Page 21 of Game Misconduct

Leif blinked. He knew Gabriel was married to the assistant coach for the Evanston River Otters, Lance Tate, but he never would have expected them to bethatinappropriate.

“Daaamn,” Tanner said approvingly, like he was picturing it. “That’s hot.”

From the other end of the table, Jesse grinned. “I’m pretty sure Graham and his boyfriend, Thad, were up to some stuff in a supply closet at HCI too.”

Graham let out a noise that sounded like a moose giving birth. “Youknew?”

Jesse laughed. “You aren’t exactly good at lying, my dude.”

Conversation turned to public hookups after that, and Leif shook his head and downed the rest of his drink. Did none of these guys have an ounce of shame? What was wrong with having sex in a bed behind closed doors?

Not that Leif should really talk. Not after that handjob in the alley. What on earth had he been thinking? Oh, that’s right, he hadn’t been. He’d let Tanner Clayton goad him into a stupid decision.

AGAIN.

As Tanner recounted some god-awful story about getting a blowjob on a carnival ride—How?? Why??Leif wondered with horror—a tray of drinks got passed around.

Ryan offered him a shot and Leif took it, downing it before he could think twice.

“Thought you weren’t drinking alcohol,” Tanner teased when Leif lowered the shot glass to the table.

“I changed my mind,” Leif said, plucking another shot from the tray nearby and tossing it back too.

Honestly, he felt rather nice now. A little more relaxed. A little less stressed about the upcoming tournament. He might regret it at practice tomorrow, but he’d hydrate well tonight and it would probably be fine. Right?

“Hell yeah, dude!” Tanner said, bouncing in his seat. “Let’s have some fun!”

He tapped Leif’s thigh with the back of his hand and a flush went through Leif’s body.

Oh shit,thatwas why Leif didn’t drink around Tanner Clayton. Tanner got handsy and Leif got … horny.

It was embarrassing but true.

His perpetual annoyance at Tanner somehow always morphed into heat and the alcohol muddied that. Sent his good judgment—and his pants—plummeting to the floor.

Leif did his best to ignore Tanner as the talk around the table turned a little more romantic, with guys reminiscing about how they’d met their partners. He relaxed when Tanner grew bored of the conversation, doing something on his phone.

Leif had meant what he said earlier to Tanner. He did want to be married someday but he couldn’t imagine itnow.

It was hard enough dating anyone.

Leif didn’t have a lot of time for it to begin with, so he often got involved with guys he met through modeling. But they had busy careers and traveled a lot too and sometimes he just … didn’t feel like jumping through all of the hoops required to meet up with a guy who was only going to be in town for twenty-four hours, more than half of them working or sleeping.

Leif would never put a guy above hockey, so …

“Aww, that’s cute!” Tanner said out of nowhere, leaning in again to talk to Ryan and Zane again.

Leif had no idea what the story had been about, but he sucked in a breath when Tanner’s warm palm landed on his thigh, sending a little zing of heat through his body.

“Really?” he hissed. “Do youmind?”

Tanner just flashed him a bright smile and squeezed his leg.

Leif bit the inside of his cheek as that heat spread. Oh, it had been a while, hadn’t it?

The last guy he’d had sex with—Sérgio—was a distant memory and it hadn’t been that great. Sérgio had been the kind of guy who wanted to look good while he was getting railed. All concerned about angles and checking himself out in the mirror across the room from his bed.

Leif had found himself wondering if the guy was evenenjoyingit and then he’d worried he wasn’t fucking him well enough. What if his technique was bad?