CHAPTER THREE
The hotel door slammed shut behind Connor and, with a groan, Jesse threw himself back on the rumpled bed that still smelled of sex and Connor’s cologne.
Oh, he’d really fucked up this time.
Jesse’s head throbbed and his stomach tumbled sickeningly when he thought about all of the calls and messages he’d ignored yesterday.
He’d wanted to enjoy the wedding. Didn’t want to think about the fact that Pat Fleming, Michael Gilbert, and Mac Sanders were pissed at him.
Instead, Fleming had traded him. Fleming had fucking traded him and Jesse had found out on social media because he was the dumb shit who had ignored his GM, his head coach, and his agent.
Mac had tried to warn him that it could happen and maybe, just maybe, he’d gone a little wild after the Cup celebration, but he hadn’t thought it had warranted all of the stupid-ass meetings he’d been called into.
Definitely hadn’t thought it was enough to get him traded . Especially not after he’d stood on his head and helped the team win the fucking Stanley Cup . That should count for something, right?
He hadn’t hurt anyone for fuck’s sake, just gotten a little naked and a lot drunk and slutty.
And now he was heading to Boston. Heading to a shit team, whose bi-curious captain he’d screwed.
“Fuuuuuuuuuuck,” Jesse muttered to the empty room, covering his face with his hands.
Okay, so that had been a bad choice. He’d made a lot of those in his life but this one might be one of the biggest.
The sex had been fucking great and he’d maaaybe been thinking about suggesting to Connor that they hook up during the season, whenever the Fisher Cats were in Boston, or the Harriers were visiting Toronto.
Jesse wasn’t about to miss out on a great fuck if he could help it. Connor had clearly never been with a man before but he knew what he was doing in bed and he hadn’t been shy about trying stuff.
And now he was really, really pissed off.
The moment Connor found out about the trade, he’d stormed out of bed, yanking on his suit like it had wronged him personally, accusing Jesse of knowing . Like he thought Jesse had fucked him, knowing he was about to be traded.
But that was giving Jesse way too much credit. Like he’d actually think that far ahead. Pfffttt . He was just a horny guy who’d accidentally on-purpose forgotten to charge his phone because he didn’t want to deal with the fallout.
He never thought they’d do this though.
He didn’t want to be traded. He liked Toronto.
Sure, the media was insane and Coach Gilbert was a hardass, but he liked the guys. He liked that they didn’t give a fuck about anyone’s sexuality or who they were in love with or how they dressed or any of the usual shit that cropped up in hockey.
Jesse liked Dustin Fowler, his captain, and his cute little husband, Charlie Monaghan, who’d made Jesse feel so welcome when he was bouncing back and forth between the AHL team and the Fisher Cats. He’d liked his place when he finally settled into a role as the backup goaltender behind Anton Makarov. He liked the way the team had trusted him to hold it together when Macky fumbled.
He liked Macky’s wife, Elena, and their squad of crazy kids.
Jesse didn’t want to move , didn’t want to say goodbye to his friends or the great condo he’d finally settled into. He’d gotten everything exactly the way he liked it and he wanted to stay in Toronto.
The thought of going somewhere new, of facing a new team and coach and GM, made Jesse feel a little sick.
And Connor … well, he’d turned back into Captain Growly—like he was on the ice—and while it had been hot for a while, it wasn’t so hot when he was accusing Jesse of lying . It wasn’t so hot when he couldn’t even look Jesse in the eye, like he was ashamed of what they’d done.
Jesse’s phone buzzed again and he contemplated throwing it against the wall and smashing it to smithereens. But ignoring it so far hadn’t exactly made his morning better so he supposed he’d have to face the music eventually.
Jesse sat up and reached for the device, a knot forming in his stomach when he thumbed in the passcode.
The notification was a reminder that brunch was being served soon.
This whole wedding had been a little nuts, honestly. Huge and overwhelming, but organized. There had been a whole-ass calendar with notes and reminders about all of the events Jesse would be attending. The welcome dinner and the ceremony and reception, and this post-wedding brunch he should probably get to.
Jesse wasn’t hungry but he would be as soon as he felt like he wasn’t about to throw up. And if he was going to face the music and actually answer the calls from his agent and former and new GM at some point, he didn’t want to do it on an empty stomach.
Half an hour later, Jesse brushed his damp hair off his forehead as he followed signs to the room where brunch was being held.
He hesitated in the doorway, surprised to see he was nearly the last one there. Most of the tables were full and he wondered if he should go back and order room service. But he wasn’t a coward so he squared his shoulders and stepped inside, getting in line behind a beautiful dark-haired woman who gave him a distracted smile while she loaded food onto a plate and tried to wrangle a couple of kids.
The buffet was an upscale version of the ones he ate on the road, so he helped himself, piling his plate with a lot of things that weren’t on his diet plan, even if it was the off-season.
Fuck it. If there was ever a time that called for chocolate-filled pastries, it was today.
Jesse hesitated when he got to the end of the line, scanning for an empty seat. The woman who’d been ahead of him in line gave him another smile. “Looking for a place to sit? You can join me and my family if you’d like.”
“Uhh, sure,” he managed, because the tables with guys he actually kinda knew were full.
Every hockey player there looked rough and were clearly nursing hangovers, so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad, but Jesse didn’t particularly want to answer questions about the trade at all so he gratefully followed the woman through the sea of tables. “Thanks.”
“I’m Jesse, by the way,” he added.
“Aubrey,” she said, steering a kid toward the table with a hand on the top of his head. “Pat’s wife.”
“Patrick O’Shea?” he asked, gulping.
She grinned. “That’s the one.”
Fuuuck . Jesse should have sat with a bunch of dudes who’d chirp him about what an idiot he was. Instead, he’d walked into the lion’s den.
The entire wedding had been a who’s who of the NHL. There were a shitload of current and retired players, including a ton of queer guys. Throughout the weekend, Jesse’d had conversations with fucking huge name players like Zane Murphy, Ryan Hartinger, and Gabriel Theriault, to name a few former and current teammates of Anders and Kelly’s.
He’d met Noah Boucher before now, of course, since La Bouche was a Big Fucking Deal in Toronto as a former goaltender for the Fisher Cats and the first out guy in the league. Honestly, Jesse had been tongue-tied, tripping over his words when La Bouche congratulated him after the team’s Cup win last month.
But shit . Patrick O’Shea wasn’t just a big-name former Boston player and captain. He was Connor and Kelly’s older brother.
Well, nothing to do but fake it.
“Hey!” Jesse said with a big smile, nodding at the man scooping yogurt into a toddler’s mouth. “Patrick O’Shea, right?”
He glanced up, looking between Jesse and Aubrey with a confused expression before it cleared. “Hey, welcome to Boston, Webber. Saw the trade news this morning.”
Me too , Jesse thought a little wildly. While I was in bed with your brother.
But he had no idea if Connor was out to his family—and, in fact, was sure even Connor didn’t know what the fuck his sexuality was—so he kept his mouth shut. Sure, Connor had been a dick to him earlier, but Jesse didn’t think that was any excuse for outing him.
“Thanks. Mind if I sit?”
Pat shrugged. “Up to you, honestly. This bunch gets loud and I don’t know how bad your hangover is.”
Jesse laughed, taking a seat at the empty chair across the table from him. There were a bunch of kids at the table, and one boy looked up, grinning around a mouthful of strawberry waffles that made him look like a hockey player who’d taken a puck to the teeth.
“I’ll survive,” Jesse said, digging into a forkful of scrambled eggs. “And I like kids.”
“We’ll see if you’re still saying that by the end of brunch.” Pat sounded skeptical.
“Hey!” a girl with glasses said hotly. “That was mean.”
“Sorry, Peanut.” He reached out and tugged her dark hair affectionately. “But the whole lot of you are loud .”
Okay, so Pat seemed cool. He wasn’t bad looking either, with wide shoulders and brighter red hair than Connor’s.
Jesse snuck a glance around the room, wondering where the hell Connor was.
“So,” Aubrey said. “Are you excited about coming to Boston?”
“Uhh.” Jesse cleared his throat. “Um, honestly, I’m not sure it’s sunk in yet.”
“Understandable. We’ve been lucky that we’ve been able to stay in Boston for Pat’s whole career.”
That was the crazy thing. Other than the youngest O’Shea brother, Kelly, all of them had played for Boston for their entire careers. From Declan—the patriarch of the family—to Finn, Pat, and Connor, they were all Harriers for life. That was some legendary shit.
“You’ll love it,” Pat said. “Great organization, great city, and much less media attention … which might be of particular interest to you.” He winked.
“Yeah, I definitely pis—uh, annoyed—a few people lately,” Jesse admitted with a grin, belatedly realizing there were kids everywhere and he should watch what he said.
“I bet you did.” Pat chuckled. “And don’t worry about the language. Ma gave up on that years ago. We’re Boston Irish hockey players who’ve never met a swear word we don’t like. We just teach the kids where and when they should use it. Like, not at school or at church.”
“Makes sense.” Jesse reached for his water. “So, what’s Boston’s GM like?”
“Gavin Racine’s a good guy,” Pat said. “I was leaving the team as he was coming in so I wasn’t around him for long, but he’s been great. LGBTQ friendly, so nothing to worry about there for you.”
“And the coach?”
“Ahh, you’ll like Hoyt Kent. Tough but fair, with far fewer theatrics than Gilly.”
“Yeah, wouldn’t take much.” His current—former?—coach certainly lived up to his reputation. The dude was a lunatic. Some players didn’t mind him, but Jesse found him obnoxious.
Jesse bit off a big hunk of pastry and chewed, starting to feel a little more optimistic about the trade. At least he’d have a better head coach this coming season.
A beautiful older woman glided up to the table, smiling warmly at everyone.
“Hi, Grandma!” the little girl with the glasses said, beaming. She was maybe six or seven and had been shooting Jesse curious glances since he sat at the table.
“Hey there, Evie.” She pressed a kiss to the girl’s dark head, then straightened, tucking her own strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear. “How’s breakfast?”
“Yummy! I had three banana walnut pancakes.”
“I had two and you’re right, they were delicious .”
She greeted everyone, stopping when she got to Jesse. The woman hardly looked old enough to be anyone’s grandma. Damn .
“So, I hear you got traded to Boston,” she said, her smile warm but her gaze assessing.
“That news seems to be going around,” he said, holding out a hand. “Jesse Webber.”
“Catherine O’Shea.”
Holy shit. Seriously, how had that woman given birth to four hockey legends who were all fully-grown men now?
“Charmed,” Jesse said with a wink.
“We’ll probably be seeing a lot of each other,” she said with an amused smile. “My husband Declan and I like to host team events throughout the season.”
“Yeah, cause Connor’s bad at it,” Pat muttered around a mouthful of bacon.
Catherine reached out and swatted his shoulder. “Your brother has a lot on his plate right now.”
“Mm-hmm.” Pat looked skeptical.
“Well, welcome to the team, Jesse. We’re very glad to have you,” Catherine said warmly. “Now, I’m off to say hi to everyone else if I can. I swear, I barely had time to talk to anyone last night.”
After she disappeared, Evie stared at Jesse across the table, her eyes narrowed. “You’re a goalie, right?”
“Yep,” Jesse said.
“Daddy says you’re all weird .”
Jesse shot an amused glance at Pat, who gave him a shrug.
“Well, you’ve gotta be when people are firing pucks at your face,” Jesse answered with a grin.
“I ride horses,” Evie said. “And I have a pony named Biscuit.”
“Yeah? Do you ride a lot?” he asked, attempting to spear a grape with his fork.
“Yep! Mama bought her for me.”
“Well, you must have a very nice mama,” Jesse said, glancing over Aubrey who was busy cleaning the face of an even smaller girl, who was equally dark-haired. “I never had a horse but I have ridden them before.”
“You’re too big for Biscuit,” Evie said. “But there are other horses at the stable. Would you ride with me and Maura sometime? She wants a pony too but she’s too little so she has to ride with Mama.”
“Uhh, I’ll try,” Jesse said. “If that’s okay with your parents.”
The littler girl wriggled out of Aubrey’s arms and darted across the room. “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” she shouted, throwing herself into Connor’s arms.
Jesse froze when Connor laughed and swooped the girl up, kissing her cheek. “My Maura-girl. Did you have fun with your cousins at the sleepover last night?”
Oh fuck. Jesse’s stomach dropped. Maybe he hadn’t been paying close enough attention but he definitely hadn’t realized Connor O’Shea had kids.
Sure, yesterday at the ceremony and the first part of the reception, there had been kids hanging around him and he’d been good with them. But there had been kids everywhere and every person in their early teens and up seemed to be trying to wrangle them. The little ones had been quieted and fed and carried around by everyone, so Jesse hadn’t thought that some of those kids might belong to Connor . He’d assumed they were his nieces and nephews or something.
Jesse must have made a weird noise because Aubrey gave him a quizzical look. “Everything okay?”
“Honestly, I’m a little hungover,” he said under his breath, which was part of the problem right now.
She laughed, patting his hand. “Trust me, you aren’t the only one here.” She lifted a glass. “Hence the Bloody Mary.”
There had been a whole drinks area where bartenders were making mimosas, Bloody Marys, and bellinis, which Jesse had been tempted by but he’d already made enough mistakes for one weekend so he’d stuck with something non-alcoholic.
And a lot of coffee and water.
“Um, so, Aubrey, I was wondering though,” he said, poking at the remnants of his eggs. “Are all of the O’Shea brothers married now?”
“Oh yes,” she said with a smile. “Kelly was the last of them to tie the knot.”
Jesse’s heart sank. Fuck . He’d slept with a married man.
But where the fuck was Connor’s wife? Hadn’t she noticed that he hadn’t come back to their room last night? Why hadn’t they been together at the ceremony or reception? Maybe she’d stayed home in Boston or something? Shit, that was even worse. No wonder Connor had freaked this morning.
Aubrey paused, glancing across the table toward Evie, but her chair was empty too. “Well, Connor’s divorced now, actually,” she said quietly.
Relief flooded through Jesse. He could breathe again. “Divorced. That’s good.”
Aubrey shot him a strange glance.
“I mean, that’s uh, that’s good if things weren’t working out, you know? Especially if there’s kids involved. It’s always best if there’s a lot of fighting and stuff, right?”
“Right.” Her expression smoothed out. “It did get rough there at the end for Connor and Viv, I suppose.”
“So, um, I thought all these kids were yours?” Jesse admitted. “I take it they’re not?”
“Pat and I have five kids. The one devouring the waffle earlier was our son Cory and our toddler Emilia is … ahh, with her Uncle Finn now. And we do have several other boys running around, but most of them are hanging out with their cousins at the moment.”
“Got it.”
Aubrey laughed. “Honestly, this family takes a communal approach to parenting. Connor’s ex—Viv—didn’t come to Chicago this weekend but the kids were invited, so I kept an eye on them at the wedding and early part of the reception yesterday since Connor was busy being a groomsman. We rented a suite and hired a few babysitters to keep an eye on all of the kids once it got late. Well, Con’s oldest, Nolan, is fourteen so he stayed later, hanging out with other boys his age, but all of the little ones left the party early. I’ve been spending extra time with Evie and Maura especially—the divorce has been hard on them, you know?”
“I bet. I am sure they appreciate that.” He laughed ruefully. “But I think I’m gonna need a whole-ass family tree to keep track of the O’Sheas.”
“There are a lot of us, that’s for sure. Good Irish Catholic stock, you know?”
“Hey! Nice of you to join us, Con!” Pat said loudly, standing to hug his brother. “You look like shit.”
Jesse snuck a furtive glance at Connor, who still had the little one—Maura—in his arms. His face had returned to its usual stern expression behind his auburn beard.
“I pounded on your door earlier,” Pat continued. “But you weren’t in your room. I’d like to think you were getting some, but knowing you, you were probably working out.”
“Getting what?” Evie asked, hanging off Connor’s arm. “What were you getting, Daddy?”
His gaze flickered across Jesse’s face like he wasn’t even there, before he smiled tightly down at his daughter. “Nothing, Peanut. Just stepped out of my room for a bit.”
“Have a seat,” Aubrey said, patting the spot beside her that Maura had been in. “I think she’s all done eating and she has half a plate left.”
Connor cracked a smile. “I’ll grab some food in a bit but I need to talk to Finn about something first. Thanks though.”
Pat frowned. “Aren’t you gonna congratulate Webber on the trade, Con? This is good news! We’ve needed a goalie like him for a while. He’ll be a great addition to the team.”
Connor glanced over, his smile strained when he nodded at Jesse, staring somewhere over his right shoulder. “We already spoke this morning.” His fair cheeks went a mottled red color and he looked away.
Fuck you, Connor. You kissed me. You chased me down at the hotel. This is all on you, bud, Jesse thought with an internal sneer.
What an asshole.
Fine, so Connor hadn’t cheated, but this was fucking ridiculous. Connor’s dick had been balls-deep in all of Jesse’s holes in the past twelve hours, yet he couldn’t even fucking look him in the eye now.
Connor didn’t want to acknowledge Jesse? Fine, Jesse would make him squirm.
“Yeah, my new captain was verrry welcoming already,” Jesse said with a big grin, lounging back in his chair and spreading his thighs a little.
Pat snorted, taking his seat again. “That doesn’t sound like Con at all. You sure it wasn’t one of our brothers?”
“Shut your mouth, Pat,” Connor rumbled. “I’m a good captain.”
“Yeah, bring home a Cup and we’ll see about that.”
They started squabbling and Aubrey rolled her eyes. “Thirty-nine and thirty-five and they act like they’re still children, I swear.”
Jesse shrugged. “Only child. I missed out on all that.”
“Spend a little while with our family and you’ll realize it was probably a blessing,” she said, her tone dry.
Unfortunately, Connor disappeared shortly after that, kids in tow, and Jesse finished his breakfast.
So, fortified with food, Jesse decided to mingle.
“Thank you for coming, Webber,” Anders said when Jesse finally caught up with him and his groom.
Anders and Kelly both looked radiantly happy and while Jesse had no intention of settling down, he had to admit it looked good on them.
“Thanks.” Jesse gave Anders a bro-hug. “And thanks for the invite. It’s been a hell of a weekend.”
Kelly grinned, his freckled nose scrunching up. “Yeah, it sounds like it. Good luck dealing with my fam next season. They’re fuckin’ nuts.”
“Oh, I don’t know. They seem fun.”
“Yeah, we’ll see if you’re still saying that after they get all up in your business.” Kelly’s eyes twinkled, the words clearly said with love.
Jesse had to fight back a laugh. Oh, Connor had definitely been all up in his business already and damn had it been good.
The three of them talked for a few more minutes about Kelly and Anders’ two-week honeymoon in Sweden this summer and Jesse’s plan to head out to California to see his family who lived out there now, enjoy the sun, and do a little training.
“But we’ll see you at camp in mid-August, right?” Anders asked, referring to his skills development camp.
“Hell yeah,” Jesse said, giving him a fist bump. “Looking forward to it.”
“Good luck in Boston!” Kelly called out as they went their separate ways. “Don’t let the O’Sheas boss you around.”
“Thanks! I’ll keep that in mind.” Yeah, he’d be fine. He could hold his own against anyone.
As Jesse made the rounds, he got a lot of congratulations and welcomes to the team though he doubted he’d remember who even half of the people were by the end of the day.
Connor seemed determined to avoid him though and eventually Jesse gave up, planning to return to his room to pack and make some phone calls. Thankfully, his flight to LA wasn’t until later that evening and the grooms had arranged for late checkouts with the hotel.
Jesse was unlocking the door to his room when a strong hand gripped his upper arm.
“We need to talk, Webber.”
“Yeah?” Jesse threw Connor a smirk. “Want a repeat of last night, big boy?”
Connor glared, glancing up and down the hall. “ No . Just unlock your damn door.”
“Well, I was trying but you’re making it a little difficult,” Jesse pointed out. Connor let go so Jesse waved the card again and finally heard the stupid lock beep. He pushed open the door, Connor hot on his heels.
“What has you in such a bad mood?” Jesse asked when the door was shut behind him. “Regretting our night together?”
A muscle in Connor’s cheek twitched. “It was a mistake .”
“One of the best I’ve made in a while.” Because fuuuck , he’d come hard last night. And this morning.
After Jesse sucked Connor’s dick, Connor had given him a hell of a handjob. He had big hands, with rough palms, and he’d sucked and bit Jesse’s nipples until they were tingling and almost-bruised feeling. Jesse could still feel it whenever he touched them.
“Yeah, well, your mistakes are why you’re on my team now,” Connor snapped.
“And your mistakes are why you’re pissed about that,” Jesse countered with a shrug. “So fuck you.”
Connor’s expression hardened. “Look, neither of us are happy about this so let’s put it behind us. It was one night, it meant nothing, and from here on out, we’re teammates.”
“So, you’re saying you don’t want to keep hooking up?” Jesse wet his lips. “Shame.”
“No I don’t fucking wanna keep hooking up. Jesus Christ, you’re my responsibility now, God help me.”
“It is a big job keeping me in line. Pro tip though—I’m much better behaved when I’m getting dicked down on the regular. Keeps me out of trouble.”
“Well, find someone else to do that job,” Connor said shortly. “I have a family and team to worry about. I don’t have time to worry about you .”
“Maybe you’re the one who needs to get dicked down more. Because even for you, this Captain Growly shtick is getting a little ridiculous.”
“Listen to me, Webber.” Connor pointed a finger.
Jesse resisted the urge to grab it and lick it like a popsicle. See? He could behave. He batted his lashes instead. “Listening.”
“I don’t have time for your shit. The only thing I need from you is for you to focus on playing hockey, you got it?”
Jesse saluted. “Aye, aye, Captain!”
“Motherfucker,” Connor muttered under his breath. “Can you be serious for one moment?”
“Motherfucker … yeah, your mom is hot,” Jesse agreed. “I’d fuck her, if she was single.”
Connor turned even more purple. “That’s another thing! Stay the fuck away from my family, do you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” Jesse said, though he liked the O’Sheas and had no intention of staying away from them. Nor did he think they’d stay away from him. “Looking forward to the upcoming season, Captain .”
Connor growled and reached for the door handle. He wrenched the door open, stalking through it.
Before he disappeared from view, Jesse blew him a kiss and winked.
Maybe this trade could be fun after all.