Page 31 of Shift Change

“Hey back,” I said, nudging his knee with mine. “I’m really proud of you tonight.”

“We all are,” Harpy said, rising to his feet. He scanned the room, then locked eyes with Dog. “You only get one first goal. We all remember how amazing it feels, and I couldn’t have been prouder to be on the ice with you when it happened. You’re a hell of a liney.”

“Hear, hear!” Riley called, raising his bottle. “Fucking proud of you, Dog.”

Brody chimed in next. “Nels isn’t here, but I know I speak for him when I say it was an honor to back you up tonight. Hope Criswell keeps us all together.”

“We’re all proud of you, Dog,” Gabe added. “Get up, everybody.”

We stood, lifting our bottles as Harpy raised his voice for the toast. “To many more goals for Dog and a lot of happy seasons together.”

“To Dog,” Packy said.

“To Dog,” we echoed, then drank deeply. Despite my aggravation, I couldn’t miss how the room was buzzing with something better than beer: family.

Dog was beaming, soaking in the moment, and as much as I’d hated the guys crashing our night, I couldn’t be mad about this. His goal had beenhuge—not only his first in the league, but also the game-winner. He deserved to be celebrated, and if that meant our place became the team clubhouse for the night, so be it.

The conversation turned to his playing style, the road trip ahead, and what to expect from the Dallas Thunder. We’d beaten them for the Cup last spring, so they were sure to be out for blood. Beers disappeared fast while we talked—we had two, maybe three each—and by the time Logan stood and stretched, the room had taken on the warm, lazy feel of a night winding down.

“Don’t want to sound like everybody’s mom,” Logan said, “but I think we’ve had enough. We’ve got an early morning and another game tomorrow night.”

Luca, already draped over Harpy, pulled him closer. “Let’s go, babe. You’re going to be away for a week, then I’ll be gone the week after. We’ll be up all night stocking up for such a long dry spell.”

“Shut up, man,” Riley muttered with a laugh.

Packy stood, drained his bottle, and laughed. “Leave them alone. We all want to get laid, so have fun, boys.”

Dog and I walked the guys upstairs and traded goodbyes as they left. Once the door closed, I dug my phone out of my pocket and groaned. “Fuck, it’s after midnight, and we have to get up at five.”

“Is that early enough?”

“Yeah. We’ve got our own jet and fly out of the private terminal. No lines, no waiting.”

He broke into a goofy, half-disbelieving grin. “Shit. I never even thought about that. Our own plane? For real?”

The look on his face made my chest tighten. I’d seen it before—on me, back in my rookie days, when stuff like this made me feel like I’d stumbled into someone else’s dream. For a second, I saw it through his eyes: the private planes, the hotels, the gear trucks, the fans. This whole big life we got to live for playing a game.

I draped an arm around his shoulders. “It’s real, Dog. I know it’s a lot, but you’ll get used to it soon. How you feeling?”

“I’m beat, to be honest.” He hesitated. “Will we have our own rooms on the road?”

“Everybody gets a single these days.”

Our eyes met, and his exhausted expression didn’t quite mask something else that had been there since our nap. Since we hadn’t had a chance to reprogram the heat, the house was still cold. I thought about asking him to sleep in my room, thinking we could see what happened. It wouldn’t be any different from our nap, and after his display in the shower and the way we’d been circling each other all night…

Shit.This was new to me, but I wouldn’t run from it. When I told Dog I’d never been afraid to try new things, I meant it. Still, rushing felt wrong, like I’d be grabbing at something too soon, before I figured out what the hell was going on inside me. I still wanted to jerk off together, but maybe not tonight. It might be better to sit with this for a minute.

Didn’t mean I wouldn’t lie awake thinking about it, though.

And that’s exactly what happened. Even after I got in bed and tried every trick I knew to fall asleep, I couldn’t stop replaying everything that had happened earlier—our nap, the way he’d looked when we opened our eyes, the heat between us. The way his cock felt against mine. And how I’d almost kissed him.Fuck.

I stared at the ceiling and tried to breathe normally. I hadn’t panicked earlier, but maybe it was time.

What the hell am I doing?Wanting to jerk off with your buddy wasn’t normal behavior for a straight man, was it?

Except Dog wasn’t just my buddy. He wasDog, the guy who already knew how to make me laugh until I couldn’t catch my breath. Even when I told him about the worst parts of my life, he hadn’t flinched; instead of pulling away, he’d moved closer. In a short time, he’d slipped into my life like he’d always belonged there, and now I wanted to be around him all the time.

I shifted under the covers, restless and wide awake. My brain wouldn’t shut up, and my body wouldn’t settle. It would be easier if I could chalk this up to curiosity, horniness, or even some half-assed need for comfort. But that wasn’t really it. When I imagined kissing Dog and jerking off with him, it wasn’t only about sex. It was about getting closer. I wanted to feel more.

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