Page 172 of Cheap Shot

The bitterness in his tone made Sebastian wince.

“No! Of course not. It’s more complicated than that.”

“So tell me. Explain it to me. Because right now, I don’t fucking get it. I know you have shitty taste in men, but this is a new low, even for you.”

“Dude,” Sebastian said. “I get it. You don’t like him. But Luke is nothing like Max.”

“Yeah, okay. And you said Max was nothing like the guy before him,” Nicky spat.

“Look, I get that you have a personal vendetta against Luke,” Sebastian said. “And I don’t blame you. It was a dirty hit. But he said he texted you to apologize.”

A sudden wave of fear hit Sebastian. What if Luke had been lying? He didn’t want to believe that but … “Hedidtext you, right?”

“Yeah.” Nicky’s tone was grudging. “Yeah, he did. And after it was announced that I’d be out for a while, he sent me another message.”

“Okay,” Sebastian said slowly.

“Look, was I pissed about the hit at first? Yeah. But, it’s fuckinghockey, man. Shit happens.”

Sebastian nodded.

“That’s not why I’m worried about you dating him. I’m worried he’s going to break your fucking heart.”

“Oh.” Sebastian let out a sigh of relief.

“Because Crawford fucking looks and acts like an absolute closeted asshole?—”

“He’s not!” Sebastian protested. “I get that it’s what it seems like but?—”

“Yeah, okay,” Nicky said with a snort. “Isn’t that what people always say when they’re defending the asshole they’re dating?”

Sebastian winced. “I hear you,” he said. “And I’m not going to claim that Luke can’t be a little … rough around the edges. I thought all those things too when we started hooking up. But there’s a lot more to him than people realize.”

Nicky pursed his lips, clearly not buying it, but he listened as Sebastian went through it all, from their first hookup to the terror-filled trip to the hospital with Harper.

Throughout the story Nicky’s expression changed from anger to confusion to stunned disbelief.

“He didn’t have a single thought for his reputation or if someone would find out we were together,” Sebastian pointed out. “Just taking care of me and Harper.”

“That’s something,” Nicky said, his tone a little grudging.

“His team knows about us too,” Sebastian said. “They sort of threw us a party recently.”

“Hmm,” Nicky said, clearly not convinced yet. “Great. So he can manage the bare minimum.”

“Look, I appreciate you being protective of me,” Sebastian said. “But Luke is … he’sgoodfor me.”

“This time around, getting your heart broken could fuck up a lot more than it did last time though,” Nicky said. “I mean, you were amesswhen you and Max were struggling.”

“Sure,” Sebastian agreed. “But that was also when Harper was having a rough time and I was stretched too thin trying to go back and forth between New York and Boston and Max was acting pissy because I wasn’t making enough time for him. I’ve got … I’ve got apartnernow. Someone who wants to help me. I have a fuckingcommunitynow. Brie and I both do.”

“With the Harriers.” Nicky’s tone was a little snide.

“Yeah, with the Harriers,” Sebastian agreed. “Look, when it comes to cheering for a team, my loyalties are always going to be to the Rockets. And you will always be my best friend. But I’m making a life for myself in Boston. I’m happy there. And I’d like it if you could be happy for me.”

Nicky winced. “Iwantto be happy for you.”

“So maybe trust that I know my own mind?” Sebastian said. “Look, I know you and Lee set the bar pretty high with your perfect relationship and everything, but …”