CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“I am so sorry,” the woman from the shelter said as she carefully held a squirming rabbit out to Luke a few days later. “I am not quite sure why they chose to bring Elvis to this. He can be a bit … temperamental at times.”
Luke stared down at the black rabbit and thought, I feel you buddy. I don’t want to be here either.
But the team had planned a stupid photoshoot to try to get animals adopted. Luke didn’t mind getting animals to deserving homes, but he fucking hated having to do it in front of a camera.
“It’s fine,” Luke said with a sigh as he shook off his hockey gloves, letting them fall to the floor. “I owned rabbits growing up. I know how to handle them.”
They made fine enough pets, but they could be stupid as fuck. If they twisted wrong in their frantic attempts to get away, they could break their own spines.
As the woman handed Elvis over, Luke carefully grabbed his hind legs and pinned his body against his chest. Right against the Harriers’ logo.
They were dressed in gear for this photoshoot and Luke was already sweating his balls off under the hot lights.
“Make it quick,” he told Thad, glaring at the lens pointed at him. “I’m not sure even hockey gear can survive rabbit teeth, if this guy decides to bite.”
Thad laughed. “Roger that.” And the camera started clicking away.
It wouldn’t be the first time Luke had been bitten.
As a teenager, he’d startled the fuck out of one of his childhood pets once and ended up with a black and purple mark nearly as big as a puck on his arm.
It had been his fault, but he’d still sworn a blue streak and been chirped by his teammates about it looking like a nasty hickey.
This rabbit, Elvis, seemed a little calmer now though.
“You’re alright,” Luke told him gruffly. “I’m not gonna drop you, dude.”
He petted the rabbit’s quivering back and glanced at the camera. “This okay?”
“Looking great,” Thad said. “Just keep it up for a few more minutes. Can you turn your shoulders a little bit to the left and look at the camera? I want to get a better shot of Elvis’s face.” Thad paused. “Well, never thought I’d say that.”
Luke barked out a laugh. “Yeah.”
Dumb name for a rabbit, if you asked him. He should’ve been named Cash. As in, Johnny Cash.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take him home?” the woman asked a few minutes later when Luke passed the rabbit back.
Luke gave her a skeptical look. “I’m a single guy and I travel all the time during the season. I know people shove bunnies in cages outdoors and in garages and shit, but they deserve better than that.”
The woman beamed. “See, you already know exactly what they need.”
“Yeah, people who are home.”
Rabbits were social as fuck. They did okay on their own if they could bond to their person, but they were fucking needy. Not as bad as a dog, since they could be litter trained. But definitely more work than a cat, if you were doing it right.
“It’s just an idea,” the woman said, her cheerfulness not fading a bit. “And we could put you in contact with some reputable pet sitters, if you change your mind.”
“Not gonna happen,” Luke said with a sigh. “But thanks for the offer.”
“Sure thing. You know where to find us if anything changes!”
“Mmm,” Luke said, dying to strip out of his gear already. “Hope he finds a good home with someone else though.”
“Oh, that’s been very difficult,” she said with a frown. “He’s been returned twice already. They didn’t like his attitude.”
You and me both, bud, Luke thought. “Well, best of luck,” he said aloud, refusing to get goaded into pet ownership by an overeager volunteer.
“Thanks!” she said, still cheerful.
“You’re a bunny whisperer!” Tanner teased as Luke joined the group of guys waiting for their pictures to be taken with various animals. “How did I not know that about you?”
Luke began stripping off his gear. “Ahh, just had some growing up is all. Just gotta use some common sense with rabbits. Guess that’s why they didn’t give him to you to hold.”
Tanner scowled. “Pretty sure they just thought it was funny to have the biggest, scariest-looking dude holding a fucking bunny rabbit.”
“Yeah, that explains why you’re getting a big, mean dog. You look like you couldn’t harm a fly.”
“I’m a lover not a fighter,” Tanner said without an ounce of shame.
“We know,” Rafe said drily. “Mickey and I heard you last night. I didn’t even know you had anyone over.”
“Oh, I was doing a video chat,” Tanner said, glancing away.
“Rafe, you’re up next,” Thad called out.
Rafe hustled over to the backdrop, grinning as he was handed two kittens. An orange-striped kitten crawled up his shoulder and the tortoiseshell one immediately leaped out of his hand, running over and climbing up Thad’s legs, nearly making him drop his expensive camera.
Luke shook his head and continued to strip down. Fuckin’ A. Was any of their salary really high enough to put up with this shit? Thad’s certainly wasn’t.
“I’m so fucking bummed we can’t have pets in our building,” Tanner said with a sigh. “Totally unfair.”
“How would you even take care of it when we’re on the road so much?” Luke asked.
“I dunno. There’re pet sitters and stuff,” Tanner pointed out.
“There’s an old lady down the hall who takes care of my dog,” Graham offered. “If you want it bad enough, there are ways to make it work. Even when we travel all the time.”
Tanner glanced at Luke. “What about your girlfriend? Couldn’t she take care of it?”
Luke stared blankly at Tanner. “What girlfriend?”
“I dunno. The woman you’re dating,” Tanner said with a shrug. “C’mon, you’re totally seeing someone. Stop lying about it already.”
“I’m not dating a woman!” Luke protested.
He was doing something with Sebastian though and they probably needed to figure out exactly what that was.
“We didn’t have to have sex,” Sebastian said with a frown later that week as he handed the ice pack over to Luke, who lay on the tangled sheets of his bed, flushed and sweaty.
“Thanks. And it’s fine. Just being cautious,” Luke said as he slid the ice pack under his lower back with a groan, then held out an arm.
Sebastian slid back into bed, settling beside him. Luke Crawford being a post-sex cuddler took him by surprise every time. Who’d’ve thought?
They hadn’t really nailed down what they were doing or how they felt about each other yet but by God had they figured out shit in bed. The hate sex had been hot, but somehow, it felt like they’d leveled up since they’d admitted they cared about each other.
They’d somehow added a layer of emotional depth without getting rid of any of the explosive heat.
“Hey, when did you upgrade from the bag of peas, anyway?” Luke asked after a few minutes of contented post-sex silence.
“After the last time you needed one.”
“Yeah?”
Honestly, Sebastian was surprised Luke had even come over tonight at all. He’d tweaked his back in a game the other night and was day-to-day until it healed. Sebastian hadn’t minded doing all the work when they’d had sex tonight, but he would have understood if Luke wasn’t feeling up to it.
Not that he was complaining.
“Well,” Sebastian pointed out. “I am a runner. Sometimes I need to ice shit too.”
“So it wasn’t for me?” Luke asked with a lift of his eyebrow.
“It wasn’t not for you,” Sebastian admitted.
Luke chuckled. “Appreciate it.”
“How’s your back feeling?” Sebastian asked, propping his chin on Luke’s chest.
With a shrug, Luke reached up, trailing his fingers across Sebastian’s shoulders. “Like I’m a thirty-four-year-old hockey player.”
“Fair enough,” Sebastian said. “Hey. How long do you think you’ll play for?”
Luke glanced away. “Fuck if I know.”
“Touchy subject?” Sebastian asked.
Luke still didn’t look at him. “Kind of. Just fucking frustrated with the way my body’s been feeling. Like it’s one thing after another lately, you know? Dunno how long I’ll be able to do this.”
“Given the choice, you’d play until they had to cart you off the ice in a body bag, wouldn’t you?” Sebastian asked drily.
“Pretty much.” Luke rubbed a hand over his face. “Don’t think I’m gonna get that option though.”
“No?”
Luke sighed, still staring at the ceiling. “I’m—I’m uh, my contract’s up at the end of the year, like I told you before. And so far, my agent and Gavin can’t seem to come to terms.”
“Ahh yeah, I remember you saying that over the break. Still no agreement on that?”
“No. I was pretty relieved I didn’t get traded at the deadline, to be honest.”
Sebastian scoffed. “There’s no way in hell Gavin would trade you, especially with Boston looking to make some noise in the playoffs. You’re too valuable.”
Luke gave him a crooked grin. “Oh, am I?”
Sebastian scoffed and lightly thwacked him in the ribs. “Come on. You know it’s true.”
“Sure, just like hearing you say it.”
Hiding a smile, Sebastian bent his head and bit at Luke’s pec. “You’re an asshole.”
“So you keep saying, but …” Luke gestured as if to remind him where they were and what they’d just done.
“I never said I had good taste in men,” Sebastian pointed out.
Luke let out a huff.
Sebastian grew more serious. “Can I ask what you’re hoping for?”
“For a new contract?”
“Yeah.”
“Couple more years.”
Sebastian winced.
“I know.” Luke rubbed a hand over his face again. “Probably not gonna fucking happen.”
“Well, it’s not like your play has dropped off. You’re still as much of a jackass out there as ever,” Sebastian said, thinking of Luke’s most recent game when he absolutely bodied a guy against the boards, then stolen the puck and gotten it off to Anker, who’d sniped it in.
It had been against Carolina, so Sebastian had allowed himself to enjoy watching Luke’s assist.
It had been a clean hit too. By the book.
“Sure,” Luke said with a sigh. “But a lot depends on what happens in the postseason. Gavin hasn’t said it in so many words, but I would assume if we don’t do well, they’ll let me go in free agency.”
Sebastian winced, surprised by how much his heart sank at the thought of Luke not being around. “Would you want to go?”
“Fuck no. I wanna stay right here in Boston,” Luke said gruffly. “But the most they’ll offer me is a one-year contract.”
“That sounds really hard,” Sebastian admitted. He still couldn’t imagine not being in control of his own career. Having to deal with the whims of a general manager as to where he lived and who he worked with. “You were traded quite a bit before you settled in with the Harriers, right?”
“Yeah,” Luke said. “Bounced around a lot at the beginning.”
“Why do you want to keep playing?” Sebastian asked.
Luke gave him an incredulous look. “Are you fuckin’ serious?”
“Well, kind of,” Sebastian said. “I mean, I get why you want to keep playing. But why work so hard for two more years if you—when physically, it seems like you’re really feeling the impact? Why push yourself that way? Why is it so important to you?”
“Do we have to talk about this shit?” Luke asked, sounding irritable.
“No,” Sebastian said. “Of course not. But if you ever change your mind, I’m here. I’ll listen.”
“Yeah, okay.” Luke rolled over and pinned him down. “But not right now, because I can think of better shit I could do.”
“Like distracting me with sex so you don’t have to talk about your feelings?” Sebastian teased.
“Yep.” Luke stared down, his hair hanging in his eyes. “Totally that.”
Sebastian reached up and tucked it behind his ear with a smile. “At least you’re honest about it.”
“C’mon, like you wouldn’t rather I suck your dick than talk about feelings?” Luke shot him a disbelieving look.
“Well, I never said that.”