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“No, not at all.” He raised his gaze to Banks, who was checking his phone. It looked like he was reading the Chicago Tattler website, which was strange, but then Banks was an odd duck. There was no good reason why he should already be deep in the Rebels’ fleshy bosom, yet Dex had a weird feeling the guy had managed to weasel his way in. “Are you on this invite list?”
“Yep. But I might be off it since I took a grand off everyone last week.”
Kershaw snorted. “Beginner’s luck, Psycho.”
“Psycho?” Banks squinted at his teammate.
“From the movie. Norman Banks. Mommy issues. Fun times in the shower. That’s one of my best.”
“It’s Norman Bates, asshole, not Banks.”
Kershaw screwed up his mouth. “You sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Because Psycho is a really good nickname and I’d hate to have to re-think it.”
Banks got even squintier. “Well, I’m feeling like a psycho right now.”
That cheered Kershaw. “Nailed it. I’m the king of the nicknames.”
Even that misattributed one was better than Dex’s. He didn’t mind Sexy Dexy but Kershaw usually bandied about “Oh-Em-Gee” because of his caught-on-camera sexual escapade. Most of the videos had an OMG sticker over his crotch, completely unnecessary because his dick was hidden by a big puff of blonde hair. Forever click bait.
He turned the conversation back to poker night. “I’m up for a card game. Anytime.”
Bast looked skeptical. “But you did say that we’re all boring as shit because we’ve settled down to make babies. Though I’m not up for breeding yet, at least not while Pepper is finishing up school. As for Grey here—what’s your deal, Hud? You and Jude gonna get into the child rearing business soon?”
Hudson blushed, which was par for the course with him. Per Tara, he and his firefighter boyfriend were cuter than all the puppies and kittens Dex expected to be puddled in later.
Now that he thought of it, he got all his team gossip from Tara instead of the guys themselves.
“It’s been mentioned but I want to be sure I’m not traded soon.” Hudson gave a quick shrug, affable as ever. Like anyone would trade him after this past killer season, not to mention everyone adored him. He was practically the team’s mascot. “Our dog Crosby is all the baby we need for now.”
Appearing satisfied with that answer, Bast turned back to Dex. “So yeah, us boring homebodies are okay with pizza and beer and poker. Guessing clubs are more your bag.”
Sure, but he liked hanging with the guys as well.
“So I have a big mouth. I’m full of shit most of the time. You know that.”
Healthy suspicion greeted that until finally Theo chuckled and spoke for the group. “Oh, we do, Oh-Em-Gee. We do. And now we know you’re interested, then we’ll get you on the text chain.”
“There’s a text chain?” Fuck, how much had he been missing?
They razzed him a bit more, and by the time the food had arrived, he was feeling on a surer footing with them. Anton and Tara were right: he needed to make more effort. These were his ice-brothers, and he had to put in what he expected to get out.
4
Rory
Part Golden Retriever
Likes: Most humans
Dislikes: Vague booking
“She’s back.”
Ashley looked up from the adoption forms she was reviewing at Toby, who had put his head around the door to Cora’s office. She didn’t need to ask who.
