Page 41 of The Husband Game

Charlie made the rounds again and eventually found himself in conversation with a guy who introduced himself as Nicolaas Arents. He said Charlie could call him Nico.

Charlie shook his hand, then arched an eyebrow. “Arents? Is that Dutch?”

“Yes.” He gave Charlie a smile. “I only lived there until I was about six though.”

“That explains why you sound Canadian,” Charlie said with a grin as he settled in a chair nearby.

Nico laughed. He was rather intriguing looking with a long slender neck and gorgeous blue eyes that seemed to look straight through Charlie. He was maybe a little older than Charlie, but not by much.

Nico gave him an assessing look and pushed his chin-length blond hair behind his ear. “So how’d you get to Dutch? Most people assume German.”

“I used to figure skate. I met a few Dutch skaters over the years.”

He’d hooked up with a Dutch speed skater at an international tournament once but they weren’t going to talk about that disaster.

“Were you any good?”

“I was okay. I medaled at the Olympics,” Charlie said with a shrug, trying to ignore the twist in his stomach whenever skating came up. He had a feeling it was going to happen a lot around here so he might as well get used to it.

Nicolaas laughed. “Yeah, sounds like a little more than okay.”

“I like to think there are more interesting things about me though,” Charlie countered. “What about you?”

“Oh, I’m very interesting.” He shot Charlie a grin as he lounged in his chair, fiddling with one of the rings on his fingers. He wore more jewelry than Charlie did, though there was nothing feminine about him at all.

“Stop flirting with my husband, Nico,” Dustin said as he walked behind him, flicking the back of his head. “I know the way you work.”

Nico grinned and tipped his head back to look at him. “What fun are you, D?”

“Plenty. Just not fun enough to share.”

Nico snickered.

“What are you still doing here, anyway?” Dustin asked, pausing and staring down at Nico with a frown. “You’re usually in the Netherlands by this time in the summer.”

“I didn’t feel up to it this year. Skylar and I are …” He gave a vague wave. “Don’t ask.”

“I won’t. But if you want to talk, you know how to find me.”

“Thanks, D.” Nico reached up and squeezed Dustin’s hand.

“I’m going to go for a swim. You need anything, Charlie?” Dustin asked.

“Nope. I’m good.” Charlie watched Dustin walk away, enjoying the flex of his back muscles and the roundness of his ass under his swim shorts.

He returned his attention Nico.

“So, tell me something I might not know about my new husband,” Charlie asked leaning forward and dropping his voice, hoping his instincts were right and Nico was the type to dish the dirt.

Nico grinned. “Hmm. Well, Dustin doesn’t talk about it a lot, but he spends a bunch of time at the children’s hospital here. No media, no fanfare, just slips in quietly and hangs out with the kids. Just a really good guy.”

“That’s boring,” Charlie protested, though privately, he was rather impressed. “What’s he like as a captain?”

“He’s great. He looks out for all of the guys on the team. Opens his home up to all of us. Makes the new guys feel welcome. Organizes a ton of team bonding events. We’re pretty tight.”

Charlie hummed. “Seems like it. But are you telling me I married the perfect man?” He asked skeptically.

No one was perfect.

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