Page 58 of Back in the Game (Pride in the Game #1)

Harrison easily recalled the game Jett was talking about. He had watched it live alone in his house because Arlo had been at practice. Watching Jett’s games always made him grumpy, but there were no other options that night, so he had no choice.

It was mid-season, and Jett had looked solid on the ice surrounded by his team. The Sunbursts were on a winning streak that had the whole hockey world in a tizzy, and the game against the Bigfoots would be their tenth win in a row if they pulled it off.

Snow was on the ice with Jett, doing his best to catch up with the Toronto star player’s formidable speed, but his height worked against him.

He had caught Jett in the corner, and normally bouncing each other off the boards didn’t do anything other than bruise, but Snow was huge, and Jett was a foot shorter than him.

Jett had crumpled to the ice, and the entire Sunburst team turned on Snow, who had stopped to check on Jett after the rough hit. Wolf had ended up with a two-game suspension, and every player on the ice, including the goddamn goalie, had been put in the penalty box for fighting.

Jett skated away with bruised ribs and was benched for the rest of the game. It was obvious to those watching that Snow had tried hard not to hurt Jett; otherwise, he would have had more than a few bruises.

Harrison had respected him for that. Some guys went on the rink and tried to injure other players, but Snow always seemed like one of the good ones. He was aware of his height advantage and kept control of his body.

“I like August,” said Jett. “He sent me an apology text and seemed genuinely upset by the whole thing. It was very Canadian of him.”

“He wasn’t that nice to me ,” Arlo interjected, frowning at his beer bottle. “The jackass slammed me into the glass, smooshed my face against it and stole my puck. I didn’t get an apology, I got a welcome to the league, rookie as he skated away.”

Harrison would have noted how Arlo was a lot bigger than Jett, so Snow didn’t have to hold back around him, but he didn’t want to listen to him whine about unfairness for the rest of the night.

Park must have been distracted by something because no more video links or texts came through, and Jett and Arlo got distracted by the TV, allowing Harrison to relax. He was more than a little tired. It had been a weird couple of weeks, but he could admit that he was happy—very happy.

He still froze sometimes before he got into the shower, his eyes lingering on the cold temperature label on the faucet, but he hadn’t felt that need to numb himself. No, not with Jett next to him to keep him warm and grounded.

Jett didn’t know how much it all meant to him. Everything. All of it. He wished there was something he could do to thank him—some gift he could give that would show just how much he loved and appreciated him for helping him out of a dangerous situation, but what could he possibly do?

Jett dug an elbow into his ribs. “What are you thinking so hard about? You’re making a face.”

Harrison relaxed his tensed muscles and pressed himself into Jett’s side, keeping his voice quiet so Arlo couldn’t hear them over the sound of the show. “Is there anything you like that I could buy you, Sunshine? Anything at all.”

Jett’s eyelashes fluttered, his cheeks already reddening at the pet name. “There’s nothing you could buy me…no.”

Harrison resisted the oncoming eyeroll. “Other than my dick or a baby, there’s nothing?”

“What’s wrong with those two options?” Jett muttered in a huffy tone. “You have an easy time keeping me satisfied in our relationship. You should be rejoicing.”

It was slowly dawning on him that Jett wouldn’t give him any clues because he had to be stubborn about this. Harrison dropped the subject, but he was already making a mental list of things to look at later that might be acceptable gifts for his annoying boyfriend.

“Are you two going to start sucking face, or can we get back to hanging out?” Arlo asked petulantly.

“Hey, Arlo,” said Harrison. “How is your goldfish doing? ”

Arlo frowned, probably wondering why he had suddenly asked about Pumpkin, the fish his cousin had owned since he was a teen. Harrison had bought it for him so he wouldn’t feel so alone in his new apartment, and the damn thing had survived to this day despite Arlo being a busy scatterbrain.

“He’s fine , fuck you very much.” Arlo stuck his tongue out at him. “I have a pet sitter stopping by every two days when I’m away.”

“We’re not even watching the TV,” said Jett, picking the remote up so he could pause the anime. “Do you guys want to do something more fun?”

“Fun like what?”

Arlo asked the question before Harrison voiced it himself. He knew that Jett’s version of fun could either be tolerable or unbearable.

“We’re a competitive group of guys,” Jett began, giving the cousins a stunning smile. “And it just so happens that there’s a minigolf course on the top floor of this building. My dad nearly flipped when I told him, but I haven’t tried it out, I was waiting for—”

“Let’s go!” Arlo jumped to his feet, nearly taking out the coffee table. “I’m kicking both your asses.”

“You’ve never even played minigolf,” said Harrison. “You’re a fucking nerd. I was hard-pressed to get you out of the house unless it involved food, hockey or school.”

“Irrelevant,” said Arlo. “Golf is like, a hockey player thing, right? Everyone plays it in their downtime on my team, so I want to get good at it.”

“There’s a difference between golf and minigolf,” Jett pointed out. “But who cares, let’s do it.”

Arlo was already off the couch and running to put his shoes on. Jett went to get up and follow him, but Harrison hooked his arms around Jett’s waist and pulled back down onto his lap, nuzzling his face into golden curls.

Jett melted, and there was a brief second where Harrison thought about telling Arlo to get started without them so he could ravish the man on his lap, but his cousin would never let him live it down if he did.

So he settled for a quick nibble on Jett’s ear, grinning when he heard a surprised gasp, and hands flew up to grip his arms.

“Harrison… ”

Jett already sounded dazed, like the way he did after Harrison was done taking him apart; pliant and dizzy from multiple orgasms. The thought had his cock thickening in his pants. Fuck, he needed to get them moving or he really would tell Arlo to go away.

“Just remember, Sunshine. I have methods to get you talking, so it would be easier to give me a list of things to buy you instead of enduring the torment.”

The skin on Jett’s neck broke into goosebumps, but Jett stubbornly refused to react or say anything.

“Unless you like the torment?” Harrison said quietly so Arlo couldn’t overhear them. “Do you enjoy being fucked until your voice is hoarse from screaming and your legs are too shaky to walk on?”

Another gasp, but this time it was followed by a soft whimper that had Harrison’s blood racing.

“I have a feeling that I’m right.” Harrison pressed a kiss to the side of Jett’s neck. “What a good boy .”

Jett started struggling in his hold, feet kicking, and arms swinging. Harrison laughed and let him go, grinning up at Jett when he turned to glare at him.

“What’s wrong, Jetty?” Harrison folded his arms over his chest, appearing relaxed and confident as they gazed at each other.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” said Jett. He flipped Harrison off and strode away, aggressively putting his shoes on while Arlo leaned against the wall, looking disgusted.

“Remind me not to come over again until you guys are done with the honeymoon phase,” said Arlo. “It’s exhausting to watch you trying to keep your hands off each other.”

“Shut up, Killinger.” Jett opened the door and walked out, leaving Harrison and Arlo to scramble after him.

Harrison couldn’t help but notice how much hearing the name made Arlo smile, despite it being used negatively. It was funny how something as simple as changing a last name could set someone free.

He smacked Arlo on the back of the head affectionately. “Come on, Killinger. We have golf to play.”

They all piled into the elevator, and Jett bounced on his toes with excitement as he jabbed the button to take them up.

It never failed to amaze Harrison how quickly Jett could shake off his grumpiness—especially when Harrison was the one causing it.

That was one of the things he loved most about him.

No matter how much he pestered or teased, Jett always ended up laughing with him in the end.

“What are we playing for?” Arlo asked as the doors opened, and they were left standing in a large lobby.

Glass walls separated the rooms from the lobby, giving Harrison a clear view inside.

There was the gym Jett had mentioned, stocked with every piece of equipment they could possibly need, and just beyond it, an outdoor space with picnic tables and a communal barbecue.

In the largest room beside the gym, a handful of residents were in the middle of a yoga session, their movements slow and focused.

Despite the open layout, the entire space felt surprisingly private and calm—like a hidden pocket of peace in the middle of the city.

“Whoever loses has to wear a tie to his next game with the winner’s logo on it,” said Jett. “And if you get stopped for an interview, you tell them what happened. So, you’re playing to win so that you’re not an embarrassment to your team and yourself.”

Jett was as cool as a cucumber as he walked away, hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie and head held high.

Harrison locked eyes with Arlo, and they shared a concerned look.

“Dude, your boyfriend is fucking cold .”

Harrison grunted in agreement because what the fuck else could he say? Arlo didn’t know Jett as well as he did. His cousin had no idea how fast the switch could flip with Jett. He could be sweet one second, but if given a challenge, he could turn into a hyper-focused, foul-mouthed monster.

When Jett was ready to play, you needed to look the fuck out.

The minigolf room was on the opposite side of the gym and recreation area.

They were currently the only ones there, so Jett had to flick on the lights as they entered.

The first section of the room was inside the building, but Harrison could see the glass ceiling at the end, where it opened into glass and blue skies.

“This place is awesome,” said Arlo, his blue eyes bright as he looked at the equipment and the fake turf around them. “I want to live in a place like this someday. I would never be in my apartment if I had a pool and a fucking gym to use.”

“You live with your captain, right?” Jett asked as he picked out his putter and golf ball. “You mentioned that he’d offered you a room.”

“étienne offered me a room, yeah. For however long I want.” Arlo shrugged and picked out his putter, swinging it around like a sword until Harrison grabbed it to stop him.

Arlo yanked it out of Harrison’s hands and stuck his tongue out at him.

“étienne seems protective of you,” said Harrison. “Thank God someone else took up the mantle with me not being around. I love you, Arlo, but you’re one of those people who shouldn’t be left alone.”

Arlo smacked his putter against Harrison’s arm.

“One. Fuck you. Two. étienne doesn’t follow me everywhere like you used to.

I don’t speak French, or know how to get a place.

I was in a hotel until I made him sad enough to help me.

He only wanted me nearby so he could be there if I needed help with anything, and he said the neighbourhood was safe and welcoming.

It felt weird to get too settled too fast. Sometimes it doesn’t feel real. ”

Harrison looked at him sadly for a second, then nudged him.

“No, he definitely saw something.” Harrison picked out his putter just in case he had to use it to defend himself.

“What did you do? Did you leave something plastic inside the oven while it was on when he visited? Or were you hooking a thousand extension cords up to each other to run the millions of fans you need running because you get overheated easily, and one of them caught on fire?”

Jett’s eyes were wide as he looked at Arlo, and then Harrison. “Those were oddly specific scenarios, Harrison.”

“It’s because I lived them.” He jabbed the end of his putter into Arlo’s chest, ignoring his glare.

“He called me to his apartment once because he smelled burning rubber and thought the electrical system was faulty. I showed up, and there were extension cords everywhere, and the whole place felt like a wind tunnel. It took me two seconds to find the one cord that was slowly turning black and melting because it was old and overwhelmed by what was going on—which was exactly how I felt seeing the place. ”

“It was a heatwave ,” said Arlo defensively. “I can’t sleep unless I’m cold, and I didn’t have air conditioning.”

“Holy fuck, Arlo.” Jett was struggling not to laugh. His eyes were filled with tears from the effort it took. “Do you want to like, switch hair colours or something? You should have been blond.”

Arlo’s face was so red he looked ready to explode. “Eat shit and die,” he hissed.

“Now that we’re all mad and ready to fight,” said Harrison. “Let’s play golf.”

Arlo was ready to start swinging again. “You’re on .”