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“You sure? You sound out of breath.”
“I’m on my way into the rink.”
“That’s unfortunate. Here I thought maybe I’d caught you with your hand down your pants.”
I laugh. “I’d probably get arrested if I did that right now.”
“Too bad. It’s a nice image.” He makes a sound, like a sigh with a hum attached to it. “So I’m guessing you’re lying about it not being a bad time.”
I shoulder open the door to the locker room. It’s empty apart from me. I put my phone on speaker. “I’ve got a few minutes before I have to teach.”
“Awesome. How’ve you been?”
“Good. You?”
“Yeah. All right. My dad overstayed his welcome; I only got rid of him a few days ago.”
“I’m sorry about that. Didn’t sound like a good situation.”
“It wasn’t. It isn’t. But whatever. I don’t see him much, so I should be good for another six months before he fucks with my shit again.”
“I guess that’s a good thing?”
“Yeah.”
When he doesn’t elaborate, I change the subject. “How’s the season going?”
“I’m getting used to my new team. It’s good even though it’s different. You know how it goes—or maybe you don’t.”
“I can understand that. It’s like a learning curve, right? Figuring out how everyone works together and stuff. It’s probably like getting used to a new partner for pairs, but with way more people involved.” I pull my shirt over my head and kick off my shoes.
“Yeah. That’s a reasonable comparison. What’re you doing? What’s all that noise?”
“I’m getting changed.”
“No shit. Are you naked?” I swear his voice lowers two octaves.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Every part of me warms at the memory of the things he did to me the last time we were naked.
“I sure as hell would.”
I laugh.
“You’re not gonna tell me?”
“You can’t see me, so I’m not sure it matters.”
“It’s the idea, the possibility.”
“Fine. I’m naked.”
“No, you aren’t.”
“No. I’m not.”
“Too bad. Look, speaking of getting naked, I’ve got a game in Toronto at the end of the week. We’re gonna be there overnight. I can get you tickets, and then you can spend the night with me.”
“Wow. Talk about cutting to the chase.” I’m not sure what to expect, not having heard from him in weeks. His dad being there may have had something to do with that, though. I’m a little shocked at his boldness, although maybe I shouldn’t be. Could be this is just how it works.
“It’s at the end of a series, so I can stay an extra night, if you’re interested. We can get extra naked. I’ll even take you out for dinner like I was supposed to last time.”
Oh, God. Hours of uninterrupted time with Randy. A night in a bed with no constraints and no one to walk in on us. Still, I don’t want to say yes right away and make it seem like I’m willing to drop everything for him. “I’ll have to check my schedule.”
“You do that.”
“’Kay. I’ll let you know as soon as I know.”
“Sounds good. I’ll make sure my special false-advertising boxers are clean for you.”
I cringe, still embarrassed. “You can get rid of those any time now.”
“I like them more now than I did before you decorated them.”
I won’t admit it, but I sort of like that he’s kept them. The alarm goes off on my phone, signaling that I need to be on the ice. “I gotta go. Bye, Randy.”
“Later, Lily.”
I hang up and start lacing my skates. Another dose of Randy is exactly what I deserve for finally getting Benji out of my life for good.Chapter 13Persistence for PayoffRANDYIt’s the middle of the third period in New York, and we’re down one. It’s not always easy to stay in a good headspace during away games. Being on the road means sleeping in beds that aren’t mine and a lack of privacy. Miller and I room together in the hotels, like we have since we played rep hockey and had tournaments away from home. Usually Miller’s dad would take us since my mom had to work and couldn’t afford to take the time off. Once we were teenagers, we went with our coaches.
Miller and I didn’t get into much trouble until our junior year of high school. We’d been playing street hockey, and some kid got him right in the face with a puck. Knocked his front teeth out, and a few other ones. It turned out to be a good thing after he got over the pain. Miller had bad teeth as a kid, and a bunch of titanium screws and implants fixed that problem after the accident.
He has to be super careful on the ice now, though. If any of those get knocked out, he’ll be wearing dentures until his hockey career is over. Maybe for the rest of his life.
Anyway, he was kinda shy with the girls until his teeth problem was resolved. Honestly, they probably would’ve been all over his dick regardless, but he’s a little sensitive about his perceived shortcomings. Kinda like I am about mine. We all find ways to manage, though.
