Chapter One #2
The best seasons had been when he played with his brothers but that had only been in college.
In their younger years, they’d been placed on different teams to make it fair to everyone.
Nix didn’t see how that was fair to him but he never complained.
Nix didn’t ever complain. That just wasn’t him.
College had been fun and getting to play on the same team with his brothers was a dream come true.
He’d had stayed in college forever if possible.
Admittedly Nix hadn’t studied as hard as Gem or joined every club like Aries but he’d made so many friends.
It had been important to his mom and stepfather that they all got a good education in case something happened to their hockey careers.
Nix had a degree in communication because how awesome was that!
After playing hockey, maybe he could be one of the broadcasters that got to talk about hockey.
Match made in heaven as he loved hockey and talking!
His mom hadn’t been thrilled with his choice.
After the human league had kicked all paranormal beings off teams, there had been a few years where there hadn’t been hockey for people like him.
Luckily, Nix and his brothers had been young enough that they were still able to play in the lower leagues.
Some of his teammates wouldn’t have been so lucky.
The Paranormal American Hockey League had been formed for the paranormal players in the United States and Canada to play again. After the inaugural season, it turned out that the fans, paranormal and human, flocked to their games.
The fans enjoyed the fact that some rule changes meant that the players didn’t have to hold back like they’d done in the human league.
Even with their league was thriving, Nix’s parents had still worried about them. Nix truly believed that the league and all of them would be fine. Their games were constantly sold out. Hockey was fun!
He just had to make sure that he stayed in the league.
Nix’s first game was the next day. He felt good about their chances of winning the opener.
The preseason games had been split with two wins and two losses.
Unlike Aries, that hadn’t gotten to play in the preseason, Nix had been on the ice with his team.
He’d even scored in game three when the puck had given a lucky bounce off his stick.
The feeling of scoring with his new team had been a high that Nix could hardly explain to anyone who had never played.
His teammates had been as proud of him as Nix had been.
Realizing that he’d gotten lost in thought and the locker room was clearing out, Nix hurried to finish undressing. He didn’t want his teammates to get out of taking Nix for his treat. He had tried to distract Mules after all. Was it really his fault that Mules was the best goalie ever?
Speaking of Mules, Nix searched the locker room, but the goalie was gone. His bag still hanging from a hook must mean that Mules was in the shower. Did he want to go get ice cream with them?
Nix wasn’t sure if he’d remembered to invite the goalie.
It would be rude not to. Plus, if they were going to be besties then they needed to hang out.
Nix had spent most of his free time hanging with the guys from the team, but Mules was never there with them.
Didn’t he enjoy hanging out? Mules liked reading.
There wasn’t a time that Nix hadn’t seen Mules with a book.
He even read in the locker room before a game.
Crazy! How could he concentrate? Nix was bursting with energy before a game, finding it hard to sit still.
Mules would have AirPods in his ears and his eyes in a book.
That didn’t mean that Mules might not want to be invited.
It would only be polite for Nix to extend that invitation. Even quiet guys needed ice cream. Nix would make sure that Mules knew that.
Once naked, Nix wrapped a towel around his waist and hurried to the showers. He rushed in, glad that he’d caught Mules.
“Hey, Mules!” he called, taking the space beside the goalie.
The shower room was an open tiled space with a bunch of showerheads every few feet.
Mules sighed before looking over at him.
Nix had to swallow hard. Okay, Nix was gay.
This was not news for anyone in the league.
He’d come bursting out of the closet when he’d been fourteen.
He hadn’t hidden that he was attracted to guys.
And maybe he’d had a very public breakup with a college teammate that sort of got blown out of proportion.
But with Mules’ dark hair plastered to his head, his gold eyes hidden behind lashes that held water droplets, and his very toned body, Nix was frozen as lust hit hard. Harder than he was prepared for.
“Did you need something?” Mules asked. He flicked his head back and water flew from his hair.
How was Mules always so calm and cool? Nix wanted to drop down and worship every inch of his gorgeous goalie. Mules had abs, real abs, an eight-pack of abs. And his tight, smooth skin was just so lickable. Nix hungered for him. But that wouldn’t be Nix being good and he had a promise to keep.
“Nix?” Mules was frowning. “Did you need something?”
“Ice cream!” he shouted. Rather loudly. Which gained him the attention of every man in the shower space. Crap! Nix avoided anyone’s gaze and couldn’t look at Mules any longer or everyone would know what he was thinking about. Or he could peek back at the goalie. One little peek wouldn’t kill him.
“Ice cream,” Mules repeated, turning back to soap up his chest.
Nix was glad that the sound of water mostly hid the whimper that escaped. He wanted to be that bar of soap. Or Mules’ hands. Or…anything that touched Mules’ naked body.
“Are you saying that I owe you ice cream since you failed at your mission?” Mules questioned.
Nix turned the faucet in front of him all the way cold before hanging up his towel on a nearby hook. If he had to keep his body turned away from Mules so the goalie didn’t see Nix’s very interested cock, then no one needed to know that other than him.
Nix threw himself under the spray and whelped as freezing-cold water poured over him.
“Fuck!” Mules spat. Reaching over, he adjusted the temp. “What are you doing? Do you not know how to work the temperature knob?”
Nix shook the water from his face while shivering against the tile wall as the water slowly heated up. “I…heard cold showers were good for you.”
Mules blinked slowly at him. “Am I being punked? Did one of the guys pay you to mess with me?”
Now that the water was a decent temp, Nix moved from the wall. At least he didn’t have to worry about embarrassing himself with his erection any longer. At this point Nix wasn’t sure he’d ever get hard again. That had been a terrible idea!
Oh! He had come rushing in here with a purpose. “You don’t have to buy me an ice cream,” he assured his new bestie. “I have money. You should just come with us!”
Mules was now washing soap out of his dark hair. His head tilted back as the shampoo trailed down his back, over his ass, and…yep, Nix could totally get hard again.
“What if I don’t like ice cream?”
That yanked Nix’s gaze from Mules’ slick body to his face.
Not that Mules was looking at him. “Who doesn’t like ice cream?
” Nix demanded. That…that wasn’t possible.
Did people not like ice cream? Nix wanted to find those people and bake them the best dessert of his life just for missing out on the goodness of ice cream.
Opening his eyes, Mules barely turned his head. And winked. He freaking winked at Nix!
Hello, hottie! Nix was totally in love. He’d heard that you should marry your best friend, and Mules was meant to be his bestie so marriage definitely needed to be on the table.
* * * * *
Evan (Mules) Mueller
If there wasn’t a hidden camera somewhere, Evan would eat his blocker. That was literally the only explanation for why he couldn’t shake the new rookie. Nix was everywhere!
Every time he turned around in practice or after a game, Nix was there.
Usually half-dressed and joking around. Did the kid ever wear a shirt?
Or take anything seriously? Not that Evan minded the very impressive view of the rookie’s naked chest. The joking and happy demeanor?
Evan could do without that. And the text messages!
Who the hell had given Nix his number? Nix texted all the time.
He texted so much that Evan had to wonder if he ever slept.
Maybe Nix texted in his sleep. Not all of the messages made sense.
Or at least to Evan they didn’t seem like it.
Nix jumped from one topic to another so fast it made Evan’s head spin.
And the questions! Nix was always asking questions. It was all very…unusual.
At least the kid knew better than disrupting anyone’s pregame ritual, which meant that Evan could wear his headphones and read his newest book to get himself in the right headspace before the game.
Evan and the backup goalie, Sergie, sat side by side without speaking. Goalies were known to be superstitious and a little weird. Not that Evan cared what anyone thought about him. He was way too fucking old to play games. Unless it was hockey. Evan loved hockey.
As a solitary being, Evan didn’t have the same need to connect with his teammates.
There had been a time, back when he’d played for the NHL, that Evan had allowed himself to be close to the men that he’d played with.
They spent so much time together that it was hard not to get caught up in their antics.
It had all fallen apart when the paranormal community had outed themselves.
The paranormals that were among the government and species leaders had made the ultimate decision to allow humans to know the truth. Since Evan was one of the last of his kind, he’d had no idea that it was even happening until he’d watched the news and learned along with everyone else in the world.