Page 44 of Time to Shine

Antton was sitting at his table, and Landon was trying to ignore that too. All he wanted was to get through this night without embarrassing himself.

“Why aren’t you dancing?” Ross MacIsaac asked.

“I, um. I don’t. Dance.” So much for not embarrassing himself.

“None of us can dance, but most of us met our wives in a place like this. You should go dance.”

Landon couldn’t imagine anything he wanted to do less than squeeze between all those writhing bodies and then attempt to make himself sexually appealing. What a nightmare. “I’m fine here.”

Ross shrugged and turned to talk to Antton.

Casey had been right, of course. Landon didn’t like being touched. It was one of many things that made intimacy of any kind difficult for him. But tonight his attention kept being drawn to the dance floor, and he wished he could be different. He wished he could be fun.

He wished he was the one laughing at whatever ridiculous shit Casey was saying. He wished Casey’s lips were brushing his ear.

Dangerous thoughts. Dangerous, useless thoughts.

Landon wouldn’t know what to do if Casey did pull him onto the dance floor, pressed their bodies together, and drawled something sexy into his ear. For one thing, Landon would have to lean way down for Casey to even reach his ear.

He laughed at the thought, just a little huff of air, but Ross noticed. “What are you giggling about? Shit, are you drunk already?”

“No! Nothing.” God, Antton was staring at him. “Just thinking about something else.”

“Well, I’m thinking about taking a piss and getting more beer.”

Ross stood and left, which removed the human barrier between Landon and Antton.

Most of the guys had brought a club outfit to the arena, including Landon, because Casey had insisted: “If we win, we party. Pack something sexy.” Antton’s club outfit was the full three-piece suit he’d worn to the arena, complete with a crisply folded pocket square. Landon had no idea how he wasn’t melting; Landon was wearing a T-shirt and jeans and only had slightly more body fat than a skeleton and he was dying.

But Antton, of course, looked effortlessly elegant, not a hair out of place. Landon rubbed the back of his own neck, which was damp with sweat.

“Good game tonight,” he blurted.

Antton studied him with his ice-blue eyes, and Landon wished he could slide under the table without it being weird.

“Yes,” Antton finally said. “It was a fun one.”

Landon started nodding, and then worried he’d never be able to stop. “Totally. Lots of fun. Looked fun, I mean. Great game. Really good.”

Antton smiled, just slightly, then took a slow sip of his beer.

Landon glanced at the dance floor. Casey was still dancing with the handsome guy.

“Who has caught your eye?” Antton asked.

Landon’s head whipped around. “What?”

Antton nodded toward the dance floor. “You have been watching someone.”

Landon shouldn’t have been surprised that Antton fucking Niskanen, the best goaltender of his generation, noticed everything. “I’m not looking at anyone,” he lied. “Just watching the dancers, I guess.”

Antton’s expression let Landon know that he didn’t believe him. “Did you know?” he asked. “That Hicks likes men too?”

Landon nearly choked on the sip of beer he’d just taken. “Too?” How the fuck did Antton know that Landon—

“Yes. He likes women and also men.”

Oh. “Yeah. He told me. I think it’s cool that he’s, y’know. Open about it.”

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