Read Online Safe Harbor 2: Hiding in Plain Sight by Cassandra Carr - Free Book Online

the car’s computer. A minute later, the text noise went off again. Vlad pushed a button on the steering wheel to get the disembodied voice of the computer to read it.
    I’m on from seven until four.
    Vlad pressed another button to record a text back. We are leaving in the afternoon . He punched the button once more for it to send.
    The reply came quickly.
    Travel safe, and keep that hot bod of yours away from other guys.
    Vlad barked out a laugh. Joey’s words sounded so freaking strange coming from the car’s computer voice thing.
    I will do my best.
    At home he drank two glasses of water, even though he knew he’d have to get up to empty his bladder in the middle of the night. If he didn’t hydrate, he definitely felt it, and after a game when lactic acid was building up in his muscles, it was especially important. He crawled into bed, and for the first time ever felt how very alone he was in it. Vlad was falling, and falling hard.
    I don’t even know this guy. Not really.
    He punched his pillow, trying to get it into the shape he wanted.
    But I want him. I really fucking want him. Yeah, want to fuck him.
    Vlad groaned. Giving himself the boner from hell was not the way to get any sleep. Finally he got up and popped a couple of those pain relief-sleep combination pills and willed himself to calm down. After two a.m. he finally succumbed to sleep.
    * * * *
    The next day, Joe grabbed some takeout after he got off his shift and headed home. He considered going down to Bond Street, but besides Vlad, he knew few gay men in the area, and certainly none he could call out of the blue and invite for a drink. Reggie’s was always cool, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to go back there and endure all the curious stares. Undoubtedly everybody would want to hear how he’d given Vlad a piece of his mind, and Joe hated lying. He’d done so much of it in his life and was sick to death of having to spin every little thing.
    After changing out of his greasy clothing, Joe flopped down on the couch and picked up his remote. He surfed, frowning when mushy movie after mushy movie came on. What the hell? He glanced at the display on the television’s channel guide and did a double take. It was Valentine’s Day.
    Ick. No wonder.
    After finding a sports talk show, he settled down to eat. The hosts were talking about some formal backing thing the NHL and NHL Players’ Association had done with the You Can Play Project, an organization trying to end homophobia in sports. They were the first professional sports league to make a statement supporting what You Can Play was trying to do. Joe loved their slogan. If you can play, you can play . A couple of minutes later, his fork made a scraping noise, and he looked down to see he’d eaten every bit of food in the container.
    Joe’s heart stuttered as the full implication of what the announcers were saying registered. Maybe there was hope for Vlad yet. If the entire NHL and NHLPA were coming out—so to speak—in support of You Can Play, the culture had to be changing inside the locker room. Maybe Vlad could stop hiding.
    He wondered briefly if he should mention Valentine’s Day if he spoke to Vlad anytime soon. To his mind, they were dating, but guys were different than girls. They didn’t usually care if they got flowers and chocolates. In fact, they much preferred steaks and blowjobs, a concept he could support. Joe didn’t want Vlad to be disappointed if he ignored the holiday, but then again, Vlad hadn’t said a thing about it either. In the end, he composed a simple text.
    I’m a dumbass. Just realized it’s Valentine’s Day. Hope you had a good day. Miss you.
    With a grin, Joe rose and threw away his trash. He turned around in the kitchen doorway and glanced around the apartment. It could use a good cleaning, and since it was only around dinnertime, he’d have plenty of opportunity to spit-shine the place before bed. He took a measure of all the rooms so he could make a