Page 20 of Icing the Play

Cooper fell in next to me, tucking a leg under his ass, his arm stretching over the back of the couch behind me. “But you like him, right?” His forehead creased. “He’s a good guy, right? You two get along?”

“Yeah, all those things.” Should I admit there was no spark? I drank some beer and leaned away from him. Why was he invading my space like this? “Listen, Coop, once the hockey season starts, there won’t be a lot of time for me to see JJ. We’re just spending time together. I don’t think it’ll turn into anything serious.” Especially with the powerful feelings I had for Cooper.

His brows fell. “You won’t hook up at the gay bar anymore, though, will you? Did you agree to that?”

“We didn’t talk about it and I don’t know.” Holy fuck. Did he think one date made us boyfriends? I eyed him. His reaction to this seemed odd. “Cooper, what’s going on with you?”

With a heavy sigh, he shifted away from me, sinking into the couch, and combed his fingers through his dark bangs. “I don’t know. Guess I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.” He gnawed his lower lip, twisting his beer can in his hands.

“No one is going to get hurt. We’re both being realistic about this, eh.” I drank some beer, letting the buzz of the alcohol calm my racing heart. We needed to end this strange conversation. “Hey, want me to teach you how to play NHL?” Then, when we played with the guys, he wouldn’t look stupid.

“Yeah, sure.” He sipped his beer and gave me a thin-lipped smile. “You never know, I might make a fine goalie.”

I scoffed a laugh. “I’d love to see that.” And Ace might play goalie for once just to show off for Cooper.

The next morning,I ate a banana in the kitchen, thinking about the weird conversation with Cooper. I had to tell Ace and Zoma about it. They were going to lose their minds.

Ace ambled out of the hallway to the bedrooms, all dressed in his workout gear. We were going to the gym this morning. Coach gave the team a day off from the rink.

“Morning, Ace.” I stuffed the banana into my mouth. “Is Zoma up yet?” I only wanted to say this once.

“Yeah, he’ll be right out. He wants to hit the gym with us.” He snickered. “I’m sure he’s going to show us up on the treadmill.” He opened a cabinet and pulled out a protein bar.

“Speak for yourself.” I watched him. How much longer before Zoma came out of his room? “Hey, I’ve got something to tell you about.”

“Yeah?” He dropped onto a stool at the counter on the kitchen island and lifted his brows, leaning in. “Is it about Cooper?”

Staring at him, I ate the last of my banana. How the fuck?—

“Good morning, boys.” Zoma waltzed out in a black, skin-tight athletic shirt and short shorts. “Anyone for a protein shake before we hit the gym? I’ll make it a light one. Don’t want to be sluggish.”

“I’ll take a little.” The banana would only go so far. But Ididn’t want to eat too much and make my stomach upset. My gaze chased Zoma as he puttered around the kitchen.

“So? What is it?” Ace chomped on a bite of his bar.

Zoma spooned yogurt into the blender. “What’s going on?” He stopped and peered at me.

I took a deep breath. “Last night, Cooper admitted to me he’s bisexual.”

Sputtering on his bar, Ace covered his mouth and barked out a laugh. “Oh shit. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Nothing? I’m dating JJ.” I pulled at my t-shirt over my chest, an ache winding through my heart. “Cooper doesn’t seem interested in me.”

“I saw something different last night. He glued his eyes to your ass every time you got up from the table.” Zoma chuckled and added milk to the blender, then some frozen strawberries.

“No, he didn’t.” Warmth floated through my cheeks. They were fucking with me. Just like I knew they would. I shifted my stance, my gaze catching on the blender as he started it, the whirring sound filling the space. It looked delicious.

When the blender stopped, Ace said, “Yeah, Myles, he was.” He rolled his lips. “How bisexual is he? Has he already had a boyfriend or has he just been hooking up with guys?”

I hung my head, staring at the tile counter. “He said he’s been hooking up with guys when the opportunity presented itself. So, it doesn’t sound like he’s been serious with a guy.” A pinkish smoothie slid into my vision. “Thanks, Zoma.”

“How do you feel about JJ?” Zoma set a small glass of smoothie in front of Ace, dropped onto the stool next to him and then planted his elbows on the counter. “You don’t seem very excited about him.” He sipped his drink.

“We’re still testing things out, eh.” I tensed the side of my mouth. I’d been waiting for a spark, but it hadn’t shown up yet. I drank the smoothie, the cool tart and sweetness gliding down my throat. Not much sugar. Perfect. I held the glass up to Zoma. “Thanks, man. This is good.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you both for taking a figure skater to the gym.” He wagged his brows at me and sipped more of his drink.

“Are you two fucking yet?” Ace gulped down some of his drink, then pinched his nose. “Ow, fuck, brain freeze.”

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