CHAPTER SEVEN
“I dunno,” Luke said with a shrug. “I might have a thing.”
“What kind of thing?”
Luke stared at him. He wasn’t answering that.
“Oh, come on!” Tanner protested. “We have been D-partners for almost two years now and you never tell me where you go or what you’re up to. Hell, I’ve never even been to your house.”
Honestly, Luke had thought about inviting Tanner over to hang out before, but one, he was pretty sure Tanner would ruin the peace and quiet he’d worked so hard for. And two, he was having way more fun driving him nuts by not doing it.
Tanner continued. “Do you have a house? Or do you live in a condo? An apartment? It’s so fucking weird. Why don’t I know anything about you?”
“Because you’re a nosy pest and I don’t invite pests into my house,” Crawford said. “You’re like a cockroach.”
Tanner gasped theatrically. “Rude! I am not.”
“Mm-hmm.” Crawford stripped off his jersey and tossed it in the dirty laundry bin.
They continued to banter for a while as they went through their post-game routines, but Luke finally escaped Tanner when he went to the training room to get his shoulder worked on.
Luke was still in there, lying face down, when Tanner appeared and immediately started up again. “Seriously, why won’t you go out with us tonight?” he asked as he hopped on the training table so Andy Harrell could work on his ankle.
“I told you, I might. I just haven’t decided.”
First, Luke wanted to see if Sebastian was free.
His chirps had been particularly barbed tonight, and Luke’s gut tightened in anticipation.
So, maybe he didn’t usually go for repeats like that but last time had been hot as fuck. Luke’s bad mood at taking a stupid penalty which had contributed to what had been a frustrating loss for the team overall had disappeared after his brains had been sucked out through his dick.
Luke couldn’t remember the last time he’d met anyone who was that enthusiastic of a cocksucker.
Luke suddenly realized he was getting a little hard at the thought and he shuddered and pushed that thought from his head. He’d think about Sebastian’s dick sucking when he was alone.
No way in fuck was he walking around with a stiffy after the trainer was done with him. He’d never hear the end of it.
“Clayton, if you don’t shut the fuck up right now, I won’t come out with you ever again,” Luke threatened, cutting off whatever he’d been rambling about. “But if you can keep your yap shut until I’m out of here, I will think about swinging by the pub later.”
Tanner’s eyes bugged out, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Luke pointed a finger at him. “One single peep out of you and never again, you hear me?”
Tanner shot him a grumpy look but he closed his mouth so fast his teeth clicked together.
Andy sniggered. “I can give you some athletic tape. It might help with that.”
Luke chuckled at the outrage that crossed Tanner’s face.
Ahh yes, there was nothing he enjoyed more than getting a rise out of his D-partner.
Well, almost nothing.
You up for something tonight? Luke sent a little later when he slid into his car.
It didn’t take long for him to get a response from Sebastian. Maybe. When?
When do you get back to your place?
Like half an hour. Train’s kinda slow today.
Ugh, fuck. There are going to be a lot more people walking around tonight. They’d had an afternoon game, so it was still early evening.
So wait until foot traffic dies down.
The guys are bugging me to go out with them.
Sounds like a YOU problem, he got back.
Luke chuckled, though he replied with, Don’t pretend like you don’t like this too.
I do, I’m just fucking tired of your paranoia. Walking into a flower shop won’t destroy your masculinity.
I’m not worried about my goddamn masculinity. I’m worried about my private life getting splashed all over the fucking internet, he shot back.
FFS. You make everything way more difficult than it needs to be. Just use the back entrance to my building.
There’s a back entrance?
It’s called fire codes, asshole. Yes, there’s a back entrance you can reach through the alley in back. I’ll leave the back door unlocked and you can walk in.
Why the fuck didn’t you tell me that before now?
Because some guys get freaked out that it’s a setup.
I can fucking handle myself against anyone.
Luke got two eyeroll emojis in response. Okay, Rambo. See you in forty?
I thought it was thirty?
It’s forty now, dickbag.
Luke was still simmering with annoyance as he approached Sebastian’s shop in his car thirty-five minutes later. There was a light on inside the building as he cruised up, and a moment later, a woman stepped out, carrying something wrapped in paper.
Goddamn it, the shop was open.
Fuck you, Sebastian, he thought as he kept driving.
It would serve him right if Luke just kept driving.
If he headed to O’Neill’s Pub and just never showed.
But a small, grudging part of Luke knew Sebastian had done it for a good reason.
He’d ensured that Luke would be annoyed and frustrated.
He’d deliberately goaded him into ensuring Luke didn’t hold back tonight.
Fucking asshole, Luke thought, even though a little sliver of him grudgingly admitted it would make tonight’s hookup as hot as the last.
He warred with himself for a moment as he waited to make a left turn.
But the thought of Sebastian’s throat constricting around his cock was too compelling of an argument and, after he turned, he found a parking spot on the street, glanced around, then ducked into the alley that ran behind the flower shop.
Luke glanced around again before he pulled open the door, and his gut was tight with anxiety as he stepped through it.
He could hear noises from the front of the shop, and he jerked in surprise when he saw a woman standing in a room just off the hall, a mess of flowers spread out on a table in front of her.
But she didn’t turn her head and a moment later, when she did a little shimmy, Luke realized she probably had earbuds in and was dancing to the music playing on her phone. Heart in his throat, Luke quietly opened the door leading to the stairs to Sebastian’s apartment and ducked through it.
He wasn’t exactly light on his feet as he squeezed his way up the narrow stairwell, and he winced when the wooden treads creaked beneath his feet. Someone really needed to tighten some screws around here.
But Luke made it to the top of the stairs without anyone poking their head through the door at the bottom of the stairwell to ask who the fuck was up there, and he breathed a little easier as he stepped inside Sebastian’s apartment and closed the door behind him.
Sebastian was inside, doing the dishes of all things.
“You bastard,” Luke fumed. “You could’ve warned me that the shop was fucking open.”
“I could’ve,” Sebastian agreed. “But what fun is that? Besides, you could’ve checked the hours online.”
Luke shook his head. The nerve of the guy … “Get that fucking jersey off and get on your goddamn knees,” he growled.
Sebastian grinned and took his time drying his hands on a dish towel. “I don’t know. I think maybe this time you should get me off first.”
When Luke walked into O’Neill’s later that night, the place was packed.
He almost turned around and left but he was in a mellow mood from getting off with Sebastian, so he waited in line at the bar to get a beer, then pushed through the crowd until he found the cluster of tables where most of the Harriers players were seated.
“Holy shit, you made it!” Tanner let out an excited whoop. “I thought you had plans, dude.”
“I did.” Luke slid into the booth next to his annoying but talented D-partner. Unfortunately, it was the only spot still available. “They’re done now.”
“Well.” Tanner gave him a look. “What were they?”
“None of your damn business,” Luke reminded him. He took a long draw on his beer. He was pretty sure he was going to need it tonight.
Tanner let out an annoyed noise and crossed his arms. “Why are you like this?”
“I dunno. Why are you like that?”
Tanner grinned and whistled Born This Way again.
“Pretty sure they fucked up the manufacturing when it comes to you, bud,” Luke said drily.
“Sooo, did you have a hookup?” Tanner asked, his eyes gleaming. He leaned in, making an exaggerated sniffing sound. “Hmm. You don’t smell like perfume.”
It was goddamn hilarious the way they all assumed he only fucked women.
And yeah, Luke knew he hadn’t exactly done anything to make them think otherwise. But still, he’d think Tanner of all people would know better than to assume anything about anyone.
“Maybe I fucking needed to pick up groceries or home reno supplies or something,” Luke pointed out. “Did you ever think of that?”
“No. You have that really smug, satisfied look on your face. No one looks like that after buying groceries.”
“Oh, do I?” Luke asked blandly.
Tanner threw a napkin at his head. “No, now you look constipated.”
Across the table, Connor let out a quiet snort. “He’s not wrong.”
“Everybody’s a fucking comedian tonight,” Luke groused.
“Seriously.” Tanner punched his upper arm. “Who is she?”
“Your mom.”
Tanner made a face. “Not funny.”
“Agree to disagree.” Luke tossed back another hefty swallow of beer.
“So, c’mon. What did you do? Fuck someone? Blowjob? Handjob? Tell meeeeeeeeee.”
“No.”
“Whyyyy?”
“You do know Crawford does this on purpose, right?” Connor said, giving Tanner a pointed look. “Just to wind you up. If you could chill out for twenty fucking minutes, he might tell you something.”
Jesse snorted. “That’s hilarious that you think Tanner is capable of chilling for twenty minutes.”
Tanner let out a huff. “Fuck you.”
“Sorry, already taken,” Jesse said, sidling closer to Connor and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Anker shot them a look. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m with Tanner on this one. You couples are getting really obnoxious.”
He looked pointedly toward another table where Kady made out with his girlfriend, Mandy, and Rafe and Mickey were deep in conversation, lost in their own little bubble.
Through the crowd, Luke could see Thad and Graham waiting at the bar for drinks, Thad’s arms around Graham’s waist, his chin hooked on his shoulder.
Tanner held up his hand for a high five. Anker rolled his eyes but obliged.
Tanner leaned forward, frowning at Anker. “So, you’re ace, right?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
“And you’re not into sex or romance, right?”
“Right. Asexual and aromantic.”
Tanner shook his head like he’d just started speaking a different language. “I respect it, dude, but man I do not get it.”
“No one said you had to,” Anker pointed out.
“Yeah, but I just wanna understand.”
Anker shrugged. “I think about hockey and friends. I have hobbies. I just don’t need someone else in my life in a romantic way to make it feel complete. It’s not for me.”
“Huh,” Tanner said, still shaking his head. “Wild.”
“I dunno, I get the aromantic thing, I guess,” Luke admitted. He liked his life just the way it was. Hockey, his quiet house, his vintage car, his Harley … he didn’t fucking need anyone messing with that shit. “The no-relationships thing makes perfect sense to me.”
Anker shot him a grateful look.
“You’re on your own with the asexual shit though,” Luke said with a laugh. “That I don’t get.”
Anker huffed.
Tanner squinted at Luke. “You’ve really never been in love?”
“I dunno. I guess once I thought I was but … didn’t work out. Didn’t break my heart.”
To be honest, after Autumn left, he’d been more crushed by not seeing her kid, Layla, than losing her. Layla had been a great kid. He hadn’t minded the thought of being a stepdad so much.
The thought of being someone’s husband gave him the heebie-jeebies.
“I like my life the way it is.”
“But do you really never want a person to fall in love with? Ever?” Tanner asked, sounding aghast. “I mean, I don’t wanna settle down now, but, you know, someday it’ll be cool.”
Luke shrugged. “I dunno. I never really think about it.”
“But …” Tanner sputtered. “How?”
Luke drained his beer and stood. “Aaand that’s enough of that.”
He pushed through the crowd and let out a sigh of relief once he was away from the perpetual nosiness of his team. They meant well and all that shit, but goddamn were they a lot to handle.
Luke got a refill on his beer and chatted with the pub owner, Liam, for a few minutes, debating if he should go back to the table or not. But before he could decide either way, Connor appeared at his elbow. He asked, “You good?”
Luke glanced over. “Yeah. Why?”
“Just checking.”
“How’s Nolan’s hockey going?”
Connor raised his eyebrows, probably at the change of subject, but he didn’t push. Luke liked that about him.
“Great. He’s really doing well this season. I think being able to admit he’s gay and knowing the whole O’Shea clan and his mother supports him has helped. Plus, he and Kyler seem happy. For a couple of idiot teenagers, they’re handling a serious relationship pretty well.”
Luke chuckled. “And the girls?”
“They’re great too. Evie’s doing amazing in school this year and we’re searching for a pony for Maura’s birthday.”
“How’s that going?” Luke asked.
“Surprisingly well?” Connor scratched his beard. “Viv and Jesse have taken the lead on it and I’m just letting them roll with it.”
“Your ex-wife and your boyfriend are shopping for a pony for your kid?” Luke asked skeptically. “And it’s going well?”
Connor shrugged. “I’m baffled by the whole thing too. But unless they need me to step in, I’m just gonna let it happen and keep hoping for the best.”
“Huh.”
“I know.” Connor shot him a rueful look. “If you’d told me that a couple of years ago, I’d have thought the world had turned upside down.”
“I guess yours did,” Luke said drily.
“I guess so.” Connor took a sip of his beer. “Seemed to me like your world got rocked a little earlier too, huh?”
“What?” Luke asked, confused.
“When Anker was talking about being ace.”
“Uhh.” Sure, maybe he’d put a name to some shit he’d never really thought about before but that was about it. He wouldn’t say his world had been rocked by anything. And he wasn’t much of one for labels, anyway.
Luke dragged a hand through his hair and tried to figure out how to tell Connor to fuck off about this. He liked his captain, and he was probably the closest thing Luke had to a true friend, but he still didn’t have any desire to get into this shit with him.
“Look, if you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s cool,” Connor said, slapping him on the shoulder when Luke didn’t continue. “I’m just saying, if you do, you know where to find me.”
“Yeah, I’m good. But thanks, I guess.”
Connor held up his hands. “Just trying to be here for my guys if they need me.”
“Well, worry about the rookies,” Luke said with a laugh. “I’ve got my shit under control.”