Chapter Two
Nix
Pausing his game, Nix grinned before he answered the phone. “Hey, shortie!”
Aries sighed on the other end of the line. “We’re the same height.”
“I forget since I look so much bigger,” he teased.
It was even more true since moving to Florida, Nix had upped his workouts, possibly because he’d figured out a very attractive goalie’s schedule, and joined Evan in the gym often.
The muscle he’d put on filled him in nicely so that was an added benefit.
“Whatever,” Aries snapped.
That…didn’t sound right. “What’s the matter?” he demanded.
“Nothing,” Aries said quickly. Too quickly.
Nix immediately pressed the button to facetime his brother. If Aries was hurt again—
The call connected and he could see Aries. Who looked fine.
“You don’t look hurt. Injury? Your leg?” Guilt still ate at him that Aries had been hurt when they’d vacationed in Hawaii. Although it wasn’t all Nix’s fault. Well, mostly it was. Okay, he was totally his fault.
“My leg is fine,” Aries insisted. “For some reason I was just missing you.”
Nix nodded as he leaned back on the overstuffed leather couch.
“It’s weird not being with you guys on game day.
I really hoped I’d be put on the same team as one of you.
” It would have been better. If one of his brothers was there to cushion Nix’s frantic energy, then maybe Marlin wouldn’t hate him.
Aries smiled. “What are you doing?”
Kicking his feet out, Nix stretched his legs. “Went to the gym.” Because Mules had been there. “Found a diner that sells all-day breakfast.” Which he’d invited the goalie to eat with him at. Nix had eaten alone. “And now just playing some NHL 25. Want to play?”
“I’m leaving the rink,” Aries told him.
“You aren’t driving right now, are you?” Truthfully Aries should never drive.
He got too distracted. Nix himself didn’t even own a car because driving was boring.
There were so many rules. He just ride shared everywhere he needed to go.
Or walked. His neighborhood literally had everything he needed within blocks of his condo.
“Still in the parking lot.” Aries pushed out his bottom lip in a pout. Like he didn’t know he was a bad driver. Aries was the worst ever!
That did make Nix feel better. He was so far away. Aries was in Vegas. Gem in Boston. If something happened to one of them—no, he couldn’t think that way. His brothers would be fine.
“Call me when you get home if you want,” Nix told his brother. He was just wasting time until the game later. “You need to get something to eat. And not apples.” He knew his brother. If he ate, it would be all about the apples.
Now Nix had his own little obsession, but Aries literally tried to survive just on apples.
“Sure.” Aries looked around him.
He looked so sad. Nix hated being so far from him. This was harder than he thought. “Hey!”
Aries looked back at the phone.
“I miss you like crazy!” Nix grinned.
Aries smiled back.
That was better.
“That’s because you are crazy,” Aries replied. But he was smiling which was all Nix had wanted.
“You’re about to go on your road trips. I’ll see you at the end of that.” It seemed like forever, but it wouldn’t be too long before Aries was in his city.
“We’re so going to kick your ass!” Aries bragged.
Nix snorted. That was so not going to happen. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m awesome!” Aries told him. “I got a hat trick in my first game. You only scored one goal in yours.”
Aries also had a defenseman that had his back. Nix was still having issues with his own. He didn’t know why Marlin didn’t like him, but it showed on the ice. “Our goalie is better,” Nix said, just to taunt his brother.
“Hey! Zany is great,” Aries argued.
“He’s good but not as good as Mules,” Nix said. His goalie was the best. Everyone knew it.
Aries eyes widened before he nearly screamed. “You’re fucking your goalie.”
What? Where had that come from? “I am not!” Not that he didn’t want to. Oh, the hours he could spend worshipping Mules’ body.
“You want to.”
He shrugged. Nix was not going to lie. “He’s hot. And bendy. You should see just how bendy.” Nix had dreams about it. Really fantastic dreams.
“Then what’s the problem?” Aries asked.
His brother was so nosy! But it wasn’t like he had anyone else to talk to about this. Gem would lecture him…again. “Aren’t you headed home?”
“Nope! I’m quite comfy right here.” He reached over and a moment later had an apple in his hand.
The damn apples. Aries was going to turn into an apple. Or get sick again. He grunted, just knowing Aries wasn’t taking proper care of himself. “You need to eat more than apples. Remember what happened last time?”
“Nix!” Aries whined.
Wow, he didn’t miss the sound of that. “If you got laid more often then you wouldn’t be so worried about my sex life.” He only said it to irritate his brother.
“Eww!” Aries cooed. “I don’t want to know about your sex life! I just want to hear about this goalie with the ability to turn you down.” Aries bounced in his seat. “You did get turned down, didn’t you? You get all scowly like that when you do.”
He had not! Nix was just trying to be friends with Mules. He had actually learned his lesson about sleeping with a teammate. Not that he’d admit that. “I don’t get scowly. And that’s not even a word!”
“It is if I use it?” Aries cackled before crunching into his apple. “Tell me about him.”
Nix settled on the couch. Mules was his favorite subject. “He’s quiet.” Which, yeah, that was his complete opposite.
“Quiet?” Aries repeated.
“Yeah, he always has his face buried in a book if he isn’t on the ice.
He reads a lot. I’ve never seen him with the same book twice.
” Nix was a little intimated by how smart Mules must be.
He’d even bought a book that he’d seen Mules with.
Nix had settled down to read on his kindle but had fallen asleep after the first chapter. Reading really wasn’t his forte.
“You don’t usually go for the nerdy type.”
“He’s not a nerd!” Nix was offended on Mules’ behalf. “He’s a goalie!”
“So, he can’t be a nerd if he plays hockey?”
“He’s not,” Nix insisted. “He just…he is a good goalie. It’s almost like magic watching him in net.”
“I think you said that already,” Aries said. “Is there anything you like about him other than the fact that he’s a bendy goalie?”
“Of course,” Nix replied. “He knows a million fun facts about everything. When he laughs, his entire face lights up and his little nose scrunches.” Mules was just…adorable, and sexy, and fucking hot! When Nix did get Mules to talk to him, he always left knowing some little tidbit.
“What else?”
“He can eat,” Nix shared. “Like more than I’ve ever seen anyone else. It’s crazy!” The team meals were so interesting, and Nix always made sure to sit as close to Mules as possible.
“Shifter?” Aries guessed.
Nix smirked. He hadn’t believed it, but Mules really was what the team told him. Of course, Nix had to look it up himself since he hadn’t believed any of them. “Dragon.”
“No way!” Aries screeched.
That was the way Nix had felt. “Yep! I thought the guys were fucking with me but when I asked him, he told me.” And then Nix looked him up. Because yeah, dragon, that was crazy.
“Have you seen him shift?” Aries wanted to know.
Oh! Nix wished. That would be so cool! “No, I doubt that’s something he can do often. Has to be big, right?” Nix had tried to look up pictures but information about dragons seemed to still be very secretive.
Aries shrugged. “I didn’t even know they were real!”
“Blew my mind,” Nix confessed. And he wanted to blow something of Mules. He also didn’t want to get hard while talking to his brother. Maybe he needed to rub one out before the game. “You really should be getting home. We both have games tonight.”
“Fine!” Aries pouted again.
“Good luck tonight!” Nix told his brother. He always wished his brothers the best. Unless they were playing him.
“You too!” Aries waved and disconnected the call.
Nix dropped the phone onto the couch beside him. He wasn’t really interested in restarting his game, so he pushed off the couch. Rising, he stretched his arms up to the ceiling before catching his balcony from the corner of his eye.
Racing toward the sliding glass door that led to the balcony, Nix exclaimed happily. “My babies!” He knew how to make himself happy! Why hadn’t he thought about this earlier when he’d been bored?
He slid open the door going out to kneel in front of his pet project. The pumpkin patch his mom had helped transplant from his home to a smaller landing for his condo. The pumpkin patch took nearly every inch of space. Not that Nix would ever complain about that.
Nix didn’t have the attention span for most things, but his babies were the one thing that he knew how to care for. He’d been growing his own pumpkins since he was six. Even his mom said his pumpkins were the best. Better than hers! Nix was very proud of that.
Checking the soil for moisture under the mulch and making sure the fertilizer had taken, Nix felt himself relax. Maybe things weren’t going perfectly in his new city but that didn’t mean that Nix was a failure. It just took time to settle in.
The way his mind worked always had Nix struggling to be calm.
Calm was boring!
Nix needed action and fun. Except when it came to his little corner of heaven.
Pumpkins weren’t the hardest thing to grow so he was lucky that his obsession was obtainable.
It wasn’t like Aries could have his own apple trees in his apartment.
And Gem didn’t live in a place to even grow grapes. Nix was quite lucky that way.
Oh! He should send a picture to his mom! She would be so proud of him. Maybe he would even send it in the group chat so his brothers could see how awesome he was.
That was a wonderful idea!
Nix hurried back inside and grabbed his phone. Walking back out, he opened the camera app and looked up.
He froze.
Was that…? Nix squinted as he peered across the street to the condos facing him.