Page 111 of Heated Rivalry 1
And Shane chickened out. Because he couldn’t tell them that the right onehadcome along, and it was the pissed-off Russian man who was currently heading to the penalty box on their television.
“Yeah,” he said, “I know.”
He had the most ridiculous urge to send Ilya a text that just saidI love you. He had those words trapped inside of him, filling every part of him, and, the strain of keeping them from slipping out was getting harder to endure.
Instead, he texted Rose.
Shane: My mom is wondering when we’re getting back together.
She replied a few minutes later.Ha!
Then,
Rose: Sorry. It’s not really funny. How are you? How’s your head?
Shane: Getting better. I can watch tv without sunglasses now.
Rose: But watching tv with sunglasses on is COOL!
Shane replied with the sunglasses face emoji.
Rose: Do you have a hot male nurse taking care of you?
Shane laughed, which caused both of his parents to look at him.
Shane: No. I’m at my parents’ house.
Rose: That’s a shame.
Shane: Maybe I could ask them to hire me a hot male nurse? Is that a good way to come out?
Rose: I legit LOL’d, Shane.
Shane laughed too.
“Who are you texting?” his mother asked.
“No one,” Shane said quickly. “Hayden.”Lies upon lies.
“How’s the baby?”
Baby?Oh!“Great! You know. Hayden and Jackie are totally in love with her.”Probably.
“You shouldn’t be looking at your phone so much. It’s not good for your concussion.”
“Iknow, Mom!” Shane snapped.
She threw her hands up dramatically. “Sorry for caring about the health of your brain!”
He rolled his eyes. “Trust me.Plentyof people are concerned about the health of my brain.”
He’d been staying with his parents since leaving the hospital, and it was starting to wear on him. He was lucky to have them, and he couldn’t imagine having to suffer through this recovery on his own, but he was craving his independence.
Although, there wasoneperson he wouldn’t mind having around. But that person was looking frustrated as hell on his television.
Sexy too, though. Ilya had a thick playoff beard—the kind that Shane had always been envious of. Even when Shane had played all the way to the Stanley Cup finals, the best he’d been able to manage was a few pathetic tufts of hair, spaced out like islands on his face. Ilya had a full, dark beard that framed his plush lips, and oh god. Now all Shane could think about was wanting to feel that beard rub against his thighs.
The thing that he had been trying not to worry about too much—because his situation was depressing enough—wasthat he wasn’t entirely confident that he would feelanypart of Ilya rubbing against him ever again. And wouldn’t that be the world’s saddest joke? As soon as Shane finally admitted to himself that hewantedto be with Ilya, their weird arrangement might be permanently off the table.
