Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
RYAN
I winced. I wasn’t sure I wanted to admit to Laurent how Owen had me pinned against the wall that night, but I guessed we were going there. The story might make Jonah look a little better in Laurent’s eyes anyway. The two of them appeared to be one-upping each other. “Yeah, I went there after a win one night alone, and it turned out the clinger I told you about was there.” I ate a bite of taco, gathering my thoughts.
“You told Laurent about Owen?” Jonah sipped his iced tea, then ate a bite of food.
“Yes, he told me about some guy he met at the bar and had to block.” Laurent eyed me.
I pursed my lips. Maybe this story would get me out of ending up at the gay bar with Laurent tonight. “The guy turned into a bit of a stalker.” Shit, I didn’t want to mention the part about Owen making remarks about my relationship with Jonah. “He came after me at the bar, and Jonah saved my ass.”
“Saved your ass how?” Laurent flicked a glance at Jonah, then focused on me.
“I threw the fucker off him.” Shaking his head, Jonah scoffed. “The guy was getting pushy, and I stopped it.” He worried his lower lip, watching me .
I freed a long breath and wiped my hand on my napkin. “Truth was, he pushed me up against a wall, and I twisted my knee.” There, I’d said it.
“Holy shit, Ryan.” Laurent placed his hand over my forearm. “If I’d have been there?—”
“I was there, and I took care of him.” With his chest swelling, Jonah straightened. “I walked Ryan home and iced his knee.” He tensed his mouth. “Anyway, that was the first time we got together.” He twitched his brows at me.
“Well, I’m glad you were there, Jonah.” Laurent patted his shoulder, then shook his head once. “Jesus.” His gaze slid to mine. “You think the guy would be there if we went tonight?”
“Don’t know.” Shrugging a shoulder, I sipped my margarita, then ate my last taco.
“Wait, you two aren’t going there tonight, are you?” Jonah knitted his brows, his gaze snapping between us.
“Well, uh…” I drew a deep inhale and rubbed my brow. Jonah did not need to know about Laurent wanting to cruise the place with me. “Laurent wanted to see the place.”
Jonah’s gaze turned hard. “Fine. I’ll go with you.” His jaw muscle bulged.
“No, Jonah, you shouldn’t be in a loud place like that, and you need to rest.” With my gut knotting, I grabbed his fist, resting next to his plate. “We’re not going now, right, Laurent?” I gave him a pointed look. Maybe if Jonah hadn’t gotten injured, it would be different. But it didn’t feel right to go without him, and he certainly wasn’t going to the bar with a concussion.
Laurent pushed some fallen meat around on his plate with a fork. “Yeah, I suppose I could come back on another trip and check this place out when Jonah’s better.” His gaze met mine.
My shoulders relaxed. Thank God he wasn’t going to push on this. Maybe meeting Jonah had softened his stance on our relationship.
“I’m, uh, going to use the restroom.” After wiping his mouth, Jonah stood and walked off between the tables .
I faced Laurent. He was going to want to talk about Jonah. I knew him too well. “So…”
“So, he’s a very attractive young man.” Laurent arched a brow. “You think he’s too injured for a threesome?”
“Laurent.” I snickered through a scoff and threw my napkin over my plate. “That better be a joke.” My eyes narrowed.
“Relax, it’s a joke.” He freed a sharp chuckle. “It’s easy to see you two really care for each other.” He tilted his head. “You look good together.” He sank back in his seat and rubbed his chin. “I can see why you couldn’t keep it in your pants. If I had a hot young thing like that coming after me, I’d give in too.”
“Yeah, well, he’s not that young. He’s twenty-three.” I breathed in deeply. The tension was gone along with Jonah. “So, are you going to behave when he gets back?”
“Whatever do you mean?” With a smirk, he stirred his margarita with a straw.
“You know damn well what I mean.” I poked at his arm. “Honey.” I freed a soft snort. “When have we ever called each other that?”
“Well, I wanted to see if I could get a rise out of him.” He brushed his fingers up and down the stem of his glass. “It worked. He was trying like hell to hide it, but I could see steam rising inside him.”
“Let’s not mess with him when he gets back here. The poor guy’s still got a little pudding in the head.” I tipped my brows at him. Plus, I wanted Jonah to like Laurent. If Jonah ended up in Toronto, we might all be seeing more of each other this summer.
“Yeah, all right.” With a sigh, he shifted his shoulders. “Where are we going after this anyway?”
My gaze snapped to his. “Uh, home?” He wasn’t still thinking about hitting a bar after this, was he?
“Home? Come on, I thought you were going to show me around?” He shifted in his seat. “When did you get so boring?”
“Boring?” Jonah appeared at his chair and dropped into it. “I don’t find Ryan boring at all.” He twined his fingers with mine over the table.
Rolling his eyes, Laurent said, “Uh-huh. Anyway.” He drank down his margarita. “You up for a stroll around the quaint little town here?” He sent a sly grin to Jonah.
“Sure.” Jonah sucked his tea down.
“Jonah, don’t you think you should be getting back home so you can rest?” I could always take him home and then walk around downtown Tempe with Laurent for a bit. I tightened my jaw. But I’d be sure to avoid the gay bar.
Jonah tutted. “I’m fine. I can walk.”
I wasn’t going to win this argument. “Fine, we’ll walk around a little bit, then everyone goes home.” I focused on Jonah. He might be out sick for his classes tomorrow, but I still had to work. I flagged down the waiter to get our check.
As we walked around the little shops in Old Town Scottsdale and peeked in all the windows, Jonah and Laurent bantered easily with each other. It seemed they could get along after all. After about an hour, we found my car and I drove everyone home, dropping off Jonah first. He’d packed his duffel in my trunk before we left, just in case things went late.
I pulled my car in front of his house and stopped. Jonah’s SUV was parked in the driveway, along with a Ford pickup truck. “Looks like the squad is home.”
“Yeah, probably studying and preparing for their big week.” Jonah hung his head. “I could maybe stay the night?—”
“Jonah, I have to get up early and go over our strategy for the next set of games. It’d do you good to sleep in your own bed.” God, I sounded like his father. Archer walked by the glow of the front window and stopped, then peered out at us through the darkness .
“Archer’s waiting for you.” I patted his thigh. I was pretty sure the whole house had been talking about us all weekend.
With a glance at Laurent in the back seat, he said, “Yeah, you’re right.” He unhooked his seatbelt and leaned over, grabbing my chin, and turning my face to his, then planted a long, deep kiss on my lips. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, maybe when I go to see the team doc?” He slid his fingers off my chin.
“Yeah, sure.” I nodded. “Can I help you with your bag?” Movement caught my eye from the house.
Archer, lit up from the streetlight on the corner, strolled out over the main walk from the front door, then stopped at the car window, bending over and planting his hands on his knees.
Jonah climbed out.
“Everything okay? You need a hand?” Archer peeked in the back seat, then furrowed his brows.
“Naw, I’m fine.” Leaning in through the open door, he said, “It was nice to meet you, Laurent. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around.” He passed his open hand through to the back.
“Likewise.” Laurent slapped his hand.
Archer gave him a sideways look, then followed Jonah to the trunk.
After I pushed the button to pop the trunk, Jonah pulled his duffel out and slammed it shut, then waved at me and walked off with Archer.
“Can I sit in the front seat now?” With a chuckle, Laurent stepped out of the car and dropped into the passenger seat. Patting his thighs, he said, “Okay, gay bar?” He hooked a brow.
“Stop it.” With a choked chuckle, I turned around in the street and headed for the larger boulevard. “Maybe we can hang out tomorrow after work?” I drove up the road, tall palms and squat cactus passing us by on the sides of the roads, thinking on the evening. “You and Jonah seemed to get along pretty well while we were window shopping.” Warmth crept though my chest .
“Yeah, he’s a smart kid. I really hope he makes it to the NHL.” He glanced at me, then propped his elbow on the windowsill and held onto the grab handle.
“For the last time, he’s not a kid. He’s only five years younger than me.” I scoffed a chuckle. He had to keep going there.
“Yeah, well, he’s in a very different part of his life, so he seems more like a kid to me.” He sucked in a breath. “What are you going to do if he gets a contract? Then you’ll be living here, and he’ll be back home in Toronto.” He twisted his head to study me.
My chest twinged. “I don’t know. Guess we’ll have to deal with it then. I’ll be home for part of the summer to see Mom anyway, so we can be together then.” I knew what I was in for. Even if we lived in the same city, there’d be a lot of traveling.
“Maybe you could get your old job back.” He threw me a smirk. “You think Vince would take you back?”
“Sure, why wouldn’t he?” I’d left on good terms. I glanced at him, then turned onto Mill Avenue and stopped at a traffic light. People walked down either side of the street in front of the shops and restaurants. It was always bustling around here. The gay bar was probably packed too, even on a Sunday.
“Hey, isn’t that the gay bar?” With a grin, he pointed up at the bar, perched at the top of the metal stairs on the corner, lights flashing out of the windows lined up on the building.
Shit. “Yep, that’s it.” I set my sights on the cars in front of me. I was not going to let him talk me into this…
“Let’s go. Just one drink.” He pushed on my forearm, resting on the center console. “Come on, I’ll be good. No threesomes, I promise.”
“You’re damn right there’d be no threesomes.” I scoffed. Damn it, he wasn’t going to give this up. I drove down the street.
“Please, Ryan. Just one drink. We’ll only be in there for an hour, tops.” With his brows knitting, he faced me. “Please. I don’t know when I’m going to get back down here, and the guy I’m working with set up dinner meetings with clients every other night I’m here.”
“Oh, really? When did that happen?” I glanced up at the line of men walking up the stairs. The place looked busy for a Sunday night.
“The invites came in an hour ago. The guy has nothing better to do on a Sunday than set up meetings, apparently.” With a scoff, he pointed at the bar as we drove slowly by in traffic. “Come on, look at the place. It’ll be fun.”
“Oh…fuck, okay.” Letting out a long breath, I slumped my shoulders. I never could turn him down, which was what had led to our open relationship. “We’ll leave my car in the parkade, then walk over.”
After showing our IDs to the bouncer, we strolled into the flashing lights and thumping music of the bar. The place was almost as full as on a Saturday night, but the guys were older, like us. What was up?
A soft smirk teased Laurent’s lips as he took in the men around him. “I thought there’d be more young meat here since we’re so close to campus.”
My gaze found the blackboard with all the shots written out behind the bare-chested bartenders. “Oh, half-off shot night.” Damn it, I knew what was coming next. He’d want to do a few shots.
A young, built man with short black hair, naked except for a tiny silver G-string, strutted to us, holding a platter of shots. “Hello, handsome.” He stopped at Laurent and snuck his lower lip under his teeth. “Apple Jack Daniels on the house.” He lifted a brow.
“Don’t mind if I do.” Laurent snatched two shots and handed one to me. “Thank you.” Tipping his head back, he downed it.
I looked inside my glass. I didn’t want to be hungover for work tomorrow. Oh well. I drank the sweet whisky and hissed, the strong flavor of sour apple filling my tongue. “Not bad.”
The shot boy sidled up to Laurent. “Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.” He flashed his eyes at him.
“I’m on a business trip. I’m from Toronto.” Laurent glanced at me, then set his empty glass on the tray. “You busy later?”
“I could be, if you know what I mean.” Shot Boy flicked his tongue over his upper lip. “I’m done here at eleven.”
“My hotel’s just down the street.” Laurent swayed his head to peek at Shot Boy’s rounded ass. “The Palms. You know it?”
“Of course I do.” With a tsk, he rolled his eyes. “If you stay until eleven, I’ll walk you home.” He bit the side of his lower lip.
Oh my fucking God. We’d only been in here for a few minutes, and Laurent had already found someone? I inhaled deeply, then scanned the room. Owen wasn’t around, was he? Nope.
“What’s your name?” Laurent gave Shot Boy a flirty smile.
“Adrian, but most people call me Addy.” He glanced toward a new group of men walking into the bar. “Come find me if you leave before eleven. Otherwise, I’ll come find you.” Grabbing Laurent’s chin, he planted a hard kiss on his mouth, then sauntered to the new group.
Laurent’s lips quirked and his gaze swung to mine. “Sure you don’t want some of that?” He tilted his head toward Addy.
“I’m sure. I have someone, Laurent. We spent a nice evening with him.” I sighed. What was going on? Was he testing me after I’d told him we were in love?
“Let’s go grab a beer.” He tagged my arm, and I followed him to the bar. “So, you and Jonah are really that committed to each other?”
A bartender came our way and we ordered.
“Yes, we are.” I propped my elbow on the bar and turned toward him. “As you’ve stated, I’m taking a chance with my career by dating him. I wouldn’t do that for someone I wasn’t committed to. ”
“When are you going to tell him you came here with me, then?” He picked up his beer as the bartender dropped it off, then paid for our drinks.
“Probably tomorrow.” I sipped my beer and studied Laurent, eyeing me. I knew what he was thinking. “It’s too late to tell him now. He’s probably in bed and needs to rest.”
My gaze caught on a guy with dark hair entering the bar. Owen. “Shit.” I turned my back on the doorway and hung my head. When did the guy study? Was he here every night?
“What’s wrong?” Laurent flicked his gaze to the door, then focused on me. “Ryan, talk to me.” Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, he came in close. “Did you see the clinger?”
“Yes,” I said between clenched teeth. This was bad. I didn’t want him saying shit to Laurent, and I didn’t want a fight.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let him touch you.” Laurent stiffened his shoulders and expanded his chest.
Owen stepped slowly by us, his eyes narrowing as they focused on me. As he bellied up to the bar a foot away from me, he twisted and said, “Tired of your puck boy already?”
With a glance at Laurent, my breath hitched. Shit, I could use this opportunity to make him think I wasn’t with Jonah anymore. “It’s none of your business.” I wrapped an arm around Laurent’s waist and edged into his side.
“Wait, what?” Laurent lifted his arms and gawked at me.
“Who are you?” Owen up-nodded Laurent, then ordered a drink.
“I’m Ryan’s friend. Who are you?” Laurent tightened his hold on my shoulders.
“Just a guy he hooked up with then dumped for one of his players.” Owen leered at me. “Did you know he’s having an affair with one of his hockey boys?”
“I do. In fact, I met him tonight.” Laurent’s brows lowered. “What’s it to you, anyway?”
“It’s against school policy. He could get fired.” An evil smirk broke out over Owen’s face. “But of course, someone would have to tattle on them.” Lifting his brows, he pressed his fingers to his lips, then smiled.
Damn it, Laurent had just solidified my relationship with Jonah to him. My heart thumped in my ears. Owen was threatening me now, and right in front of Laurent. I clenched my jaw. I had no idea what to say.
“But of course, you’re not a tattler, are you?” Laurent left my side and stomped toward Owen.
“No, of course not. But there are a lot of students around that have seen them together. Some in this very bar.” Owen watched me while he sipped his drink.
Laurent twisted around. “Ryan, we need to talk.” Snatching the back of my elbow, he led me from the bar toward a set of sofas facing each other in an alcove. “What have you been doing?”
Damn it. “I’ve been careful. That guy’s full of shit.” With a scoff, I drank my beer and placed a hand on my hip. “He’s got a screw loose. He’s been stalking me, for fuck’s sake.”
“Stalking you?” He side-eyed me. “More than the time Jonah had to pull him off you?”
“Yes.” Fuck, now I had to explain the whole thing. “It’s under control, Laurent.” I glanced behind him at the bar. Owen wasn’t there.
Grabbing my wrist, he pulled me down into a couch, turning his body into mine. “It doesn’t sound like things are under control to me. You’ve got a psycho stalking you who knows about your relationship with one of your players. How many others know about it?”
“Uh, just Jonah’s friends, who are all on the team.” I set my beer on the coffee table in front of us and wrestled my hands together, a knot forming in my gut. He was right. It didn’t sound great. “We only have a few weeks, and the season is over.”
“Does it matter though? If the head coach finds out after the fact, what happens to your job down here?” He knitted his brows. “Aren’t you here on some sort of work visa? ”
With a nod, I said, “Yes. I suppose I’ll have to come home if I lose the job.” Which wouldn’t be so bad if Jonah ended up with a Leafs’ contract. Jesus, was I really thinking like this? I’d be all right giving up my job for him?
He stared at me and parted his lips. “You’re willing to lose it all for a guy you just met?”
Blinking, I said, “We didn’t just meet, but I guess so. I can’t explain it, Laurent. From the moment I saw him, I knew we were meant to be.” That’s why my heart fluttered so wildly that first day. It knew what my mind had yet to figure out.
He balked. “But not when you saw me.” Shaking his head, he blew out a long breath. “Ouch. That stings.”
“Come on, Laurent.” I covered his hand with mine, resting on his thigh. I didn’t want to hurt him. I did still care about him, loved him even, but only as a friend. “We had a good run. If it weren’t for you…”
“You’d have ended up in a drug rehab somewhere or dead.” He twisted his hand to twine our fingers together. “Look, I’m glad you found someone you really love. But you’ve got to get a handle on this thing.” He threw a peek behind him. “And that clinger? When you say he’s stalking you, how?”
“Owen shows up at my apartment sometimes.” I freed a ragged breath. I’d only been here a few months and had already made a mess of my life. I snapped my gaze to his. “I’ve given Jonah a key to my place so we don’t walk in together. And, and we don’t go to any places around here. We always go into Phoenix or stay at my place.” I wrinkled my brows. “He’s very close with his friends. They won’t say a word.”
“Shit happens, Ryan.” He breathed in deeply, tipping his head back for a beat, then drew his attention to me. “Next time you see Owen at your apartment, I want you to call the police.”
“But what if it makes him angry and he goes to the head coach?” My chest pinched. I was stuck with nowhere to go until the season was over.
“Then you come home.” He pressed his lips into a grim line. “ You forget all this crap and come home to me.” He squeezed my hand.
My eyes widened. Surely, he was speaking to me as my best friend. I nodded and gulped, a lump climbing up my throat.
“You know they’d take you back in the junior league. They loved you there. You’re a legend there.” He shook my hand.
“Yeah.” I picked up my beer and gulped it down. For now, I’d stay the course and see where things fell.
“Anyway, this place is sort of a bust with your clinger hanging around.” He freed my hand. “I’m going to go give Addy my hotel room number, and then I’ll walk you home.” He smirked. “In case the clinger thinks he’s going to try stalking you tonight.”
“Sure, thanks, Laurent.” I freed his hand and sank into the sofa, blowing out a breath and combing my fingers through my bangs. At least we weren’t staying out too late.
Patting his thighs, he stood. “Let me go talk to Addy, and I’ll walk you home.”
The next day, I sat at my desk in the coaches’ office before everyone had arrived, reviewing game footage of the players Hammett had been scouting. I’d wanted to get a head start on judging which ones would work best on our team for next year. Plus, Jonah had texted to say he had an appointment with the team doc, so we’d be able to get some time alone together.
As expected, Jonah appeared in the doorway of the office and knocked on the open door. “Hey.” Stuffing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, he meandered in.
“Hey.” My heart fluttered as I rose up, then jogged to the door and shut it behind him. I’d been mulling over my discussion with Laurent and all that had happened last night. “Anybody here besides us and the doc?”
“Not that I saw.” He stepped close and kissed my cheek, then twined his fingers in mine, his lips curling in a warm smile. “I won’t be playing again this weekend, but it’s just a precaution. The doc says I can return to doing normal, low-impact things.” He squeezed my hand.
“That’s good news.” I led him to my desk and hitched my hip up on the edge of it. “Will you still be traveling with the team?” After this weekend’s games, we’d be preparing for the first round of the Frozen Four. By then, Jonah should be well-rested at least.
“No, I’m going to have studying to catch up on and the doc doesn’t want me to overdo it.” He tensed the edge of his mouth and dipped his head. “It sucks.”
I nodded. “Yes, but then you won’t be tempted to sneak into my room, and we won’t risk getting caught.” I chuckled. Only a few more weeks and all the secrecy would be over. Thinking of that… “I have something to tell you.”
“Yeah? What?” He stepped closer to me, standing between my open legs, his blue gaze searching my face.
Heat shivered over my body. It had been too long since we’d been together. “I ended up going to The Club on Mill with Laurent last night.” There, now I’d told him, and he needed to know about Owen.
His eyes grew wide. “You did what?” He wrenched his hand free from mine and stepped back, then twisted around and faced me again. “Why?”
As I watched him, my chest clenched, and I hopped off my desk. Why did he look angry? “Laurent sort of talked me into it. We drove by it on the way home.”
He glared at me, his mouth gaping. “How long were you out? What did you guys?—”
“We were only there for a half-hour, tops.” I stepped to him and grabbed his hands in mine. “Jonah, what’s wrong?” He wasn’t jealous of Laurent, was he?
“I don’t want you going there without me.” He hung his head. “And especially with your ex.” His gaze met mine and softened. “I don’t want people thinking you’re available. ’Cause you’re not.” He was jealous.
“Nothing happened. You can trust me.” I kissed the back of his hand. “You do trust me, right?”
Shrugging a shoulder, he said, “Well, yeah, but…” He glowered. “I’m not good at this, okay? This is pretty much my first real relationship.” He twisted is lips. “It was weird being around you with your ex. You two are so close. You have a history.”
“We do, but that history is in the past. My future is with you.” I wound my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into my chest, then kissed the side of his head. “I love you, Jonah. I’m not interested in anyone else.”
“Yeah, okay.” He nuzzled into my neck and breathed in. “Fuck, you smell good,” he said, brushing his hands up and down my back. “I’m sorry. Guess I want you all to myself.” He freed me and stepped back, taking my hands. “You didn’t happen to see Owen, did you?” He tilted his head, eyeing me.
“As a matter of fact, we did.” I rubbed my thumb over his knuckles. Now for the bigger news. “He threatened me right in front of Laurent.”
“Threatened you how?” He pinched his lips. “What the hell is wrong with that guy?”
Shaking my head, I said, “I don’t know.” I huffed a breath. “But he’s threatening to tell Coach Patterson about us.” My gaze darted over Jonah’s face.
He dropped his mouth open. “We could just deny it. I mean, so he’s seen us together. What does that prove?”
“It doesn’t look good.” I glanced at the door. And here I was, maybe making yet another mistake. I released his hands and rounded my desk, then dropped into my office chair. It seemed my brain didn’t function around Jonah. “Finley has had a few choice words for me as well.” I tented my fingers over my desk.
“He has? Like what?” Peering at me, he planted his hands on his hips.
I sat back, tilting the chair. “He’s made comments about me leaving his players alone. And by players, he meant you.” Had I read too much into it, though? Maybe it was Finley’s coaching style or something. “Laurent thinks I’ll lose my job here if this gets out.”
“No, you wouldn’t. How would he even know?” Jonah paced across the office floor. “You’d probably get reprimanded, but that’s about it. There was no foul play involved here. It’s not like you have a say over my time on the ice, or when I’m played, or my training.” He stopped and swept his gaze to mine. “You’re not my coach.”
“Yeah, fuck, I don’t know.” I came forward, setting the chair upright. “Let’s just get through the next few weeks and be careful, okay?” I rose from my chair. Some of the staff might start filtering in pretty soon. “Anyway, when can we get together?” I strolled past him to the door.
“How about Wednesday night? I have a paper I have to finish up before then.” He ambled to the door, then placed his palm on my cheek and pressed a lingering kiss on my lips. “I’d like to see you tonight, but I should probably give my head a few more days to clear up before…” He cupped my balls through my team joggers. “We fool around. And we are fooling around the next time we’re together.” He wagged his brows at me.
My dick tingled and swelled. Jesus, it had been too long. “I agree.”
The door popped open and hit Jonah’s shoe.
“Oh, sorry, didn’t see you—” Finley poked his head around the door. “Boehm? What are you doing in here?”
Stepping back, Jonah scratched his cheek. “Uh, nothing. Just came to see if you were here, but I found Coach Gibson instead.” A stuttered chuckle sprang from his throat.
Shit, that was close. I strode to my desk and looked over my laptop. I should probably leave for a bit. “Yes, he had a visit with the team doc, but I’ll let him tell you about it.”
“Oh, okay.” Finley walked inside the office. “So, you out for the games this weekend?” Wrinkling his brows, he side-eyed me .
“I am. But I can get some low-impact training in.” Jonah snuck a peek at me.
I picked up my laptop and left the room. In case Owen did go to Patterson, I didn’t want to give Finley any more reason to believe him.