Harmless(2)

Roan held out his hand seeing that Seg's was resting on the table as though waiting for this moment. "Roan Gregory."

"Nice to meet you, Roan Gregory."

Yes, it was.

Seg's hand was strong, his grip firm. And holy fuck. This was Colton Seguine. Seg.

Roan briefly forgot all of his problems as he stared at the defenseman for the Austin Arrows hockey team. He knew the man was big-he'd read his stats a few dozen times-but up close and personal, he was ginormous. Six foot four, two-twenty, if Roan remembered correctly.

The waitress interrupted their staring contest when she delivered their beers, and for a few seconds, Roan was caught up in those smoky blue eyes, unable to look away.

It no longer mattered that he'd been wallowing in self-pity, trying to get over the fact that nearly four months ago he'd professed his love for his best friend. He no longer felt the chest-constricting pain that had engulfed him as soon as he realized Cam had fallen in love with someone and they were incredibly happy. The pain hadn't come from the fact that Cam and Gannon were happy. As far as he was concerned, that was a good thing. It came from the fact that Roan had been insecure enough to think he would lose his friendship with the most important person in his life.

Only right now, the fact that he'd blurted out that he loved his best friend seemed unimportant-not to mention, completely untrue.

Nope. None of it mattered because his brain was misfiring; the only thing he could think about was sex. Sex with this incredibly sexy hockey player. Dirty, rough, highly-erotic sex.




 

 

And wasn't that a kick in the nuts? Roan wasn't the sort to succumb to insta-lust. It usually took him some time to warm up to a guy. A hell of a lot longer than a brief introduction anyway.

Roan took a long pull on his beer, breaking the eye contact.

This was insane.

Why the hell would this guy even be over here? It wasn't like he was …

Nah. No way was this guy gay.

Plus, if he was-which he wasn't-there was no way Seg would know Roan was gay. Seriously. How would he know? They weren't in a gay bar. And it wasn't like Roan was wearing his I'm out and proud T-shirt today.

The thought had Roan staring at Seg thoughtfully.

Did he know Roan was gay? Was it something he broadcasted without realizing it?

After glancing around the room cautiously, Seg leaned in and lowered his voice. "What do you say after this beer, I take you back to my place and we have a drink there?"

Okay, so maybe along with some finely tuned gaydar, Seg was gay.

Not openly, obviously, since Roan distinctly remembered a recent article about Seg and some model chick he'd been dating as of late. Yes, in case there was any confusion, Roan was a fan of the Austin Arrows. Huge fan.

Maybe Seg was bisexual?

Roan let that thought roll around for a few seconds. He didn't do bisexual. He had absolutely no intention of being with some guy who would wake up the next morning, crying and whining because he was so fucking confused about his life. Pussy or dick, it wasn't that hard to figure out which you preferred.

Not to mention, Roan didn't need that shit on top of everything else he was dealing with.

Leaning closer, mirroring Seg's posture, Roan shook his head. "I'm pretty sure"-he tilted his head toward the waitress-"she's more your type."

Seg leaned even closer. "I'm pretty sure  …  you're dead wrong."

Roan sat up straight, taking another pull on his beer as he studied this man.

Here was a guy Roan had watched play for years. A guy who was as masculine as they came. A guy who was now sitting here, in this sports bar, coming on to him.

He was coming on to him, right? Roan had been out of the game a long time; maybe he was imagining it.

He instantly thought about Cam. About how Roan had damn near fucked up their friendship because of his momentary lapse in judgement. His stupid freak out had nearly cost him the most important person in his life.

Then he thought about his sister and her fucking drug problem.

And his father, who was beside himself on how to help her.

His stepmother, who had threatened to leave his father if they didn't find a way to get Cassie some help. 

A fucking mess was what his life had been reduced to.

No way should Roan add fucking a hockey player to that long list of screwed-up bullshit.

Clearly Seg sensed Roan was considering the idea. "One night. No strings."

Nope, no mistaking that come-on.

Roan considered it.

No-strings sex. Was there even such a thing?

Roan adjusted his position, trying not to give the idea the merit it deserved, but unable to help himself.

A one-night stand with a hot hockey player.

Who could really say no to that? More importantly, who would?

His world was crumbling down around him, and this guy was offering him an opportunity to forget about it for a little while. An opportunity he'd be stupid to pass up.