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mad dog

Nate made a little noise in his throat, something between a laugh and a whine, and it hit me like a hard check. When the guys’ shit-eating grins widened, I’d had enough. “Stick your smug mugs up your asses and hold on a fucking minute.”

I grabbed Nate’s hand and nodded toward the back of the house. His eyes widened, but he didn’t resist as I pulled him along. I led us into the kitchen, not stopping until we were beside the breakfast table, as far from the peanut gallery as we could get without leaving the house entirely. Our hands let go, and we faced each other.

This was the man I loved, and it wrecked me to see him like this, clenching his jaw and flexing his fingers like he didn’t know what to do with them. His chest rose and fell in harsh, uneven gasps. When he blinked hard, fighting tears, it felt like someone jammed a fist into my solar plexus. I would’ve taken a punch—hell, a dozen punches—if it meant I didn’t have to see him hurt like this.

Nate Holcomb, all six-foot-two of him, the guy who never let anything rattle him on the ice, seemed completely undone. The man who gave me so much simply by existing, who had taken me into his life and made me part of his world, looked like he wasn’t sure whether to run or fight.

That shit didn’t fly with me. I reached for him, gripping his arms and pulling him close. A deep breath helped steady my nerves, and I spoke quietly. “Hey, it’s just them being assholes. Everything’s fine.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he nodded, but his expression didn’t change. He wasn’t good yet, which meant I wasn’t either.

I leaned in and touched his lips with mine. “I love you, sweets.”

He swallowed. “I’m so fucking sorry. Please don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad.” After another brush of our lips, I said it again. “I love you, Nate. Do you love me?”

“You know I do. We only said it an hour ago, and I’m not ready for things to get weird.”

“They don’t have to.” He glanced away, and I put a finger under his chin and urged his head back around. “I’m not ashamed of what we have. Nate Holcomb loves me, and that’s all I need. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

“But they know.”

“Yeah, and that’s a big shift for us, but it’s no disaster. Do you think it is?”

“It’s none of their goddamn business.”

I leaned my forehead against his. “Maybe not. But in a way, it kind of is, right? If they didn’t care about us, they wouldn’t be here. Yes, they’re being jerks, but they’re our jerks, and they’re not judging us. Why not admit it?”

“Tell them?” His voice was barely more than a breath against my lips.

I nodded. “We’ll take the lead, reset the script. They’ll chirp us, but it’ll be our story, not theirs. And come on, it isn’t like they don’t already know.”

He licked his lips, and a slow smile spread across his face. “You’re brilliant, Chuck. I’m not ashamed either. If you’re willing to go out there and look those bastards in the eye with me, let’s give them something real to talk about.”

“I’m in. Ready?”

“Almost.” He traced a fingertip along my cheek, then across my lips. “First, I need a kiss.”

He cupped the back of my head and teased his tongue along the corners of my mouth. When I swept my hands down his back, he kissed me. We were chest to chest, all warm lips and colliding tongues as we shared the kind of kiss that left no doubt who we belonged to.

A tingle raced up my spine and bloomed through my chest until I couldn’t help smiling. This was my Nate, and even if we didn’t know what the fuck we were doing, we knew we were in love.

We didn’t rush it. The boys had interrupted us, so now they could wait. We took our time, kissing until we’d filled the tank with enough fire to face whatever was waiting out there. When we finally broke apart, we laced our fingers together and headed for the living room. They were sprawled across the furniture, talking about our upcoming roadie, but the moment they saw us, they straightened like a platoon of Marines.

“It’s about time,” Riley said. “We didn’t want to think too hard about what you were doing in there.”

“They wouldn’t do that in the kitchen,” Logan said.

“Oh yes, they would.” Harpy looked for all the world like a demon-possessed angel. “Wouldn’t you, guys?”

“Can it, you fuckers.” Nate had put a no-nonsense edge in his voice. “Dog and I have something to tell you.”

Gabe, who was lying with his head in Brody’s lap, sat up. “Don’t let us stop you, then. We’re all ears.”

“Dog and I are…” Nate glanced at me, then grinned at the guys. “ Chuck and I are a couple. We’re in love.”

“We are,” I added. “We don’t understand how it happened, but there’s no denying how we feel, so we’re rolling with it.”

Nate’s grin took over his face. “And we can use your support, so stop being assholes and come give us a hug.”

In a move that had to have been rehearsed, they all made a big show of yawning. A few threw in shrugs for good measure.

Harpy beamed at us. “On behalf of everyone, I have two things to say. One, tell us something we didn’t figure out before Christmas. And two…” He looked around, motioning with his hand, and everyone joined in. “Congratulations!”

Whooping like they’d personally orchestrated our relationship, the guys swarmed us. After a barrage of friendly words, so many slaps on the back I was sore, and enough good-natured ribbing to last a lifetime, they gave us some breathing room. Nate and I dropped onto a loveseat and immediately became part of the conversation—shooting the shit, laughing, and settling into the kind of easy camaraderie that always made a team feel like home.

“Which way did it happen?” Packy asked. “Did the wide-eyed rookie win Holky’s heart, or did the veteran player work his magic on the new guy?”

“Maybe a little of both,” I said, as deadpan as possible. “You know, we were macking on each other that first day. Spilling coffee is our secret love language.”

“That’s right,” Nate said. “Getting the shit burned out of me with a scalding beverage turns me on like nothing else.”

I nodded. “And spilling on Nate really does it for me.”

The guys’ raucous laughter made me jump.

Shit. What did I say?

Logan waved a hand in the air. “TMI, boys. Don’t need to hear about you spilling on each other.”

“I don’t know,” Riley sing-songed. “It’s kind of hot.”

Logan smirked at him. “You’re into that, huh? Getting spilled on, or spilling?”

“Maybe both. I’ll have to try it.”

“We are off topic.” Abby’s booming voice cut through the chatter. “Point is to say we are very happy for you, Dog and Holky. Couldn’t happen to nicer guys.”

After another round of cheers, they decided it was time to leave.

“We’re going to Chicago in a few days,” Gabe said, “and I’ll buy you steaks while we’re there to make up for this home invasion. Congrats again, guys.”

They said their goodbyes, and when we were alone, Nate snickered. “I think that went well, all things considered.”

“I agree.” We looked at each other and shook our heads. “They’re great friends,” I added, “but we have to retaliate.”

Nate gave an evil chuckle. “Don’t worry. We’ll strike when they least expect it.”

After cleaning the kitchen, we dried our hands and stood by the French doors drinking water. “There’s a game tomorrow,” I said, “but the rest of today is free. What do you want to do?”

Nate’s eyes glimmered. “Truth?”

“Nothing else.”

He leaned over and gave me a peck on the lips. “What would you say to spending the afternoon in bed? Then I’ll take you to Scionti’s tonight.”

My heart leapt, but I did my best to look unfazed. “Hm. Have anything special you want to do while we’re in bed?”

Grinning, he leaned close to my ear. “Not saying that I wouldn’t be willing to turn things around if you wanted, but I didn’t get anywhere near enough of you before. How would you feel about pinning me down and fucking me till I can’t remember my name?”

My heart took off at a gallop. “You liked it, then?”

He couldn’t hide a smile. “I believe so, but I need another good pounding to be sure. Think you’re up to it?”

“Check this out, bud.” I took his hand and put it over my cock, which had roared to full mast as soon as he suggested spending the afternoon in bed.

His eyes darkened. “Come on. I need you.”

He let go of my dick, grabbed my hand, and practically pulled me down the hall.