Page 52 of Bonus Game
Carr clapped him on the shoulder and skated in the direction of Coach Sillivan, leaving Riley standing there like a moron.
Shame, anger, disappointment, and heartbreak clung to him like a cobweb of self-doubt, and Riley turned for the gate so hecould leave and pack his bags, when a hand grabbed the collar of his jersey and yanked him back.
“Adjust your fucking loser attitude,” Sloan hissed. “Look.”
The team matchups were changing, and guys were taking both sides of the boards and grabbing their drinks for a small break. It didn’t go unnoticed that Banner and Carr were now on one side, and Riley and Sloan were on the other.
“Smug pricks.” Sloan had his eyes locked on the smiling Citadel players as he spat onto the ice. “We’re going to take them down a notch. You and me, since you’re the only one who’s worth anything on this shitty team.”
Riley hated how the backhanded praise made his pulse stutter, but the moment was short-lived when two of their Admiral teammates scoffed and moved away from them, annoyed by Sloan’s comment.
“Fine,” Riley growled. “But you call me a soft East-Coaster again, and I’ll knock your fucking teeth out. You do realize the greatest hockey player of our time is from Nova Scotia, right? Or are you too dumb to read?”
Sloan’s snort was one of disbelief. “Jett Killinger, are you kidding me? You really think he’s better than Su-jin Park?”
Of course, Sloan would think a foul-tempered pretty boy from Ottawa would be a better player than the one constantly topping the point board.
“The championship ring Killinger has right now says exactly how I feel about that,” Riley said, and then he nodded at Banner and Carr. “How are we doing this?”
Sloan tapped his stick to Riley’s shin pad. “We play them the same way they’re about to play us. We forget about the rest of the team and keep our eyes on each other. I know you like teamwork and all that shit, but it’s time for you to suck it up and be a selfish asshole like me. We only pass to each other. We only signal toeach other. I’ll take left, you take right, and when either of us gets the puck, we keep it the hell away from them.”
Hockey was a team sport, but Sloan wasn’t wrong. Now that it was Admirals against Citadels, it would take minimal effort for Banner and Carr to steal the puck from them.
Sure, the Citadel players were the same age as them, but if the glimpse of their warmup and the clips he’d seen of them online were anything to go by, the Admirals didn’t stand a chance.
“Fine,” said Riley. “We work together. How hard could it be?”
Sloan grinned and smacked him on the ass hard enough for him to feel it through the padding. “That’s it, Evans. If we pull this off, then the next threesome is on me. I don’t mind talking you through your first time with a girl if getting you laid will make you less cranky.”
Riley speared the blade of his stick between Sloan’s feet as he skated away, tripping him hard enough to make him stumble. “I’m not a virgin, you dickhead.”
Sloan was smiling when he spun around and smacked Riley’s stick away with his own. “I know you’re not. That’s why I said I would help you for your first time with agirl. Unless you and your boyfriends aren’t in an open relationship?”
Heat prickled Riley’s skin, and he began to seriously doubt that he could work together with Sloan—ever.
“You’re either an asshole or a homophobe, and I can’t tell which one,” Riley said, shoving Sloan out of the way as he skated toward the boards.
“Not a homophobe,” said Sloan, who was skating after him. “I know you said the pretty one isn’t your boyfriend, but are you telling me you’re really not with the big one?”
Riley scowled as he grabbed his bottle and squeezed water into his mouth. He was used to being seen as Jake’s brother, sohe didn’t know what gave Sloan the impression they were dating, but he was way off.
“You were playing beer league hockey with him, so I figured you guys were an item. Like, you and the big one were boyfriends, and the pretty one was only dating the big one, which would make it a love triangle…I guess?”
Riley couldn’t believe Sloan was running his mouth. The guy had no sense of self-preservation, even if the awkward meeting at Jake’s game had given him the wrong idea.
“I’m not dating anyone,” said Riley. “And for the record, the big one and the pretty one have names. They’re Jake and Allen.”
Sloan leaned on the ledge of the boards, roughly pushing into his space. “And you’re not bi? Really?”
Sighing, Riley removed his helmet so he could cool off. “This is what you want to talk about? Right now, when we’re about to go against the rookie star players of the Halifax Capitals?”
Sloan shrugged arrogantly and confidently like he always did. “You’re never at the apartment, so I can’t ask my questions except when we’re here. And I want to know because my instincts have never been wrong.”
“Oh god, are you bisexual? Is that why you brought up a threesome?” Riley asked, shivers racing through him at the thought. He couldn’t imagine having that sneering mouth anywhere near his naked body. His dick was inverting just thinking about it.
“Straight, unfortunately,” Sloan said, nonchalantly taking a drink from his bottle. “Being with a guy would make my life easier, especially if they were a hockey player. That’s why I was jealous of your boyfriends because fuck, that would be so cool.”
Riley had never thought about it like that. He didn’t think about players and their sexual preferences in general, but Sloan was on to something. Hockey was exciting to play with friends, but adding sexual tension on top of that?
