Page 116 of On Thin Ice

Probably itwasboth.

“It’s too bad he couldn’t come with you guys to the zoo,” Bryan said.

“Yeah, he had this party with the guys from his team who’re still in town,” Jacob said. “I’m trying to not get in the way of him enjoying this whole experience.”

Bryan rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to.”

“I’ve been through this—well, notthis, not college,” Jacob said, shifting uncomfortably. He’d come up through the juniors, instead. But the point remained. He’d already been through this. He’d played his years, and now he was done, and Finn had all his years ahead of him still.

“If you are currently overthinking everything, deciding for him that he couldn’t possibly want you, not when you’re at two different stages of life, stop it,” Bryan said, smacking him. “I’m sure he’d tell you to stop it, too, but he’s not here, and I doubtyou’d actually get out of your ass long enough to tell him what you’re worried about.”

Jacob winced.

“I mean it,” Bryan said. “Stop it right now.”

Jacob did try to stop it, but after he left Bryan’s house, he didn’t stop thinking about it.

Was still thinking about it when later that night, just after eleven, he was sitting in bed, watching ESPN, when his phone rang.

It was Finn, giggling into the receiver.

“You good?” Jacob said immediately. “You’re safe?” He did not want to drag his ass out of his comfortable, warm bed, but he would, if Finn needed help.

“I’m fine,” Finn said, and yeah, he’d definitely been drinking. “Totally fine.Sofine.”

Yeah, you are.

Bryan popped into Jacob’s head in to lecture him about keeping all these things to himself.

Jacob cleared his throat. “Yeah, you are.”

Finn hummed under his breath, sounding pleased that he’d said it out loud. “I’m back at my room, by the way,” he said. “Alone.”

He didn’t love how adept they’d gotten at phone sex recently, but he knew enough now to know what Finn wanted.

Whathewanted.

“Yeah? All alone?”

“So alone,” Finn confirmed. “I nearly took a cab to your place.”

“You have to be at Morgan’s tomorrow morning for brunch.”

“I’m totally capable of doing the walk of shame to my dad’s house.” Finn paused, like he was still aware, despite the booze, what a bad idea that would’ve been. After all, he hadn’t done it. “But you’re right. Annoyingly.”

“Bet I could be right again,” Jacob murmured, grabbing the remote and muting ESPN before switching speakerphone on.

“I hope so,” Finn said.

“I think if I kissed you right now, you’d melt right into me.” Jacob hadn’t ever thought he was any good at this, but either he’d gotten better because hehadto—thanks, Morgan—or it was surprisingly easy with Finn.

“Yeah,” Finn said breathily. “What else?”

“I bet if I slid my fingers down your chest and then lower, your cock would be hard.”

“Yes.” Finn groaned, and Jacob didn’t need Finn to tell him that he was doing what Jacob wishedhewas doing.

Arousal surged through him, and for a second, he couldn’t even form words. Couldn’t eventhinkthem. He just wanted Finn so goddamn bad.

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