Page 111 of Heart Taker

TWO WEEKS LATER

Selwin was due to arrive any minute now, and I was pacing the ice.

The photographer was already here, and so was Dave, acting as the school’s PR rep. But hopefully not for long. A couple of hours, tops. Having outside people observing my players wasn’t exactly conducive to a full day of training camp. Not for my players or for me. I needed everyone focused, not distracted.

And speaking of major distractions, I glanced over at Silas, who stood near the net, talking to Finn, Dane, and Ethan. My gaze never strayed far from him. Not today, and not for the past two weeks. Outside of camp, we stole every spare moment away together and it still wasn’t enough. The sex kept getting hotter, and more than that, what blew my mind every time, was that the conversations between us had no end. It took us forever to end any text exchange or phone call, and when we were together, there was always one more kiss that we had to steal.

I didn’t want to let go. I couldn’t.

There was no doubt about my feelings; I was in love with Silas.

But falling was one thing, sneaking around was another. We couldn’t hide forever. I wanted to hold his fucking hand and not just in the privacy of my home. I knew he wanted the same, but how? When? I was trapped in a maze of my own making, with no clear exit in sight. There was no one I’d rather be confined with than my sarcastic defenseman, but damn, I wanted to stand with him in the light.

“Damien!”

I turned to find Selwin staring at me from the other side of the boards, suited up in his hockey uniform, giving me that shit-eating grin that told me today was going to be one for the records.

“You finally made it,” I quipped. “I was about to call Aleksi to see if he could switch days.”

“What? No way. No second best for Sutton U,” Selwin returned with his trademark grin and stepped out onto the ice.

“I dare you to say that to his face.”

“I’m silly, not stupid,” Selwin remarked.

I skated over to my friend, and he brought me in for a hug.

“You look amazing, D,” Selwin whispered, and then not-so-subtly glanced down the ice. “And one guess as to why.”

“Later,” I replied quickly. “For now, you’ve got players to mentor.”

“Lead the way.”

We skated off down the ice, and I watched as each player offered their hand to Selwin. Sel lapped up all their attention, making jokes and putting everyone at ease. Silas, who normally reserved his comments for snarky comebacks aimed at me, peppered Selwin with tons of questions about the upcoming season, while Finn, who was always talkative, stood there silently staring into space like he’d been hit by the Zamboni.Meeting a hockey idol had a strange effect on players, and mine were no exception.

After almost ten minutes of talk, I motioned for everyone to get moving. Everyone but Sel and Silas headed off down the ice.

“I said, let’s get to work.”

I blew my whistle hard and Selwin covered his helmet with his gloved hands.

“Not in my ear, man.”

“Then go get warmed up,” I warned.

“How do you put up with him?” Selwin quipped as he nudged Silas’s arm.

“It’s hard, no doubt.” Silas replied and gave me a grin that was way too dirty for a morning practice. “Damien’s a total pain in my ass, but I have to say I enjoy it.”

Selwin laughed at that comment, but thankfully, no one else heard our conversation.

“Enough shenanigans,” I insisted, trying not to react to Silas’s words. “Both of you.”

They skated off together, my lover and my oldest friend. I watched the scene with a pang in my chest. We all knew, and yet nothing could be said. Or done. What was I going to do? Nothing. I couldn’t do fuck all to change the situation I found myself in and I didn’t like it one bit. For a guy who preferred his private life to stay that way, I was frustrated with hiding what was going on between me and Silas.

Instead of feeling defeated, I gotmyass in gear and set up the scene for our first set of drills. The guys worked hard for over an hour, and by the time we were ready for our first break, the journalist slash photographer, along with Dave, had arrived.

I lost control of the narrative at that point.

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