39. Luca

39 /

luca

A Few Weeks Later

Warrior Arena thrummed with energy. The Bethesda Barracudas, fresh off another championship win, had flown into town for a game. Without my connection to the Warriors' rising star, I couldn't have gotten a ticket. Excitement coursed through me as I took my seat. This wasn't just any game; it was Harp leading his new team against his old one. Although I hadn't told him, I'd done some internet research on hockey. I went to a lot of games in college, but since Harp was one of his team's lead players, I needed to become an expert.

He'd arranged for us to go out with several of the Cudas after the game. Eager to make him proud in front of his buddies, I was a little nervous. After the hard time Harp and I had, I needed to show them I was a standup guy who was worthy of being their old teammate's boyfriend.

I'd attended the Warriors' first game a week earlier, when they defeated Pittsburgh. Watching Harp glide across the ice, scoring one of the Warriors' goals, was an experience I'd never forget. A couple of days later, they'd gone on a road trip with mixed results—a victory in Toronto followed by an overtime loss in Montreal.

He'd gotten home at one in the morning, and our reunion was intense. I fucked him twice, and having the big hockey star at my mercy, begging for it when I allowed him to speak, sent fire through the roof. Today, I woke him from his pregame nap with a blow job that still had him smiling when he left for the arena. Of the twenty thousand people at the game, I was the only one who knew Harper had a fresh hickey on the inside of one of his thighs. Or that Thursday night, he'd been spanked like a very bad boy for getting home so late.

The national anthem brought me out of my sex reverie, and I shifted gears so I could focus on the game. Since my seat was only a few rows above the home bench, it was sure to be a lot of fun.

Nick Johnson took the first faceoff, sending the puck to Tyler Jensen, his right wing. As Jensen sped off toward the Warriors' defensive zone, I settled in for a wild ride. The teams battled hard, and goals by Harp and Nick had the game tied 1–1 at the first intermission.

The Warriors' captain, Jax Wyatt, scored a minute into the second period, putting them in the lead. The Barracudas had incredible power, and the finesse and skill their players brought to the game was impressive. While the Warriors may not have been as slick, they were hungrier, and they never gave the Cudas a minute of peace. When the Warriors flew around with the puck, the Cudas were hard-pressed to keep up, and when the Cudas were in possession, the Warriors were all over them like bees on honey. Bethesda may have had the machinery, but Buffalo had the momentum.

Harp made the most of his ice time, showing off his skills and making the other guys look good. A well-timed pass resulted in a Warriors' defenseman scoring halfway through the period. Buffalo was ahead 3–1, but it wasn't long until Harp's friend Eckie, one of the Cudas' centers, knocked one in through Gabe's five-hole. The Warriors' lead had been cut to 3–2.

The Cudas scored early in the third, tying the game. After that, the teams skated circles around each other, flying across the ice and firing off shots with no luck. Unsurprisingly, I studied the goalies. I already knew Gabe was a beast, but I'd never seen Hynek Dvorak, the Cudas' netminder, in person before. My college goaltending coach used to call me an evil sorcerer, but Dvorak made me look like an amateur. With an uncanny ability to look completely detached—uninterested in the game and staring off into space—he lulled his opponents into a false sense of security. Of course, he saw everything, and his legendary ability wasn't exaggerated.

I was fascinated by a technique he used when a shot came in to his left or right. He'd hold his ground until the last instant before shifting to that side so the puck could bounce off his pads. It was a slick maneuver, and the minimal movement saved energy. I wasn't sure if it would work in lacrosse, but I made a mental note to try it when our training camp started in two days.

With about four minutes left in the period, the score was still 3–3. Both teams were flying around, but they weren't shooting as much. The Cudas had the Warriors pinned in their defensive zone, and Johnson, Sakamoto, and Jensen were playing a game of pass, looking for an angle to score.

All at once, Harp intercepted the puck and streaked toward the Cudas' zone. He'd crossed the blue line and was closing in on their goal when Kev Moore, one of the Cudas' D-men, caught up and delivered a check so hard it knocked Harp off his feet. The crowd roared, and although Harp got up right away, the players were still yelling at each other on the ice. Jax and Moore got into a shoving match, but a ref stepped in before they started throwing punches.

Harp won the next faceoff, and the Warriors swiftly took the puck into the Barracudas' zone. Unfortunately, before they could get off a shot, Cuda winger Mark Sakamoto forced a turnover. Sako, as Harp called him, sliced around Harp and Logan, and they took off after him. Riley and Jax, the Warriors' unified D, blocked Sako's path. Sako passed to his teammate Cleever, who sped off toward the Warriors' goal. Jax and Riley broke formation, chasing Cleever. Sako never slowed down, and he and Cleever zigzagged passes back and forth until they neared the goal. Sako launched a shot, but Gabe deflected it with his blocker.

As the puck slid across the ice, Harp captured it. He soared toward the Cudas' zone, and as he came up on the goal, Jensen barreled toward him. Harp swerved out of his way and launched a shot. Dvorak tried to catch it, but it sailed over his shoulder before he could raise his glove. The goal horn sounded, and the arena erupted as Harp's teammates crashed into him for a celly. A moment later, he skated by the Warriors' bench for the high-five parade, and I threw up my hand when he glanced in my direction. Maybe it was my imagination, but his grin widened, and I thought it was just for me.

The Warriors had a 4–3 lead, and although the Cudas never let up, they didn't score again. It was a hard-earned victory for Buffalo, and my man had scored two of their four goals.

While the guys showered and dressed, I went to the Feisty Dog to get us a table. Harp and I had gone out with the Warriors after last week's game, so tonight, it was just Harper, me, and the Cudas. I nursed a beer for about an hour before the guys arrived.

Harp hugged me and whispered, "Relax, sweetheart. They all want to meet you."

"That's what I'm afraid of," I whispered back, making us both snicker.

Don't let me say anything stupid. I don't want to embarrass Harp.

The Cudas were all smiles as Harp made the introductions. Nick was as friendly as I'd always heard he was, and the rest of the guys—Tyler Jensen, Kev Moore, Blake Conti, Mark Sakamoto, and Todd Cleever—each took a minute to say something personal. Harp's friend Eckie threw his arms around me for a hug. "I'm happy things are going better for you and Harpy. You be good to him, okay?"

We all sat down, and as soon as we'd ordered beer and wings, Nick gave Harp the stink-eye. "You bastard. The rule is, ‘Once a Cuda, always a Cuda.' Why would you help the Warriors beat us?"

The rest of the guys murmured their agreement, looking as disgruntled as Nick. Harp was sitting next to me, and I instinctively put an arm around his shoulders.

He quirked his lips into a snide grin. "Once a Cuda, always a Cuda, but go Warriors, go!"

The guys guffawed, filling the air with raucous comments questioning everything from Harp's play to his parentage. Nobody can give you shit like your friends. When the waitress delivered our beer, Nick held up his bottle and grinned. "To Harpy. You showed what an outstanding player you are tonight. We were working our asses off out there, but you were ahead of us every step of the way. I'm so fucking proud of you."

Everyone cheered, and we all took our first sips. Harp looked at Nick, then around the table. "Thanks, guys. It was weird playing against you. Once, when I was leaving the ice, I almost skated to your bench."

"No shit?" Tyler chuckled. "I actually did that in Cuda Arena. Not long after the Cohos traded me to Bethesda, they came to visit. I was on my way off the ice and skated right to their bench. Thank fuck I realized it before I hopped over the boards."

"It's all good," Cleever said, "as long as you don't score on your own goal."

Everybody kept it light, chirping Harp for playing so well and telling lots of funny stories. The waitress returned with platters of Buffalo wings, and things got quiet while everyone dug in. Kev polished his off first, and after using a towelette to wipe his fingers, he looked at me. "You play for Buffalo's lacrosse team, right?"

"Yeah," I said. "Five years now."

"That's cool. Lax is a great game." He narrowed his eyes and stared at me until I started sweating. "You know, Harpy may be a Warrior now, but he'll always be our friend. I've heard some things, and I don't believe in beating around the bush. Are you going to treat him right?"

"Kev!" Harp's voice was sharp. "Come on, lighten up."

All eyes were on me, making the skin on the back of my neck prickle. The heavy silence and interested gazes made it clear they'd all heard about what happened. I glanced at Harp, then scanned the table, meeting every eye until I landed on Kev's. "You bet your fucking ass I'll be good to him. Harp and I went through a hard time, but I've learned from my mistakes."

" Our mistakes," Harper said. " We've learned. Luca and I had growing pains, but we're fine now."

When no one spoke, I said, "I love Harper. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'd rather die than hurt him. I promise to take care of your friend, and if I fuck it up, I won't even try to fight while you beat the shit out of me."

"Just what I needed to hear," Eckie said. "If you love Harper, you're okay with me. Welcome to the family, Luca."

Nick grinned and held up his beer again. "Hear, hear. To Luca. If Harpy loves him, I do too. And to Harpy. I'm so glad you're happy at last."

With that out of the way, everyone relaxed. We all sipped our beers, and then Harp looked around the table. "I love Luca, and I trust him. Thanks for being the best friends I've ever had, and for accepting my man."

Sako rolled his eyes. "I'd say he's too hot for you, Harpy, but that means I'd have to say a Warrior's boyfriend is hot. That, I could never do."

"The fuck?" Blake, Sako's husband, elbowed him. "You'd better not be thinking any other guy's hot, no matter who he is."

"Not so fast, Blake," Tyler said. "I always used to notice the way you looked at Harpy."

I snorted and glared at Blake. "Keep your eyes to yourself, Conti. You don't want to get into it with a lacrosse player. You guys only think you can fight."

Everyone chortled, and when the noise died down, Nick was still grinning. "Let's everyone stick with the guy he's with. We don't want any inter-sport fights breaking out."

Harp took my hand and leaned over for a kiss. The guys knocked on the table to show their approval, and it felt good to know his friends had our backs.