Page 119 of The Husband Game

Matty scoffed. “Oh, buddy, I’m not dumb enough to make that bet.”

Charlie giggled, turning to face Dustin who looked equally amused. “So, what’ll it be? Dinner out with the team or more sex?”

Dustin grinned at him, his hazel eyes warm. “I vote dinner then sex.”

Charlie grinned back. “I like the way you think.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Dustin spent training camp pushing himself to the max. Learning new skills, finding his weaknesses, and dialing in on what needed improvement.

Matty had grumblingly called him a masochist for enjoying being taxed to the limit but there was something about the first hard push of the season that made Dustin feel like hockey was really beginning.

Unfortunately, it made it very hard to connect with his husband.

Charlie often worked late and Dustin kept passing out on the couch after he got home.

He was always wiped once training officially started. His body would acclimate. It always did, but, shit, the first week was brutal.

He occasionally woke up blearily to feel Charlie draping a throw blanket over him or offering him water. Charlie cooked for him too, looking vaguely alarmed when Dustin bolted the food down and went back for seconds or thirds.

Most evenings, Dustin ate like it was going out of style, passed out again, and woke up to find Charlie already asleep in their bed.

But it got a little better as the week went on and by Saturday Dustin finally felt semi-human again.

So he took Charlie out to dinner and to see a concert they’d both been dying to go to.

During the final slow song of the encore, Dustin wrapped Charlie in his arms, Charlie’s back pressed firmly to his chest as they swayed to the song. He crooned the lyrics in Charlie’s ear and when the performance was over, Charlie turned to face him, his whole face lit up with laughter.

“You’re an amazing hockey player but a terrible singer, darling. Don’t quit your day job,” he teased, wrapping his hand around the back of Dustin’s neck, pulling him in for a very hot, very public kiss.

Dustin laughed and kissed him back, lifting Charlie up off his feet.

“I used to hate that, you know?” Charlie said, giggling as his toes touched the floor again. “Being picked up. But I like it with you.”

Dustin pressed his forehead to Charlie’s and smiled because he was so, so happy. Best of all, it seemed like Charlie was happy too.

After the concert, they headed straight home rather than going out to a club with a few of the other people on the team, eager to be alone.

Anticipation building, Dustin lay on the bed, playing around on his phone while he waited for Charlie to be done in the bathroom.

It had only been a few hours, but there were already pictures of them at the concert tonight up on social media. Not only the ones they’d posted but shots fans had taken.

Dustin screenshotted or saved a few particularly good ones because damn it, he and Charlie were cute together.

Eventually, he toggled over to his friend requests on Instagram because he hadn’t cleared those out in a while.

Dustin froze at the one from someone named Jacqueline Monaghan.

Frowning at the screen, he tapped on the icon picture to bring up the profile.

Proud mother of figure skater Charlie Monaghan. 2-time Olympian. Philanthropist and chair of the Monaghan Foundation.

There was a verified check mark next to the name so it must be legit.

Huh. Odd. Charlie didn’t really talk about his family.

Everything he’d said about them was vague and oblique. Shortly after their wedding, when Dustin had suggested inviting them to Toronto, Charlie had firmly declined.

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