Page 29 of Common Goal

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Eric laughed. He loved the way Kyle teased him. It was playful and almost fond, as if they were old friends. “I’m sure there’s plenty of salad left over.”

Kyle really had no idea what he was doing at this party, but the stolen time alone with Eric in the kitchen was...nice. He’d felt sort of warm and buzzy since they’d joined the party in the basement, even though Eric had been pulled away from him immediately by a couple of women, who were probably wives or girlfriends of his teammates.

Kyle was now sitting on a sectional sofa with Scott, Kip, Carter, and an attractive Swedish hockey player whose name Kyle kept forgetting. He looked about Kyle’s age.

Kyle knew Carter Vaughan because he often accompanied Scott when he’d visit Kip at the Kingfisher. Carter and Eric were Scott’s best friends on the team, but the two men couldn’t be more different. Carter was loud and fun, always the life of the party. He loved food and top shelf spirits, often giving Kyle shit about the subpar whiskey selection at the Kingfisher.

Carter, like most of the party guests, was closer to Kyle’s age than Eric’s. He was movie-star handsome, with dark skin and a strong jaw that was usually clean shaven. Eric was gorgeous, but in a more distinguished way with his salt-and-pepper beard and thick, curly hair that was begging to be rumpled.

What they had in common was that Carter and Eric were both good people, and they fully supported and loved Scott. Kyle liked them both.

“When are you and Gloria getting engaged, Carter?” Kip asked.

“Whenever she wants,” Carter said, which made everyone laugh. “I’m serious. She knows I’m ready when she is. It’s just hectic right now. We’re both traveling constantly.”

Carter was dating a very famous actress, Gloria Grey. She wasn’t here tonight, but she’d come to the Kingfisher a few times and she was super cool.

“Where is she tonight?” Kyle asked.

“Atlanta. She’s filming an action movie with Rose Landry where Gloria is an assassin and Rose is the special agent trying to stop her. Then they end up working together.”

“Boo. Spoilers,” Kip complained jokingly.

“It sounds badass,” Carter said.

“Do they fall in love?” Kyle asked. “The assassin and the special agent?”

“Not officially.” Carter grinned mischievously. “But Gloria said she and Rose are gonna play it like they’re totally hot for each other. See if anyone notices.”

“I love it,” Kip said.

Carter stood. “I’m hitting the bar. Anyone need anything?” He turned to Kyle. “Can I getyoua beer for a change?”

Kyle laughed. “I’m okay.” It was probably silly, but knowing Eric didn’t drink made Kyle not want to drink either. “I might try to get a peek at some more of Eric’s art collection.”

“It’s nice, right? I need to get that classy son of a bitch to teach me about that shit someday.”

“It won’t help,” joked the mystery Swedish guy.

“Fuck you, Tommy.”

Tommy.Right.Kip and Scott were clearly lost in each other’s eyes at the moment, so Kyle turned his attention to Tommy. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Kyle.” He held out his hand, and Tommy shook it.

“Tommy. Andersson.”

“Right! You’re the other goalie. Sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

Tommy smiled. He was really goddamned handsome. He looked like a Skarsgaard. “Don’t worry about it.”

There was nothing flirtatious about the way Tommy spoke to or looked at Kyle, but it occurred to Kyle that it was pretty cool that this probably-straight hockey player was calmly sharing a sectional sofa with three gay men. Like, he shouldn’t get a trophy for it or anything, but from what Kyle knew about team sports, especially hockey, it wasn’t an insignificant gesture. He wondered how big an impact Scott had made on the way his teammates viewed queer people.

“So you like getting hit by pucks too, huh?”

“Most of the time, yes.” He was so much younger than Eric. Kyle wondered if he was Eric’s competition, or if Eric was more like his mentor. Maybe it was a bit of both.

“Do you like New York?” Kyle asked. It was maybe the most boring question he could ask, but at least it filled the silence.

Tommy, thankfully, seemed enthusiastic when he answered. “Yes, I am very lucky. Not only because it’s New York, but because I get to play with Benny. Eric, I mean. He was my hero, growing up.”