Neutral Zone Trap - Bianca Sommerland Page 0,23

a good distraction from how weird Hunt was acting.

Braxton’s roommate had met a chick and moved out, so he figured he’d offer Hunt the spare room. The guy was staying in a cheap apartment, pretty isolated aside from regular calls and visits from his overbearing father. Even though they’d grown a bit distant, Braxton figured they were still friends and the company would be nice.

Only, Hunt wasn’t…great company. He had a schedule his dad made for him that he followed, a diet he pushed on Braxton, and they hardly spoke at all anymore. Braxton got dedication to the game, but every single minute of every day? Hell, he felt guilty sitting down to watch TV with Hunt on the treadmill in the spare room he’d set up as a home gym. He let Hunt take over the groceries and couldn’t stand half the food in his fridge.

Being on the road meant a change of pace and hopefully some normal food. White had been asking him how he’d been eating, so it must be obvious Braxton had lost weight over the past two weeks. Not enough for the trainers to get on his case yet, but that would come next.

Between flavorless food he couldn’t stomach, the awkwardness he’d invited into his home, and just feeling really low lately, Braxton had dropped almost ten pounds. And he wasn’t huge to begin with. He pushed himself hard to make sure his performance didn’t suffer, but he was starting to get tired whenever he wasn’t on the ice. The rush of adrenalin wasn’t there to keep him going. He was just sorta…going through the motions of every day.

He refused to believe Ryan giving him the cold shoulder had anything to do with him being so damn miserable. Who cared if he couldn’t stop thinking about the man? What did it matter that their bit of time together played over and over in his head? That he’d gone from feeling good about a hidden side of himself to…simply hiding again?

Damn it, he couldn’t fool himself completely though. He pictured Ryan’s smile. His voice, rough with pleasure, or firm with disapproval and wished he could go back to before he’d fucked everything up. Maybe if he’d slowed down he could’ve proved to Ryan he wasn’t a complete disaster. They could’ve had that chat.

Back at the hotel, carrying his overnight bag, Braxton let out a heavy sigh. The heavy weight of White’s arm around his neck almost knocked him over.

“Things are better, kid. We’ve had a few losses, but that team-building exercise was cool, right?”

“It was. And hell, we won against Philly. So…yay?” Braxton shrugged. “Sorry, I’m just…worn out I guess.”

“You want me to head back to my room then? I enjoy hanging out, but not if it’s messing with your sleep.”

Braxton frowned and shook his head. He didn’t want to be alone. The vet he’d originally been roomed with, one of their defensemen, Mirek Brends, was the ideal player and he made Braxton feel like a loser for not wanting to hit the sack at precisely 11:30PM every night. Not because anything he said or did, really, but he reminded Braxton a bit of Ryan. What Ryan would probably expect from him. That orderly, responsible life where Braxton didn’t fit. This time, he’d gotten his own room and it was a relief. He was tired enough to want to go right there, but he wasn’t ready to crash yet.

Hanging out with White and having a few beers was the break in the routine he needed. He couldn’t let go of the one thing he had besides the game. The one person who actually seemed to like being around him.

He shot White an amused smile as he turned around, walking backwards to the elevator. “Your turn to pay for beer. You punking out on me?”

White snorted. “Not a chance. But you’ve got to promise to eat too, all right? Gotta gain back some of that weight you lost because of our crazy rookie goalie.”

As they stepped onto the elevator, Braxton shoved his hands into his pockets. “He’s not…crazy. I don’t know, he’s dedicated and all, but it’s too much sometimes. I care about him, but I’m not sure I’m a good friend.”

White frowned at him, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall as the elevator started up. “You let him pick every meal, and you’re all patient when he goes from being protective to shutting you out. How is that not being a