Page 171 of The Long Game
Finally, he fell forward, resting his forehead on Shane’s back as they both got their breathing under control. He realized that Shane must have turned off the vibrator while Ilya had been out of his mind.
“Holy shit,” Ilya finally wheezed.
“That got weird,” Shane said.
Ilya laughed, which made Shane laugh. Ilya kissed him between his shoulder blades, then carefully pulled out.
“I think I ruined the chair,” Shane said, sooner even than Ilya had expected.
“It is another trophy now,” Ilya said.
“Gross.”
“There is a towel here,” Ilya offered.
“Nah. I have some leather wipes I can use.”
Ilya smiled. “Of course you do.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
“There are few things in life that I absolutely can’t stand,” Roger Crowell said. His voice was deceptively calm, and Ilya didn’t miss the danger in it. “One thing I hate is surprises. Another is disloyalty. And another isliars.”
And homosexuals, Ilya added in his head.
“But the thing I hate most,” Crowell continued, “is being embarrassed. And I especially hate it when theleagueis embarrassed.”
“That does sound bad,” Ilya said mildly.
Crowell shot him a warning look, and when Ilya turned to Shane, he saw a similar expression on his face.
“You can imagine,” Crowell said, “how I feel about you two right now.”
This time, Ilya was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. He could feel the tension radiating off Shane beside him. Ilya would behave. For Shane.
Crowell leaned forward, both elbows on the large table between them. “Youractionshave put me in a very difficult situation. On the one hand, your behavior is completely unacceptable and absolutely cannot be allowed. On the other, you’re two of the biggest stars in the league, and the playoffs are about to start.”
“Can’t be allowed?” Shane asked quietly.
Crowell’s eyes narrowed. “I would think that part would be obvious. But I guess it wasn’t, because there’s a video flying around the internet of you twomaking out.”
“It was a mistake,” Shane said.
“You’re fucking right it was a mistake!” Crowell yelled.
“I meant,” Shane said, surprisingly steadily, “the video wasn’t supposed to show that. We didn’t know.”
“Well, it did,” Crowell barked. “And I had to fly to Montreal to deal with it. You think I have time for this?” He took a breath and said, more calmly, “We need to get things back to normal as soon as possible. I don’t want a media circus around this thing.”
“We don’t either,” Shane said.
Crowell nodded. “The league has prepared a statement.” He opened a folder that was on the table in front of him and produced two sheets of paper. He handed one to each of them.
Ilya steeled himself, and began to read.
For nearly eleven seasons, Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov have been elite players in the NHL. Their skill and performance on the ice demonstrates a rare level of talent that thrills hockey fans everywhere. Earlier this week, a video was circulated on social media that depicted Mr. Hollander and Mr. Rozanov in an intimate embrace. After being questioned by the league’s commissioner, Roger Crowell, both players have confirmed that the incident was a prank they were pulling on their mutual friend, Hayden Pike. Both men regret their actions and the confusion it may have caused. They will return to their teams before their next scheduled games.
It was an easy out. Ilya knew this statement wouldn’t fool everyone, but he suspected enough hockey fans would believe this lie. Pranks in hockey were normal, falling in love with your rival wasn’t. This was something the hockey world—even other NHL players—could understand.
