“Thanks, I’d like that.”
I had my eyes on the doorway, even when chatting, so I spotted Mortenson the moment he appeared.Tall, bulky, but yeah, not as big as me.I didn’t move toward him as he crossed to the buffet, but I kept my gaze fixed on his back, willing him to feel the heat.After a minute, maybe he noticed the prickles on the back of his neck because he turned and sought my eyes out across the room.I was so, so tempted to walk over there, to say something unsubtle and threatening.Motherfuckers like you stole so much time from Logan and me.But I didn’t want to bring down the joyful winning energy of the room, so I just folded my arms and glared.
Mortenson’s face flushed, then he laughed and turned away.
Okay, fucker, but know you’re in my sights.
“Who are you trying to incinerate with your eyes?”Logan asked from my left, having somehow slipped in while I was glaring.“Oh, Morty.Not worth your time.Let’s get out of here.”
“Hey, Vally,” a player called.“We’re going out to party after this.You and your, uh, boyfriend want to come along?”
“No thanks,” he called back.“Sometime, sure, but tonight I’m calling for a hot tub and an early bed.My hip’s killing me.”
Usually, it was Logan’s knee that bothered him.“Oh,” I remembered.“From when you slid into the net?”He’d taken the post off its moorings, tangled up with the goaltender.
“Yeah.I still say that was tripping.”
A very young guy walking past punched Logan’s arm.“It fucking was, bro, but we won seven to two, so we’ll let it go, right?”
Logan grinned at him.“Right.”
God, I wanted to eat that grin off his face, but I knew how many calories he’d burned on the ice.“You want to grab some food before we go?”
“Nah.I’ll eat at home.Um, I mean, your place…” A little of his animation was replaced with uncertainty.
“Home.Definitely.”I didn’t want him doubting that.A year ago, we’d planned to start living together at my place, and now I wanted that so much it hurt.“Avery’s there, but she’s apartment-hunting.Come on.”I didn’t wrap my arm around him the way I wanted to, there in his team space, but I tapped the back of his hand with mine.
Logan glanced around the room, at all the people not watching us, and the few who were.Then he went up on tiptoe and tilted his head for a kiss.I wasn’t about to say no.We kept it fast and simple, no more explicit than Wilkins and his wife, but Logan’s eyes shone when he dropped his heels back to the floor and fisted the hem of my jacket.
“See you fuckers at practice tomorrow,” he called, leading me toward the door.
“Sure,” someone called back.“Remember, no sex injuries.”
Someone else hooted, and Logan coughed as we left the room.“Sorry about that.”
“Nah, that’s cool.”In the privacy of the empty corridor, I hugged him to my side.“It’s when theydon’ttroll you at all that you’re in trouble.”
“God, so true.”Logan heaved a sigh.“I think that went okay, but I amsoready to get horizontal.”
“By yourself, or with company?”I let him lead the way toward the parking lot.
“With you.Definitely with you.”
We stepped out into the cool, damp January air.I said, “Want to ride with me?I could bring you back for your car in the morning before school.”
Logan grinned.“No offense, dude, but practice isn’t till eleven tomorrow.I get to sleep in.So no, thank you.I’ll meet you at your place, if that’s okay.”
“Sure.Drive safe.”I watched to make sure he crossed the lot without mishap and his old car started, before heading for mine.
Some of the other players came out, shoving each other and laughing loudly.Mortenson was among them, and he shot a look my way.I folded my arms to make my biceps strain my jacket, leaned on my car, and crossed one ankle over the other, eyeing him until they piled into one car together and drove off.
Maybe that was too “possessive Neanderthal.”If Logan had noticed, there was a good chance he’d be pissed, but I knew bullies.They only stopped if the consequences were significant enough.
I didn’t trust Logan’s team, or any professional sports league, to really dole out consequences for bad behavior.Hell, even at the high school level I coached, if I benched a top player for some shit they’d done, I’d have a dozen angry emails from team parents and a call to talk to the vice-principal about whether we couldn’t find a different “consequence” for the poor boy.
So if Mortenson looked my way and saw a consequence that could punch his face in, I was perfectly fine with that.
Despite driving with a heavy foot on the gas, I arrived to find Logan had beaten me home.He’d parked on the drive outside the front door and sat waiting, vapor behind the car showing his engine was still running.I hit the control for the garage door and gestured at him.After a moment, he eased forward into my spot.
