Axel had a gash where the goalie’s skate had raked across his forehead. Other than that and a bruised ego, he was fine.

The next game was do or die. If the Sockeyes didn’t win, they’d be out of the playoffs in four games. Not only would that be heartbreaking but humiliating for a team who’d won it all the year before.

The only good thing about tonight was that I fell asleep in Axel’s arms, the one place I felt safe, the one place the rest of the world couldn’t reach us.

~~Axel~~

Game day. Do or die. This was it. Move on or stay home.

I woke that morning in Geneva’s arms. For one moment in time, all was right with my world. The birds were chirping. The sun was shining. I was content. And I was well fucked. Yeah, I was a guy, and that was a big deal to most guys I knew, including me. So my life was epically great.

Then I remembered.

We were down three games in the series. If the Sidewinders won tonight, it’d be all over for us.

Just like that, the bottom dropped out of my box filled with all those good feelings, leaving me weary, tired, and confused.

I turned my head to look at Geneva. She was nestled up to my side and sound asleep. Studying her beautiful face calmed me and restored some of my earlier contentment. Not all of it, though, because, well…hockey.

Yeah, hockey.

The one thing that overshadowed the good things in my life right now.

We’d had a good practice yesterday, along with a great session with Coop beforehand. The team had been upbeat and positive. We’d been focused on the game ahead, and we’d worked well as a team. Gorst, instead of yelling, was in a weird zen-like mood. At least, that’s what Smooth jokingly called it. Gorst was a cheerleader, doing his best to instill confidence in a team that was playing without three valuable cogs in our wheel.

It was Coop after practice who’d sat us all down and talked about what it’d meant to him to finally win the Cup last year after all those years in the league. His speech inspired and lit a fire under our asses. We could do this, or die trying. We would not give up.

So here I was, the morning of the biggest game in my life, contemplating my uncertain future, not just professionally but personally.

Where did Geneva fit into my life, and where did I fit into hers? Did she even want me to fit? Because I wanted her with me, indefinitely. I wasn’t saying that scary F word forever yet, but I’d given it some thought lately, even if such thoughts were premature considering how new this relationship still was.

“Axel?” Geneva blinked her eyes a few times before those exquisite long lashes framed a pair of baby browns. God, she was spectacular, every part of her, down to her cute little nose and her sassy personality.