Gametime: A Moo U Hockey Romance by Jami Davenport (shoe dog free ebook txt) 📗

I’d always been hyperaware of my brother on the ice. I had a sixth sense about where he was going and what he was going to do, but what I’d felt tonight went beyond that. I saw shots more consistently, took the good ones, and passed the bad ones. I’d scored in the second on a breakaway, barreling toward the net. I lasered a shot right in the five-hole. Icing on the cake, I had two assists, both of them providing Patrick with his two goals.

In the locker room, Coach Garf had slapped me on the back and beamed like a proud father, something I’d never seen my real father do.

I’d be damned if the dinner un-invitation would ruin my night. I refused to sulk in my room and joined my teammates for pizza across from the hotel. I kicked Tate’s ass at pool. Then Lex kicked my butt. And Jonah followed up by kicking his.

Sometime before eleven, I called it a night and walked across the street to the hotel. Coach had allowed us a later curfew because we didn’t have to travel to the next game. I wanted to be in bed before Patrick came back from dinner. I’d pretend to be asleep so he wouldn’t ask me questions or apologize for our father. Being treated like I was nobody by my own father was demeaning enough. Pity made it that much worse.

As I strode toward the bank of elevators, I heard a familiar laugh and paused. I glanced into the hotel bar.

Well, shit.

I froze and gaped at what I saw. Naomi leaned across the table, deep in a serious conversation with my brother. They were so intent on each other they wouldn’t have noticed me if I’d been beating on a drum.

My stomach tied itself in knots. I’d harbored the remote hope after Halloween she might be into me more than my brother. She’d been sending out conflicting signals for a long while. Try as I might, she occupied too much space in my head. When she’d changed back to her natural hair color, I’d dared to hope she no longer carried a torch for my brother.

Seeing them all cozy dealt my heart a fatal blow. I’d been deluding myself.

My bolstered confidence eroded a little every second I watched the two of them. Jealousy curled through me like a vile blackness that gripped my heart in its hold and refused to let go.

Why the fuck did everything go my brother’s way? Why not me once in a while?

I teetered on the verge of a mega pity party.

I turned away from them, unable to watch any longer.

“Hey, you took off.” Lex caught up with me. His chest heaved from what had to be a sprint across the street.

“Yeah, I’m tired. Physical game and all.”

Lex grinned at me, admiration in his eyes. I squirmed a bit, not comfortable being the subject of someone’s hero worship no matter how minor. One more way my bro and I were different. He basked in attention, and I shrank from it.

“What’s going on? You seem down.” Lex craned his neck to look beyond me into the bar. “Oh. Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, oh, shit.”

“Maybe it’s not what it seems,” he offered lamely.

“I have eyes.”

“That’s brutal, man. I’m sorry.”

“It was inevitable. She’s been in love with Patrick since our freshman year, and he’s finally paying attention.”

“But for how long?”

“Hard to say with him, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not interested in his castoffs anymore.”

“Even Naomi?” Lex blinked a few times as if to clarify I was the same guy standing in front of him.

“Yeah, even Naomi. A man has to have his pride.”

Lex nodded in agreement and switched to a more uplifting subject. “You’re figuring it out. You played awesome tonight.”

I’d felt good about my game tonight until my father had snubbed me and now Naomi was cozying up to my brother. The game didn’t seem to matter nearly as much when I didn’t have someone to share my good fortune with.

“Hey, Lex, I’m going to call it a night. I’m tired.”

“Yeah, sure, me, too.” Lex and I rode the elevator up to the seventh floor. He turned one way and I turned the other. I scanned the lock with my key card and heard the sound of the bolt releasing. I walked inside, yanked off my clothes, and crawled naked between the cool sheets.

I half expected to toss and turn most of the night, but the physical and emotional exertion of the game wore me down faster than I’d imagined. Soon I was sliding into a semiconscious state where my life was exactly the way I wanted it to be. Naomi was naked in my arms and nuzzling my neck. She felt so good, so warm, so soft.

So mine.

I drifted off to a night of sweet dreams and never heard my brother come in the door.

UConn was bent on revenge Saturday night. We’d soundly kicked their asses the night before, and they wanted a piece of those very asses back tonight. I was determined not to give them what they wanted, as was the rest of our team. This was our year, and no one was holding us back.

I’d slept like a baby all night long and woken up refreshed. When I finally remembered Patrick was the guy with Naomi last night, I refused to let it get to me. I’d use what happened last night to my advantage rather than let it define me. I’d show them all. Every one of them. My dad, who thought I was unworthy. Naomi, who preferred my brother. Mr. Smith, who barely acknowledged my existence.

I’d let my anger drive me. I’d embrace it and bend it to my will. After years of feeling inadequate and not good enough, no more. That shit stopped here. I was good enough. I was a top player and every bit as good as my brother. Time I started playing like one.

I skated onto the ice for warmups. My legs felt