Page 14 of Bonus Game
“What?”
Riley, ever the asshole, chuckled and lifted his chin in a cocky manner. “Are you taking your boy out tonight?”
Ted and Craig, two of the oldest guys on the team, snickered quietly from the next two showerheads over. They kept it up until Jake glanced their way; then they tried to straighten, but their shoulders still shook with suppressed laughter.
“He’s not my boy,” Jake said, returning his irritated stare on his best friend.
“You’re right,” said Riley. “He’s technicallymy boysince he’s wearing my sweater.”
If Riley was waiting for him to have a dramatic reaction, he would have to stand there for a long damn time. Jake didn’t do jealousy, especially not between him and Riley, who he had been sharing toys with since they were kids.
Granted, Allen wasn’t a damn toy, but since he was 99% sure that Riley was into girls, he assumed he had nothing to worry about.
Besides, Jake could barely get Allen to likehim. There was no way he would pick his annoying friend when Jake was struggling to get him to accept a proper date.
“You think I care?” Jake asked, responding to Riley’s remark.
“I fucking would,” said Reed, another one of the older members of their team. “I don’t swing that way, but damn, your guy is pretty. Be careful, or Evans might swoop him up.”
“It’sscoop them up, dumbass,” Riley snapped back. He hit Jake with his towel again before taking the showerhead beside him. “Hurry before Sloan pisses Allen off and he asks to go home.”
That wasn’t going to happen. Jake had plans that involved steak and lobster, and if Riley’s rival became his problem, he was going to find a way to bribe someone on the Citadels team with enough money to make them trade Sloan to an American team.
Jake rushed through his shower and headed back to the locker room to get dressed, Riley trailing not far behind. He brushed off the playful, encouraging smacks from his teammates and ignored their offers of condoms, lube, and advice that didn’t even apply since Allen was a man.
“I’m going to Uber home,” said Riley, pausing to roughly dry his hair and spraying Jake with water droplets in the process. “You go woo your man and then tell me all about it tomorrow.”
Jake nodded, feeling thankful that Riley was so eager about this newly developing relationship. Not that he hadn’t been supportive about Jake’s past girlfriends, but it made him happy to know that Riley and Allen were getting along seamlessly.
Daydreams of future hangouts at his place began taking shape in his mind. Jake knew Allen was hesitant about liking hockey—for reasons he was determined to find out during their date—but the thought of the three of them watching the playoffs together…
Yeah. That was nice.
And maybe Riley would get called up to a line on the Citadel team, and he and Allen could watch and cheer him on.
Baby steps. He had to calm down and take things slow, but it would be a difficult task to achieve if Allen kept making comments about stickhandling while staring at his dick.
Jake didn’t have any experience with guys, but he was well aware that he was attracted to them. And Allen wasn’tjustattractive. He had a hidden vulnerability that was screaming at Jake to love him, and the fact that he would have to work hard to get to that point?
Fuck, he loved a challenge.
Jake said goodbye to the guys and Riley before he left, stopping to check his hair in the mirror on his way out of the locker room. His heavy equipment bag slowed him down, but he sprinted for the front doors, heart hammering with excitement, knowing Allen was waiting for him.
Thankfully, Sloan was nowhere to be seen. The jackass must have gotten bored and gone home—and hopefully wouldn’t run into Riley in the damn parking lot.
Allen’s expression brightened when he spotted him, and Jake felt his mouth tug into an easy smile in response.
God, he was so cute. And gorgeous. And?—
“Good game,” Allen said, showing him the flirty smile that had nearly made Jake late for the puck drop. “I hope you don’t take offence when I say this, but you are fucking scary on the ice. I’m surprised you don’t play professionally.”
That made two of them.
“Dinner?” Jake asked instead of commenting on Allen’s observation. “It’s late, but I’m starving.”
Allen was still wearing Riley’s jersey under his winter coat, and seeing it had heat pooling in his stomach. He could smell his friend’s cologne mingled with whatever delicious scent Allen was wearing, and it was doing…things to him.
It was giving him a weird sense of newness mixed with comfort, which was helping to calm the nervous flutters in his pulse.
