“It’s not so bad,” Lo says. “Just remind yourself when you get frustrated, all the trouble you’re dealing with will result in calling the person you love most in the world your husband when it’s all said and done. You get to spend your lives together.”
“Wow,” Etna says, looking at me. “Is that how I sound?”
I grin, shrugging. “Maybe a little.”
We continue to talk about the wedding we haven’t started planning yet. Hilt tells us about his and what he’d do differently. Lo tells us about theirs and has zero things he’d change, though Caulder rolls his eyes when he says so. Horny enthusiastically offers ideas, and Julian has some too.
Meanwhile, I lean back on the couch to listen. At some point, Etna put his hand on my leg and there it stays. Claiming. Affectionate. Possessive. It makes my heart race and I love it.
Caulder meets my eye and we share a smile.
We might tease Lo, but I’d wager a bet that we all want the kind of love Lo and Caulder share. I look at Etna. I know I do. And I think I’ll have it one day soon.
CHAPTER 15
ETNA
The last goalTampa scores is in the last eight seconds of the game. The horn grates, making me tense as I head for the bench. Fuck them.
I try to block out the announcer shouting about their goal. I’m just thankful Horny’s not in the net right now because he’d be in a really bad mood tonight. Losing always sucks, but losing to a team filled with assholes is really just a punch in the gut. It has its own special sting and flavor.
Thankfully, we don’t have much longer to suffer through this misery. We lose 3-5 and file off the ice toward the chute as the crowd cheers. I spend several long minutes under the water trying to wash away the game.
I get that they win a lot, but fuck, IhateTampa. I swear, you need to pass an asshole test to even be accepted onto the team. It’s lame and I hate it. But whatever.
The entire team is quiet as we change back into our suits and load up our gear bags. I toss my bag under the bus and get on, finding a seat by the window. Keno joins me a minute later. This is one of those moments when I think a nice hug would help soften the misery of today’s defeat. But since we only told theteam earlier today, I think keeping the PDA at zero is probably a good idea for a while.
As soon as the hotel room door shuts, I pull Keno into my arms. He immediately softens into my hold. I’m not sure who’s holding whose weight right now as we melt into each other.
“I know we agreed to go out, but I think I’d rather stay in like this,” I say.
“It’s already eleven. We can go out for an hour and come back to cuddle,” Keno offers.
Sighing, I nod. “Fine.”
Horny said that if we were almost anywhere else, he’d have seen what the guys on the other team had planned for the night. But the Tampa team is filled with assholes. Which makes losing to them tonight suck some rank balls.
Instead, he found a place on the beach offering games and food with an ‘unobstructed view of the fireworks over the ocean.’ That seemed to hit all the marks for what he was looking for. Our friends aren’t big drinkers, so this sounded like a good idea.
“I’m changing, though,” I say and let Keno go. “Since it’s on the beach, I think gym shorts are okay, yeah?”
Keno nods. “Yep.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Keno divest himself of his suit right down to his underwear. More and more, every time I see him naked, I get a little nervous. In the following days, we’re going to start getting reminders for some sexual things. We’re master cuddlers now. We cuddle so fucking good I think we should get awards for it.
And hugs, too! They’re the best. Simple kisses have become natural. Holding hands is pretty nice, too. Like a reminder that my person is right there. So close that simply holding hands is possible. Even for no reason at all, like standing quietly in a long line while we both doomscroll on our phones.
We’ve gotten the romantic things down; things that facilitate the beginning of a romantic connection and begin to spark some intimate moments, too.
Next is touch. Lots of touching of skin. And yeah, I’m nervous. I try not to be because I know Keno is. His fear of one or both of us not liking it makes him anxious, so I make sure he only ever gets confidence from me. But I’m definitely nervous too.
Only, I’m nervous for different reasons. I’m not all too concerned about whether we’ll like it. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue. Quite simply, hands down, guys like to get off. Close your eyes and a hand is a hand. A mouth is a mouth. And, following that line of thought, a hole is a hole.
Add to that the fact wedocare about each other a lot and I think we’ll be just fine. I’ve always heard sex is better with the person you love. There’s no doubt in my mind that I love Keno. Maybe it’s not the romantic kind of love, but I still love him more than anyone in this entire world. That counts for something.
That’s why we’re getting married with the confidence that we’re going to be a great couple.
No. I’m not nervous about any of that. I’m nervous because this is Keno. My best friend. I’m going to touch his dick.
