Page 149 of Game Misconduct

“Ahh fuck.” Crawford grimaced. “Well, you’rewrong.”

“I am?” He wanted to be wrong.

“My boyfriend is in there”—he pointed at the back door of the pub—“becoming best friends with the entire team and all theSAPs. Pretty sure he’ll be in the group chat more than I ever was. And he’ll make me show up to events. And if you would fucking think for two fucking seconds about why I want to buy this bar from Liam, you’ll know that I’m not goinganywhere.”

“You’re not?”

“No! Christ. I’m buying this place so I can fucking still be around the team even though my goddamn body is breaking down. You’re not my friend, Clayton, but that’s because you’re my fuckin’ family, okay?”

He pulled Tanner against him, so quickly that Tanner stumbled into him. He didn’t think he’d ever hugged Crawford outside of a celly before. His chest was hard and he smelled like nice cologne and he was family.

Tanner squeezed Crawford back until he cleared his throat and pushed him away.

“So.” Crawford crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m fuckin’ sorry, okay? I don’t mean to make you feel like you’re not important to me. I’m just … I don’t like having a lot of people over but?—”

“Sebastian comes over, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And someday he’ll move in and?—”

“No, actually he won’t,” Crawford said. “We’re keeping separate places.”

“Oh,” Tanner said. Well, that kinda changed things.

“But if it fucking means so much to you, you can come over sometime.”

Tanner brightened but Crawford pointed a finger at him. “You, by yourself. No bringing anyone. You’ll stay no more than an hour and if you annoy me, I’ll throw you out onto the sidewalk.”

“Deal!” Tanner said, his mood brightened by the idea of seeing inside Luke Crawford’s fortress of solitude.

“And you tell no one else about this, you hear? Especially not your little Rockets boyfriend.”

Tanner’s jaw dropped. “My what now?”

Crawford snorted. “You expect me to believe you and Rasmussen aren’t fucking?”

“Uhh,” Tanner said.

“I dunno what got his panties in a bunch tonight during the game but I’m guessing he’s the one who’s been blowing up your phone since we’ve been out here.”

Tanner blinked, patting his pocket, where yes, his phone had been buzzing on and off for a while.Fuck!He’d kinda tuned it out.

Crawford scowled again. “You two better work that shit out. I swear to God, if whatever bullshit you have going on fucks up our playoff chances, I will throw you in the Boston Harbor.”

“I’m not tea!” Tanner said because that was literally the one thing he remembered from history class.

“You’re gonna wish you were. So figure it out. And we’re good, right?”

Tanner nodded.

“Good. Now, I’m going back to my party.”

“Hey. I know you hate nicknames but now that we’ve hugged it out, can I call you Crawdaddy?” Tanner asked as he disappeared through the back door.

“No.” The back door slammed behind him and Tanner stared after him for a moment with a grin before his phone buzzed again.

FUCK!