Page 79 of The Trade Deadline
The bartender interrupted to get Lars a drink and get his order.
“That’s probably why the fans like you,” Ryan muses. “You did that pick-up game over Thanksgiving. You comment on social media. You score a lot.”
“Not as much as last season,” Lars grumbled into his beer. When he put it down, he was smiling and Ryan couldn’t tell if he was actually annoyed about his production or not. “They like you, too, you know.”
Ryan rolled his eyes. “Because I’m pretty?” he asked sarcastically. He was well aware his fan base was mostly women. Not that he minded, but he’d seen enough signs at warm-ups and practice to know why they liked him.
“Youarepretty,” Lars agreed, “but they also like that you always stop to sign autographs and work with youth hockey and never say anything bad even when we lose. They also appreciate all the goals, so we should keep that up.”
“To goals.” He lifted his drink and let Lars clink his against the glass. “Skål.”
“Skål,” Lars repeated with wide eyes. “How…?”
Ryan took a sip, pleased to have surprised him. “It was one of the first things you ever said to me, I think. I don’t actually know Swedish.”
Yetcame unbidden, a silent promise he didn’t dare examine. It was safer to pretend he’d never thought it at all.
Lars seemed a little disappointed. “Oh. I wish I remembered.” He perked up. “I’ll try to say more interesting things from now on.”
Ryan gulped. “Like what?”
“Du är så sexig.”
“Ha! I think I got that one.” He flushed at the compliment. “What else you got?”
“Jag är förälskad i dig.”
This one stumped him. “No clue.”
Lars grinned widely. “I have a crush on you.”
Ryan had already been blushing; now his whole face was on fire. He took a cautious look around before leaning in, his hand barely brushing Lars’s as he said, “Jag är förälskad i dig, too,” with a stilted attempt to mimic Lars. He swiped his thumb once more over the back of Lars’s hand before he pulled away to a safe distance. “Sorry, that sounded awful.”
“No.” Lars coughed and fidgeted in his seat. “That was really good.”
Lars’s food arrived, and after he thanked the bartender, he hesitated. “After dinner…”
“After?” Ryan’s throat was suddenly dry.
“Will we be…hanging out?” he asked innocently. “Any new video games?”
Ryan had dutifully returned Tanner’s extra Xbox weeks ago, so he was fairly certain there would be no video games in their foreseeable future. “I might be free. Why do you ask?” He did his best to copy his coy tone.
“Just want to know if I should take my time enjoying my meal, so I can maximize my time with you tonight.” He motioned to the burger and fries in front of him, before pointedly saying, “Or maybe I should eat quickly so I can move on to the better part of my evening sooner.”
Ryan reflexively licked his lips. It had been a relief to get back in town before Lars. He’d spent the day cleaning his apartment and making sure his pantry was stocked with the essentials: sugary foods, flavored protein, and plenty of lube and condoms. He’d jerked off about a million times because he was so damn horny and needed to take the edge off. It hadn’t helped.
But in all other ways, he was ready.
“You should get it to go,” he said with a surprising amount of confidence. “I’ve got a busy night planned.”
* * *
He and Lars fell into a rhythm so easily it should’ve scared him. They were back on the grind, a killer schedule of games and training that wouldn’t let up again until the All Star break at the beginning of February. They’d been spoiled by the mini-breaks around both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but Ryan honestly preferred the torment of the grind; it meant he wouldn’t have time to actually think about the fact that every night, without fail, he left the rink to fuck Lars Nilsson.
And it wasn’t just the sex. It was the making breakfast together, the lazy make-out sessions while watching movies, the falling asleep and waking up in each other’s arms.Thatwas what he didn’t want to analyze, because he was pretty sure it all meant one thing.
The problem was twofold.
