Chapter 43: One Kiss, One Casualty
Miller
I led the way up the carpeted stairs to the VIP lounge making sure to keep a hand hovering just behind Leo’s lower back but not touching him. We didn’t return to the previous VIP lounge meant for the teammates but to another I requested.
Up here, the air was a little thinner and the music was duller against the floorboards. It felt more private.
As soon as we reached, I leaned against the mahogany bar and signaled the bartender then turned my full attention to Leo.
God, he’s even better looking up close.
I could actually see him clearer now and seeing him closer now only confirmed it—he was genuinely cute.
There was something about the contrast of that sharp, blonde buzz cut against the fine lines of his face that made me want to reach out and see if his hair felt as soft as it looked. He looked like an art masterpiece from the curve of his jaw to the defiant glint of his piercings.
"Double scotch for me," I told the bartender, then winked at Leo. "And for the man of the hour? What’s the move, Doc?"
"Gin and tonic. Heavy on the lime," Leo said, and looked around the lounge as if he was inspecting it then his brown eyes came back to me. "And for the record, Miller, I am only here because the noise downstairs was reaching a decibel level that causes permanent auditory damage."
"Right, sure. It’s a total medical emergency," I teased, sliding a bit closer until our shoulders were nearly touching. I let my gaze wander over him, shamelessly taking in his appearance.
He was the cutest guy I had ever met yet the most stubborn one.
"You know," I started, my voice dropping into that sweet, low tone I usually saved for after-hours, the ones I used on my one-night stands. "I’ve been meaning to tell you since you were introduced... that buzz cut is amazing. It makes you look... cute." I paused, letting the word hang there for a second then continued. "In a ’I might actually let you look at my medical files’ kind of way."
Leo didn’t even blink and looked uninterested in the conversation. He took his drink from the bartender, adjusted his glasses, and looked me dead in the eye. "My hairstyle is a matter of practical hygiene and good maintenance, Miller. It wasn’t designed for your aesthetic approval."
It was a compliment, I wanted to shout it out loud but instead I barked out a soft laugh leaning my elbow on the bar so I could face him fully.
I couldn’t help but wonder how he could be so small yet uptight. "God, you’re a tough nut to crack. I’m giving you a genuine compliment here. The blonde suits you, Doc. And the piercings?" I reached out, my finger hovering just an inch from the silver bar in his brow. "Those definitely weren’t in the job description but I like them a lot."
Leo tilted his head back and rolled his eyes. "The piercings are a personal choice and your fascination with them however is a classic novelty-seeking behavior because I am sure you’ve seen a lot of people with piercings!"
"Is that your official diagnosis?" I asked, grinning as I picked up my scotch. "Because I think it’s simpler than that. I think I just want you. I’ve been in this league for years, Leo, and I’ve never met a doctor who made me want to get injured just so I could sit in his office for twenty minutes."
"That would be a highly inefficient use of our medical budget," Leo countered, taking a slow, measured sip of his drink.
He looked up at me, the blue light of the lounge making his brown eyes look even sharper. "And a very poor strategy for someone who wants to stay on my good side. I don’t like patients who intentionally compromise their physical integrity for attention. And that’s what you are doing."
"Ouch," I whispered placing a hand on my chest faking a heartache. "You’re brutal but I wondered why you are still here, Doc. You could have walked away but here you are. That tells me that my novelty seeking isn’t the only thing happening in this lounge."
"It tells you I’m finishing my drink," Leo deadpanned, though he didn’t move an inch away from me. "Don’t mistake my presence for a surrender, Miller. I still don’t do athletes."
I rolled my eyes swirling the ice in my glass. Leo was a hard nut to crack. The compliments were not working at all but I still want him and now it was time to change tactics. If the doctor wanted to play cool then I just had to find a way to heat things.
"You know, for a man who talks a lot about ’efficiency,’ you’re being remarkably difficult," I said, continuing the conversation. I set my glass down on the mahogany bar and signaled to the bartender again. "Let’s settle this like men, Leo. Or... like an athlete and a man of science."
Leo raised an eyebrow, his fingers still wrapped around his gin and tonic. "I wasn’t aware we were in a dispute that required settling."
"Oh, we are. I want your attention, and you’re hiding behind being uptight," I pointed to the row of tequila shots the bartender was currently lining up according to my order. "Let’s have a drinking competition. Shot for shot and the first one to tap out loses."
Leo looked at the glasses, then back at me, his expression flat. "And what, exactly, is the stake of this ill-advised metabolic assault?"
I leaned in, moving so close that I could see the tiny reflection of the bar lights in his glasses. I let my voice drop to a low, rough whisper that was meant for him and him alone.
"If I win... I get a kiss right here."
I watched him closely thinking he was going to refuse or lecture me about germs but instead he just stared at me and nodded in agreement. "Alright. And if I win?" Leo asked.
"If you win, I’ll leave you alone," I responded and I saw the way his eyes brightened but I wasn’t done. "But tomorrow is a new day, and I’m a very persistent man. I’ll be right back at it the second I see you in the training room."
Leo paused, his hand hovering over the second shot glass. He looked up at me through his glasses and scoffed.
"You are actually impossible, Miller," he let out a groan. "You’re presented with a high-stakes wager and you still negotiate for the right to be a nuisance."
I laughed again, leaning my chest closer to the bar so I could look down into his face. "I’m a center, Leo. I have to be everywhere. And right now? You’re the only post I’m interested in."
"That was a terrible metaphor," Leo countered, though he finally picked up the second glass. "Inaccurate, sentimental, and structurally weak."
"But it made you smile," I pointed out, even though he technically wasn’t smiling.
I could feel the heat radiating off him and I liked every bit of it. "Come on, Leo. If I’m so impossible, why are you still holding that glass? You could have walked away minutes ago when I proposed the drinking competition."
Leo didn’t answer immediately. He looked at the tequila, then back at me, his gaze lingering on my mouth for a moment then rolled his eyes as he spoke. "Because," he cleared his throat. "I have a professional curiosity to see exactly how much alcohol it takes to shut you up and because I’m quite certain my tolerance exceeds yours."
"Is that a challenge, Doc?" I asked. "Because all I want is that kiss. And I’m willing to go through every bottle behind this bar to get it."
"Then stop talking and start losing," Leo replied. He downed the second shot in one clean, effortless motion and slammed the glass back onto the wood. "Your turn!"
I followed suit swallowing the tequila and slamming my glass down next to his. "Two down. How’s that hepatic—whatever-it-is holding up?"
"My hepatic parenchyma is functioning within normal parameters," Leo said, his eyes locking onto mine. "Though I can’t say the same for your impulse control."
"Good," I grinned, reaching for the third round. "I like it when things get impulsive."
After the fifth glass, the world decided it was done being a solid place and the VIP lounge started to tilt at a slow, nauseating angle. The blue neon lights weren’t just glowing anymore—they were bleeding into each other like a watercolor painting left out in the rain.
I leaned heavily against the bar and I looked down at Leo. He was still sitting on that stool, and despite the five shots of tequila, he looked okay. His glasses were slightly crooked, and there was a faint, uncharacteristic flush creeping up his neck, but he was still so damn composed.
I was genuinely surprised. I was an Alpha—built for endurance, built to take hits and keep standing—and here was this Beta, barely reaching my chin who matched me shot for shot and was still alright.
"You’re... you’re still remarkably okay, Doc," I slurred, my voice sounding like it was vibrating in my chest.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to focus on his calm face. "Are you sure you’re... are you truly a Beta? Because you’re standing stronger than I who is an alpha."
Leo looked up at me, his brown eyes heavy but still focused and he scoffed. "Biological classification does not dictate alcohol dehydrogenase levels, Miller. Your surprise is a result of your own cognitive biases. Now, are you going to keep questioning my secondary gender or are you going to admit you’re losing?"
"I’m an impatient man, Leo," I whispered, ignoring his logic. None of this makes sense. The room was already spinning and I knew I was losing but I still wanted to kiss him and so I forgot about the rules and leaned closer to him. "I’m a very, very impatient man," I muttered as I reached out. My hand cupped his small face and pulled him toward me as my lips met with his.
Goodness, his lips were soft and they tasted like lime but underneath that, he tasted amazing. For a shimmering second, the world stopped tilting. I expected Leo to pull away but he didn’t as he started kissing me back, his hand on the front of my chest.
But then, the "Doctor" part of his brain must have regained control as Leo suddenly gasped, his eyes snapping open wide behind his glasses. He let out a choked sound and shoved my chest.
"Leo," I gasped stretching forth my hand forward as I stumbled back, my boots sliding on the polished floor and caught the edge of the table and then my legs gave out and my skull hit the table hard.
A white-hot explosion of light blinded me for a split second, followed by a dull, heavy throb that seemed to swallow my entire brain.
"Miller? Miller!" Leo screamed as he waved his hand on my face but I only saw them once before everything went black and the last thing I felt was the cool touch of Leo’s fingers against my pulse point.