Page 1 of Knocked Sideways

CHAPTER ONE

REMY

December 31

Remy had never cared much about New Year’s Eve before, but this year, he’d had plans.

Earlier that night, he’d imagined going home to drink champagne and have hot sex—or at least, hot-enough sex—with the guy he hoped might be his first boyfriend. And that Mike would stick around to talk, and Remy’d have the courage to bring up making that “boyfriend” thing official.

He definitely hadn’t pictured ending up on his expensive-for-IKEA couch, shirt unbuttoned and suit pants unzipped, unable to do anything but stare at the phone in his hand.

Mike had been in the middle of undressing him, taking his time and admiring Remy’s muscles as he went, when Remy’s phone started ringing. Remy hadn’t wanted to stop—who shut down sex on New Year’s Eve to take a phone call?—but Mike insisted. Because also, who would be calling on New Year’s Eve if it wasn’t really important?

“I guess you heard both sides of the conversation.” Remy pulled his eyes up from his phone and realized with a sinking feeling that Mike had already looped his tie back around his neck.

No sex, then.

Fine.

It wasn’t like he was still in the mood, anyway.

“Yeah, I take it that as of tomorrow, you’ll be living in Denver.” Mike ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair and glanced toward the door.

“I mean. For the rest of the season. Yeah.” Remy could barely wrap his mind around his agent’s words. Traded to the Colorado Blizzards. He knew he was lucky that he’d never had to move too far from Montreal to keep playing hockey. And he’d thought more than once that his luck would probably catch up with him someday.

He just hadn’t thought it would happen three months after he’d finally, finally made an NHL roster. And when he’d just helped his little sister move into her own apartment to start university here. He wasn’t going to be able to keep an eye on her from Denver. Or pay for her tuition, if he got sent back down to the minors. If he wasn’t good enough for Montreal to keep around, maybe he wasn’t going to cut it in Colorado, either.

“Hey.” Mike stepped in closer and squeezed Remy’s shoulder, interrupting his thought spiral. “It’s a tough break, but look at it this way. The Blizzards aren’t deep on defense. I’m sure you’ll get more minutes there. This could be your chance to break into the second d-pair and get a one-way contract offer at the end of the season.”

“Do you really believe that? Because I thought—” Remy wasn’t even sure what he’d thought. That his ice time in Montreal seemed decent for a twenty-five-year-old technical rookie on a two-way contract who’d almost given up hope of making it this far. “I thought I was doing everything I needed for Montreal to re-sign me here.”

Mike sighed and reached down to tuck one of Remy’s curls back behind his ear. His hand slid around to cup the back of Remy’s neck, and Remy couldn’t help leaning into it, because Mike didn’t usually touch him like that.

They’d agreed at the start that this was about having regular sex with someone who was discreet and knew what it took to play hockey for a living. But Remy had started to hope for more because as much as he appreciated the sex, he also wanted those looks that said you’re the most important person in the world to me, and I wish we were alone right now.

He knew he wasn’t Mike’s most important person. It was pretty clear that Mike’s most important person was Mike. But Remy had started to feel like maybe he mattered, too, at least a little.

“It’s not about you. It’s about the team,” Mike said. “You’ll be fine.”

“I guess. It feels like it’s about me, though.” As soon as the words were out, Remy regretted them. Maybe he could use some reassurance right now, but Mike wasn’t the guy for that.

“Getting traded is part of the deal, Remy. You know that.” Mike was using the voice that made it sound like he was still Remy’s college hockey coach and not the guy in Remy’s bed. Well, the guy on Remy’s couch, because for whatever reason, Mike never suggested they take it to the bedroom.

And maybe it was a good thing that Mike let his impatience show, because Remy was starting to feel something other than numb as all the muscles in his shoulders and neck tightened up.

Yeah, now he was mad. Whether at Mike or Montreal’s management, he couldn’t really say.

Probably both.

Definitely both.

“I know it’s part of the deal. I just—I mean, I’m not crazy to be upset, right? You know my sister just started university here, and you know I can’t afford to be sent down to the AHL if it doesn’t work out with Colorado. I need to be making NHL money this year.” Remy paused, wondering if his next thought was worth saying. What the hell. He had had those plans, after all. “And we’re not going to be able to see each other for months, maybe.”

“No. We’re not.” Mike lifted his hand and stepped back again. “That’s probably for the best, Remy. You’re gonna need to put in face time with the guys on the Blizzards to get integrated into the fabric of the team. Maybe you didn’t do quite enough of that here.”

“Seriously?” Mike had Remy’s full attention now, because that was a low blow. “You think they traded me because I spent a few of my days off driving down to see you and didn’t hang out enough with the team?”

“I mean—” Mike looked toward the door like he was regretting that he hadn’t left already. “I think they traded you because Colorado was desperate enough for a quality d-man that they were willing to give up the type of offensive prospect Montreal hasn’t been able to get its hands on in the last few years.”