Page 22 of Slew Foot
Connor had an ex-wife and was with Jesse now, but clearly Catherine and Declan enjoyed hosting and it was always warm and welcoming at their home, so Mickey had no complaints.
Inside, the air was warm and smelled of good food. Mickey stripped off his jacket and hung it from a hook in the entryway, then took off his shoes, lining them up on a mat so the slushy snow would dry.
Rafe glanced around, then followed suit.
Mickey showed him to the kitchen, greeting teammates and other familiar faces from the organization as he did so and introducing Rafe to them.
At some point, in the crush of bodies around the food set up on the lower level of the house, Mickey lost track of Rafe, and Tanner appeared.
“Sooo, you and Rafe, huh?” Tanner waggled his eyebrows.
“No,” Mickey said firmly. “Just trying to help the new guy get oriented.”
“Sorry if I kept you up last night.” Tanner’s smile was impish.
He always reminded Mickey of the devilish creatures from German folklore, filled with mischievous humor rather than evil intent like the biblical stories. Though, Mickey had to admit he was a good deal better looking than the way imps were usually portrayed in wood carving prints.
He’d certainly never tell Tanner though.
“How was your night?” Mickey asked. “Or should I say when did they leave?”
Because he’d gotten home from getting Rafe to his hotel and settled into his own bed when he’d heard the laughter of Tanner and two women. Rather than yell at Tanner to be quiet, he’dfetched his noise-cancelling earplugs, rolled over, and gone to sleep.
By now, he’d learned.
“This morning. After round two. Or was it three?” Tanner pretended to look thoughtful.
“Very happy for you,” Mickey said drily.
“It was a good way to start out the new year.” Tanner took a sip of his coffee. “What about you? You and Rafe aren’t?—”
“No!” Mickey hissed, glancing around to be sure his new D-partner wasn’t within earshot. “And stop saying that. He—he got out of a relationship with a teammate recently and he sounds pretty heartbroken. I don’t want him to think I’m being pushy or a creepy.”
The earlier coffee comment in the hotel café had slipped out accidentally but Mickey immediately regretted it. That wasn’t how Teammate Mickey acted, or even Hookup Mickey. That was Relationship Mickey. Who was not allowed out around Rafe under any circumstances ever again.
“A creeper, you mean?” Tanner asked.
Mickey shrugged because sometimes he got tripped up on idioms and slang. “Yes that.”
“But youareinto him, right?” Tanner asked, still grinning. “Because I saw you in the locker room yesterday. You looked like you wanted to climb him like a tree. I don’t blame you. That’sonnnebig slab of man meat.”
“He’s very attractive,” Mickey agreed. “But that doesn’t have to mean anything.”
Tanner sighed, looking mournful now. “It’s a shame you don’t have more fun.”
“I haveplentyof fun,” Mickey protested.
“Tannnerrrrrrrrrrr!” a little girl bellowed from across the room.
Mickey turned to see one of Connor’s dark-haired daughters—the older one, so Evie—running toward them.
“What’s up, kiddo?” Tanner asked, his voice going a little soft.
“You need to come play ponies with Maura and me.” She tugged at his arm.
Tanner shrugged, thrust his plate at Mickey, then followed without so much as a goodbye. Tanner had little sisters he missed a lot and could always be convinced to play with Connor’s girls. Oddly enough, Luke Crawford had a soft spot for them too and he often gave them piggyback rides.
“Evie,” Mickey heard Connor say a moment later, his tone a little warning. “What have we talked about? You need to ask people for things nicely instead of demanding it.”
