Free Off Season (Off #6) by Sawyer Bennett Page B

known me for what… five
minutes, and you’re ready to give up your career for me? You’re
a daft man, Zane. I won’t allow it and, if you insist on it,
I’ll just have to break up with you.”
    Lips drawn downward,
eyes suddenly devoid of any luster, Zane stares back at me with
impassivity. I just hurt him… I know, and in this one brief
moment of startling clarity, I understand something that maybe I had
suspected all along.
    I fucking love this
man.
    I may not have spent
a lot of time with him physically, but I know him, and know him well.
He has provided everything I could ever want in a lover and a friend,
and hell… a potential life mate.
    But it is because I
love him that I can’t let him do this.
    Softening my voice,
I lean over and place my hands on his face, completely uncaring that
Linc is watching this little drama unfold. “I can’t let
you give that up for me, Zane. We’ll find another way, okay?”
    His green eyes
pierce into me… flicking back and forth between my own,
digesting what I’ve said so far. His voice is tense… a
little aloof when he nods. “Sure. We can talk about this
later.”
    Leaning forward, he
gives me a small kiss and then pulls away to sit back on the couch.
    I’ve been
dismissed.
    “Um…
Ever wants to know how much longer until you’re ready to eat?”
    Zane doesn’t
look back at me but stares blankly at the TV. Linc gives a slight
cough, and my head turns his way. His eyes are empathetic…
conveying he understands what I just said, and maybe even a little
thankful I won’t let Zane do something so crazy.
    “The game
should be over in about twenty minutes,” Linc says.
    “Okay…
we’ll go throw the steaks on the grill then,” I mutter.
Giving another glance at Zane, who now appears to be transfixed by
the game on TV, I turn and walk back to the kitchen.
    My head is still
spinning when I make it back to the kitchen, and I plop down on one
of the stools at the island. I grab another mushroom and distractedly
pop it into my mouth. I didn’t like the way Zane was looking
when I left just now.
    “How much
longer will they be?” Ever asks.
    I raise my gaze up
to hers and blink stupidly. “What?”
    “When will the
game be done so I know when to throw the steaks on the grill?”
    “Oh…
twenty minutes,” I say in a quiet voice, looking back down at
the salad bowl.
    “What’s
wrong?” she asks. Because of the worried nature of her tone, I
glance back up at her.
    With a sigh, I grab
one more mushroom but just hold it thoughtfully in my fingers. “I
just overheard Zane and Linc talking about Zane leaving the NHL and
playing in a European league.”
    “Oh, that’s
so romantic,” Ever says with a mushy grin on her face. “It’s
amazing the connection you two have, and that would certainly solve
the long-distance problem.”
    “What? You
can’t seriously think that’s a good idea,” I say in
astonishment.
    Ever looks at me
warily. “Well, sure. Why not?”
    “Because he
can’t give up a professional hockey career for me. That’s
just crazy.”
    “Why is that
crazy?” Ever asks as she layers diced cucumber on top of the
salad.
    “Because we
hardly know each other. This is only the second time we’ve even
seen each other. You don’t give up your career for someone you
just met.”
    “But you
didn’t just meet,” Ever points out as she brandishes her
knife at me. “You’ve known each other for months, have
talked continuously from the way I understand it. Hell, the two of
you practically finish each other’s sentences, so don’t
give me shit about hardly knowing each other. Sounds to me like
you’re just afraid of the commitment.”
    “No,” I
deny immediately. “I’m not afraid of committing to Zane.
I’d kill to be able to have something more permanent with him,
but I can’t allow that to happen at the expense of his career.
It’s too important.”
    “Then maybe
you need to think about moving here,” Ever quips. “That
would be