Page 2 of Game Misconduct

Leif had applied to this skills camp and been accepted before he found out Tanner would be there too. He’d comethisclose to canceling when he got the news.

But everyone said that Anders Lindholm’s camp was the best out there.

And well, if there was anyone that Leif wanted to emulate in addition to his own retired NHL star player father, it was Lindholm. Just being in his presence was enough to make Leif realize how much work he had ahead of him.

How much he needed to elevate his game.

Leif had taken every opportunity he had to ask Anders questions and pick his brain to learn what he could from his two decades of hockey experience.

It had been invaluable. So Leif couldn’t say heregrettedcoming.

Even if dealing with Tanner was a very annoying side effect. Sometimes medicine tasted unpleasant, after all. But it was worth it for the cure.

How exactly Leif had ended up walking back to the hotel with Tanner tonight he wasn’t entirely sure. That seemed to be just the way his luck went.

Today had been the final day of camp and they’d done a big farewell dinner before they all went their separate ways for the remainder of the summer. Drinks had flowed freely and there had been shots passed around and while Leif rarely drank alcohol during the season, he’d allowed himself to enjoy it tonight.

Just one night in the off-season wouldn’t harm anything, right?

It had made him feel a little more relaxed. A little less tense. Perhaps that was why he’d walked a little slower than usual and had ended up toward the back of the group with Tanner.

The liquor didn’t seem to be relaxing Tanner. He was as loud and extroverted as ever.Annoyingly so, Leif thought with a roll of his eyes. He never stoppedtalking.

At the moment, Tanner was going on and on about what his plans were for the rest of the summer.

Like Leif cared that he was going to return to Massachusetts and go on vacation with his family and that oh shit, he’d just remembered he hadn’t gotten the presents he’d promised his little sisters …

“Pick something up at the airport tomorrow,” Leif said tiredly, hoping it would stop the torrent of words.

He really wondered how Tanner talked without breathing. Did he have gills somewhere that Leif hadn’t noticed? Was he able to extract oxygen from the air that way?

Leif glanced over. No, the skin on his neck was smooth. He had a, well, a rather nice neck if Leif was being honest.

Not that he’d ever paid any particular attention to Tanner’sneckbut it was … well, he had a somewhat prominent Adam’s apple and there was something rather appealing about the spot where his throat met his jaw …

Leif shook his head. God, what was he thinking?

This was why he didn’t drink. He made stupid decisions when he was drinking around Tanner Clayton. Look what happened the last time?—

“Shit yeah that’s agreatidea, dude.” Tanner whacked his upper arm. “You totally saved my bacon there. I should blow you in thanks.”

Leif choked on absolutely nothing. “Excuse me?” he said hoarsely, his mind spinning back to the time he’d felt Tanner’s mouth on his dick. Hot and wet and …

“I mean, c’mon. Why not?”

“Why notwhat?” Surely Leif had heard him wrong. He had to have hallucinated that. It was the only explanation. Tanner couldn’t really mean for it to happenagain.

“Why not let me blow you?” Tanner waggled his eyebrows.

Leif sighed. This was the ridiculous dance they did every time.

Tanner flirted and tried to pretend like they hadn’t wound up tussling in the locker room after thelasttime they drunkenly hooked up.

A memory flashed through Leif’s mind of Tanner under him, grinning up at Leif with blood smeared across his teeth from the split lip Leif had given him. It had made Leif want to bite the spot and he’d been so horrified by the thought he’d frozen, gripping Tanner’s jersey in his fists until their coaches got there to pull them apart and lecture them about their behavior.

Like they didn’t get into it on the ice all the fucking time. Every game where the Rockets went up against the Harriers, there was some bullshit or other.

One of them did something, the other one blew up, and one—or both—of them ended up in the penalty box. Rinse. Repeat.