Risking the Shot (Stick Side #4) - Amy Aislin Page 0,12
bother me. Tay’s not a kid.” Dakota knew how much dedication and perseverance and commitment went into playing professional hockey—he’d watched his brother do it. No one who didn’t have a good work ethic or who didn’t take themselves seriously made it to the NHL.
“So you are going to see him again.”
“I . . .” Yes? Please? Sighing, Dakota pulled the beaters out of the mixer and passed one to Calder, setting the other aside for Andy. “Probably not. I wouldn’t have time for dating anyway. Andy and this—” He waved at the contents of the table. “—take up all of my time. And with his schedule? He probably travels as much as Fiona.” His ex-wife was on a business trip as they spoke. “I’m not bringing someone into Andy’s life who won’t stick around.”
Calder licked one tine of the beater. “Who said anything about dating?”
Dakota looked up from where he’d been squishing his bar of cream cheese to test its softness. “Huh.”
Would Tay go for a no-strings-attached kind of thing? Probably. He was young. What twenty-three-year-old was looking for something permanent?
February sucked and nothing could convince Tay otherwise.
First, it was gloomy and wet and couldn’t decide if it wanted to be freeze-your-nipples-off cold or first-signs-of-spring warm.
Second, the looming trade deadline cast a pall over the entire team. Those without a no-trade or no-movement clause in their contract could be traded anytime; nobody wanted it to be them.
Finally, school hit its midterm peak. He’d bet good money that his professors and TAs had held a party before the start of the semester, toasting to how brilliant they were for scheduling their students’ midterm exams, assignments, and labs for the same ten-day period. Fuckers, all of them.
And due to the hands-on nature of his program, very few classes were offered via distance education. Which meant he stuck to two classes per semester, instead of the required four for full-time students, and made up the missed classes during the summer term.
It wasn’t ideal, and he tended to miss more than one class per semester. Hell, sometimes he missed a full week if the team was on the road. But he handed all of his assignments in on time and made an effort to give his professors and TAs a heads-up in advance if he’d miss class. He’d even sat in on tutorials via video conference.
His grades were suffering with the lack of in-person instruction, but . . . at least he was passing? He’d never been an A student anyway, and science especially had never come easy.
What didn’t suck about February? The sight of Dakota Cotton stepping onto the ice in dark blue jeans and a fitted black leather jacket open over a long-sleeved T-shirt a shade of gray that was almost black. It was very casual Friday, and that jacket lent him an air of mysterious bad boy. Wearing his kid-sized jersey that matched Tay’s—except Tay’s wasn’t signed—and a helmet, Andy held one of Dakota’s hands, tiny skates on his feet. On Andy’s other side was Calder.
Calder was attractive in his own right. The same height as Dakota, he was more ruggedly handsome to Dakota’s classic good looks. The cousins shared the same narrow face, high forehead, straight hairline, long nose, and angled jawline. The same ears too, as well as hair color. But where Dakota was just-stepped-out-of-a-magazine elegance, Calder was let’s-get-our-hands-dirty. Sexy in an outdoorsy, craggy-featured kind of way.
He did absolutely nothing for Tay.
Breaking away from a couple of his teammates who were preparing to separate the teenagers into groups for a scrimmage on one end of the rink, Tay skated over to Dakota. As he approached, Dakota’s gaze swept Tay up and down, eyes heating. His smile made Tay’s blood pump hotter.
So. He hadn’t imagined last night. Goodie.
With the both of them in skates, they were the same height, giving Tay a tickling thrill again at the knowledge. He’d dated strictly women since graduating high school, mostly for fear of being outed, partly because he hadn’t met a man in a long time who hit all of his buttons like Dakota did. Tall, check. Confident, check. Well-dressed, check, even though Tay hadn’t actually known that was a button for him until last night. Sense of humor, check. Willing to flirt with Tay in a coatroom, check.
That last one was purely for fun. Anyone willing to flirt in a coatroom got extra bonus points.