Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“New blood,” a booming voice sounds from behind Lennon.
We look up to see Ezra approaching us with Anton and a few other Collective guys trailing him.
“Yep. New blood.” I shove Aleks forward.
“No, I meant this one.” Ezra pulls Ayri Quinn from Buffalo next to him.
At that same moment, Westly Dalton appears with his partner, Jasper, and his younger brother, Asher.
“Do I really have to join this stupid thing?” Asher Dalton asks with a scowl on his face.
“Little Dalton!” Ezra yells and then tries to hug him.
Asher steps back. “What is our one rule?”
Ezra cocks his head. “Uh, not to touch you?”
“That’s right. This whole thing—” He waves his hand over his body. “—is off-limits to Ezra Palaszczuk.”
“Even on the ice?” Ezra asks.
“Even then.”
“I don’t think you know how hockey works,” Ezra says.
Anton possessively puts his hand behind Ezra’s back. “Okay, what story am I missing?”
West grins. “Do you really need us to draw you a picture?”
Anton turns to Ezra. “You had sex with West’s little brother, didn’t you?”
“It was years ago. Just one of many who didn’t come close to you.”
West and Asher turn to each other and in unison and very sarcastically say, “Ouch.” Then they burst out laughing.
Two bros sharing a dude? Hey, I’d be down for it, especially the Dalton brothers.
“Asher Dalton?” Ayri holds out his hand. “Heard you’re joining Buffalo. Will be good to have another queer guy on the team.”
They shake hands, and then Asher says to his brother with awe in his voice, “Ayri Quinn knows my name.”
A guy hovering behind Asher steps forward. “You know who else knows your name? Your boyfriend.”
Asher wraps his arm around the guy’s shoulders. “Ayri, this is my ball and chain, Kole.”
Kole smacks Asher’s chest.
“Oh, and I love him very, very much.”
Kole sighs.
“Wait, so we’re inducting three guys into the Queer Collective tonight?” I ask.
“And saying goodbye to one,” Anton says.
Ezra shakes his head. “We never say goodbye. Collective for life.”
Asher looks at West. “I used to think you were so cool, man. This feels very Babysitter Club.”
“I knew I caught you reading Hazel’s collection of those books,” West says. “You said she left them in your room.”
“Look at that, time for a drink.” Asher takes his boyfriend’s hand and drags him toward the bar.
“I’ll come with,” Ayri says.
And in true Collective tradition, we call out, “Macallan!”
“One for all of us,” Ezra adds. “It’s tradition.”
“You’re starting to get your wish, Ez,” I say. “We’re taking over the league. Three newbies at once?”
“It’s a shame those two play for Buffalo. We need one for each team, damn it, yet somehow we’ve ended up with two in Boston, two in Vegas, two in Buffalo, and you two in San Jose.”
Aleks and I look at each other, thinking of the news we shared before we got here.
My gaze moves to Lane, and he nods for me to tell them. These are my friends, and Lane was right when he said they also love me unconditionally. And it’s not like this will be shocking to them anyway.
“That’s not actually accurate,” I say. “Neither of us will be playing for San Jose next season.”
Everyone’s mouth drops. Eyes widen. Someone even squeaks, but I don’t know where it comes from.
“I didn’t renew my contract,” Aleks says. “The team not making the playoffs when we practically had it in the bag was bad enough, but I also didn’t like how they handled the Oskar and Lane situation. Management made the wrong choice there. Plus, they were lowballing me. And with Oskar being traded—”
“What?” everyone cuts in. It’s like the Collective share one brain.
“Oh, yeah. That’s my fun news. There had been rumors, and basically, Damon went to them and said I’d go quietly if they make a deal with a team on the West Coast because that’s where Lane will be.”
“Where did you get?” Ezra asks.
“Anaheim.”
Ez turns to Aleks. “Where are you going? If you say Anaheim too, I’ll kick your ass. We all need to be on board with this world domination thing.”
“You’re safe. I signed with Seattle.”
It sucks that Aleks is going to be that far away when we just became close, but that’s the game.
“Yes,” Ezra says excitedly. “It’s happening.”
“You know,” I point out, “you could take one for the Collective and sign with a different team than the one your boyfriend is on.”
Ezra frowns. “Why would I do that when I can ask you all to inconvenience your lives? That’s much easier for me. Duh.”
I snort.
Ayri, Asher, and Kole come back with Ollie, Soren, Foster, Foster’s partner, Tripp, and Dex. Damn, we really are starting to take over. There are two trays full of drinks, and we all take one.
“We all here?” Ezra asks.
“We are, but we need to keep the next part on the DL because this one isn’t officially out yet.” I point to Aleks.