“What was that for?” Allen called, lifting his stick as Jake spun at center ice and glided backward to keep him in view.
“Because I wanted to,” Jake shot back.
Allen snorted, shaking his head, but the pink dusting on his cheeks didn’t go unnoticed. “You’re ridiculous.”
“For you,” said Jake. “Always.”
22 /ALLEN
Allen wasa man of many kinks, but handing over his sweaty underwear like some treasured prize had never been one of them. He endured the ordeal of peeling them off and tossing them into the washing machine, all while Kingston stood nearby wearing a sulky frown. Fortunately, Allen was nothing if not clever, and a simple promise that Kingston could have them once they were clean was enough to make the disappointment vanish instantly.
He was also convinced, with very minimal effort, to let everyone join him for his bath. And while the tub in Jake’s bathroom was certainly big enough to fit multiple people, having three big men in the water with him made it feel cramped.
But the discomfort only lasted until Kingston set Allen on his lap and began to rub his shoulders, which then prompted Jake to wash his hair and massage his head, whichthenprompted Riley to rub his aching feet and work the knots out.
And yeah, he could get used to this.
When Riley and Kingston were with them, Allen didn’t have to worry about whether they were arguing or if they were eating enough. They were in his line of sight when they were inside the penthouse, and that greatly helped reduce his anxiety.
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
Allen’s eyes fluttered open, making sure to be mindful of the shampoo as he blinked at Riley. “Are you talking about my feet or our relationship? Please say it’s our relationship because I don’t really want to talk about foot fetishes tonight. I’m tired.”
Kingston poorly hid a snicker behind a cough, and Riley narrowed his eyes—but before they could bicker, Allen tapped his foot against Riley’s chest.
“Nope. I swear if anyone starts fighting, bath-cuddling privileges will be revoked.Behave.”
The threat was enough to make Riley instantly comply, and Allen found the submission as relieving as it was hot. He didn’t mind the occasional argument between the rivals-turned-lovers, but his bubble bath was not the time or place. They could save it for the bedroom, where Allen would gladly watch the two of them roll around to decide who was topping who.
“Close your eyes so I can rinse your hair,” Jake said, either unbothered or unaware of the growling happening between the boyfriends.
Allen snorted and did as he was told, quickly melting into the feeling of water being gently poured over his head until the shampoo was rinsed out. The second he became suds-free and was blinking his eyes back open, Kingston gripped his jaw and tilted his head back, shyly touching their lips together.
Kingston continued to surprise Allen with his gentleness, but kissing was where it shone through his rough exterior the most. He was slow and sweet during the contact, taking the time to explore Allen’s mouth with his own in a respectful but teasing way while continuing to check in with the others.
The communication was perfect, even if it was silent—even if Allen wanted to beg Kingston to kiss him until he was breathless and begging for more.
But swapping boyfriends would have to wait because Allen didn’t want them to dive off the deep end without checking that they all knew how to swim. They had all the time in the world to figure out how to work together, so he knew the wait would be worth it.
“Pretty,” Jake drawled, the word catching on the edge of his smile. “I could watch you two kiss forever.”
Allen drew away from Kingston to check in with Riley, but other than looking flustered, he seemed to agree with Jake’s statement since he was nodding along.
“We need to think of a game or an activity that we can do together,” Allen said, holding his foot up and giving it a little shake until Riley took the hint and resumed the massage. “Or we could plan a date for after your practice tomorrow?”
Riley dug his fingers into a tender spot, holding it until Allen moaned softly and went limp in Kingston’s arms. “I’ll counter your offer with a dateatpractice tomorrow, not after it.”
Allen’s moan turned into an irritated huff because why wouldn’t they try to bring hockey into everything? He should have expected it.
“I agree with Riley,” Jake said, like the traitor he was. “We can sit behind the bench and watch them run drills.”
“Oh yes, how romantic,” Allen grumbled. “Being separated by glass is the perfect way for us to bond.”
The corner of Riley’s mouth lifted in a devious smirk. “Are you saying you don’t want to wear my sweater again, Monroe?”
Allen was not above shoving his foot in Riley’s mouth, but it was tempting.So tempting.
“We’ll come to your practice tomorrow,” Allen began, knowing that he would have to compromise somewhere to keep them motivated. “But then after practice I want to do something else that doesn’t involve hockey.”
