Despite the enormous amount of work Finn had taken off his shoulders recently, Gavin was still tired as he walked through the front door of his condo building.

​

He gave a half-hearted wave to the guy at the desk then walked to the elevator. The doors opened quickly, and he closed his eyes as he rode up to his floor.

 

They were nearing the trade deadline and that was always a stressful time of year.

​

But lately Gavin had also taken his little breaks to stretch and meditate and drink his green tea instead of mainlining gallons of coffee and damn it, he was trying to make this work-life balance thing happen. Honestly, his doctor had seemed pretty happy when he went to his last appointment, pleased with the drop in his blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol numbers, so that was something.

​

Gavin was seriously contemplating just dropping into bed the minute he got home but when he opened the door to his condo, he was hit with the scent of delicious food and the sound of Dakota singing along to some pop hit that had been a chart topper when Dakota was in high school.

​

He was not a great singer. Amazing at so many other things but definitely off-tune when he sang. Violet had teased him about it at Christmas, which had only made him sing louder.

​

The whole thing was rather endearing.

​

Now, Gavin smiled as he hung up his coat and removed his shoes, feeling a renewed burst of energy. He left his bags in the hallway and walked toward the kitchen.

​

When Gavin reached it, Dakota was busy stirring something on the stove, so he leaned against the wall and watched him. He swayed his hips and at one point, even used the wooden spoon as a microphone, really getting into it. 

​

He spun, freezing in place, his eyes going wide when their gazes met.

​

“Shit,” he said. “I didn’t realize you were home.”

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Gavin laughed, straightening and walking over to kiss him. “It’s nice to come home to dinner and a show.”

​

Dakota just popped him on the backside with his spoon, drawing a yelp from Gavin.

​

“Ouch! I’m kinky, but not that kind of kinky, sweetheart,” he protested, laughing as he rubbed the spot.

​

Dakota grinned and offered him a quick kiss. “At least people will assume it’s just a hockey bruise.”

​

“I’m the GM, not a player!”

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“No shit,” Dakota said drily. “But you and Thad are always slamming each other into the boards during your little skates.”

​

“When did you watch us skate?” Gavin asked, narrowing his eyes. He wrapped his arms around Dakota and pulled him closer, staring down at his face.

​

“Uhh.” Dakota’s expression turned shifty. “I plead the fifth?”

​

“I thought we didn’t keep secrets from each other,” Gavin teased, attempting to look intimidating but honestly too happy to pull it off.

​

“We don’t!” Dakota said with a laugh. “I just peeked my head in a few times when I went in early to work with some of the guys.”

​

“Fair enough.” Gavin let go of him. “You might want to check whatever delicious thing you’re cooking for dinner though, unless it’s supposed to be Cajun style.”

​

“Shit!” Dakota spun around and quickly stirred the pan, turning down the heat. “I think it’s okay. A few of the veggies are just a little … caramelized.”

​

“What ’cha makin’?” Gavin asked.

​

He stepped forward and looped his arms around Dakota’s waist again, using the opportunity to rub his dick shamelessly against Dakota’s ass.

​

“You horny, apparently,” Dakota threw back. But he leaned into Gavin.

​

“For dinner.”

​

“Wouldn’t be the first time you made a meal of me.” Dakota turned up the heat on another pot. A big one filled with water.

​

“True.” Gavin bent his head and nibbled lightly at the side of Dakota’s neck. “How about we do that again?”

​

“Pretty sure butternut squash ravioli with cream sauce is going to be way too messy.”

“Is that what we’re having?”

​

Now that Dakota was no longer working a second job, he’d thrown himself wholeheartedly into cooking. He had a flair for it and seemed to enjoy tweaking recipes to make them suit Gavin’s heart-healthy diet.

​

Gavin sometimes longed for more thick, juicy steaks, but he had to admit, Dakota was doing a pretty good job of convincing him that vegetarian food was far from bland. A lot of it was even downright delicious.

​

“Yes.”

​

“Pasta and cream sauce isn’t really on my diet plan though, right?”

​

“The doctor wants you to keep it to a minimum, yeah,” Dakota said, dumping some ravioli in now that the pasta water was boiling. “But I made a version that’s a little more heart healthy.”

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“What’s in it?” Gavin asked suspiciously.

​

“I’ll tell you after you try it.”

​

Gavin laughed, remembering the time Dakota had tried to trick him into eating vegan cheese. Some things just shouldn’t be tampered with.

​

Even if it hadn’t been quite as vile as he’d expected.

​

“Fine.” He kissed Dakota’s neck again, loving the way he softened, melting against him. “Is there time for me to change or do you need some help finishing dinner?”

​

“Everything’s done,” Dakota said. “You can do the dishes after though, if you want to help.”

​

Gavin surveyed the dishes strewn on the counter and stifled a sigh. Since Dakota moved in, this kitchen got far more use than it ever had before. And Gavin did a hell of a lot more dishes and cleaning. “Seems fair.”

​

Dakota laughed, like he knew what Gavin had been thinking. “Go change. Food should be ready in ten.”

​

With one last kiss, Gavin pulled himself away.

​

He changed into more comfortable clothing and, true to his word, Dakota was dishing up dinner when he returned to the kitchen.

​

They never used the dining table unless people were over, so Gavin got them both sparkling water and forks, then perched on a stool by the counter. Dakota carried over two wide, shallow bowls and set them down.

​

“So what’s the occasion?” Gavin asked, gesturing to the beautiful meal.

​

Dakota shrugged. “I was just feeling inspired.”

​

“Well, it looks and smells amazing,” Gavin said. “Thank you.”

​

He dug in, cutting into one of the soft, pillowy pastas and snagging some sauteed peppers, onions, spinach, and squash cubes along the way. It was all covered in rich, creamy sauce and he moaned when he tasted it. “Oh my God, Dakota …”

​

“Good?” Dakota’s smile was smug as he took a little bite from his own plate.

​

“Phenomenal. How did you come up with this?”

​

“Oh, there was a little market in Seattle that made them every fall. I was thinking about them the other day for no apparent reason and decided to try to make a more heart-smart version.”

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Gavin narrowed his eyes. “This better not be vegan cheese again.”

​

Dakota laughed. “Nope. Real cow’s milk parmesan.”

​

“And cream?”

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“The sauce is ground cashews.”

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“Huh.” Gavin took another bite. “You can’t tell.”

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“I know.” The smug look deepened.

​

“You’re kind of a genius at this.”

​

“You want to know my secret?”

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“Sure.” Gavin lifted another delicious bite to his mouth.

​

“I’ve been working with the team chef.”

​

Gavin chuckled. “Brilliant. I’d say you should give up your day job but please don’t. I need you training our guys too much for that.”

​

“I guess I’ll just have to keep being your personal chef,” Dakota teased.

​

Gavin leaned over and kissed him, licking a stray droplet of the sauce from his lips. “Only if I can keep being your personal dishwasher.”

​

Smiling, Dakota curled a hand around the back of his neck. “Deal.”