Page 109 of The Last Guy On Earth
“But I’m doing a shitty job pretending that you don’t matter to me. Thatwedon’t matter.”
“Agreed,” he says a little smugly. “Order the food in room 910. That way I don’t have to move yet.”
“Good idea.” If the room service delivery person is a hockey fan, they won’t wonder about the goalie in the coach’s bed.
“Plus, I’m always happy to buy you breakfast after you put out for me.”
With a snort, I walk naked into his room to order our meal.
We’re full of pancakes and drinking coffee in bed when Jethro picks up his phone and taps a contact. And when the call connects, I hear it answered with, “Cougars Clubhouse, this is Avery speaking.”
“Hello, Avery. Is this the travel desk?” he asks.
“Yes, Mr. Hale. Is there something we can help you with?”
“Yeah, I hope so. A while back I gave you a preference for lower floors when we travel. But last night they put me on the Gold Level, and I had areallylucky night.” He looks me dead in the eye and winks.
“It was a fantastic game,” our employee gushes.
“Thank you. I’m a superstitious guy, so I’d like to keep the good times rolling. If you could put me on the club level when we travel next week, I’d appreciate it.”
“Anything for our players,” she says. “Can’t wait to see where I’ll be sending you—Detroit or Carolina.”
“Me too. Thanks.” He clicks off and takes a sip of his coffee without comment.
“Superstitious, huh?” I ask.
“Yup. I have the uncanny suspicion that the location of my hotel room affects my odds for blowing you on the road next week.”
“Risky, though,” I point out, even as my cock gets a little heavy.
He watches me over the rim of his cup. “If you say we can’t, I’ll understand. But Clay, this doesn’t get easier after the finals.”
“I know,” I say automatically. “As long as you’re a Cougar, we can’t ever be a real couple.”
But what if he retires?my heart asks.
He tilts his head at me, almost as if he can hear my thoughts. “And if I should happen to retire in a blaze of glory, it still doesn’t help. I can’t keep my father in Colorado if I’m not under contract. He wants to go back. Toby wants to go back. I dragged them here out of obligation. But if that obligation ends…”
The coffee turns to battery acid in my stomach. “You’ll have to leave if you’re not playing for Colorado? But if you’re playing for Colorado, then…”
He nods when he sees that I understand. There’s no magic solution here. Just bad choices everywhere I look. And to think that I woke up this morning wondering if we had a chance.
I love you, he’d said. But sometimes that’s not enough.
I’m still processing this when someone knocks on the door. “Coach?”
Jethro’s gaze locks on mine. We’re naked in this bed, two sets of breakfast dishes piled messily onto a rolling cart, clothing strewn around the floor. But nobody panics. We’re in too deep for that.
“Two minutes,” I call. “Gotta get dressed.”
We both slip out of bed. Jethro sets his cup down on the room service cart and rolls it quietly through the door and into his own room, like a naked service worker. Then he returns to grab his underwear off my floor.
He stops on the threshold, though, as if waiting for me.
I go to him, and he takes my chin in his hand and kisses me softly on the jaw. “To be continued,” he whispers in the barest voice.
Pulling him close, I put my lips beside his ear. “I love you, Jetty. Only you.”
