opponent. And that’s got fuck-all to do with skill. It’s all mental. You’ve trained enough to take down any average Joe in America without breaking a sweat.”
“That doesn’t help me when the target is a professional like you,” Gray said.
“But I’m not your target, Gray,” he pointed out. “I’m not the enemy. Jackie’s buyer is. And I can tell you one thing. He ain’t trained in shit.”
Gray hummed and skated a backward circle around Darius, processing what he’d said, and he had a point. Gray wasn’t where he wanted to be physically; he was far from ready, but he was ready to face Jackie’s buyer if things came to that.
“You wanna try?” Gray heard Gideon ask.
The question was for Jayden and Justin, who clearly wanted to try shooting pucks but hesitated.
“Come on, it’s fun,” Gabriel promised. “Gid will show you how.”
Gray nodded encouragingly when Jayden looked his way. It seemed to do the trick, and Jayden ushered Justin closer to the twins.
Gray brought out his phone and snapped a few photos of his brothers teaching the boys how to hold the stick and aim at the puck. As annoying as the twins could be, they were great brothers too, and they knew when to knock it off and get serious.
“I think we have an audience,” Darius noted.