“Oooooh shit, rookie, you’re in trouble,” Lane called out.
Jordan made a face. “Well, I’m just gonna have to wipe the floor with you then, old man.”
Nate sighed internally. He was only five years older than Jordan, but some days it felt like an eternity.
“You got it,” Nate said, gesturing for Jordan to break.
Hehadbeen distracted all night; Lane was right about that. But Lane also probably thought he was just looking for an excuse to go talk to Ramsey, and the opposite was actually true.
It wasn’t easy, locking in to the game in front of him, but Nate had learned, all the hard ways, how to do it when it really mattered.
Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Nate sank the eight ball, winning the game.
“Shit,” Jordan said, glancing over at Nate as he settled a hip against the edge of the table. “Double or nothing?”
“No can do,” Nate said. “I can’t go talk to the hockey player twice, so I guess you’re stuck with me this week.”
Jordan groaned with exaggerated annoyance.
Nate felt that, too, but hecouldn’tlook annoyed because this was part of his job. Would be solely his responsibility after this season.
It was going to take a lot more than a week to iron out the rookie, but Nate hoped that it would at least be a good start.
Chapter 4
October
Nate shouldn’t have come to this game. There was no excuse for not realizing that Ramsey would be at a hockey game that Wes was at, too. And he absolutely should have known Ramsey would show up and probably waltz around the suite, charming everyone in his path, hot as shit and knowing it too.
“Nathaniel,” Ramsey said, dipping his head in greeting.
Not caring that Nate’s namewasn’tNathaniel, even when Levi called him out for it.
“He knows,” Nate said flatly.
But Ramsey only shrugged, an expression on his face that could only be called whimsical. “It suits you.”
It didn’t, because it wasn’t his name. Ramsey didn’t just get to change his name, because he decided to. Ramsey wasn’t in charge here, despite all his feelings to the contrary.
“It does not,” Nate ground out. Tried to hate him more. Tried to hate himat all.
But every time he thought he was making some real progress on that plan, he saw something he knew he wasn’t supposed to see. Ramsey being affectionate with Wes. Ramsey supporting Dawson. Ramsey being kind to the rookie punter. Ramsey refusing to sleep with Lane when he’d finally made a half-hearted offer a few weeks back.
He was so busy trying to justify the feelings that wouldn’t come, no matter how much he kept willing them to, no matter how much he kept pretending they already existed, when Ramsey turned to him and asked, “What did you think, Nathaniel?”
Nate hadn’t been paying any attention to whatever bullshit Ramsey was spouting. Or what they’d been discussing. “No clue.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Ramsey said. “Hockey’s too good for you. Or you’re too good for hockey? I can’t remember which it is.”
Nate hadn’t said anything really. But it was easier to pretend he didn’t like hockey players generally than to detail exactly why he didn’t like Ramseyspecifically.
“You did say you’d get him here, to Scotia Bank,” Lane pointed out.
“I did. You wanna get out there after the game?” Ramsey asked, innocent expression pasted on his face.
“No,” Nate said flatly.
“I don’t know, I think you’d be okay out there.” And there it was again. Another instance where Ramsey could’ve been an ass, and had pulled back,just enough. Just enough that it was really fucking difficult to dredge up feelings of utter hatred. Profound dislike, maybe.
