Page 5 of Defensive Zone

His eyebrows lift in a silent question.

I grab the small plate with the donut from the counter behind me and hold it out to him. “I know I can’t make you feel any better after that game, which, by the way, should have been yours. I call goaltender interference—” He snorts at that. “—but I can try to give you a little drop of dopamine in the shape of a donut.”

His eyes soften as he looks from the donut to me, then rounds the counter to bring me in for a hug.

“Thank you for being here,” he murmurs into the collar of my shirt.

I return his embrace and give him a squeeze.

“Always.” I step back and point to his bowl of pasta with one hand and slap his ass with the other. “Now eat up. I’m going toget into something more comfortable. I swear denim is the devil for thick thighs.”

He laughs and carries his food over to the couch.

After a quick change, I walk back into the living room and fall back onto the couch, letting out a satisfied groan as I sink into the cloud-like cushions, causing Zach to chuckle around a mouthful of food.

I watch as he demolishes the bowl of pasta in record time before getting up to put it in the dishwasher and returning with the donut.

Grabbing a cushion, I place it on my lap, then give it a pat. Zach eyes it for a beat before leaning back so he can lie with his head on the cushion. My hand goes to his hair on instinct, combing my fingers through the soft strands, occasionally using the pads of my fingers to massage his scalp. He lets out a relaxed hum, and a rush of pleasure runs through me.

“What movie are we watching?” I ask.

He takes a bite of his donut and looks up at me. “Revenge of the Sith?”

“Good choice.” I load it up on the streaming app and settle back into the couch, continuing to idly run my fingers through his hair.

We’ve been glued at the hip since we were six years old, when my parents and I moved into the house next door to the Reids. The second I jumped out of the car, I saw him playing hockey, and I ran over, begging him to play football with me. I knew he was hesitant. I could see it in his light blue eyes that he wasn’t quite sure what to do or say. I had pretty much bulldozed my way over to him and left him startled, like a deer caught in the headlights, but I plastered on my easygoing smile, and he soon gave in.

Right then, I told him we were going to be best friends.

We’ve done everything together. School. College. Spent every off-season together since we made it to the pros. This time I get with Zach is what I look forward to all year.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. Getting to play in the NFL is the best job in the world. It was what I dreamed about since I was a kid and my dad took me to my first football game, but no wins ever come close to the happiness I feel when I’m with Zach. The five to six months we get to spend together keep me going. My girlfriends over the years never got it. They couldn’t understand why I was so excited to spend time here in Chicago, even when he was on the road.

It’s about moments like this. Chilling out, watching a movie, being close to my best friend. It’s all I want in life.

I wish I could take away his disappointment. Take away every ounce of sadness he’s feeling. I know it won’t last forever, but I just want him to be happy, always.

Because he may not know this, but I would be lost without Zach Reid.

Chapter Two

Zach

I didn’t know how badly I needed this vacation until we arrived three days ago.

The warm sun soothing the aches and pains that are a result of a tough season. The coarse sand between my toes reminding me that there’s tranquility in this world when life has been hectic. The relaxing sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore lulling me into a peaceful sleep every night.

The uninterrupted time with Carter refills my soul.

Look at me, getting all poetic and shit.

When Carter suggested moving up our vacation the morning after we got knocked out of the playoffs, I could have kissed him. I didn’t though, because you don’t kiss your best friend. Especially the one you’re secretly madly in love with, even if it is out of gratitude.

But Chicago was beginning to feel… suffocating. The pitying looks I was getting anytime I left my apartment were becoming tiresome, and I knew I needed to get away for a while. I neededsome space to lick my wounds in paradise before we head to Denver ahead of Carter’s preseason training camp.

And paradise it is. This beachfront villa in Oahu is the perfect place to unwind. I have amazing views everywhere I look. Behind me is the ocean, where I went surfing this morning as the sun came up. Palm trees sway in the light breeze on either side of the sun lounger I’m currently lazing on. But it’s the view in front of me that has the happy atoms bouncing inside my body.

Carter’s lounging on an inflatable pool float, his beer wedged into the cup holder. His light brown skin glistens under the sun as it catches the water droplets that are nestled in the grooves of his sculpted chest and abs.

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