So Pucking Wrong (Thin Ice #9)

Chapter Eight

The crowd seemed extra loud today. Harlan’s head pounded. The sun was at that perfect angle to blind him, no matter which way he looked. He bounced on his toes and paced the sidelines. Occasionally, he practiced his kick, keeping warm for the next field goal. They were up by twenty-one and the other team kept resorting to playing dirty. It was always like this when they played their rival Northern California team. The bad blood between them was notorious.

“Call from the box.”

Harlan’s gaze shot to the sideline manager. No one ever called him from the owner’s box. With a nod, he accepted the device. He pressed it to his ear.

“Your ass looks amazing in those pants. Why don’t you wear them for me at home?”

Harlan’s mood lifted. He turned his face toward the box. From his position, he couldn’t see Tanner, but he knew he was there watching. With a chuckle, Harlan handed the device back without responding. He couldn’t stop smiling.

“Get ready. One more solid push and we’ll be in field goal range.”

Harlan nodded. He didn’t usually need to be warned, but Tanner had him distracted. Harlan moved back to the practice net and jogged toward it before kicking out, keeping his hamstring stretched and ready to go. His nerves never eased. Not even after a decade. His job was a huge part of whether they won or lost. A missed field goal could make all the difference. If he failed, it might be the only thing talked about on all the sports channels for the next week. He hopped, getting his blood pumping. It was almost his time. He had to pound the final nail in this coffin so he could go home. Harlan had a husband waiting.

Tanner leaned against the window and eyed Harlan. He looked pumped and sexy. Watching from the owner’s box had become a regular thing since they married. The Apollos’ team’s owner, Billy Freeman, had no qualms about sharing his space. Billy’s husband, Neo, was a six-foot-five blond bombshell who spent every game curled up in his husband’s lap alongside another player’s husband, Omri. Today, Rider and Ben joined them. Tanner enjoyed their company, but Harlan was about to go on the field. Tanner had to be as close to the glass as possible. He had to watch his man in action. Plus, as much as he hated to admit it, he was still kind of pissed off about Rider telling Harlan he had a different man every time he saw him. He knew Rider only wanted to protect his brother, but Tanner didn’t need anything else undermining his marriage. They needed time to grow strong.

The players lined up on the field with Harlan getting into position. Tanner leaned closer to the glass. Harlan ran toward the ball. He kicked. A defenseman jumped the line and collided with Harlan. Harlan went down beneath his opponent and another teammate. A fight ensued over the dirty hit. Tanner bounced in place, needing to see what happened to Harlan.

Harlan didn’t get up.

Tanner panicked as someone motioned for help. “I have to get down there.”

Billy stood at his back. He squeezed Tanner’s shoulders. “Just give it a minute. Let them look at him. Players bounce back up from ugly-looking plays all the time.”

“It’s true,” a deep French accent agreed behind him. “My Tripp goes down all the time. It’s very nerve-wracking, but it’s part of things. They train for these things.”

Tanner held his breath. He wished he could take Omri’s claims to heart, but he could see Harlan’s face. He was awake but writhing in pain. His panic grew to a fever pitch when several nearby players went down on one knee. That couldn’t be good. They were close enough to hear what was being said. Tanner wasn’t. Finally, the coach looked around and gave some signal to the sidelines.

“Okay. You need to get down there. They’re signaling for an emergency.” Billy headed for the door. Tanner was hot on his heels, followed closely by Rider and Ben. Billy pulled out his phone. He hit one button and pressed the device to his ear. “Tell me.”

Tanner stared hard at Billy, waiting to hear what he learned.

“Okay. I’m headed down there right now with his husband.” Billy put his phone away. He glanced over his shoulder. “He has a compound fracture in his right leg. There’s always an ambulance on standby for these things. We’ll meet them at the left gate, and you can ride with him.”

Tanner nodded along. He couldn’t breathe. Compound fractures were dangerous. They could pierce important veins and whatnot. His baby was in pain. Tanner needed to get to him.

“We’ll meet you at the hospital.”

Tanner nodded at Rider’s words, but he didn’t really hear a thing. The elevator moved too slowly. Tanner was ready to crawl out of his skin. He needed to be with Harlan. Everything felt numb. They reached the left gate as the ambulance pulled through to drive onto the field.

Billy waved them down. “Take him with you.”

They slowed long enough for Tanner to jump into the back. He was too numb to even thank Billy for his help. His impatience and the serious expressions of the paramedics had his blood pressure through the roof. It probably didn’t take long for them to make it onto the field, but it felt like forever. Finally, the ambulance slowed. He had to force himself to stay seated and not get in the way as the paramedics jumped from the vehicle and pulled out the gurney. Tanner stared so hard at Harlan, looking for any signs of life. He heard him cry out as they moved him onto the gurney. Tanner’s heart twisted. He thought he might be sick. It took forever for them to get Harlan ready for transport. Tanner was ready to scream by the time the gurney headed his way.

Finally, Harlan was wheeled in next to him. His eyes were filled with pain. The moment he spotted Tanner, he reached for him. Tanner fought back a wave of tears as the relief of holding his hand hit him.

“I’ve got you, baby.”

Harlan didn’t speak. His jaw worked as if he fought a scream. But he squeezed Tanner’s hand, as if drawing on Tanner’s strength. That was enough. Tanner wasn’t going anywhere.

Everything spun. Harlan had never been given so many painkillers at one time in his life. Between whatever they shot him up with on the field, surgery, and then whatever they had in a bag taped to his skin to wear home, he felt nothing. But his head spun, and the room spun, making him sick to his stomach. He kept his eyes squeezed shut as Tanner carried him through the door.

“Come on. Let’s get you tucked into bed so you can finally sleep.”

He hoped once Tanner put him to bed, he would feel less nauseous. Unfortunately, the moment he was flat on his back, the room spun faster. He clutched his head. “Goddamn. Please make it stop. I don’t want to get sick.”

Tanner looked so worried. Harlan felt guilty for begging. He just felt so fucking bad, and there was no way he could run to the bathroom to puke.

“It’s all right, baby. I’ve got you.” Tanner sat him up and then climbed in behind him, so Harlan reclined between Tanner’s legs with his head on Tanner’s chest. Once he got them settled, he pulled the blankets over them. He held Harlan so tightly, it grounded him. Things slowed around him. His stomach settled.

“Oh, thank god. Thank you.”

Tanner kissed his temple. “You never have to thank me. I’ll accept any excuse to hold you.” He paused. “Except maybe don’t do this again. I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

“Don’t worry. I’m done.”

“You’re definitely out for the season. This’ll take time to heal.”

Harlan shook his head. He regretted it almost immediately. It took a few seconds of swallowing bile before he could respond. “No. I’m done for good.”

“You can recover from this. There’s no need to give up already.”

Harlan made a wild gesture he couldn’t control, as high as he was. “No. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Even with this new virtual office, we’ll still be running ourselves into an early grave. I just want to be with you. This career has been good to me. I don’t want to go out being mediocre. I just want to sit like this with you. Maybe a little less injured, but you know what I mean. Let’s just slow down.”

Tanner pressed his lips to the shell of Harlan’s ear and stayed there, soothing him with the sound of his breathing. He spoke quietly. “When you have a little less drugs in you, we’ll figure things out. For now, just rest. I’ll be right here, holding you.”

When Harlan responded, he sounded half asleep, even to his ears. It was out of his control. “The day I met you, I thought you were a spoiled asshole who wasn’t used to hearing no.” He felt Tanner smile against his ear. Harlan kept going. “Luckily, I find that hot since you’re all those things and the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Tanner chuckled. It was a low and sexy sound. A smile pulled at Harlan’s lips and his eyes fell closed as Tanner began to softly sing against his ear. It was the same love song that played when they had shared the first slow dance. His muscles relaxed. Every day, something else happened that let him know he had made the best choice of his life when he married Tanner. He could sleep and everything would be okay. Soon, they would move to Canada permanently and move at a slower pace. He couldn’t wait to be held like this all the time, with a lot less pain involved.

“I brought Harlan’s stuff from the arena and Ben drove your car home. It’s in the garage.”

Tanner stopped singing at Rider’s arrival. Harlan couldn’t open his eyes. He didn’t know if he was more asleep than awake, but he was completely relaxed and at peace for once. He didn’t want to move and risk sending the room spinning again. So he simply listened to Rider and Tanner’s conversation.

“Thank you. I’m lucky you two were here to help.”

Silence met Tanner’s claim. After a moment, Rider cleared his throat. “I owe you an apology. When I first learned you’d married my brother, I was furious. I thought this was just another game for you.” Rider cleared his throat again. “But it’s obvious I was wrong, and you really love my brother. Thank you for that. He needs that, and he deserves it.”

Another sweet kiss brushed Harlan’s ear. “You never have to thank me for this. He wasn’t the only one of us who needed this marriage.”

Rider’s voice turned businesslike. “Well, Ben and I have to head back home. We need to be ready for Tuesday’s home game. If you two need anything, we’re just a phone call away. When Harlan wakes up, please tell him to call me and keep me updated.”

“I will. Be careful going home.”

A few moments passed. Harlan thought maybe he dozed.

Tanner chuckled. “Call your brother and keep him updated.”

Harlan smiled. “How did you know I’m still awake?”

Tanner’s arms tightened around him. “I know everything about you, especially how you sound when you’re sleeping. I’ve spent a lot of nights awake, watching you sleep and silently begging you to love me the way I love you.”

Harlan forced his eyes open. He tilted his head so he could meet Tanner’s stare. “You never had to beg. I’ve always loved you.” He closed his eyes again. The exhaustion was winning. “You’re the best drunken mistake I’ve ever made.”

He felt Tanner’s body shake with laughter. “I’ll never let you regret it.”

Harlan knew. He didn’t need reassurances. There were two things in this world Harlan couldn’t avoid: death and Tanner’s love. He hoped he got years and years of the latter before the former took him. Without a doubt, they would never let each other down.

Keep an eye out for the next Thin Ice, Pucking Mobbed .