Save of the Game by Avon Gale Page A

if that was a goalie thing or just a Riley thing. And he wasn’t going to ask either.
    “What’s the matter? You’re thinking too fast again. And yeah. I do think we’ll go to the playoffs.”
    “Nothing. I’m just…. It’s nothing.” Ethan kissed him, stood up, and made a face as he looked down at his pants. “But really, dude.”
    “I know.”
    “This time we said we were going to take them off.”
    “I know,” Riley said again. “We did.”
    “And we forgot,” Ethan said, stating the more than obvious.
    “Yes,” Riley agreed as he stood up. “We forgot.”
    This was dumb. What they were doing felt good with their clothes on. It had to feel better with them off. Right? Ethan looked at Riley. They were at the part where they usually, in complete, unspoken agreement, retreated to separate corners to shower and change.
    “Hey, Riley?”
    “Yeah?”
    Ethan looked up because he realized he was staring at Riley’s crotch. “I don’t think we’re really forgetting.”
    Riley nodded. He raked a hand through his thick, dark hair, making him look like an anime character.
    “Maybe we should just get it over with,” Ethan suggested. He heard himself say that, and wondered how he got laid—ever. Wow.
    “Get it over with?” Riley’s eyebrows went up. It made him look more like an anime character. “Really?”
    “I want to see your dick,” Ethan told him bluntly, amused at how that made Riley’s cheeks flush. “And possibly touch it. And then I want you to touch mine.” His chin went up. “We’re taking a shower, Riley. Together.”
    “Okay,” Riley said. “We’ve showered together before.”
    “We have? Where was I?” Ethan crossed his arms. “Did you roofie my Pepsi? What the hell, man.”
    Riley made a face at him. Ethan thought it was cute. Then he wanted to punch himself for thinking that. “Eww. No. We shower after hockey. Remember? In the locker room?”
    “I don’t touch your dick there, though,” Ethan pointed out. “But I’m going to. I just want you to know that. Now, I mean. Not in the shower in the locker room.” Well, maybe not yet. Illicit dick touching couldn’t be ruled out for the future? Could it? Ethan wanted to keep his options open.
    Riley’s response was to pull his pants off, leaving him naked in Ethan’s bedroom.
    Ethan was not as good at hockey as Riley, but goddammit, he could be just as good at sex and stripping. He immediately pulled down his pants, kicked them off, and stood with his hands on his hips. “There. We’re naked. Let’s get in the shower.”
    They weren’t really looking anywhere below the belt, but Ethan turned around first and marched to the bathroom like he was going to war. “If you smack my ass, I will punch you in the stomach and kick you in the balls,” he said, going to turn the shower on. “I like hot showers. Is that okay?”
    “Are there people who don’t like those?” Riley asked. They were both clearly shy, awkward, and determined as they climbed in together and moved beneath the water. “Ow!”
    “Told you,” Ethan said smugly.
    “You said hot, not scalding.” Riley edged away from the water. “You go first. What is the matter with you?”
    “Try growing up in a house with three women. You’ll learn to yank it to the left and hope for the best. Wow. That sounded dirty.” Ethan ducked his head under the nozzle. “Did you grow up with three women? I don’t even know that.” Ethan gave him a searching look. “I’m sleeping with a man I barely know. Hurry. Tell me shit before we turn into an independent film.”
    “I have an older brother and a younger sister,” Riley answered, and Ethan saw him tense a little when he answered, as if he didn’t want to talk about his family.
    Maybe some people don’t like to do that when they’re in the shower with their gay lover , Ethan thought. Then he told himself firmly to never, ever use the phrase “gay lover” again. Mostly just “lover,” though.