Chapter 3
EVAN
This time of year, it felt like we lived at the curling rink. Which was fine, because Perry loved the sport like he loved to breathe. Maybe even like he loved me. I bounced on the balls of my feet, watching him arguing with the manager about the ice conditions.
If I was the manager, I’d listen to Perry. He knew what he was talking about. He’d been curling since he was six, and if he said the ice was off, then the ice was off. The city was hosting a tournament in a week, so getting the ice right mattered, and they were running out of time to fix it.
“Swear to god, Andre, if you fuck this up, we’ll take the league someplace else,” Perry threatened, loud enough to turn heads.
I wondered if he could really convince the other teams to play at a different rink. Knowing how persuasive he could be, I bet he could.
“You don’t own the sport, Perry. Chill out.”
“I don’t think you understand the calibre of the teams that will be here. Alan fucking Channing is going to be playing in your house. Alan Channing. You know the Skip for the Olympic team? And he’s playing in your dinky little bonspiel. The least you can do is get the goddamn ice right.”
“Everyone knows you’re only stressing over it because you want the guy to notice you,” Andre said, sneering at him, as he glanced past him to me. “Is your little baby broomer not enough for you?” His sneer deepened. “Or is it you who’s not enough for him?”
Perry’s fingers clenched into fists and he took a half step towards the mean little man.
I hurried to his side. “Forget this asshole, Perry.” I tugged at his arm. “Lemme talk to Mike. He’ll fix the ice whatever this asshat says.”
Perry growled, but let me lead him away. “I hate that asshole. He has no right—”
“Shh.” I petted his back, then snuck my fingers up to play in the curls cascading over his collar.
“I hate him,” he repeated.
“I love you for being so bulldog,” I said. He might have been pissed over the ice conditions, but he’d only threatened violence when Andre mentioned me.
“He’s a jerk.”
“He really is, and he’s still bitter, after all this time, because you spoiled his fun and wouldn’t let him have me.”
Perry turned on me, powering me back into an alcove out of sight of most of the people getting ready to curl. “No one gets to have you,” he growled.
I grinned at him. “Just you. And whoever you approve of,” I added. I was teasing, but he frowned.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. I’m kidding. I know you’d never think anyone was good enough for me, and that’s okay.”
“Is it, though?” He studied my face, his frown deepening.
“What? Of course it is. In fact, it’s sort of sweet.”
Little lines appeared between his eyebrows.
“Okay.” I took his hand and led him towards the sheet we would be curling on.
“Stop obsessing over this. Andre is a jerk who will never have what you have.” I kissed his cheek.
“No regrets, babe. I promise.” I tightened my fingers in his and changed our trajectory, “Let’s find Mike. We have a few minutes before we start.”
He muttered something under his breath I didn’t hear, but that was fine. He did that a lot. He always had a ton going on in his head, which was why I loved being able to turn his brain off for him sometimes. It was what I gave back for the mind-melting orgasms and endless cuddles afterwards.
We found Mike in the basement fiddling with the cooling machines, and, as I’d anticipated, he agreed with Perry that the ice was too soft and was already on it.
“You see?” I said as we jogged back up to the main floor. “I told you Mike would fix everything.”
“You did tell me that.” He stopped me on the landing to pin me against the wall and kiss me stupid.
Yeah. No regrets. I was grinning like a fool as we emerged from our side quest just in time to start the game.
Perry
I should have just gone to Mike directly, like Evan suggested, instead of bothering to confront Andre.
I’d known Andre would get belligerent over it and refuse to do anything.
He’d ruin the upcoming bonspiel out of spite because he’d always had a thing for Evan, and I’d taken Evan home from the party that night, denying him his shot.
Well, fuck him, quite frankly. No one got a shot at my guy unless I said so. Which, while I wasn’t opposed to the idea, if I didn’t like the guy, it would be a problem. I did not like Andre and his proprietary attitude.
My preoccupation with him distracted me from the game, though, and Evan took me aside after the fifth end to calm me down.
“I’d give you a quickie BJ in the bathroom, but I’m pretty sure Andre has cameras in there for that exact reason,” Evan said as we walked to the bar to get water.
“That would be illegal.”
“Of course it would. Doubt he cares. He’s a degenerate.”
He wasn’t wrong.
“Anyway—” He turned to face me as we waited for Sheri to get us bottles for our team. “—I can promise you something better when we get home tonight, if you make like a good boy and focus on winning the last three ends.”
“Who’s calling who a good boy here?” I asked, dragging him against me and wrapping an arm around him.
“Sorry. I’m the good boy who’s taking good care of my man and offering all the pleasures of my flesh in exchange for a few really accurately thrown rocks.”
“You think the promise of good sex is all it takes?”
“Great sex,” he corrected. “And yes. Because I know you. You would never take the reward if you didn’t earn it, but my ass is irresistible, so you’ll win the game so you can win me.”
“You know the rest of the team would absolutely lose their minds if they knew we motivated each other with sex to win, right?”
“What makes you think we don’t know?” Robbie, our third, had appeared on Evan’s other side.
He took some of the bottles Sheri passed across the bar to us.
“Don’t get me wrong. We think you’re both freaks, but we’re not going to quibble with a winning strategy, so let’s go.
Come throw a few more stones, then you can go home and get your other stones off. ”
“Why?” I muttered as I took some of the waters in one hand, Evan’s hand in my other, to follow Robbie back to our game. “Why is he like that?”
Evan grinned. “I like that he gets us.”
I grumbled a bit more, keeping it under my breath, as we made our way back, but my grumbling cut off abruptly, as did the walking, when a small group of men sauntered in the door.
“Holy shit,” Robbie whispered, and turned big eyes on me. “Is that…?”
I nodded. Alan Channing had just walked into our dinky little curling rink a week early.
“Jeez, he’s fucking hot,” Evan whispered.
Really? I threw him a look.
“Well, objectively, he is.”
Channing was tall, over six feet, which I knew because he was taller than me, and I’m six one.
His black hair hung in waves to his collar, some of it neatly tied back in a half-ponytail to keep it off his face.
His entire team had foregone the usual clean-cut template most curlers had, and embraced this long-haired, bohemian aesthetic.
He had big, strong, capable-looking hands, which he rubbed together as he looked around him.
Yeah. Okay. Objectively, he wasn’t hard to look at. Whatever.
“Who’s in charge here, then?” he asked.
Of course Andre scuttled up to him, hand outstretched. “I’m the manager. Andre Gerard.”
“Yes, I know that. I meant who’s the guy who knows the rink? Knows the ice? Who’s your pro?”
“W-we don’t have a pro,” Andre said, glancing around the room, brows knitted in confusion.
All heads had already turned to me, and Robbie stepped to one side, sweeping an arm back in my direction.
Oh hell no. I took a step back, but Evan didn’t let me get far.
“This is Perry Hasting,” Evan said, pushing me forward. “I’d say he’s the closest we have to a pro. He’s been curling all his life, and is easily the best in the club.” He stood a little taller. “He’s our Skip.”
Channing turned his attention to me, holding out a hand it would be rude to ignore, so I shook it. “Alan Channing. Care to show me around, Perry?”
Andre’s glare could not have been less friendly as Evan herded me and Channing past him towards the windows overlooking the sheets, easily taking up the tour while I trailed along in his wake.
Perfect. Exactly what I needed. Andre might not be a very big fish, but this was, essentially, his pond. He would not take kindly to us splashing around in it.