Page 27 of Two Guys One Puck (Gods Versus Monsters Hockey #2)

TWENTY-SEVEN

KTYTOR

“ I s Seaborn injured?” Happy asks.

“Why the fuck would I know?” I retort but my chest gets tight.

“Just figured you saw the news.” Happy gives me a pouty face. “I know you hate him. This should make you happy.”

“I want to beat him, not for him not to be able to play.” I pull out my phone looking him up so I don’t have to drag it out of Happy.

“I guess that’s fair.”

But the article doesn’t give me any information. Surely he would have told me if he got injured? What the fuck could have happened?

Ktytor: Why aren’t you playing this weekend?

Seaborn: My dad is in the hospital.

Ktytor: Is he okay?

He said something about his dad being sick and needing to help support his brother, but he didn’t elaborate and I didn’t ask. Not exactly like we have a lot of time together, but I hate that I don’t know.

Seaborn: I don’t know.

I go to my room and hit the call button on a whim.

He answers, looking like he’s sitting in a bedroom. Maybe his childhood one.

“Hi, sweetheart.”

“Hi.” He smiles a little. “Why’d you call?”

“I wanted to check if you were okay. Sue me.”

He rolls his eyes, but his smile grows. “I’m…” He lifts his shoulders.

“What happened?”

“He had a fall Monday, so I came home, but he seemed okay. So I went back to school for my classes Tuesday. But this morning he collapsed and was unresponsive.”

I don’t know how to ask what I want to ask in English without seeming rude, so I go a different direction. “Is he doing better there? Have they figured out what it is?”

“We are waiting on tests, but I don’t think so. He has MS. He was in remission for a long time, but the last two years have been all over the place.” His voice quivers, and I can tell he’s fighting tears.

“I wish I could hug you.”

That takes him by surprise. His head snaps up, and he gives me a look.

“What?” I ask playfully.

“You don’t seem like the hugging type.”

“I’m very affectionate. People love that about me.”

Seaborn bursts out laughing and tries to speak through it. “Sorry—but I just—can’t see it.”

“Because you only have one limited view. But I didn’t see you complaining about how affectionate I was while you were in my bed, cupcake.”

“You’re a lot nicer when my dick is involved.” He keeps laughing and I like it.

“Who wouldn’t be? Is a nice dick. You’re cute when you blush.”

“Go fuck yourself.” Color creeps up his throat, and I want to taste it.

“Why, you want to watch?”

He groans. “I can’t. We’re going back to the hospital in a little bit.”

I give him a soft smile. “Have you slept?”

Ronan shakes his head. “Not really.”

“In how long?” I ask, somehow knowing.

“All week.”

“You need to try and sleep later. Have you eaten?” I ask, knowing what I need when I’m stressed.

“Some.” He doesn’t look like it’s been much.

“You’re not going to maintain that magnificent ass without eating.”

He scoffs. “So this is selfish?”

“Isn’t everything?” I smirk.

Someone comes in the room and speaks to him, but I can’t quite make it out.

“I have to go.”

“Call me tonight.”

His brow furrows. “You have a game, and you’ll be out.”

“Call me tonight. I’ll be around, no matter the time.”

“Okay.”

I’m not proud of it but I’m distracted during the game. A guy shouldn’t be doing this to me, but I’m worried. I know this will affect his game, and the draft. I don’t want that to happen.

Finally, my phone rings after midnight. I should be sleeping, but I’m not. I stayed up in case he called, not really expecting him to the later it got. I grab it off the charger and shove my feet into shoes, leaving the room so I don’t wake my roommate before I answer.

“Hello?”

“Hi.” Ronan’s voice is hoarse.

“You don’t sound so good.” I look around before deciding to go sit outside. At this hour, most of the spaces should be deserted.

“Nice to talk to you, too,” he grunts.

“It’s always nice to talk to me. Lucky you.” I push outside into the crisp air. I should have grabbed a hoodie. I take a seat by the closed pool and hit FaceTime.

He answers, but it’s dark. I can barely make out his outline. “You love to be on video.”

“I dislike talking on the phone and I’d rather see you.” Maybe it was something I developed, spending so much time talking to my mother and brother. Adding in video somehow makes the phone better.

“Sorry. I don’t feel like letting anyone see my face.”

“Can’t be worse than after I’ve fucked your face.” I cringe when he doesn’t say anything right away. Too far?

But after a few seconds, he laughs. “Fuck you. I’m sure I’m hot with my lips swollen, and you haven’t fucked my face, so you wouldn’t know how I look.”

My brow ticks up. “Is that something you’d let me do?”

He doesn’t answer right away, but I give him time. “Yes.”

“Truly?” My cock already likes the idea.

“Why wouldn’t I?” He gets defensive.“I’ve fucked yours. It’s hot.”

“You have been a little… How do I say?” I have to think about it for a moment. “Resistant, maybe? Or like…not wanting to be into men.”

He sighs and turns it back on me. “Why is this not hard for you? You weren’t into men either. And you really didn’t—or don’t—like me. So how is it all fucking rainbows and roses for you?”

“What is this rainbows and roses? This mean something?”

Seaborn shakes his head. “Not really. It just came out.”

“I told you, I do not regret things. If I fuck a man, I fuck a man. I’m going to be happy because life is too short to not be happy.

” Even if it might push my family away and make it so I can’t go back to my country.

The country that has taken so much from me already.

I won’t let it take anything else willingly.

“Is that because of the war?” Seaborn is hesitant to ask, and it’s cute.

I wish I could see his face. “Yes, and no. Is complicated. Parts of my attitude, I’m sure. Everything we’ve experienced makes us who we are. I don’t know how I’d be if I had any other upbringing.”

“I guess that’s fair. I don’t know how I’d be raised any other way. All I know is my father and my aunt Emily.”

“I’m sorry. Losing a father is not easy. I lost mine in the war.” I want him to know he’s not alone.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you’d lost him recently. If talking to me is triggering you, you don’t have to.”

“It wasn’t recent. I was little. I don’t remember him much.” I give him a reassuring smile.

“But you said in the war?”

All I can do is laugh. “Sweet baby, my county has had many wars.”

“Wait, really?”

“Very many. I know they don’t talk about them here. Most things that do not involve the US are not heard of here. Is shocking how much news you don’t get.” But it’s the truth. We’ve had many conflicts and few of them were major news.

“Shit. I hate being that guy.” He switches his position, causing soft light to cast across his face.

“I’m used to it.” I screen shot it on a whim. “Nice to see you.”

His eyes flick down, clearly looking at his image. “I’d say I did it to be nice, but that would be a lie.”

“I’ll take it either way.”

“You really like seeing me?”

I nod. “Yes. You’re hot, and I like enjoying it. Part of the reason to be on a call with you.”

“I guess I’ll take that as a compliment,” Seaborn laughs. “Thanks for being here for me. I want to be here for you, too.”

I don’t know how to take that. “I’m not used to talking to anyone about my life.”

“You don’t have any friends?” Seaborn seems skeptical.

“I have friends, but not… You say something like best friends…Is not really the same. Close, I guess. We don’t talk about those things.

We talk about hockey and school and women, those things.

” I’m already opening up to him more than I do anyone else.

“You ask like you’re currently sharing with anyone. Where are your friends?”

“My two best friends, as you called it, are going through something. The energy is weird. So it’s hard to talk to them right now.”

“The big goalie one and the other defender on your line you live with, yes?”

He nods.

“Is because they are in love.”

Seaborn bursts out laughing. “I don’t think it’s that. Wolfe might be the only guy on the team who sleeps with more puck bunnies than I do.”

My chest tightens, and the rage I felt seeing him in the bar flares again. I want to break their hands for touching him. But it’s not like this is anything or can be more. He gets laid a lot. I could never be there that much for him, so I can’t ask.

“If you say so, sweetheart.”

He rolls his eyes and readjusts again, laying down but keeping himself in the low light.

“How’s your dad?”

“Better today thankfully. He had an episode of full-body paralysis, but he’s coming out of it okay. So he will be able to come home.”

“This is good, yes?” I want to brush the hair off his forehead.

“Very. As long as they can hold it off from happening again.” Seaborn yawns between words.

“You look tired, sweetheart. You should sleep.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to be alone.” His admission shocks me.

“I’ll stay on the phone with you until you fall asleep.” I glance around, hoping that’s not going to be an issue with the hotel staff.

“How can you do that? Don’t you have a roommate?” he murmurs.

“I’m outside. Not bothering anyone.”

“Isn’t it cold there?” He opens his eyes. “You’re in short sleeves.”

“Is like forty. Calm down. This is like summer.”

He laughs lazily. “You don’t have to.”

“I know. Is it so hard for you to take anything? Not my dick, not me being better than you? You wonder why I don’t believe you’ll let me fuck your face.”

“I told you I’d let you!”

“I’ll believe it when it happens.”