He felt Jett lean in closer. “You don’t want me to stay in bed with you? I hear I’m a good little spoon.”
Jett was teasing him to lighten the mood, but the thought of anyone besides him spooning Jett made him feel…murderous.
“Get out of here before we both regret it,” Harrison growled, not missing when Jett’s breath caught in surprise.
There was no light to see each other, but the tension was bleeding into the air around them. Harrison realized that if he wanted to, he could pin Jett to the mattress and do what he’d been dying to do, and that Jett would let him.
But there was no time for that now. They only had days left together.
Harrison didn’t move, and Jett seemed to get the hint. He got off the bed and turned his phone flashlight on, blinding Harrison on purpose.
“You’re a jackass,” said Jett.
“Tell your right hand I said hi.”
Harrison could barely make it out when Jett flipped him off before marching away, making sure to switch his bedroom light on before he shut the door behind him.
And even though this had been one of the heaviest nights he’d experienced in a long time, Harrison found himself smiling and shaking his head.
Jett
Jett approached the morning after the storm with quiet apprehension, unsure what to expect from Harrison. So much had been shared between them the night before—emotions, secrets, things that couldn’t be taken back. And Harrison was a prickly person on a good day, so Jett braced himself for sharp comments and cold hostility. But none of that came.
Harrison was drained, which was expected after nearly dying of hypothermia, but he was calm. Docile, even.
He was still a hard-ass when Jett got back on the ice the next day, but Jett suspected that was normal behaviour for someone who used to play hockey and was now teaching a younger player their skill set.
Jett preferred the weekend version of Harrison—the one who cooked delicious meals and smoothies, worked out, played video games, and watched TV shows that sometimes included anime, especially when Jett thought Arlo was being missed.
They had started to banter like old friends, and Jett was surprised when Harrison joined him on the couch several times, leaving behind his usual Recliner of Solitude for company.
No matter what Jett had expected from meeting Harrison, reality blew it out of the water. Before his injury, Harrison had been known for his egotistical snark and legendary chirps that could make a veteran player blush. But at home, in his own space, Harrison was full of easy-going confidence.
Jett was going to miss it. He was really going to miss it.
He didn’t want to leave his newly found sanctuary at the lake house with Harrison. He’d made friends before, but none had filled the space in his mind like the grumpy man who greeted him every morning with a sugary coffee and a scowl.
As the days passed, he didn’t knowif he’d be willing to let it go. He daydreamed about taking Harrison to Toronto with him and paying him to stay—to be his friend—but that was ridiculous.
Harrison would never agree, and there was nothing Jett could do to change his mind—unless he made a huge impression on the man.
Or maybe he could propose marriage and pay him to be his stay-at-home husband?
Those daydreams were definitely getting out of control.
Frustrated by the ordeal, Jett threw himself into completing Harrison’s challenge. Now that exchanging numbers was on the line, he wasn’t going to relax until the damn thing was saved in his iPhone.
That goal consumed his thoughts as the week flew by. He ignored the passing time because he wassoclose to getting that third puck in the net. It would happen; he just had to wait for luck to come his way. No matter what Harrison said about skill, this move was 100% luck in Jett’s eyes.
And on Friday, after taking a morning swim in the lake and listening to Harrison joke about leeches, it finally happened.
It was his first three shots of the day. He had barely warmed up as he skated around the rink, but then that third puck fired right into the net, and Jett stopped and stared at it in disbelief.
He had done it.
He had fuckingdone it!
Jett looked to Harrison, grinning as he noticed how wide his eyes were before he quickly hid it behind a trademark scowl.
