Page 54 of Spite Crush

“See,” he said softly, shaking his head. “How the fuck am I supposed to leave now?”

“You’ll manage,” I promised him, pushing him backward so I could stand up. “And when you’re lying inbed later, knowing that I washed my face but not my chest—”

“Stop it!” He groaned as he raked his gaze over me. “You’re the worst.”

“And you love me,” I reminded him. I walked over to the sink and grabbed a towel from the hook to wipe my face.

“I really fucking do,” he agreed. “And I really have to leave now.”

I glanced up in the mirror and watched him tuck himself back into his jeans then walk up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist, ourreflections meeting each other’s gazes.

“I love you,” I told him, turning in his arms to lock my wrists behind his neck. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being you.” I shrugged.

He shook his head then leaned down and kissed me softly. Then he sighed and pulled away, turning to leave.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” he promised as he opened the door.

“Okay.”

He left and I let out a shaky breath, leaning forward to rest my hands on the counter as I looked at myself in the mirror. I might not ever understand how he could fall in love with me, but I would be forever grateful that he had.

Chapter Twenty

~Zak~

“I thought we agreed you two weren’t going to appear publicly together.”

“We weren’t together,” I reminded Sutherland. “He was in the crowd. Besides, you guys agreed to that shit. I was never on board with it, and I don’t think Kellen was either.”

We were sitting next to each other on the bus on the way back to Michigan after having swept the first round against Chicago. The rest ofthe team were crowded at the front, celebrating loudly enough to give us some semblance of privacy, but I still would have preferred to have this conversation somewhere else.

Or not at all.

“So what?” he asked quietly. “You’re ready to just come out? Now? In the middle of our first playoff run?”

“I didn’t say that,” I snapped. “Look, we told you from the beginning. No one is going to assume we’re together just because he comes to a couple of games. And ifthat does become the assumption…then so be it.”

I was still scared about what coming out might do to my career. But I knew that I was an instrumental part of taking the Inferno to the playoffs. So if they dropped me for coming out, I’d just sue the shit out of them for discrimination.

“Are you in love with this kid or something?” Sutherland asked.

“Yes.”

The stunned look on my coach’s face was absolutely worth the insanity of this conversation. I’m not sure whathe thought was happening with me and Kellen, but it certainly wasn’t this.

“Well, I can’t stop you,” Sutherland said. “But I’m begging you to think carefully about when you decide to come out.”

“Afraid I’m going to bring shame on the Inferno during the playoffs?” I asked coldly.

“No.” He stared at me and I think there was actual hurt in his expression. “Christ, Zak. I really am thinking about you. You’re a free agent after this season and while I’d like to think management aren’t totalhomophobes, I can’t promise they won’t find a legitimate way to let you go.”

To be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay. I hated the way the entire organization had treated me through this. And while it was easy to think I could sue for discrimination, God knows I’d probably done things in my career that would give them grounds to drop me. And since I didn’t even have an agent to protect me…

“Look, we haven’t even discussed coming out together,” Iadmitted. “But I don’t think we’d deny anything if rumors started cropping up. Which, again, and I cannot stress this to you enough, I don’t think they will.”

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