CHAPTER THREE #2
Graham realized he’d been so lost in thought that most of the team was already lined up at the table, getting their group number and jersey from a couple of the social media interns.
“Yeah,” he said roughly, following Tanner toward the table.
Halfway there, he glanced back, sure he could feel someone’s gaze on him, and he found Thad looking his way. Once again, he didn’t acknowledge Graham, but when their eyes locked, a frisson of hot-cold-hot ran across Graham’s skin like a physical caress.
Fuck.
This was going to be a problem.
Thad was genuinely grateful when they cycled through Groups A&B with no sign of Graham.
He didn’t have a clue what that moment had been about earlier, but he knew today was not the day for it.
A bunch of head office people were wandering around, including his brother. The last thing he needed was Gavin noticing Thad’s distraction. Or worse, asking about it.
Unfortunately, Thad could only put off the inevitable for so long and by the time Group D strolled in, there was no more avoiding Graham.
Thad breezed through pictures of Ben Estrada and Tom Bass—though he had to tweak lighting levels for both of them.
Ben was Hispanic, with soft brown skin thanks to his Mexican heritage, and Tom was a biracial Canadian man, his skin a few shades darker than Ben’s.
The lighting needed to be adjusted so their features didn’t disappear against the dark jersey in a way the rest of the team’s whiter, predominantly pink-hued skin didn’t.
It was subtle, but it was the difference between mediocre portraits of those guys and something stunning.
Okay, so maybe not stunning. It wasn’t fine art portraiture or anything, but there was no reason Thad couldn’t make them look better than usual.
He prided himself on a job well done.
After, Tom nodded his approval at the images Thad showed him on the laptop screen, grinning. “Wow! I usually look terrible in headshots. You made me look good though, man. Thanks.”
“Always helps to have something solid to work with,” Thad said with a wink.
Tom grinned. “The nose going in about three directions at once doesn’t help but …”
Thad laughed. “Nah, it adds character. Now, get out of here, dude. I’ve got more guys to make look good.”
Tom chuckled, slapped his shoulder, then walked off.
Thad glanced down at his list like he didn’t already know who was next. “Graham Pennington!” he called out. “You’re up!”
Graham’s breath picked up as he stepped through the door of the room where they were doing headshots.
Thad set his camera down next to a laptop set up with a couple of monitors and other electronics Graham couldn’t begin to identify. He leaned over, frowning at something on the monitors in front of him, his arms braced on the edge of the table.
He’d rolled his sleeves up, exposing his forearms, and his hat was turned backwards now.
He looked simultaneously professional and casual, and damn was it doing something for Graham as he took a seat on the stool in front of the white backdrop and stared forward.
There were other people in the room, a couple of interns, and Finn O’Shea, the team’s president of hockey operations, who was on the far side of the space, doing something on his phone and not appearing to be paying any attention to anything happening around him.
“This pose okay?” Graham asked, clearing his throat. It wasn’t like he was posing, mostly parking his ass on the stool and looking forward into the camera lens but he didn’t know what else to say. It really had been easier before.
Before he knew what kissing Thad was like.
Thad barely glanced up. “Yep. Give me one sec to make adjustments.”
“Sure.”
Thad straightened, then moved around the space, doing something with a little device he held up near Graham’s face, then fiddled with a light for a moment.
When he seemed satisfied, he grabbed his camera. “Gonna do a couple of test shots. Just look straight forward.”
“Do I need to smile?”
“Only if you want to.”
Graham didn’t.
“Hmm,” Thad said after a few moments. “Hang on.”
He set the camera down again and walked over to Graham, stopping with one foot planted between Graham’s sneakers.
Graham had worn more gear earlier when he’d been on the ice for the action shots, but he had on jeans and a tee under his jersey now.
He suddenly wished there were more layers between them.
“Hey, so, are we good?” Thad asked under his breath. He fiddled with Graham’s jersey and Graham’s face went hot at the way his knee brushed the inside of Graham’s thigh.
He stood so close Graham could feel the warmth of his skin.
It made his skin prickle, suddenly aware of the last time their bodies had pressed together so closely.
Thad brushed a finger along the side of Graham’s throat as he fussed with his collar, making Graham’s breath catch.
He tried to think about how the silky length of Madison’s hair had brushed against his inner thighs last night but somehow that morphed into imagining the prickle of Thad’s beard and—
“Graham?” Thad asked a little louder, his voice more urgent now.
Graham smiled tightly. “Yeah, we’re good. Um, we should grab wings or something soon, man. Catch up on our summers, you know?”
Thad’s shoulders lowered and he stepped back, his usual easy smile back in place. “Cool. Now, are you ready for picture time?”
Graham really wasn’t.
He was panicking internally because what the fuck? Summer and distance from Thad was supposed to help this situation. He wasn’t supposed to get more … whatever this was about Thad.
It had seemed so much fucking easier when Graham was stretched out on the deck of his boat, with Madison’s long, tanned legs in his view.
When he could smell her perfume and hear her laugh and listen to her talk to her friend about some upcoming photoshoots and brand collaborations for her career as a recipe developer and food creator.
It had been easier to push away thoughts of Thad’s body and his laugh and his photoshoots and okay, maybe Graham had a type that transcended gender.
But he still wasn’t sure what the fuck was going on because this wasn’t supposed to be so complicated. He was supposed to be able to keep everything separate. He’d done little to help the team in their push toward the playoffs last season and that was unacceptable.
Another point here or there would have made the difference. Maybe not enough of a difference to get them out of the first round. But at least a shot at the first round.
A taste of playoff hockey.
But no, Graham’s head had been filled with confusion about Thad and what this all meant and how he’d gone from being one-hundred-percent sure he was straight to … whatever he was now.
And every time he thought about it, it messed with his head, and he needed to be focused this season. Honestly, he probably shouldn’t even be dating Madison right now.
She hadn’t wanted to break up in the first place last spring, but he’d been kinda freaked out by the kiss with Thad and the horror at doing anything with anyone but the woman he was dating.
He’d never cheated on anyone, despite plenty of opportunities, and it had made sense to him back in April to confess he’d kissed someone else and regretfully end things.
She’d been a little hurt but understanding about it and, like all of Graham’s previous relationships, they’d managed to part as friends.
In May, when she announced a new social media campaign with a brand she’d been dying to work with, he’d texted congratulations.
They’d talked more regularly after that, and it had felt natural when that turned a little flirty, then had turned into Madison admitting she still had feelings for him and he’d admitted he missed her … and well, that had turned into getting back together …
Graham had promised himself what happened with Thad had been an aberration and now he was with Madison again, he was going to focus on hockey and his relationship with her, but it was clearly not an aberration. Thad was still making his skin prickle and heat and making him feel upside down and …
“Okay, look at the camera, Graham,” Thad coaxed. “C’mon, you should be a pro at this by now.”
Graham swallowed hard as he stared at the lens and hoped that on the other side of it, Thad couldn’t see what he was feeling inside.
Couldn’t see how much he wanted him.