Page 64 of Goaltender Interference

Luke Crawford snickered. “Aww, Captain can’t hold his shots anymore.”

“Fuck you,” Connor muttered, still coughing. Across the table, a couple of other guys laughed. He held up a middle finger to them. “Fuckallof you.”

Jesse snickered and glanced over at Tanner who was ignoring the table and staring at the woman playing pool. Jesse kicked him under the table and after he glanced back at Jesse, he winked and motioned for a couple of guys to get up and let him out.

When Tanner was free, he slid in beside Jesse, muttering, “So, I have an idea.”

“Yeah?” Jesse asked warily.

Tanner’s ideas usually spelled trouble. They’d gotten in plenty of it at the hotel where they’d stayed for All-Star week. They’d pulled all of the furniture out of one guy’s room and set it upin the hallway. It had been anepicprank requiring seriously perfect timing and luck but neither the hotel staff nor the event organizers were amused.

The guy they’d pranked had pitched a fit too but Jesse knew he loved it. Whodidn’tlove shit like that?

But Jesse was supposed to be on his best behavior now so he was a little wary about Tanner’s ideas.

“Yeah.” Tanner grinned, sliding even closer until their thighs touched. Jesse shifted, trying to give him room, but that left him plastered against Connor’s hip. He hadn’t moved an inch.

Oh well.

Tanner threw an arm up over the back of the booth, leaning in. “So, like, I saw you checking out the woman playing pool.”

“She was hot,” Jesse acknowledged.

“What do you say we see if she’s into either of us?”

“Like a wager?” Jesse asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Yeah. You know. Worst-case scenario, one of us goes home with her. Best-case scenario, both of us do.”

Tanner’s brown eyes sparkled as he pulled back, reaching for two shots. He pulled them toward their side of the table then nudged one at Jesse. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. You in?”

Under any other circumstances, Jesse would have said yes but he could feel the hard line of Connor’s body against his, sudden tension making his body stiff and rigid. Well, guess he’d been eavesdropping.

God, why the fuck didn’t hetrustJesse? Jesse had given him his word that it would just be the two of them through the end of the season. It wasn’t like he was going to go back on that.

“You know, I think I’ll pass tonight,” Jesse said casually.

Tanner scoffed. “What is up with you lately? I know you’re on probation and shit but you can still have fun.”

“Iamhaving fun,” Jesse protested. “I’m just being more discreet about it now.”

Tanner laughed. “Discreet? You? You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Oh fuck you,” Jesse said. “Just because I’m not hooking up withyouand everyone else in Boston, that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.”

“Sure.” Tanner shot him a skeptical look, then tossed the drink back. “Whatever, dude. I’m going to go get my stick polished.”

Across the table, Bobby Tucker snickered.

Jesse hadn’t spent much time with him yet. He was one of the team’s forwards and …interestinglooking. Jesse didn’t find him hot exactly—mullets might be making a comeback but it wasn’t his favorite look—and combined with the scraggly beard, Jesse mostly had the urge to give the dude a makeover.

But he definitely had his own style and Jesse could appreciate that.

“Dude, if you don’t want in on this, I will,” Bobby said. He glanced at Tanner. “But, uh, no swords crossing. I’m not into that like you and Webber.”

Crawford scoffed. “You seriously think you’re in Webber’s league, Tucker? Dream on, dude.”

“Aww,” Jesse said, fluttering his lashes. “You think I’m good-looking, Crawford?”

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