Page 77 of Bad Pucking Roommate

“I will never let that happen again,” I promise as he smiles against my collarbone.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the effort, but do we have to eat first?” The hard ridge of his erection presses against me, and I nearly say to heck with dinner and drag him to bed. But seeing as how this is his first birthday surprise, I don’t want to skip any of it.

“Yes.” I take a half-step back so he can’t muddle my brain any more than he already has. “Dinner, then presents, then dessert.”

“Are you dessert?” A coy smirk spreads across his lips.

“If you want me to be.”

“Fuck yeah.” He grabs my waist and pulls me to him for a swift, searing kiss, then sits down and stuffs a forkful of food in his mouth.

“Try to taste it first, yeah?” I prompt as I take my own seat.

“The only thing I want to taste is your cock, and I’ll do it as soon as I’m finished eating whether you’re done or not.”

Predictably, his growly declaration has me twitching behind my zipper, so I change the subject to keep from changing up the order of events. “How was your meeting?”

“Good. Coach just wanted to gauge the attitude of the team in the locker room.”

“Really? Why?”

“Sometimes being first in the division can have harmful side effects. Guys putting too much pressure on themselves to stay in first, or getting lax because they think we’re a shoo-in for the playoffs.”

I pause in the act of cutting up my chicken. “We are a shoo-in though, aren’t we?”

“More than likely.” He washes down a bite with a sip of wine. “But that doesn’t mean we can let up. I know you wouldn’t,” he says before I can. “Neither would the rest of the team. Not deliberately. Sometimes overconfidence creeps up on you though.”

“Do you think we’re being overconfident?”

“No.”

“Not the team.Us. We’ve been operating under the assumption we’re too valuable to lose if they find out about us. Isn’t that being overconfident?”

Luca chews his food thoughtfully, takes another sip of wine, and finally speaks. “In a way, maybe. But I think believing that forces us to work harder to make it true. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I would.” I sigh heavily. “It seems odd to say, but for the longest time my only goal was to make it here. To be in the NHL for as long as I possibly could. Now, it’s to beherespecifically. On this team, with you. And the rest of the guys too, but mainly you. I’d do pretty much anything to make that happen—except stay away from you, obviously—but since I know what I’m risking by being with you I’m working even harder to make sure I don’t lose that.”

“Fuck, Justus.” He rubs his chest. “I never realized you were this romantic.”

That’s an odd way to describe my words. Then again, we are hockey players.“I never had a reason to be. Until now.”

“Take your cock out.” Luca pushes his plate away. “I want dessert.”

“Presents first.”

“Fine.” He reaches for the biggest box first, his expression comically blank as he reads the t-shirt inside. Then he shakes his head with a little snort. “This is the cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m gonna wear it every time I’m around that kid.”

“You like it?” I hold my breath.

“I really do.” His smile is full of joy as he reaches for the next gift, though it turns to a perplexed frown when he gets the package open. “A cow?”

“A dairy cow. To remind you of the farm.”

He turns the figurine over in his hands. “Is it just me or does this cow have a boner?”

“It definitely has a boner.” I bite back a laugh. “That’s where the cream for your coffee comes out.”

He tips it forward as if to test how it works, and it moos. His jaw drops as his eyes dart to mine. “Did this cow just…come?”

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