High Heat (Hotshots 2)

“You’re out for blood,” he complained as Rain mowed down another chunk of his defense.

“My brothers were even more ruthless.” Grinning like a pirate, Rain was adorably animated, and despite his initial grumpiness, Garrick found himself sucked into the game.

“Okay, so maybe this isn’t terrible,” he allowed. “No idea why this is more engaging than a phone app or video game.”

“It’s the pieces. Holding them. The tangible aspect.” Rain licked his lips as he nodded, mischief in his eyes. “That and I’m good company.”

“Yeah, you are.” Garrick wanted to kiss him but didn’t want to upset the arrangement of the board, so he settled for rubbing Rain’s arm. Eventually, the cookies came out, along with mugs of a tea that Garrick hadn’t been aware he had. Shifting from playful to intent on winning, Rain narrowed his eyes as he considered each move, a general surveying his surroundings.

“You would have made a hell of a quarterback.”

“Ugh. No.” Rain made a sour face. “High school sports were so not my thing. As much I can appreciate a tight ass in uniform pants, locker rooms are the worst. And I’m not a violent person. Smacking into other humans for fun isn’t my idea of a great Friday night.”

“Ha. Not violent? You’re slaughtering all my pieces. Remind me to never cross you.” On the floor under the table, Cookie made a snorting noise in her sleep like she too didn’t believe Rain’s assertion of being all peace loving.

“Me? Scary? This is me trying to hold back. I wouldn’t mind if you won. But I keep getting carried away.”

“You’re cute.” Garrick didn’t think he was about to go out and join a tabletop gaming league or anything, but he had to admit it was a pleasant way to pass the evening, even when Rain ultimately won. “Damn. I mean, congrats. Good game. But I was looking forward to the naked knitting lesson possibility.”

“Me too.” Rain wiggled his eyebrows at Garrick. “Let’s pretend you won. You get all cozy in your recliner and get the movie up, and I’ll slip into something suitably distracting for you.”

“Okay.” Garrick wasn’t going to turn that offer down. But he also hadn’t been thinking it through because when Rain emerged from the bedroom in the little robe and black panties set they’d bought in Bend, all his remaining brain cells toppled over like pieces on the game board, surrendering to Rain’s superior firepower. “Damn. How am I supposed to concentrate on yarn with you looking like that?”

“You like?” Rain gave a little turn before retrieving the bag with the yarn and needles. The outfit was a delicious contrast between silky, flimsy fabric and Rain’s increasingly buff muscles, black lace details making his creamy skin look that much more edible. But he seemed utterly determined to get Garrick a new hobby, perching on the arm of Garrick’s chair and talking him through the basics again.

Cookie fell asleep again next to his chair and the movie droned on. The whole scene was almost unbearably cozy with just enough of a kinky vibe to be fun. Like with the board game, Rain in teacher mode was captivating, the way his whole body seemed to glow when he was excited about something. Garrick still wasn’t sold on knitting, but he could happily listen to Rain all evening. Still, though, he couldn’t resist slipping a hand under the edge of the robe, stroking Rain’s bare back.

“Hey, now. Time for that later.” Stern look firmly in place, Rain made a clucking noise and undid Garrick’s last several stitches, which were lumpy, gnarly things compared to Rain’s neat work. “You need to pay attention.”

“I am trying.” He had to admit there was a certain satisfaction when he did get it right, the moment when he seemed on the verge of some breakthrough to a smooth rhythm like Rain had. It wasn’t so much the yarn and sticks that held his focus as much as the promise of that rhythm—like hammering out exercises, the very monotony a good, mind-clearing thing.

“I know. And you’ll get more comfortable with it, promise. Knitting in public is a great conversation starter—I’ve met several friends that way. And someday you may want to woo someone with something more than bad pickup lines at a sports bar.”

Garrick had to laugh at that, both because Rain wasn’t wrong and because if he wasn’t mistaken, Rain’s voice had a jealous edge. Maybe he didn’t like thinking about a future where they weren’t together any more than Garrick did.

“Maybe all I want to do is woo you.” He tugged Rain into his lap, letting him sprawl across Garrick in an inelegant but cuddly heap.

“Okay, sweet-talker.” Rain had that small, pleased smile Garrick liked so much. And he offered Garrick a slow, thorough kiss as a reward. “More lessons later?”