Roan: I'm here. Right where you left me. Waiting for you.
Hockey boy: You're torturing me and you don't even know it.
Roan: I assume you mean that in a good way.
Hockey boy: Having your dick rock hard isn't necessarily a good way to spend the evening when you've got a roommate.
Roan: Well, we'll have to do something about that when you get back.
Hockey boy: You're going to be the death of me, Roan.
Roan: One hell of a way to go.
Hockey boy: You're telling me.
Roan stared at his phone, realizing he was still smiling. A long time ago, Cam had told Roan that one day a man was going to come out of the blue and blindside him. Cam had assured him that he wouldn't know what hit him.
He'd been right.
Sixteen
USUALLY, WHEN SEG GOT BACK home, he didn't want to go anywhere at all. He enjoyed being at his house, liked the solitude that it afforded him. Today … not so much. The instant his feet were back on Texas soil, there'd been a strange push-pull in his body. He wanted to see Roan. He'd go so far as to say he needed to see him.
Which was the reason he was pulling up to the marina now. When he'd texted Roan to find out what his plans were for the night, Roan had informed him he was working today. Seg had gone home, packed a bag, and hopped back in his Range Rover.
After parking in the lot, Seg climbed out and looked around. He liked this place, had the first time he'd come here back when the team had scheduled an outing. There was a peacefulness that could be found here, one Seg had enjoyed immensely.
Of course, that inner peace was at war with the rioting lust that consumed him, so today was one of those days he couldn't appreciate it as much. Unlike the last time, he wasn't here for the scenery.
Granted, the day they'd done the team outing, Seg hadn't had the chance to talk to Roan, but he'd gotten a glimpse of the man. At the time, he'd thought it was his overactive imagination playing tricks on him. Of course, Roan had been running back then and he'd left the marina. Seg knew now that was because he'd shown up.
He hoped like hell Roan wasn't going to do any more running anytime soon. The past year and a half had been hell. Wanting something he knew he'd never have again wasn't easy to deal with. And when he'd run into Roan again at the rink, Seg's entire world had been turned upside down. He believed everything happened for a reason, and seeing Roan that day told him that the man was supposed to be in his life.
As for what the future held for them, he didn't have a clue. But he was more than willing to stick around and find out.
"Hey, man," Dare greeted when Seg stepped into the small office. "What brings you to the slums?"
The man's smile was infectious and Seg laughed. "Oh, you know … carrying around the golden hockey stick gets tiring."
Dare's grin widened. "Well, take a load off. We can certainly put you to work."
"Yeah?"
"No, not really," Dare admitted, leaning his elbows on the counter that separated them. "We're slow right now. Will be for another couple of months. Good for us though. We're all getting to take some time off. Which means … "
Dare disappeared, bending down behind the counter.
When he stood up, he was holding Liam in his arms.
Seg smiled so wide he thought his face might split. "There's the little guy."
It wasn't until the words were out of his mouth that he realized how he sounded. Yes, he and Roan had gotten closer recently, but he wasn't sure whether Roan had let his friends in on that secret or not.
"Your turn," Dare said, lifting Liam up so that Seg could take him.
"Gladly," he stated, reaching to take Liam and turning him so he could look at Liam while Liam's feet pressed against the countertop. Liam's little knees buckled, but then he pushed up, bouncing slightly. Seg laughed. "Ready to start skating already, eh?"
Liam's fist flew out, his hand reaching for Seg's nose, and he smiled, filling Seg's heart instantly. God, he could get used to this.
The back door opened with a squeak, and Seg looked up to see Roan coming inside. The man didn't actually smile-his lips didn't really move-but Seg noticed his change of expression. He seemed happy to see him. Seg would take that as a win.
"Hey," Roan greeted, glancing between Seg and Dare. "Didn't know you were gonna stop by. What time is it?"
"Time for y'all to go do somethin' fun," Dare noted. "I've got this for another hour."
"You sure?" Roan glanced at Dare.
Seg watched the two of them, and it wasn't hard to notice the way Dare urged Roan with his eyes. It was almost laughable how obvious he was being.
"Positive. Now get." Dare leaned down again. "But take this with you."
When he stood, he was holding Liam's car seat. Well, that explained why Liam had been on the floor.