Heated Rivalry (Game Changers, #2)

by Rachel Reid

Hollander’s damp, sweaty hand had wrapped itself around Ilya’s damp, sweaty hand and, when their eyes had locked, he’d squeezed Ilya’s fingers, just a little. That look, and that squeeze, had said so many things to Ilya. I know. We were supposed to stand alone at the top, but we will always be there together. We will keep climbing until no one else can reach us, but it will always be together.

This is the gayest shit I’ve ever read in my LIFE

Ilya: You are very bad at sexting. Jane: Who taught you that word? Ilya: Your mom.

LMAOOOO

“You didn’t answer my text and I

thought...” Suddenly all the ways Shane might finish that sentence seemed stupid. I thought you were in danger. I thought you were in jail. I thought you were...sad.

Don’t mind me, I’m just screaming into the void

Shane had been shocked to find tears in his own eyes as he’d watched the raw emotion explode out of Rozanov. It was as if, with every heave of the cup over his head, Rozanov was saying “Fuck you, fuck you. I did it. Fuck you,” To someone.

:,(

Ilya smiled to himself. He actually loved this. He loved being on the road, and disappointing home crowds across North America. He loved the insults, the booing, and, most of all, the sound of a crowd so gutted by his team’s performance that they couldn’t even bother to boo. A winded, humiliated crowd. That was Ilya’s favorite sound.

I appreciate that Ilya is a menace to society

“Let’s go see some penguins!” Hayden said. He had returned carrying one twin under each arm. “Penguins!” both girls squealed at once. “Penguins!” Shane said, clapping his hands and trying to mimic the girls’ excitement. Hayden huffed. “All right, children. Follow your big brother Shane.” He set the girls down, and they each took one of Shane’s hands. Shane’s heart clenched. Their hands were so tiny.

BRUH

And playing with him was everything he had imagined it would be.

I might throw up

Shane raised his arms in celebration and he just looked so happy. He was beaming and his eyes were crinkled and his cheeks were flushed. Ilya embraced him, and Shane wrapped both of his arms tight around him. Ilya felt a puff of Shane’s hot breath on his neck, and he could see the glisten of sweat on his skin and Ilya kissed him, hard, on the cheek. He was sure, to the crowd, that it looked like Ilya’s usual obnoxious shenanigans, that the kiss was just another way of annoying Hollander. But the truth was he simply couldn’t help himself. He had seen an opportunity, and he had taken it.

I CAN’T WITH THESE TWO

This was new. He wondered why they hadn’t thought to do this before: talk to each other about hockey, even if it was mostly gossip. In the past they had only texted each other to discreetly arrange their hookups.

I swear to god these two men are so fucking stupid (I say lovingly)

“I’m sorry. I wish I spoke Russian.” “You could probably learn it in a week,” Ilya grumbled. “Perfect. No accent.”

:,)

That admission would have been embarrassing enough, but Ilya had also slipped in an “and on top of everything, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you and I don’t know what to do about it.”

AHHHHHHHHHHH

“Should you really be alone right now?” Shane asked. “I am not alone,” Ilya said. “You are here now, yes?” Shane’s hand flew to his chest to make sure his heart was still beating; he could have sworn it had just melted into a gooey puddle.

Ilya waved a hand dismissively. “Hunter is a million years old and he’s terrible this year.”

Scott catching strays for no reason is hilarious

“I’ve never...had anything. Like this. With anyone else.”

Shane is so sweet and earnest like what if I just killed myself?!

Shane kissed the tips of two fingers and reached out and touched them to the screen. And Ilya’s heart fucking stopped.

Ilya felt an awful lump in his throat. He had buried his father yesterday, but he hadn’t cried. He hadn’t cried in over ten years. But he knew, in that moment, that he had to end this thing with Shane. It was never supposed to have gotten to this point. He was never supposed to have fallen in love with Shane Hollander. He should have ended it long before because now it was going to hurt so fucking much.

WHAT IF I JUST END IT ALL

Ilya wanted to always make him happy.

“I love you.” Shane froze. And then Ilya froze. “Holy shit,” Shane whispered. It wasn’t how he had meant to respond. “I...” Ilya’s eyes were so wide and so scared. “I love you too,” Shane said. Ilya gave a shaky smile and exhaled. “Thank Christ.” “Does it...does it feel like agony for you too?” Ilya started to nod, then stopped. He shook his head slowly instead. “Not anymore.”

“I have been with lots of women. That was not...fake. But...” He looked at Shane, and Shane held his breath. “I have only been in love with one person.”

“Oh, wow,” Shane said. “That is strong. I might need some cranberry juice or something.” “If you mix that with cranberry juice I will drown you in the lake.”

Lmaooooo