Page 122 of The Shots You Take

Riley laughed. The house was exactly what he’d been expecting: a recently constructed brick luxury home that looked a lot like the one Adam had shared with Maggie. It also looked like every other house in the neighborhood,with the same tidy patch of lawn, wide cement driveway, and three-car garage. Riley had never been a fan of the style, but houses like this one had been popular with his teammates.

Adam had parked his dark blue Porsche Cayenne in the driveway, maybe so he could introduce Riley to his home through the front door, rather than through the garage. It was a hot afternoon, the sticky kind of humidity that Riley wasn’t used to anymore. Even the walk from the car to the front door made his T-shirt cling to his back.

The inside of Adam’s house was blissfully air-conditioned. Riley sighed in relief as he walked through the door.

“I have a pool too,” Adam said. “If you’re looking to beat the heat. I won’t be able to use it for a while after tomorrow, but I won’t mind watching you.”

Riley smiled. “Is that what I’m here for? Eye candy?”

Adam closed the door and stepped toward him. He was wearing blue shorts and a white linen shirt and had a bit of a tan. “My doctor said it was important.”

“He did, did he?” Riley placed a hand on Adam’s hip. Goose bumps erupted all over his forearms, from the aggressive air-conditioning and from anticipation.

“She, and I’m pretty sure she said something about how having a hunk around the house would speed recovery.”

“Can’t hurt,” Riley said, then kissed him. Adam surged against him, quickly transforming the kiss from hopeful to spine melting.

“Thank god,” Adam said when they broke apart. “I was worried we might not be doing that right away.”

Riley smiled. “I was going to try to hold out longer.”

“Fuck that,” Adam said, and then they were kissing again.

They kissed until they were both breathless, then Adam rested his forehead against Riley’s and said, “We have to have so much sex tonight.”

“Yeah?” Riley was on board with that. He, of course, hadn’t been with anyone since Adam had left, and the grief that Riley had slowly been working through had been spiked by horniness. It had been a confusing and intense cocktail of emotions.

“I’ll be out of commission after tonight,” Adam explained. “I’ve got to stockpile orgasms.”

“Is this your doctor’s advice again?”

“She’s a really good doctor.”

Riley laughed. “I forgot. I brought you a cinnamon bun.”

Adam gasped. “From Paula’s?”

“No, from the airport. Of course from Paula’s.”

“And you’re just telling menow? Jesus, Riles. Sex can wait.”

Mid-cinnamon bun, Adam proposed pizza from his favorite place as his “last meal,” which sounded perfect to Riley.

“I’m pretty sure you can eat a few hours after your operation,” Riley said. “It’s notthatlong without food.”

“Yeah, but it’ll be hospital food tomorrow. That doesn’t count.”

It was expected that Adam would only need to stay one night in the hospital, and then Riley could take him home. That was if everything went well. Riley wasn’t letting himself think about any other possibilities.

“Are you nervous?” Riley asked later, as they were eating pizza at Adam’s kitchen island.

“Nah,” Adam said. “I’m a pro at operations at this point.”

Riley wasn’t sure he believed him, but Adam wouldn’t be the first hockey player to pretend he wasn’t scared, so he let it go. “You have your bag packed?”

“Yep. And you can just drop me off at the hospital. You don’t have to come in and wait around.”

Riley narrowed his eyes. “The fuck I don’t.”

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