Page 81 of The Home Game

It was who he was as a person that Antoni felt helpless against.

So when Matty asked him that weekend if he wanted to go out on the boat with a few of his teammates, Antoni said yes.

It wasn’t a boat; it was a fucking yacht, which was the height of insanity as far as Antoni was concerned, but the weather had stayed very warm into early September, so Antoni figured they might as well enjoy it.

Alexis and Eli had a blast jumping into Lake Ontario along with Anton Makarov’s and Eric Jensen’s older kids and River happily splashed in the pool on the deck with the littler ones—supervised by Matty, Eric, and Anton—while Antoni hung out in the shade with Reese and talked to Elena Makarov and Kayla Jensen.

They were lovely people too and by the time the day was up, Antoni had agreed to some playdates and gotten a whole list of tips and tricks from Elena about managing schedules and teething babies and all sorts of other things.

The woman was frighteningly organized and incredibly capable as a parent and Antoni felt lucky to have met her and Kayla.

He suspected it was exactly why Matty had arranged for them to get to know one another.

Antoni promised them that he’d text if he ever needed anything like emergency childcare and, as Antoni drove Matty and the kids home that evening, all of them drowsy from the sun and exercise, he thought he might as well be dating Matty at this point.

It felt like they were dating. Just platonically.

And wasn’t that fucking stupid because Antoni had been trying not to stare at Matty’s ass in those wet swim trunks all day and Jesus he wanted to bury his face between his cheeks and eat Matty out until he came all over the sheets, sobbing Antoni’s name.

Or, you know, vice versa. Antoni wasn’t picky. Just as long as they were naked and touching each other.

But Antoni was being good. He was.

So later that night, when the kids were settled in to sleep and Matty asked him if he wanted to watch TV together, Antoni shook his head. “I’d kinda like a quiet night in just to read.”

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d sat down with a hardcover book and a mug of tea and just got lost in another world.

He loved audiobooks too and he listened to them as often as he could but it was a different experience, especially since he was usually doing ten million other things while he listened.

“Okay,” Matty said quietly. “Um, some of the guys on the team asked if I wanted to go out and grab a drink tonight actually …”

“Go!” Antoni said. “Don’t stay home on my account.”

Antoni hated the way Matty’s face fell. But it was for the best, right?

After Matty had left, Antoni checked that the kids were all sleeping. Alexis was spending the night at a friend’s house and Eli, River, and Reese were out cold so he ducked into his bedroom to grab a book.

But once he was in there, an idea occurred to him. Maybe before he read, he should take advantage of the privacy.

So he locked the door behind him, showered, then pulled out a toy.

He felt guilty as he slicked the vibrating dildo and pressed it inside himself. Because he wasn’t picturing some random fantasy man or someone famous.

It was Matty he imagined sliding into him.

It was Matty he pictured kissing and fucking.

It was Matty’s name—strangled and muffled against his arm—that Antoni cried out as he came all over his stomach, chest heaving, body trembling.

After, when Antoni was cleaned up, dressed in pajamas, and he’d climbed into bed again with a book, it was Matty he pictured in bed beside him.

A big Sunday breakfast was apparently a thing around here because the following morning, Antoni woke to chocolate chip waffles, scrambled eggs, fruit, and turkey sausage waiting for him in the kitchen.

Matty looked unaffected by his night out, smiling brightly as he handed Antoni a cup of coffee.

But Antoni guiltily felt grateful that he didn’t have to wonder if Matty had hooked up with anyone last night. Sure, at some point, Matty would probably date someone else. But he’d said it himself, he didn’t do casual sex and if he needed time to get to know a person, it wouldn’t happen quickly.

Antoni ignored the little voice in his head that said that the connection he and Matty built hadn’t exactly taken that long.

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