Page 56 of Bonus Game
And it wasn’t like he could do something drastic, like breaking bones or getting into a fist fight. Not when that would take away his spot on the Citadels.
The managers and coaches had made it abundantly clear that Kingston was playing with Evans on a line or not at all. And while it was depressing to know that he was chained to the idiot for the foreseeable future, playing alongside him would put him in a favourable position for advancement.
Kingston would go along with Coach Sullivan’s stupid game, but he was going to do his best to outdo Evans in every way until they figured out how much of an asset he was without the ball and chain.
And while he couldn’t stand Evans on a good day, Kingston knew he had to find some way to make friends with the guy. In hockey, chemistry was everything. All he had to do was lock onto that energy he and Evans had when they teamed up against Banner and Carr, and they would be fine.
So, when Evans grabbed onto him during the ride home, Kingston hadn’t punched him like he was dying to do. Instead, he let the weirdo drag him to whatever destination he had in mind, which happened to be an awesome penthouse in downtown Halifax.
That’s how he ended up sitting on a sectional that cost more than his salary, watching the giant beer league hockey player sort perfectly equal portions of food onto four plates.
“We ate,” said Evans, still looking a little dazed, but at least he was talking now. “You and Allen should get more.”
Kingston narrowed his eyes on the pair. The open concept of the penthouse gave a perfect view of the kitchen, and he would have to be blind not to see how close Evans was pressed up against the massive man.
Not boyfriends, his ass.
“If we’re still hungry, I’ll make more,” said the tall one—Jake.
Evans made a grumbly, annoyed sound in the back of his throat and bumped shoulders with the big guy. “Or we could tell Sloan to leave.”
Kingston had tried that, but the Allen guy had grabbed onto him before he had a chance to voice his opinion and led him to the sectional, glaring at him until he sat down. He didn’t know how someone so small could look so scary, but Kingston’s instincts had warned him to do as he was told, so he stayed.
“It would be rude to kick him out after you brought him here unwillingly,” Jake said gruffly. “Think of it as a bonding experiment.”
Bonding experiment. Gag.
“What do you want to watch?” Allen asked, dragging his cluster of blankets over to plop them beside Kingston. He appeared totally at ease as he went about creating a nest forhimself before sinking into it with a pleased sigh. “Let me guess…hockey?”
Kingston was sweating so much that he had to take his hoodie off. He didn’t know how Allen wasn’t overheated between the warm temperature of the penthouse and the electric fireplace.
“The Conclaves game is on,” he said, draping his hoodie over Allen’s head to complete his transformation into a nesting hamster. “If you don’t mind.”
Allen met his eyes for the first time, and Kingston—yeah, he could see it. The guy was extremely pretty. With those plush lips and big blue eyes, he could pass for a girl if his voice were a higher pitch and his jawline were softer.
“Oh? You can speak sweetly to me, but not the others, huh?” Allen fluttered his lashes like he was trying to be cheeky, and a smirk tugged the corner of his mouth. “Are you an asshole with a heart of gold, Kingston?”
Kingston didn’t know what that meant, so he scowled.
“Scary,” Allen drawled. “Such a big, tough guy. Please don’t hurt me.”
Allen was acting so ridiculously that Kingston found himself shaking his head and smiling. He was beginning to understand why the other two were drawn to the tiny hamster—the playfulness should be cringy, but it was kind of endearing.
A shadow suddenly darkened the area, and Kingston looked up to see the giant one towering over him, his expression blank as he handed him a plate of spaghetti.
“Eat,” said Jake. “And don’t start a fight unless you want me to finish it.”
Kingston let his gaze drift over the bulging biceps and defined stomach muscles and decided that, yeah, he wasn’t going to fuck with the guy. If Jake had kept his shirt off to intimidate him, it was working.
“Thanks, man,” Kingston said, because he wasn’t ananimaland he knew how to use manners. “It smells delicious. You cook a lot?”
Jake wasn’t looking him in the eyes, and he didn’t once meet his gaze as he took the other spot between Allen and Evans. The avoidance and the food sorting were enough to believe the guy was on the spectrum, which instantly made Kingston’s heart melt a little.
His cousin was autistic, and watching Jake was making him homesick.
“I cook,” said Jake. “A lot.”
Kingston grinned and gathered a forkful of spaghetti before stuffing it into his mouth. He caught Evans glaring at him from his periphery, and sneakily set his arm along the back of the sectional to flip him off where the other two couldn’t see.
