Page 55 of Perfect Storm
“My balance isn’t what it used to be. I can usually make do with darts, but not pool,” Ramsey said wryly.
“Dude, that sucks,” Levi said sympathetically. “So what’s it like, long-term injured reserve? Know what it’s like in football but not hockey.”
“Get paid. Do nothing. Try to recover so I can play again. That’s what it’s like,” Ramsey said. “Hardest part is staying busy. Which is why I’m up here. Wes was tired of me whining about being alone in Buffalo.”
“He was so depressing,” Wes said earnestly. “And we’re there for each other.” They exchanged glances, loaded with some kind of emotion—Aidan was pretty sure it wasn’t sexual or romantic, but then, he was shitty at figuring out feelings anyway. There was a reason he was struggling with the whole thing with Levi.
“Adorable,” Nate said dryly.
“We’ve known each other a long time,” Ramsey said, jaw jutting out a bit. Aidan had a feeling he wasn’t really defending himself but Wes.
Honestly, what was Nate’s problem? Aidan was naturally kind of suspicious of new guys—especially new guys who weren’t football players—entering their circle, but Ramsey was a pro, too.AndWes was vouching for him.
“Yeah?” Aidan asked casually, but sending a pointed look in Nate’s direction. He wasn’t Nate’s captain—that was Sterling. But he was a veteran and a leader on this team, and usually his teammates listened to what he was laying down.
“We went to Portland U together,” Wes said.
“Hockey player and football player becoming friends? That’s unusual,” Dawson said, as he finished racking up the balls.
“Notthatunusual,” Ramsey said. “We’ve got friends who ended up together. Dean plays football for the Riptide and Brodycould’vegone pro as a hockey player. Was drafted andeverything but he decided to go to med school, like the fucking overachiever he is.”
“You’re still torn up about that,” Wes teased. “Brody picking science over hockey.”
“Well,yeah,” Ramsey said flatly. Like he couldn’t imagine anyone pickinganythingover hockey.
Coming from a guy currently not playing, it hurt. It hurt to look at him, and not just because he looked like the kind of guy who belonged on the cover ofGQ.
“You’re gonna get there, bud,” Wes said, patting him on the arm. He pulled him over to the dartboards a moment later, along with Nate, and Aidan and Levi were left to their own devices.
Aidan settled down on the end of one couch, where he could see both the pool game and the dartboards, and he wasn’t surprised at all when Levi joined him.
Hewassurprised that Levi settled down right next to him and then slung an arm across the back of the couch, his fingers brushing Aidan’s shoulder. He didn’t pull Aidan against him, but he might as well have.
Aidan swallowed hard and glanced around the room but nobody was paying attention to them. Maybe they’d already noticed and just assumed Levi was touchy-feely like that.
And Leviwas. Aidan had seen him hugging Griff and the other linemen. Pulling Trevor into an embrace. Casually resting a hand on Nate’s back or Wes’ arm.
With him, though, it felt like more. Especially when the tips of Levi’s fingers lingered along his shoulders. Practically stroking him.
“You good?” Levi asked, leaning in a fraction closer.
Aidan told himself to stop overthinking—to stop thinking,period—and just enjoy it, like it wasn’t a big deal. Because clearly, Levi didn’t think it was a big deal.
“Yeah. Should probably be asking you that, after today’s practice.” Aidan took a sip of whiskey. It was warm and smokey on his tongue.
Levi chuckled. “Told you, Flynn. I’m tougher than that.”
And he was tough, for sure. No question about that. But he wasn’t just tough; he was soft, too. Not just good at putting people at ease, but caring enough to do it.
“Bet Ross wishes you were a little less tough,” Aidan said.
Levi sighed. His fingers stroked with more purpose, like it wasn’t just an incidental touch, but entirely on purpose.
“It might get ugly, at some point,” Levi pointed out carefully.
“What’s gonna be ugly is if I spend the next twenty weeks with my ass on the turf,” Aidan said, trying to keep his voice light, but it was impossible to keep the dread out of it. If that happened, they wouldn’t win very many games. They definitely wouldn’t be going to the Super Bowl, never mind winning it. It might even cut his career a year short.
“I promise you that isn’t going to happen,” Levi said.
