Page 131 of The Husband Game

He closed his eyes and breathed and lifted his fork to his mouth.

He tried so hard to just fucking eat. It was one of the most basic human functions and he couldn’t even manage that.

He couldn’t swallow past the thick feeling in his throat and he choked a little, wanting to cry. He hated when his body fought him like this.

He spat the food out into his palm, then looked around, frantic for a place to get rid of it.

There was a bush nearby and Charlie hastily dropped the mouthful of food behind the plant. Ick. Hopefully it wouldn’t attract pests.

But he couldn’t swallow it and he didn’t want to disappoint Dustin.

Charlie scrubbed at his hand with a napkin as he glared at the remaining salmon on his plate.

He picked up the dish, warring with himself for a few minutes. He knew every trick in the book for hiding food and making it disappear without ever having to eat a bite.

He used his fork to scrape all but a bite or two of the salmon onto the ground behind the bush. His stomach churned with guilt, knowing what he was doing was wrong.

But he felt lighter once it was done. No one could expect him to eat something covered in dirt and bits of dried leaves.

Charlie stood, setting the plate on the table, the fork rattling a little. He curled in on himself, hiding his trembling hands under his arms.

God, how could he be so fucked up? Dustin had even gotten a nice cloth for the table and set out a little bouquet of flowers. He was so sweet.

And Charlie was such a fucking mess.

Dustin deserved better.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Charlie had an eating disorder.

Dustin had suspected it for months but he was now sure of it.

Unfortunately, he had too much hockey going on to give the worrisome situation the attention it deserved. He had obligations to his team, and Charlie was doing his level best to avoid being around him long enough to have a serious discussion.

Any time Dustin tried to turn the conversation in that direction, Charlie distracted him with sex.

If Dustin were a stronger man, he'd bring up the elephant in the room. But their sexual connection had always been solid, and he futilely kept hoping it would somehow convince Charlie to open up about the rest. Or at least help him relax and feel close enough to Dustin to confide in him.

Foolish? Maybe. Self-serving? Definitely.

But he was also afraid pushing Charlie to talk would make him retreat further.

After practice later that week, Dustin stripped out of his gear and debated what to do next.

He needed to talk to someone, but who? Dom or Matty were his usual confidants but neither of them knew about the fake marriage. Besides, the last thing Dustin wanted to do was break Charlie’s trust by sharing such private information.

So no, Dustin couldn’t talk to them.

He froze, crumpled sock tape in hand.

Jamie knew. The eating disorder was what he’d tried to warn Dustin about. And who better to talk to than the guy dating Charlie’s best friend?

Dustin hurried through his shower and turned down the guys asking if he wanted to grab lunch.

Instead, he hustled to the car and dialed Jamie immediately.

“Charlie has an eating disorder,” he blurted out when the call connected.

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