“What?”
“Move. In. With. Me.” I watched a whirlwind of emotions cross his face. “I mean it’s small sure, but we can do two here. And if it’s just for another year and a half we can make it work. You already have a towel and a toothbrush…”
“Well, yeah, but a towel and a toothbrush don’t mean…” He propped his head up with his hand to stare at me. “You’re serious?”
“As a tax collector.”
“Wow I just…” His eyes grew dewy. “I would love that but it’s a huge step, Jack. Are you sure you want me and my shit underfoot?”
“I would love to have you and your shit under my feet.”
He smiled, a rich, pure smile that made my stomach tighten with love. Then he kissed me, hard and with incredible passion, given we’d fucked each other into the mattress twice last night. My dick was starting to stir when my phone began to chirp.
“Ignore it,” Tian whispered over my lips.
I tried, I really did, but the buzzing went on and on. “I’d better check it. Maybe Fiona has had some sort of incident or something.”
He sighed but let me move to my side to paw at the nightstand. The bottle of lube we’d used last night fell to the floor with a thud. My fingers skimmed over the vibrating cell. I brought it closer. It was not Fi but Noah Gunnersson.
“It’s Gunny,” I said over my shoulder. Calling at ten after six? We all woke early as the morning skate started at nine sharp, but a kid his age calling me at the ass crack of dawn meant something serious. “I think I should take it. Sorry. Love you. We’ll pick this up after I see what the kid wants.”
“Go for it,” Tian yawned as he curled into my back like a cat.
“Gunny, what’s up?” I asked as I let my head fall back to my pillow. Tian slung his arm over my hip, his fingers awfully close to my dick.
“It’s all over the web,” Noah said, his voice strained. The worry in his voice made me tense. What was all over the web? If Trick had done something, stupid I was going to—“Preston Mills is reporting again that a deal with Jari Lankinen is about to hit.” Oh man, not this again. That rumor had been cooking on a low heat for months. Yes, we were now one day from the first of March, and the trade deadline was about to roar to life. Things in the league went a little insane around this time of year. Teams looking to bolster their rosters for the upcoming playoffs would be making moves. But bringing a Lankinen to Harrisburg? Surely not. “And Lincoln Reese who writes the Penn Skate blog is also telling people to look for this deal to be done and signed by noon today.”
“Okay, Gunny, we’ve been over this,” I said, wishing I’d turned my phone off last night. Not that I didn’t love the kid. I did. But he did tend to get a little overly stimulated when it came to his family, rightfully so. And while Tennant Rowe wasn’t technically a relative, Noah had grown up with Ten, Jared, and their kids so he was like a beloved uncle to Gunny. “Until we hear it from the team we can’t let the trade rumors fuck with our heads.”
“But—”
“No, no buts. Look, this is probably just some wild speculation. I know for a fact that Mills has said some off-the-wall shit to get clicks and calls into his show.”
Lincoln Reese on the other hand…
He was one of the most respected sports reporters in this area. And while he mostly focused on the local college teams, he also did a lot of stories on the Railers. So perhaps there was a stink in the air Reese was sniffing at as well. Didn’t meana thing though. Trade rumors were hot commodities for the media. Speculation ran wild online with fans joining in to fan the flames. Ninety-five percent of the whispers were bullshit and never panned out.
“But if heistraded to the Railers…”
“If he is, and that’s a big if, we’ll treat him like any other new player. So, for now, go back to bed with your man and get some sleep. Coach is going to work us hard to make sure we’re ready for the Carolina game tomorrow afternoon.”
There was a long hesitation on the other end. “Okay, sure, fine. Yeah, you’re right. I’m overreacting. No way would the owner allow a trade like that.”
“Exactly. Go back to bed. See you at the practice facility and don’t be late.”
“I won’t be. Thanks, Cap.”
I chucked my phone to the table, sighed wearily, and felt a stiff dick poking me in the ass.
“Did you turn that off?” Tian asked then started nibbling on my shoulder.
“I did,” I purred as he gave me another poke.
“Excellent, pick up the lube. You’re going to need it.”
Turnedout that it wasn’t just clickbait andIce Beat in the ’Burgas well as Lincoln Reese had scored a genuine coup. As we were coming off the ice after morning skate Coach called me into his office and closed the door.
“Coach,” I asked, feeling a certain cold vibe in the room that had nothing to do with ice. “Problem?”
