Page 2 of Rivals

Two

“When did you get a slap shot?”I was stunned and I knew my face showed it. It wasn’t often that Trevor surprised me on the ice.

“I’ve been working on it,” he said, pride coming through in his voice. “I’m trying to get on an intramural team next fall for my last year. I figure I can run in the spring and play a little hockey in the fall. It’ll beat tryin’ to get in on some pick-up game, which are always over crowded.”

We were dressed in sweats, along with gloves and skates. We didn’t go for full pads or helmets since we were just messing around, not taking any real shots or anything that could hurt us.

The metallic clank of the rink’s front door echoed across the ice. Trevor and I looked at each other and shrugged. On a holiday morning we hadn’t expected to see anyone else. The rink wasn’t due to open until noon, so even the staff would be hours away from coming to work. It had to be some other crazy person, like us, who wanted a little ice before it was time to eat.

I took the puck off Trevor’s stick and started skating around in random patterns. “Come on, Trev. “ I taunted him. “Get the puck.”

“You’re on!”

As soon as he started to skate, I turned on the backwards speed and put some distance between us. We kept at it for a couple minutes before he finally faked me out and claimed the puck.

“And Mitchell Turner has the puck stripped off his stick by his persistent younger brother, Trevor.” A man stood on the first level of bleachers, applauding.

“Holy shit, Alex Goodman,” I said, louder than I’d intended.

I hadn’t seen Alex since my senior year of high school hockey ended. We were cross-county rivals then. I had a wicked crush on him, too. He’d gotten even better looking during the past four years—a red goatee now accentuated his blazing red hair. The tight, long-sleeved workout shirt showed off his chest in eye-popping detail. I sprinted to the boards where we bumped fists and shook hands. “I didn’t think we’d run into anyone else this morning. What’re you up to?”

“Came down to get a skate in before spending the day with the family.” His deep voice was incredibly sexy. I didn’t remember him sounding like this. “Man, it’s been forever. I don’t think we’ve seen each other since you guys knocked us out of the race for the state championship our senior year.”

I thought about that for a moment. “I think you’re right.”

Alex was built—all I wanted to do right now was feel up his biceps. His green eyes were as mesmerizing as ever. I’d had a hard time concentrating on face-offs against him because all I wanted to do was stare into his eyes and get to know him.

The one time I’d seen him away from a rink was during the summer between our junior and senior years. I ran into him at the mall. I don’t remember what we talked about, but seeing him in shorts, which exposed his muscular, lightly hairy legs, and how his t-shirt clung to his chest made that day perfect. It was jack-off material for months as I imagined what was under those clothes and what I’d like to do to him if I could get him naked.

“What’re you up to these days?” I asked, keeping the conversation appropriate as Trevor skated around behind me.

“I cover sports for the Free Press—Michigan and Red Wings hockey during the season and then whatever they assign me to in the off. What about you?”

“Working in sports marketing out in San Francisco.”

“Nice. Sounds like a sweet gig.”

“It’s pretty good. We do a fair bit with the Sharks, so I like that part a lot.”

“I wrote about you quite a bit while I was interning during school. You certainly earned your keep with the Wolverines.”

My face got hot. I must have turned several shades of red.

His eyes were working on me just like they used to, making it hard to focus.

“Thanks. It was a lot of work, but it was fun.”

“You play out west?”

“Hell yeah. As often as I can. I don’t think I’ll ever stop.

What about you?”

“At least a couple times a week.”

“Listen, a friend of mine is having a pick-up game Saturday morning.” I couldn’t believe I said that. This was an invitation to be flustered during the game, even more so than I used to be. “You interested?”

“I’d love to. We’ll see if I can take you in a face-off like I used to.”