Page 17 of The Waiting Game

Felix was a hockey player; by now, shouldn’t he have acquired a broken nose or some busted teeth or something? But no, his nose was long and straight and he had a perfect white smile that had somehow survived decades of hockey.

Some people were just blessed.

He was usually clean-shaven but he’d relaxed a little since he got back from rehab, wearing his facial hair at that perfect “almost a beard” length.

He pretended like he was a blond, but there was a distinct reddish hue to the strands of hair—strawberry blond if Jonah had ever seen it—and his facial hair had a glint of red in it too, especially when he was out in the sun.

“What?” Felix said, wiping at his mouth. “Do I have something on me?”

“Uh, no.” Jonah cleared his throat.

Damn Felix for being unreasonably handsome.

“Tired, I guess,” he lied. “Spacing out.”

“I bet all that fighting is pretty exhausting.” Felix reached out and brushed at the spot below Jonah’s eye that had begun to bruise.

Jonah shivered at the contact, leaning in before he could stop himself. “Yeah,” he croaked. “Guess so.”

“You look like such a tough guy like this,” Felix murmured, his voice weirdly low and intimate.

Jonah had to be imagining it, but it seemed like Felix had been even more touchy-feely since he got out of rehab.

Freer, somehow.

And, freer was good. Freer meant he was less burdened. Less weighed down by the shell of perfection he perpetually wore.

But Jonah wasn’t sure if he could handle Felix being freer with his touch.

It was already enough to make Jonah feel crazy.

He probably should have gone down to the dance floor tonight to find a guy. Brought him home.

Instead, here he stood on the sidewalk with Felix touching his face and making him want things that he couldn’t have.

Maybe I should let Grandma set me up.

D-Men in Love: Has Cupid Struck Again for the Fisher Cats?

Following a night out at Toronto’s newest gay hotspot, Fisher Cats defensemen Felix Hale and Jonah Brewer were spotted in a cozy clinch while they waited for valet.

Fan photos show Hale tenderly touching his D-partner’s cheek and Brewer leaning in close.

A few minutes later, they left together in Brewer’s car.

While in recent years, Brewer has publicly brought several men to team events and spoken openly about being gay, thus far, Hale has only been linked to dating women. Most recently to Vancouver broadcast journalist Whitney Perkins.

Shortly after their breakup in August, Hale’s arrest and subsequent driving while intoxicated charge led to a ninety-day stint in rehab.

After conditioning with the Fisher Cats AHL affiliate, he rejoined the team. The Fisher Cats released a statement affirming their support of Hale and assuring the public they were satisfied by his commitment to his sobriety.

So what exactly was Hale doing at a nightclub last night?

While we here at JockGossip would like to give Hale the benefit of the doubt that he has his drinking issue under control, this isn’t a good look for a man with his history.

Still, the tender moment between Felix Hale and Jonah Brewer has piqued our interest. Maybe Hale’s time in rehab awakened something else …

CHAPTER FOUR

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