Irresponsible Puckboy (Puckboys 2)

“Don’t even. You’ve been avoiding my calls, and I thought you might have bailed on tonight. I was all prepared to show up on your doorstep to hunt you down. Now spill.”

I hang my head. “We didn’t know it was legal. That’s what the call from PR was about while we were on vacation. They found out, and now we’re in a media circus where we have to pretend that it’s real and that we’re in love because people will hate us and the team if it got out that we did it as a joke.”

Oskar hums. “How convenient.”

“Believe me when I say it’s not convenient at all.”

“No, I suppose being married to a guy you’re in love with can’t be easy. At least, not when he doesn’t love you back.”

“Dex loves me … in his own way.”

“In his own platonic, delusional way, sure.”

I bite back the fuck you I want to send his way. “Can we not get into this again? You know where I firmly stand when it comes to Dex. You don’t need to keep telling me I have to get over him. I know I do. It’s … even more difficult with having to keep up this charade. I’m not allowed to sleep with anyone else.”

Oskar cringes. “Celibacy? Screw that.”

Right. Sure. Celibacy.

I glance away.

“Wait. Anyone else? Oh, Trippy, tell me you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?”

“Let Dex into your inner sanctum.”

“I didn’t.” Not with his dick, at least. His fingers have been there a few times, but I’ve always been the one to ask for it, so I haven’t pushed him for more. Oskar doesn’t need to know any of this though.

Oskar’s eyes narrow. “What about your … outer sanctum?”

“What is my outer sanctum, and why does that sound so dirty?”

“Have you had sex with Dex?”

“Hey, that rhymes! And I’m, uh, thirsty.” I reach for the water on the table and pour a glass, but Oskar takes it off me before I can drink it.

“Spill it, Tripp Mitchell.”

“It’s nothing.” I glance around the restaurant, but no one’s paying attention to us.

“Don’t make me video call the rest of the Collective and see if they think you and Dex fucking is nothing.” He takes out his phone, but I quickly grab it off him.

“Don’t. I … okay, fine. We’ve been fooling around, but it’s out of desperation.”

Oskar leans back in his seat. “Huh. So Anton was right? Dex would go gay in a prison situation?”

“Apparently,” I murmur.

“Think you can really do this without getting hurt?”

“Nope.”

“Do I need to lecture you?”

“Double nope.”

Oskar nods. “Fair enough. I will reserve my protective instincts for people who actually want it.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

I’m suspicious. “Why?”

“Why, what?”

“Why aren’t you hassling me like you normally would?”

“Like I said when we were at Lake Tahoe, I’m the only one fighting to protect your heart, which made me realize … maybe you don’t want to protect it. As one of your very best friends, I need to let you make your own mistakes and be there for you when everything shatters.”

I’ve never heard Oskar seem so sympathetic and serious and—

I slump. “You want the details, don’t you? Where we’ve done it, how we’ve done it, how adventurous Dex is—”

Oskar laughs. “Well, I wasn’t going to come right out and ask, but since you brought it up …”

“No.”

“Please? Just a little? Does he bottom? I can totally see that happening. Dex doesn’t do things half-assed.”

“What happened to me being the total bottom?” I ask, still having no idea where he got that from while we were away.

“Yeah, but you’d do anything for Dex. Once he gets a stupid idea in his head—”

“Sleeping with me is not stupid.”

Oskar ignores me. “Damn. In my mind, maybe you sneak into the arena after dark. All those surveillance cameras. Making your own little sex tape for the world to see.”

“Seriously, what is your obsession with public sex? It’s going to get you into trouble one day.”

“I’m counting on it. I’m still waiting for Lane to call me into his office and spank me for being a naughty boy.”

“Lane …”

“The new PR rep for San Jose. He makes me want to do bad things so he’ll yell at me.”

“And you think I’m the fucked-up one for being in love with my husband.”

Oskar waves me off. “Please. There is nothing more fucked-up than you and Dex. You guys are … pucked-up.”

“Original and oh so funny. Hurry up and eat so I can get home to where Dex is sulking because he’s in a slump.”

“He’s not in a slump. You guys are always that shit. Which reminds me, you could’ve at least let me have a goal tonight.”

“You know that’s not how this friendship works. On the ice, you’re the enemy. Off the ice, you’re like that annoying big brother who’s annoying.”

“You wouldn’t have me any other way.”

Well, yeah, he’s right.