Heated Rivalry (Game Changers, #2)

by Rachel Reid

keeping them from slipping out was getting harder to endure.

Hunter had come out, very publicly, the night he had won the Stanley Cup.

Two weeks. For two weeks they could pretend that their situation wasn’t impossible.

They hadn’t been together for months. The ridiculous thing was, Ilya hadn’t been with anyone in all that time. For the first time in his life, he hadn’t wanted to be with anyone else. But now he felt like he was going to burst if Shane didn’t touch him the way he’d not been able to stop thinking about.

“Let’s be honest with each other. For these two weeks, let’s just...say what we’re actually

thinking. Maybe...say how we really feel.” I can’t, Ilya wanted to say. I can’t because if I do you’ll think I’m pathetic, or, worse, you’ll say it back and then what the fuck are we supposed to do?

“I will try,” he said instead. “Will you?” Shane asked skeptically. “Yes! I will do anything if it will mak...

“I would stay here forever if I could”

Ilya couldn’t believe what he had been reduced to. He was...infatuated. It was disgusting.

Somehow, Ilya made him happy.

Ilya wanted to always make him happy.

“I give Hunter shit, but what he did was brave. Kissing his boyfriend on TV like that. And the speech at the awards.”

“It was. It really...made me hopeful. That things might be changing.”

“It made me jealous,” he...

“You wanna kiss me on television?” “Yes. After I win ...

“Oh, so in this romantic scenario, you’ve just defeated ...

“I’m not going to be in the mood to kiss you if I’ve just lost the Stanley Cup, Rozanov.” “But y...

“You are the most obnoxious person on earth. I have no idea why I—” He stopped himself just in ti...

“I want to sleep in your bed, Shane Hollander,” Ilya murmured. “I want to do lots of things in my bed.” “Show me. Take me to bed.”

“You’re here,” he murmured. “Yes. Now take off your clothes.”

“Years,” Ilya sighed. “Years I have wanted to have you in your real bed.” Shane froze. “Years?”

“Yes.” Shane swallowed. “Get those shorts off,” he managed to scrape out.

“Harder,” Shane said. “I want to see it later.” Ilya growled and pressed his mouth harder to Shane’s skin. He sucked hard enough that, for a hysterical second, Shane wondered if he might actually be a vampire. Are there Russian vampires? No, dummy. Vampires aren’t real.

“Mine.” Ilya’s breath tickled Shane’s skin when he spoke the single word. “Yours,” Shane said dreamily.

“All of this. For two weeks. Is mine.” Forever, Shane wanted to say. Forever if you ask.

His tongue slipped into the crease of Shane’s ass as his big hands pulled his cheeks apart. Shane held his breath. He couldn’t believe Ilya was actually going to— “Oh, god. Ilya.”

“Shane. Fuck—I—holy shit. You’re amazing, Shane. So fucking good.”

These were the thoughts that kept Shane awake at night. Total and complete madness. His deepest, most closely guarded desire was to just have his parents make contact with the man he’d been secretly fucking for seven years. Part of him felt that, if it happened, something would become clear. Something would finally make sense.

The real actual truth—the truth that Shane mentally stomped on every time it dared try to get his attention—was that he wanted Ilya to meet his parents for the same reason anyone wanted their boyfriend to meet their parents: he loved him, and he wanted them to love him too.

Except Ilya was not Shane’s boyfriend. And, even if he was, if Shane introduced Ilya as his boyfriend ...

“Yes. Listen. These women, they are so sexy and fun, but is no matter. I cannot stop thinking about this short fucking hockey player with these stupid freckles and a weak backhand.”

“Yes. And he is just so boring and he drives a terrible car and...that is my problem. All of these beautiful women and I am always wishing they were him.”

“Is terrible problem.”

“Do you want the problem to go away?” “No,” Ilya said seriously, looking Shane dead in the eye. “I do not want the problem to ever go away.” “Don’t marry Svetlana,” Shane blurted out.

“I do about this.” “You want that? To be together?” “I do. So much it terrifies me.”

“I love you.” Shane froze. And then Ilya froze. “Holy shit,” Shane whispered. It wasn’t how he had meant to respond. “I...” Ilya’s eyes were so wide and so scared. “I love you too,” Shane said.

Ilya gave a shaky smile and exhaled. “Thank Christ.”

Shane Hollander is in love with me. He wanted to kiss him, but he couldn’t stop looking at him.

“This is real, yes?” Ilya asked. He just had to make sure. “It’s real,” Shane said. His voice was low and adorably scratchy. “I feel like... I am dreaming?” “You’re not. I love you.”

“I want to be as close as possible to you,” he said breathlessly. “You are.” “No. I want...” “Tell me.” “I want to be in your lap when you fuck me. Facing you. Holding you. I...ahh. Fuck, yes...”

“She would have loved you.” “I wish I could have met her.” “Yes. Me too.”

He loved Shane. God, he loved Shane.

“Is it okay if I tell you I love you

again?”

“It’s okay.”

“Lovers,” Ilya offered.

“But...you hate him,” Mom said. “No, I... I don’t. I mean. Sometimes I do, kinda. But mostly I...love him. Actually.” “You...what?”

“I have been with lots of women. That was not...fake. But...” He looked at Shane, and Shane held his breath. “I have only been in love with one person.”

“Me too. Just one.”

“Your family is here. And your boyfriend. And we are okay here.”