Page 36 of Slew Foot
Tanner cackled. “Dude, your name is Rafael, right? Were younamedafter a turtle?”
“No. My grandma is Italian, you dumbass,” Rafe said with a laugh.
“Oh.” Tanner looked crushed. “Because that would’ve been cool.”
“Cooler than being named after one of the greatest Renaissance painters and architects the world has ever seen?” Mickey asked.
“I dunno that I was named after him either,” Rafe said doubtfully. “I think my mom liked the name.”
“Boring,” Tanner shot back.
Rafe rolled his eyes. What was he supposed to do about that?
“Supposedly, Rafael the artist was either gay or bi or pan or whatever they called themselves back in that time. Not straight, anyway,” Mickey said. “And he died from too much sex.”
“You can’tdiefrom too much sex,” Tanner scoffed.
“Well, you’re acting like you’re trying to find out. You and that guy wereloudlast night,” Mickey shot back.
Rafe groaned. “Seriously. It took me forever to fall asleep.”
The back of Rafe’s neck went hot as he remembered lying in bed, hearing the moans coming from down the hall. Just because he was demisexual didn’t mean he didn’t get horny. What sucked was being single and not being able todoanything about it except jerk off.
Hookups left him cold, and it took a long time for him to feel heat build with another person. He needed to know them, feel their connection.
It was why it had been so easy at first with Logan. They’d been friends and teammates, so when Rafe had realized it was shifting, turning from that to something more, he’d welcomed it. Logan had been kinda worried about if it would be bad for the team.
Rafe had said okay and that he understood, but one night, about a week later, it had been the two of them, alone in Logan’s apartment, putting away leftovers from dinner and laughingabout something. Logan had gone from laughing to cupping Rafe’s cheek and leaning in, his breath warm against Rafe’s lips as he whispered, “Is this okay? I think I changed my mind.”
And it had beensookay.
Sogoodfor most of last season and part of this one. Rafe had never been happier than when he was playing hockey and dating Logan. Sex with someone he loved, someone he trusted, had been the best thing ever, and then Logan had ruined it all by, like … arguing with him.
And then taking that argument to mean they were broken up. A flash of anger went through Rafe all over again.
“Hey! Earth to Moon!” Tanner said and Rafe blinked at him.
“Me?”
“Well, that’s your last name, right?”
“Uh, yeah,” Rafe said.
Tanner made a face. “Ugh, we need a better nickname for you thanthat.”
“It’s not even a nickname,” Mickey pointed out. “It’s his last name.”
“True.” Tanner waved his Switch in their direction. “But c’mon. Stop cleaning and get your slow asses over here. We’ve got a game to play.”
“It would have gone faster if you’d helped.” Mickey shot him a look but he finished tying off the trash bag anyway.
“Whatever. Move it. You’re both moving at like turtle speed. And I don’t mean these guys.”
He waved at the screen where four mutant turtles were frozen in position.
“Ohhh,” he said, bouncing to his feet. “Oh fuck, I found your nickname, Rafe!”
“Oh God,” Mickey said faintly as Rafe shot Tanner a wary glance.
