“Sorry, talking is…hard for me.” Jake gripped the steering wheel like he wanted to strangle it. “Riley was pissy today, so I dropped him off before coming to get you. Maybe a long warm-up will calm him down.”
That was better.
“Pissy?” Allen was fighting back a smile at how adorably nervous Jake was. “Is he like that often?”
Jake shrugged.
Allen waited.
Jake ducked his head, like he was being scolded. “The new guy who was traded to the Citadels, he’s an asshole. He’s acting cocky for someone who’s on a farm team, and he’s been chirping Riles nonstop, hence his bad mood.”
Hockey boy drama was so funny to Allen. He didn’t miss it at all.
“You played, right?”
Allen cringed and tried to cover it up with a laugh. He had no idea how Jake knew about his sordid past when he worked so hard to forget it ever happened. “I played, but not a lot.”
Jake stayed quiet, but his eyes kept flicking from the road to Allen, his face growing redder by the second.
Allen bit back his comments as long as he could, but he eventually gave in. “What?”
Jake moved to shrug again, but he stopped mid-motion. “Uh—it’s just…picturing you playing hockey is…hot.”
Oh, this poor boy was smitten.
Deciding to be cheeky, Allen flashed Jake one of his most playful and flirty smiles. “Careful, Mousey. You don’t want me to start something that will make you late for your game.”
Jake swallowed audibly, blushing so hard Allen wouldn’t have been surprised if steam started shooting from his ears.
“I would let you,” said Jake, and his voice was steadier than Allen expected it to be.
Apparently, Allen had to try harder.
“But, at least let me take you on a date first.”
A date? Jake wanted to take him out on adate?
No. No way.
“Sure,” said Allen. “Where are we going?”
Jake had fully regained his confidence now that he had Allen right where he wanted him. The smirk was back, though it couldn’t quite hide the flush still burning in his cheeks.
“Downtown, after the game tonight. My favourite restaurant is on the waterfront.” He hesitated for half a second and glanced at Allen, looking flustered. “No need for sex to be on the table. Just talking is fine.”
Nope. Allen was going to fuck him because, without sex, that would make it arealdate. He didn’t do real dates.
“When you drop me off after,” Allen leaned across the center console, making sure Jake could see him in his peripheral vision, “you’ll be coming up to my apartment, and then I’m going to show you my stick handling skills.”
Jake took the turn into the arena parking lot hard enough to make the tires squeal.
“Fuck.”
Allen grinned and straightened in his seat. Fuck was right, Jake had no idea what he was getting into.
Admittedly, Allen was a bit rusty in the sex department, but he heard it was like riding a bike.
Jake was scowling by the time he parked. The moment the engine cut off, he leaned forward over the wheel and drew a deep breath.