Page 14 of Back in the Game (Pride in the Game #1)

“You’re not coming home tonight?”

“You think I would casually drop the fact that I have two boyfriends on you?”

“It wouldn’t be the most shocking thing you’ve said to me, not gonna lie.”

His dad scoffed.

“And I was invited to hang out with them, and now I’m being held captive.”

“Held captive?” His dad had his bullshit-detector tone fired up. “By Harrison Killinger?”

“Yeah, he made me give him my keys even though my car is still parked at the rink—”

“The same Killinger whose poster I had to get signed for you because you were too shy to go near him?”

“Irrelevant. “ You have no idea how far back in the woods I am. I can see the stars—”

“The same poster still hanging on the wall in your bedroom?”

“Again, irrelevant. Also, take that down because I totally forgot about that—”

“It’s on your ceiling, son. You’d have to be blind to forget about it.”

“ Irrelevant, Dad. Are you listening to what I’m saying? You could at least pretend to be worried about me.”

There was a pause.

“Are you…using protection?”

Jett let out a long breath through his nose.

“I am not having sex with Harrison Killinger!”

There was a grunt and a laugh on the other line.

“Could’ve fooled me. You know, son…your bedroom walls are pretty thin, and there’s that gap under your door—”

“Stop. Talking.”

Fuck, if his dad didn’t stop his verbal assassination, he was going to throw his phone in the goddamn lake.

“Okay, I’ll stop teasing you, Jetty-boy. But for real now, do you want me to come pick you up?”

And here’s where his dad’s bullshit-detector always won the battle. “No…”

“I bet. I heard he’s a bit of a recluse now, but he’s probably just sad.”

“He is,” said Jett, and he meant it. “I feel guilty for not spending all my time with you.”

His dad laughed. “Kiddo, don’t feel guilty. I would rather you enjoy your downtime and rest for the new season than worry about me.”

But the funny thing was that Jett would always worry about his dad. The man had spent his entire young adult life finding every possible way to keep Jett in hockey, even though they never had much money left. His family had been happy for a while, but his brother nearly destroyed them.

Fuck, that urge to run was bubbling to the surface again. He didn’t know what he was doing here, trying to make friends with Killinger when it couldn’t go anywhere. Part of him wanted to cut his time home short and return to Toronto, but—

Killinger had used his name. Jett never thought he would hear his name leave Killinger’s mouth, but damn.

Townsend and Killinger had been upset when he left, but Jett saw it for what it was.

How those two worried about one another, and how they fought to keep from hurting each other, made him feel at home.

It was the type of bond shared between family that made it so much worse when you saw them hurting.

“Jett?”

“Sorry, Dad. I—”

“Fraser!”

Jett jumped to his feet and lost his grip on his phone, almost throwing it in the lake for real. He looked behind him and saw Killinger approaching him at an easy and arrogant stride, smirking in a way that made Jett’s skin break into goosebumps.

“What?” said Jett, and he would be forever thankful that the word didn’t leave him in a squeak.

“On Monday, I’m taking Arlo to the airport, and I’ll be home around lunch.”

“Okay?”

“You’ll be here for lunch too. We only have two weeks to work together, so you better be on fucking time.”

“What the hell are we working on together?” Jett asked, ignoring his father’s sniggering laughter on the phone. “What is happening right now?”

Killinger’s stupid smirk was distractingly sexy.

“You seem like the kind of guy who responds well to positive reinforcement, so let me offer this. If you can pull off the Killinger by the end of the two weeks, three consecutive times, not only will I let you use it in an official game, but I’ll even agree to be your friend. ”

Three times? With that wonky move that was more luck than skill? There was no way that was fair.

Jett held the phone to his ear, hoping to find answers in adult-adult wisdom. “Uh, Dad?”

“It sounds like you have hockey to play,” said his dad. “You could make it up to me by renting me a place on the beach along the South Shore. There are still some bass in the ocean that I haven’t met yet. ”

Jett didn’t need to think about that one. “Deal.”

And then for good measure, he met Killinger’s gaze. “Fucking bring it on, Harrison.”