Chapter 12
Twelve
“So this will be our booth here at Santaguilia, and we’ll also have an area at the secondary rink, which will host some prelim matches and the women’s tournament.”
Hawk wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn’t because a) that would be rude, and b) it would be rude. It really wasn’t the kid giving them the tour, just that one announcer booth at one ice rink looked just pretty much like any other.
He wasn’t the only one bored out of his mind either. Casey looked like she was gonna slump down and fall asleep right where she stood. As if she’d been up late, like he had.
Maybe she’d been out too late, drinking with the guys. Or maybe her wife had torn her up after dinner was done.
He had had way more fun with Caleb than at dinner, that was for sure.
“If you’ll come this way, I’ll show you where the meeting room is back here, which is where most of your meals will be taking place when you’re working here at the arena.”
He followed along with everyone else, and they met up with a couple of tour groups, one of them speaking Swedish, he thought. Maybe.
The other group was speaking Italian, so at least he had a chance there of understanding what they were saying.
After the tour, they were all going to have to go to lunch together, and he didn’t really want to do that.
He had left Caleb in his bed at the hotel this morning, and he hadn’t wanted to do that either.
What he craved now was to go back, crawl into that bed, and make nice with Caleb again. Maybe grab some food and share it.
He’d asked Caleb to come to breakfast, but Caleb had just waved him off and told Hawk he wanted to go back to sleep. If that was okay, since he had the extra key to the room, that didn’t bother Hawk at all.
He let his mind wander to Caleb while the tour guide was babbling on about how they were going to eat in here and it would be set up like a cafeteria line, blah blah blah. He and Caleb had been on point last night, the two of them vibing like they had back in Korea.
Caleb’s soreness worried him a little bit though because wear and tear could be harsh if it came on as young as they were, and he’d seen it in some of his fellow players.
Hawk had some hardcore osteoarthritis in his knee, but that was to be expected when it was wired together like it was. Caleb seemed so young and healthy otherwise.
“Hey, are you with us, Puck?” Casey asked, elbowing him. She could body check with the best of them.
“Hmm? Sorry. I keep zoning out.” He was bored out of his mind. And he really didn’t think they needed all this information.
“Oh my god, could they not just send a memo?” she agreed, pitching her voice low. “Where did you disappear to last night? You left me with those clowns. You suck.”
“I was meeting up with a friend I saw at a cafe yesterday morning. I haven’t seen him in years, so we caught up.”
“Huh.” She pursed her lips. “Did you have a hookup? That’s what Malia says.”
His cheeks went super-hot. “Your wife is mean.”
“She is. It’s what I love most about her.” She waggled one gingery eyebrow.
“You’re a freak.” He winked to ease the sting of that.
Their other two colleagues joined them, all of them heading to lunch, and he chafed at having to waste the time schmoozing.
These days he was less socially awkward and more just downright grumpy.
As they were standing in line at the restaurant, his phone buzzed, and he opened it to see a selfie of Caleb standing next to a coffee shop he knew was near his hotel.
Then he got,
wanna do lunch?
“Guys, I’m sorry. One of the podcasters I’m also working with would like me to come meet someone and do a quick interview. Casey, did you want to come? She’s a female player.” The least he could do was get Casey out of this mess too.
“That would be awesome. I love up-and-coming players. You two have fun.” She grabbed his arm and hustled him away.
She waited until they were back out on the street before laughing like a loon. “Oh, you wonderful man. Thank you. I love those two, but they’re totally humorless and dry.”
“That’s why we’re the color commentators.”
“Oh, good one. I’m going to have lunch with my wife.”
“And I’m going to meet someone too.” He winked at her, because she’d kind of guessed about him hooking up, hadn’t she?
“Good for you. Let me know if you want to go to supper with me and the wife at some point. I’d love to meet whoever has you so interested.”
“I’ll ask him.”
“Oh, I love it. Cool, cool. See you later.” And she was off after cuffing him on the arm.
He texted Caleb back.
OMW
He got a picture of a coffee, a perfectly poured cappuccino with beautiful foam on top.
I’ll be here
He headed out, figuring it would be easier to just grab a cab than it would be to try to take public transportation. It took him too damn long to get to Caleb, and he was really kind of impatient about it. Too much time in boring meetings already, and Hawk needed to relax and enjoy Caleb’s company.
He walked into the coffee shop, and Caleb stood grabbing his cup and taking it up to the counter to put it on the bus tray. Caleb met him halfway across the room and grinned, standing close enough to feel his body heat. “I thought we’d go to lunch someplace else. I was just waiting on you,”
“Ah, so you want actual food and not just panini.”
“I do, actually. On the way here, I saw this great little osteria that looked like they had the most amazing polenta and risotto dishes. You want to try?”
“I’m in.” They rubbed shoulders as they headed out the door, avoiding the guy who came flying in, obviously needing a quick cup of coffee.
It was always somebody in a hurry. Even in Italy.
“I want you to know that Casey, one of my co-workers, is forever grateful to you for getting her out of the lunch thing today.’
Caleb put a hand in the middle of his chest. “I got her out of something?”
“Yeah, I told everyone you were a female hockey player that I was interviewing for the podcast that I’m doing.”
“Dude, you are a dawg. I am not a girl.”
He gave Caleb a sideways once-over. “Yes, that is perfectly obvious, and I’m grateful. I like women a lot, but they don’t do it for me like you do.”
“You know, you have upped your game.” Caleb nudged him with one elbow. “Not that your game was bad before, and I would hope you changed it up in eight years, but you really have.”
He shrugged because he hadn’t upped his game too much. He just felt really comfortable with Caleb. “I’ve just gotten better at faking it. That’s all.”
Caleb’s fingers brushed his, then slid against his palm, not holding his hand, but letting him know it was a possibility. “I’m not serious. And I’m not trying to make you feel bad. I’m just teasing you.”
A smile touched his mouth. “Well, I just wanted you to know that I’m still as seriously awkward as I’ve ever been.”
“And I’m just as much of an asshole.” Caleb turned down a small side street. It was way less crowded than the main road they’d been on. They wandered down about halfway until they reached a tiny little restaurant set in between two big stores. “What do you think?”
Hawk looked at the menu, there was no turistica menu posted alongside the regular one. There were veal shanks that they called osso bucco, and there was polenta. There was risotto Milanese. Pretty standard fare, but all stuff he wanted to try, and it smelled like Italian heaven.
So they ducked inside and got a seat with a couple of locals who were probably eating early, all things considered, and they grinned at each other when they ordered a couple of dishes and half a carafe of wine to share.
The waiter, who would no doubt be offended at being called a server, informed them that both polenta and risotto took at least twenty minutes to make and to please not be in a hurry.
They chuckled after he marched off. “Our reputation as Americans precedes us.”
“Can you blame them?” Caleb rolled his eyes. “I’m surprised you haven’t tried to get a Canadian passport.”
“I have one.” His mom was Canadian, and his dad had been playing for a Canadian team at the time he was born, so he had dual citizenship.
“So I’m the American jerk, huh?”
“Something like that.” He loved teasing Caleb. The man liked to laugh, and it made it so easy to be with him, because he didn’t seem to think Hawk was an idiot.
That was a huge bonus in a lover.
“So what’s your plan for the rest of the day?” Caleb asked.
“Well, now that I’ve escaped the luncheon, I don’t have anything until a press thing tomorrow morning. You?”
Caleb’s bright green gaze heated up. “I am footloose and fancy free. I have to work out at some point, but—”
“I would do that with you. Unless you need to be at the training center.”
“Nope. This is voluntary, but I need to get some solid time in.”
“There’s a great gym at my hotel.”
“I’m in.” Their food came, and they both moaned at the carb loading that was going on there. So good. “Oh, God, I’ll need to do double the workout,” Caleb told him.
“I hear you. But so good.” Hawk forked up some polenta and tasted the cheesy, salty goodness of it. “Yum.”
In the end, after the food and wine, they went back to Hawk’s room for a nap by way of the Olympic village to grab Caleb’s overnight bag.
Hawk woke up spooning Caleb, his body warm and lax and happy. He nuzzled the back of Caleb’s neck before glancing at the clock and sighing. “Hey. Did you still want to hit the gym?”
“Shit.” Caleb sat right up, hair all over the place, and kissed him lightly. “Yeah. I need to get dressed and go down.”
“I’ll go with you. I seriously need to work off all the pastry and polenta and rice.” He wasn’t playing anymore, and while he worked hard to keep his body in top shape, he couldn’t suck down giant bowls of pasta like he used to and not pay for it.
Caleb climbed out of bed to grab his bag, changing into a pair of basketball-style shorts and a T-shirt. Hawk admired him for a moment, then got up and got dressed too.
At the gym, Caleb pulled out his ear buds. “You mind if I take the elliptical?”
Hawk looked at their choices. “That’s fine. I can take the bike.”
“Cool-cool. See you on the other side.” Caleb tucked in his earbuds again, then hopped onto the machine to get his groove on.
He got on the bike, because it was easier on his knees than the treadmill. He wondered if that was why Caleb had taken the elliptical. The treadmill was the usual choice for someone who needed cardio conditioning, because of the incline, but it was tough on the joints.
The elliptical was much easier on those. He put on his own headphones and got to work.
Forty-five minutes later he switched to the multi-purpose weight machine and worked some of the major muscle groups before finishing up with weighted squats and deadlifts. His squats were way more careful these days, but they weren’t off-limits as long as he used good form.
When he took off his headphones to start his cooldown, he caught Caleb sitting on the weight bench, watching him.
“You need a spot?”
“Nah. I was just doing some curls and some crunches. That knee had to have been agonizing, babe.”
Hawk glanced down, realizing his scars were on full display since he was wearing compression shorts. “It wasn’t fun, for sure.” He frowned up at Caleb. “Are you having joint problems?”
“Oh, you know.” Caleb’s cheeks went pink and he ducked his head. “It’s a high-impact sport, and I’m not getting any younger.”
“Yeah.” He snorted. “Out of our primes at just about thirty.” He was over, Caleb a little under, but still.
“Right?” Caleb groaned, then got up to stretch out a few places. “You ready for a shower?”
“Hell yes, I am.” Hawk absolutely adored taking a shower with Caleb and he loved that his hotel shower was big enough to do that, unlike the little shower that they had dealt with in Korea during the Olympics.
Amazed by how easy it was for him and Caleb to fall into a routine with each other and to just want to be together, he grinned at Caleb like a newborn fool. They hadn’t known each other very long at all, and it just floored him if he thought about it for too long.
Caleb nudged him. “Come on, you need some water. You didn’t bring any with you.”
He followed Caleb, watching the way the muscles in his legs moved, the way his ass shifted under those loose basketball shorts. Lord, he had it bad. He wasn’t gonna complain, though. He was just going to take it while he could.
He sucked down a full bottle of water when they got upstairs, and then they hit the shower, soaping each other up, touching, but it wasn’t urgent.
It wasn’t even terribly sexual. Caleb seemed worn down, and that worried him.
Maybe Caleb had a bug or something, nothing that was contagious because he wasn’t sniffling or sneezing or even coughing, but he sure seemed sluggish.
“Do you think we could just stretch out on the bed and maybe watch a movie or something?” Caleb asked. “I know we had a nap before the workout, but—”
“Baby, we can do whatever you want.” He wanted to spend time with Caleb, period. So it didn’t matter to him. The idea of lying in bed and snuggling, holding Caleb while they watched a movie was so appealing to him. So normal, such a downtime thing to do.
He managed to get his laptop to cast to the TV, so they could watch something easy in English, something with explosions because that seemed to be Caleb’s choice.
Once they were all snuggled up with the covers over them, Caleb resting against his side, hand on his shoulder, Hawk stroking his hair, Hawk felt like it was safe to ask.
“Are you feeling okay? You’re moving a little tight, and it looks like the workout wore you out.”
“I keep telling you I’m fine. I’m just a little sore and a kinda worn down from the tour.” Caleb put a hand on his chest, then started playing with his chest hair. “I have some arthritis, and it drags me down sometimes, but I’m fine.”
“Okay, I just worry. Probably not my place to worry about you, right? But I feel like it is.”
Caleb glanced up at him, a soft smile on his face. “I don’t mind. I really don’t. But you don’t have to worry about me. I know my limits, and I’m going to take it easy and only do what I need to do up until the day of prelims.”
“I’ll hold you to that, since you’re going to be here with me anyway, I hope.” Hawk had a lot of hopes, but they were probably inappropriate, if not silly, so he would keep most of it to himself.
“I’m gonna be with you so much you’re gonna get sick of me.” Caleb kissed his chest right next to his nipple. “Now can we watch this movie?”
Hawk chuckled at the change of subject, but the movie was pretty fun, so he’d shut up for now, and they could watch it. He’d keep an eye on Caleb, though, because somebody needed to. It might as well be him.