Page 97 of Game On

He headed toward the exit, the other guys going with him, leaving Jamie alone in the hallway.

Releasing a long breath, Jamie stood quietly for a moment, eyes closed. Tonight hadn’t gone at all how he’d expected. Henty’s apology had him all mixed up, and he couldn’t help thinking that his final few months with the Cobras could’ve gone a lot differently. He’d shamefully taken every bit of abuse from Henty and their other teammates, and it didn’t take a psychologist for him to figure out that he’d been feeling guilty for the way things had ended with Scott, so he’d felt like he’d deserved to be harassed and bullied.

But he hadn’t.

They’d broken up. People broke up all the time. It happened. Maybe, if he’d sat Henty down and explained how his behaviour was making him feel, he could’ve put a stop to it early on.

Just like if he and Scott had sat down and talked about their relationship before tossing marriage into the bucket as a potential fix-all, they could’ve saved themselves the heartache of calling off their wedding.

They hadn’t communicated, and it had spelled their doom.

He didn’t want that for himself and Dorian. So with communication in mind, he stalked the rest of the way down the hallway and made a right at the end, aiming for the players’ exit, where he knew Dorian and Gio would be waiting for him.

And there was Dorian, tall and gorgeous, wearing dark wash jeans and a flimsy silk-like shirt with a deep V-neck that went halfway down his chest. The shirt was black with white swirls and he looked sexy as fuck in it.

He’d look just as sexy out of it.

First...

“I’m moving into Archie’s guesthouse,” Jamie blurted as he approached.

Dorian looked up from his phone, brow furrowed. “O... kay?”

“He offered it to me and said I could move in anytime, but I really wanted to stay with you until the end of the season.”

“Okay,” Dorian repeated. “Like I said before, I did expect you to stay until then anyway.”

“Right. But I had the opportunity to move out early, and I didn’t take it.”

Dorian stepped closer and took his hand. “Why are you telling me this?”

Christ. Hell if Jamie knew. “Because it felt dishonest not to? The good news is, Archie only lives a few blocks from you. I could walk to your place in ten minutes.”

Eyes going bright, Dorian swung their joined hands. “We can meet halfway to walk our dogs,” he said, like it was a done deal that Jamie would get a dog.

He did plan on fostering again, and maybe he’d get that second dog too—the one that was really Dorian’s.

And suddenly, the future played out before him, one filled with dogs and hockey and sampling small business products. There’d be laughter and tears too, maybe more romantic dinners in a blanket fort, and lots of Dorian prickling up and Jamie seeing right through him.

“You’re okay with me moving out, then?”

Dorian just looked confused again. “Weren’t you always going to?”

“Yeah, but then this happened.” Jamie waved a hand between them.

“Right,” Dorian said slowly, brow creasing. “But I don’t want to live with you permanently. At least, not yet. I mean, don’t get me wrong,” he quickly backpedalled. “I love having you around, but—” He broke off, lips flattening, and planted his hands on his hips. “Why do you look so happy that I don’t want to live with you?”

“Because I don’t want to live with you yet either.” Jamie pressed a quick kiss to Dorian’s unsmiling mouth. “It’s too soon. And I’m glad we’re on the same page about that.”

“Yay?”

Jamie couldn’t help but laugh, the sound bouncing down the hallway and echoing back at them. “And in the interest of not being dishonest...” He inhaled deeply and took a leap he hadn’t expected to take in the back hallway of his arena. “I should tell you that I’ve fallen for you. Hard.”

A complicated mix of emotions crossed Dorian’s face. Fear, elation, surprise, wariness. It finally settled on a cross between satisfaction and smugness, which was so very Dorian.

And when he said, “I kind of figured that out when you took me home to meet your family,” that was so very Dorian too.

Because Jamie heard what he wasn’t saying.

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