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The confidence was disarming. Everything about this man was disarming and Nico wasn’t sure what to do about it. “No,” Nico lied. “You are nothing special, Verreault.”
Bennett ran his nose along Nico’s cheek, nuzzling him. “I like how you say my last name.”
This blatant . . . flirting was new. No one acted so boldly with Nico; they wouldn’t dare. Even the women with whom he had long-term arrangements treated him respectfully, with a little fear. Not that he’d ever hurt any of them. But he was not the sort of man who inspired playfulness. The sex was an itch to be scratched, a task to accomplish, and he took care to ensure it was satisfying for both partners, then got on with his day. There wasn’t any teasing or lingering.
It made him feel out of his depth, and Nico hated that feeling. He eased away and pulled open the glass shower door. “Stop talking and get in.”
“Does this mean you are getting in with me? You know, to conserve water.”
More teasing, as if Bennett knew how much Nico wanted to shower with him and was busting his balls over it. “I liked it better when you were too fucked out to talk.”
“I bet.”
Bennett went into the steam first, then Nico followed, closing them in together. As Bennett stepped into the spray, water cascaded over the finely honed muscles, wetting them, and Nico ran his tongue behind his front teeth while tracking every drop. Cazzo, this was a beautiful man. Nico had been with all manner of beautiful people over the years, but there was something about this hockey player with bad knees and an overdeveloped sense of loyalty that Nico couldn’t shake.
“You only have yourself to blame for tonight,” Bennett was saying as he reached for the body wash.
Nico edged him out of the way and stood under the spray to get warm. Then he wiped the water from his eyes and asked, “What does that mean?”
“I tried to leave. More than once.”
“You were dying to fuck me again. Stop pretending.”
“Oh, I’m the one pretending?”
Nico moved aside so Bennett could rinse. “I said you were forbidden from gloating.”
“This isn’t gloating. I’m stating facts.”
A lie, but he let it slide. “I never said I didn’t want to fuck you. The difference is I know it’s a bad idea. I’m trying to keep us both safe.”
“Okay, sure. A blowjob in a club, that was safe? Coming to the arena? Breaking into my apartment? Fucking me on your desk? Asking me to stay—”
“Enough,” Nico snapped, the single word reverberating off the tile. They didn’t need to list all his weaknesses.
“You’re anything but safe, Nico.”
All of this was true, but he didn’t want to hear it. Not at the moment. “And yet you were not complaining.”
Bennett lifted his shoulder as he rubbed the soap over his chest and stomach. “I hate that you’re so good in bed. Believe me, I’ll regret this the instant I walk out of here.”
Nico had nothing to say to that. He would feel the exact same once it was over. Without speaking, he moved under the spray again, letting the water hide whatever the other man might see in his expression.
Bennett pushed the wet strands of hair off his forehead, his eyes searching Nico’s face. “What will you tell your cousin about why I stayed tonight?”
“That I am the boss and he should stop asking fucking questions.”
Bennett let out a bark of laughter. “Fair enough. I suppose the position has its perks.”
Nico hummed in his throat. “Do your teammates question their captain’s decisions?”
“No, not unless they want to do bag skates at practice.”
“Bag skates are a bad thing?”
“Bag skates are a very bad thing. Guys usually throw up before we finish.”
“This I understand. We also have dirty jobs that cause vomiting.”
