In the distance, Murphy let out some excited yips, and Graham smiled at the sound of Thad talking in a low voice to him.
It was too faint to hear what he said as Graham dumped the clothes in the washer, added soap, then turned the machine on. But it was nice to hear.
When he stepped out of the closet—laughing a little to himself at the jokes he could make there—he found Thad wearing his own jeans and backwards cap, plus a sweatshirt and slides that definitely belonged to Graham, with Murphy tucked under one arm.
“Nice shirt,” Graham said drily as he reached out to pet the dog who was wriggling with excitement. “And sorry for neglecting you, buddy.”
“Thanks.” Thad glanced down at the Harriers logo on it. “Hey, is this a retired design?”
“Yeah, from a couple of years ago, I think.”
“Huh. I like it.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Thad leaned in, brushing their lips together. “Go shower, baby, you’re covered in goosebumps. This time it’s your turn to warmmeup.”
He turned and walked away, still carrying the dog.
The name Pennington stretched across his shoulders, the sweatshirt straining a little to contain the width of them.
Graham let out a low, tortured groan. “Okay, I get it,” he called after him. “I get it now.”
Thad shot him a grin and wink over his shoulder, then disappeared around the corner.
A moment later, the apartment door opened, and Graham realized he was shivering now.
Thad had a good plan.
Graham would shower, get in bed, and make sure things were very, very hot for Thad when he got back.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
By the time Thad got back from walking Murphy and making sure he had food and water for the night, Graham was nearly asleep.
Thad shucked off his clothes and crawled into bed with a sigh.
Graham muttered sleepily, pressing back against Thad as he wrapped an arm around his waist.
Thad held him close, trying not to be annoyed Graham had fallen asleep. Ordinarily, it would be good. Sleep was important for post-game recovery and Thad never wanted to interfere with Graham’s playing.
But Thad had spent the entire time he was out in the courtyard—watching the dog sniff every fallen leaf before he peed—psyching himself up to have a conversation about why he’d left the other night.
The stupid thing was, there was no big reason why. Or, at least not that Thad had ever figured out.
Under the best of circumstances, Thad didn’t sleep particularly well.
He wasn’t used to sharing a bed with anyone either.
But Thad knew Graham would at least want to hear him say it and he was trying to do all the stuff he knew was important in a relationship, like talking about his feelings and shit. Even if it didn’t come that naturally to him.
Harlan would be so fucking proud.
So he settled in to try to sleep, resting his head against the pillow beside Graham’s as he resigned himself to having that conversation another time.
Graham’s skin was warm, a welcome feeling after the chill of the October night air.
A moment later, Thad felt the bed vibrate a little. He frowned before he realized Murphy had jumped up.
