Page 11 of Perfect Storm (Toronto Thunder #1)

An acrimonious divorce was bad enough, but then there’d been rumors Dawson’s ex-father-in-law, a financial advisor, had stolen a lot of his NFL cash.

“I get it,” Levi said. He suddenly wondered if Aidan hadn’t only invited Dawson here today because Levi was scheduled to arrive. After all, this was Aidan they were talking about. The guy’s motives had motives. Riley was always complaining about how he liked to arrange everything.

Levi wasn’t sure how he felt about being arranged.

On one hand, that was kind of hot.

On the other, it was annoying that Aidan was going to do it and not be transparent about it.

“Honestly, I’m trying to distract him.” Aidan grimaced, like he was bad at it. He probably was. Even when he was providing prime jerkoff fodder for Levi, he wouldn’t have called Aidan Flynn entertaining.

“Want me to help?” Levi asked.

“Yes,” Aidan said, looking intensely grateful.

“Alright.” Levi rubbed his hands together. “No problem.”

Aidan looked suddenly worried. “What are you gonna do?”

“Bro, stop looking so constipated,” Levi teased, smacking him on the arm. It was good to get the casual touching out of the way. He touched everybody. He wasn’t going to keep his distance just because Aidan was pretending that they’d never kissed.

“What do I have to do to get you to stop calling me bro?” Aidan asked, pained, as he trailed after Levi, heading back into the living room.

“Dawson, my man,” Levi said, flopping down on the couch right where Aidan had been. He held out his hand for a fist bump. Dawson hit it back, after a long confused pause. “How’s it hanging?”

Aidan shot Levi a look and settled into the big armchair kitty-corner to the couch.

“Well, uh . . .it kinda sucks.” Dawson made a face. “I’m sure you’ve heard.”

“Some of it, yeah, but not really any of the details.” Levi reached over and patted Dawson on the knee. “Sucks, tho.”

Dawson shrugged, awkwardly. “I should’ve known better.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” Aidan argued. “How were you supposed to know not to trust him with your money? He was your fucking father-in-law.”

Dawson looked like he wanted to bury his head in the couch and not come out. Levi internally sighed; no wonder Aidan was struggling here. The point wasn’t for Dawson to keep talking about how he’d been screwed over, literally and figuratively, but to distract him from it.

Levi hefted himself off the couch and walked over to the entertainment center. It was sleek and streamlined, and to Levi’s complete lack of surprise, contained no gaming consoles. He glanced back at Aidan. “No PS5? Seriously, bro?”

“You really want to play games?” Aidan asked self-righteously.

God, he was kind of the worst. Levi couldn’t believe this was the guy he had a boner for, no matter how hot he was.

“Yeah, for sure, bro,” Levi said. He looked over at Dawson. “You got a system?”

Dawson shot a half-apologetic look at Aidan. “It’s packed . . .somewhere. I don’t even know what I got in the divorce, honestly.”

“Same with mine. Stupidly assumed that some people would be locked and loaded.” Levi pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted the only other guy he knew on the team—Nate Bishop, a linebacker and a friend of Landry’s who’d played with him initially on the Condors but had been traded to the Thunder two years ago.

“Hey,” Aidan complained, but Levi ignored him in order to compose a text to Nate. Hey, man, it’s Levi. Just got into town, staying with Aidan. Turns out this guy is a freak and doesn’t have a PS5. You wanna bring yours and come hang out with us and Dawson?

Levi’s mom would’ve had his head for inviting someone over to a house that wasn’t his, but Aidan had told him to make himself at home. That was all he was doing.

And, of course, saving Dawson from a fate worse than death: spending an entire afternoon with Aidan, who’d probably inadvertently make him relive every horrible moment of his divorce and defrauding.

Nate, the great guy that he was, didn’t leave Levi hanging long. Oh, yeah, sure. Give me half an hour. Warn Aidan. He kind of hates me. Something about a bad tackle at practice last year.

Levi was extra proud of himself now. It was always funny when Aidan got annoyed—and snooty—about something. Even better when it was a someone.

Landry would tell him to be nicer, but Riley would tell him to go for it.

“Hey, good news,” Levi announced. “Nate’s coming over with his.”

Aidan looked like he’d just sucked a lemon. “Seriously? How do you even know Bishop?”

“Are you kidding? He was drafted by the Condors. He and Landry are tight. You should know that, bro.”

“Bro,” Aidan muttered under his breath.

“You’re gonna pry that out of my cold, dead hands,” Levi said.

“Probably along with your neon shorts,” Aidan said.

“Probably,” Levi agreed. He wished he’d worn his brightest pair today, but the ones he’d picked for moving in were just a very standard blue. Not even an eye-searing blue. Clearly, a tactical mistake.

“You don’t like this Bishop guy?” Dawson asked, directing his question towards Aidan.

“I don’t dislike him,” Aidan said, which was just like him. “There was a practice last year. Let’s just say he got a little enthusiastic.”

“Dude,” Dawson said, chuckling, “you used to be able to take it.”

“I still can,” Aidan complained. “I just don’t want to.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Levi said. None of his siblings would argue that he was particularly good at smoothing anything over, but if he wanted to have a nice chill afternoon, he was going to need to make an attempt.

“What, to protect my honor at practice?” Aidan asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up.

Levi tried to pretend that didn’t sound absolutely fucking awesome. “To keep you upright, bro.”

Aidan looked at him, meeting Levi’s eyes, and for a second, everything else fell away. They weren’t in Toronto, they were back in Michigan, in Aidan’s kitchen, and they were a breath away from each other, again.

The silence drew out, taut and loaded with anticipation. Then Aidan looked away, fingers drumming on his knee.

Dawson glanced between them, curiosity blooming on his face, and it was obvious he wanted to ask, but he didn’t.

Probably smart, Levi thought, because he wouldn’t have known how to explain that away.

Or rather, he’d probably say something that was close enough to the truth, because he hadn’t bothered with circumspection in years.

But Aidan was trying to pretend like Michigan hadn’t happened at all, so he’d probably get all awkward and self-righteous about it.

Besides, everyone knew Levi was into dudes but nobody, just Levi and Morris and maybe Riley and Landry, knew about Aidan.

So even if he’d wanted to, Levi couldn’t come right out and say, hey, bro, it’s all good, we just made a sex pact, and clearly Aidan’s still thinking about it. I know I sure as fuck am.

“I guess if Bishop’s coming over, I could order some food,” Aidan said reluctantly.

“You mind if I invite my rookie?” Dawson asked.

“Your rookie?” Levi wondered.

Dawson nodded.

“The new punter. Cam Greene. He’s . . .well.” Aidan hesitated and shrugged. “There’s rookies, and then there’s rookies. Dawson’s rookie is a rookie.”

“He’s from Montana. Grew up in a town of like a couple hundred people. Went to Western State. Toronto’s been . . .well, we’ll say it’s an experience for him.”

“He’s cool, though?” Levi asked.

“Oh, yeah. Yeah. He’s cool.” Dawson looked like there was more he wanted to say, but he didn’t.

“The first time I had him over, he literally spent the whole time staring out my windows and saying golly gee, look at that view.” Aidan chuckled.

“He did not,” Dawson said, but he was laughing now. “I was here! He didn’t.”

“Okay, he looked like he wanted to,” Aidan amended.

“He’s a good kid,” Dawson said bluntly, clearly feeling like he should defend Cam. “Inexperienced maybe. Naive for sure. You should invite Wes, too, if we’re inviting people over.”

“Wes?” Levi asked. He couldn’t think of anyone he knew on the Thunder roster named Wes.

Aidan sighed. “My backup. Wesley Matthews.”

“Dude, he’s not just gonna be your backup,” Dawson reminded Aidan. “You told me Coach said he wants you to teach him. Mentor him, like.”

No big surprise that Aidan didn’t like the defensive guy who’d laid him out in practice, even accidentally, or his potential replacement.

“Right. Mentor him.” Aidan didn’t sound like that was any better than backup.

Levi got up and elbowed him hard in the side. But not that hard. It was his job to keep him upright. Keep Aidan in one piece. Keep him safe.

Even when he was being an ass.

“Invite him,” Levi said.

Aidan rolled his eyes, but he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“You’re pretty bossy for someone who’s been here less than an hour,” he said to Levi after he sent the text.

“Hey, I’m just trying to get to know my teammates,” Levi said.

Aidan didn’t look convinced, not even a little bit, and then of course, Dawson actually started laughing.

“Flynn,” he said, “you have not changed, dude.”

“Nope,” Levi agreed, and he and Dawson high-fived as Aidan continued to look disgruntled that his afternoon chat with his old college buddy, regurgitating every bad thing that had happened to him in the last year, was probably permanently on hold.

Aidan had planned this and he had also not planned this.

He had gone out of his way to make sure that when Levi arrived at the condo, there would be a buffer person here.

Dawson was an easy invite, because he’d also been wanting to get some one-on-one catch-up time with his old friend, and he knew Dawson probably had a lot to talk about, with the divorce and the criminal proceedings against his ex-father-in-law.

Dawson also didn’t make him feel old or washed up or like he was in the twilight of his career, the way that Wes sometimes did.