Common Goal (Game Changers #4)- Rachel Reid Page 0,65
excited fans—was exhilarating. He wanted nothing more than the chance to take him over, and then completely take him apart.
He suddenly understood why Kip had been sexually obsessed with Scott for almost three years now. This was heady fucking stuff.
The last minute of play was announced. The penalty was over, but New Jersey had pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker. Kyle resented them for it. It was so unlikely that they would score two goals in the next minute to tie the game that Kyle wished they wouldn’t bother trying. Why ruin Eric’s shutout for no reason?
They had several good scoring chances during that final minute, but Eric stopped any pucks that made it through the defensemen. When the final ten seconds were being counted down, Kyle was yelling out the numbers louder than anyone. Finally, the siren sounded to end the game, and Kyle leaped out of his seat. “Yeah! Fuck yeah, Eric!”
Kip laughed as he bent to gather his coat from his seat. “Looks like Benny’s got a new number-one fan.”
“I’m happy for him,” Kyle said, though what he was actually thinking was I want to fuck him. He watched as the Admirals hugged on the ice, then saluted the crowd with their sticks before leaving the ice.
“This is the boring part,” Kip said. “The post-game stuff takes forever. Especially after a win. You wanna go to Shake Shack?”
Kyle blinked at him. “You ate for pretty much this entire game.”
“There’s always room for Shake Shack. Come on. My treat.”
“No way. You provided the tickets. The least I can do is buy you a burger.”
Kip waved a hand. “The tickets were free. Come on.”
* * *
“Scott told me about Eric.”
Kyle froze, dangling the ShackMeister fry he’d been about to pop into his mouth in the air. Did Scott know Kyle and Eric had hooked up? “What about Eric?”
“That he’s bi. Scott told me Eric told you first, which is interesting.”
Kyle tried to play it cool. “Were you surprised that he’s bi?”
“Yes! I had no idea. Scott didn’t even suspect, and he’s one of his best friends.” Kip laughed. “Scott’s not really the best at clocking people, though. So why did Eric tell you?”
Kyle dropped his fry back into the container. “I don’t know. We’ve been hanging out a bit. I guess he just wanted to tell someone who wasn’t that close to him.”
“What, like he practiced coming out? With you?”
Kyle bit his cheek to keep from grinning. Eric had practiced a lot of things with Kyle. “Yeah. Something like that.”
Kip studied him, frowning. “What’s going on with you two?”
“Nothing.”
“Because I did the secret dating thing with an NHL star and it wasn’t—”
“I’m not dating him,” Kyle said truthfully, though he wished it were a lie. “We’re just friends. Like you wanted us to be.”
Kip smiled at that. “That’s cool. Scott told me Eric was in a great mood at practice yesterday. Maybe you’re a good influence on him. He needs to have some fun.”
Kyle looked down at his fries so Kip wouldn’t see the flush that was creeping up his neck. Had Eric been in a good mood because of Kyle? Had he also been unable to stop thinking about their night together?
Kip was looking at his phone, so Kyle pulled his own phone out. There was a message from two minutes ago.
Eric: Are you free tonight?
Kyle grinned at his phone, then quickly wrote, I am. Feel like celebrating?
Eric: I really do. Can you come to my place? Maybe in an hour?
Kyle: I’ll be there.
“What are you smiling about?” Kip asked.
“Uh, just a guy wants to meet up with me.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Someone I met at work.” Kyle realized as he said it that it wasn’t actually a lie. “So...” He stood up, grabbing what was left of his cookies and cream milkshake because there was no reason to waste it. “I should get going. Gotta freshen up a bit first, y’know?”
Kip grinned at him. “Have fun. Scott’s going to meet me here.”
Kyle quickly dipped and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for inviting me today.”
“Anytime. See you soon.”
Kyle rushed out of the restaurant and into the nearest subway station, giddy with realization that he was going to get his hands on Eric Bennett tonight.
* * *
Eric felt invincible. He was always charged up after a win—especially a shutout—but tonight he felt confident and attractive and horny as fuck. This must be how his teammates felt when they talked about needing to get laid after a big win.