Page 116 of Drop the Gloves
Evan turned around and shrugged as he walked backwards.“It worked, didn’t it?”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t effective.You’re not getting out of this.You owe me a milkshake, a beer, and an explanation.Abs!”
But Evan had escaped.For now.
Riley passed out before they took off, his head on Evan’s shoulder.Evan wanted to hold him, especially when they hit turbulence and he flinched in pain, but he restrained himself.It was barely an hour flight.He could wait.
“You guys made up.”
Evan nearly jumped off his seat.He looked across the aisle and spotted Vassiliev a few rows up, watching them.
“Huh?”he asked.He’d been pretty successful playing dumb so far, so he figured that was his best bet.Sometimes it wasn’t even an act.
“You and Barzy.You’ve been...off.No hitting before the game.I knew in the game it was better, and now I see it’s back to normal.”He grinned.“Good.We’ll need more goals if we want to make the playoffs.”
Right.
If anyone else shared the sentiment, they kept it to themselves.
* * *
Arriving in Pittsburgh with everyone eager to fuck off for five days meant they were the last ones off the plane.
“I can carry my own shit,” Riley warned.“I don’t carry stuff with my face.”
Evan held up his hands in surrender.
Throughout the whole Uber ride, crammed into the back of a too-small sedan, Evan was conscious of the fact that Riley had never been to his condo.He’d rarely seen Riley’s apartment building, and hiding behind practice and convenience hadn’t given him an excuse to have Riley over.Really, he’d avoided it because that had felt too intimate.Having sex with a guy in his own bed had been the last bridge to cross, that one last chance at plausible deniability.
...was he about to have sex with Riley in his bed?Fuuuuck that would be awesome.
Evan’s hand fumbled with the stupid condo lock not once, but twice.Then Riley was walking past him inside, and wow, he looked good there.
“There’s no Canadian flag,” Riley said as he looked around.“Thought Canadians were, like, legally required to have at least five maple leaves per square foot.Sorry, per squaremetre.”
Yes, he pronounced meter wrong.Like a French word.Ass.
“Says the American.Aren’t you guys born star-spangled?”
“Touche.”Riley plopped down on the couch and let his head fall back against the leather.“Not to be super fucking boring, but I’m hungry and tired.Could you fix one while I work on the other?”
There wasn’t a lot that Evan would consider edible in his apartment—he’d planned to go grocery shopping when he got back in town, but he wasn’t going to abandon Riley to do it—so he did what he could.Grilled cheese sandwiches and protein bars.Yummy.
He finished plating and was about to decide whether to let Riley sleep or wake him up, but when he looked up, he saw Riley watching him from the couch.
“Not to be that guy,” Riley said, voice rough and eyes hooded as he palmed his cock through his pants, “but could you fuck me before we eat?”
Evan swallowed the lump in his throat.“Yeah,” he said.“I think we could fit that in.”
It started with slow kisses on the couch, with Evan straddling Riley and being mindful of his stitches.
“Just fucking touch my face,” Riley said and then bit down on Evan’s lower lip.
“Ow!What the fuck?”
Riley wiggled his hands under Evan’s shirt and ran his hands up his chest.“You can touch my face.It’s not that bad.”
“Have youseenyour face?”
