CHAPTER TWO
Half an hour later, as Connor got out of the SUV in front of the hotel where most of the wedding guests were staying, he could still feel Jesse Webber’s mouth against his.
Connor said goodnight to the driver and the older couple he’d shared the ride with, rubbing his lips absently.
They tingled when he thought about that kiss by the shore.
It had only lasted a minute or so, a sizzling touch of lips and tongue that had left Connor more confused than ever. He’d been sure that a kiss with some guy he didn’t even like would get the whole thing out of his system. It would prove that he wasn’t actually bi.
Unfortunately, it had done no such thing.
So, like a coward, he’d run. He’d pushed Webber away and hightailed it to the line of hired cars on call for the evening, silently apologizing to his brother for not staying until the end of the reception.
Not that Kelly was likely to notice, too immersed in his little bubble of happiness.
The tap of Connor’s dress shoes echoed a little in the marble emptiness of the lobby. He glanced between the elevators and the hotel bar for a moment before turning toward the bar. Alcohol wouldn’t solve all of life’s problems but, sometimes, a man needed a little time alone with a bottle of whiskey to make sense of things.
Connor took a seat at the nearly deserted bar, ordered a drink, and when the bartender served it, said, “you can keep ’em coming.”
The man raised an eyebrow.
Connor sighed. “My little brother got married today and I’m fresh off a divorce and need to drown my sorrows.”
Nodding, the barkeep set the bottle beside Connor’s elbow. “Are you a guest here?”
Connor nodded. “Yeah. Are you gonna charge it to the room?”
“Yep. Plus, that way I can pour you into the correct bed later if necessary.”
“Thanks, man.” Grateful, Connor nodded, fishing out the key card sleeve to show him the number.
After that, the guy left Connor in peace to think about how it had felt to have Jesse’s body pressed against his.
Connor’s head and stomach swooped dizzyingly and it wasn’t from the drinks. It hadn’t been then and it wasn’t now.
He’d liked it.
Whether Connor was ready to admit it to anyone else or not, he’d kissed a man and he hadn’t stopped because he’d hated it. He’d stopped because it had felt right .
And that wasn’t to say that he hadn’t loved or desired Viv, he fucking had. Whatever their issues, however frustrated he’d been by their marriage, he was attracted to women. He had been before he met Viv and he still was.
But this kiss with Jesse had ripped away the last doubt he had about if kissing a man would feel good.
If he really was … bi.
Connor refilled his glass, imagining what would have happened if he’d let the kiss continue. Would Jesse have invited him back to his hotel room? Or would he have dropped to his knees right there and sucked Connor’s dick out in the open, with the wind coming off the water and the lights of Chicago glowing behind the tent?
Connor shifted on the barstool, a sizzle of heat going through him at the thought. He’d never been the type to want to do anything risky like that but he’d felt not at all like himself earlier.
Or maybe it was him? He wasn’t so sure who he was anymore.
A few years ago, he’d been a supposedly straight married man and now he was sitting in a hotel bar thinking about a guy sucking him off.
He dragged his hand across his suddenly warm face, then glanced into the lobby, watching one of Anders’ Swedish cousins and her husband walk past, hand-in-hand. Another couple he didn’t recognize followed, gazing at each other adoringly.
That stupid fucking ache of loneliness and frustration swirled through him again as he glanced back at his glass. It was empty, so he refilled it from the bottle and resumed his slow, steady drinking.
A glass of water appeared in front of him, courtesy of the helpful bartender, and Connor let his gaze linger as he stepped away to mop at the bar.
Hmm, the guy wasn’t bad looking and he had mentioned getting Connor to bed …
Clearly the bartender noticed the attention, because he shot Connor an amused look, then held up his hand to show off his wedding ring.
Cheeks going hot, Connor looked away. He’d never had anyone clock him like that. Except maybe Webber …
Fuck!
Part of Connor was tempted to drag the bottle upstairs now and get his hand on himself while he replayed the feel of Jesse’s tongue in his mouth and the sound of his low moan. The hard press of his body …
The other part of Connor felt frozen, like he was waiting for something to jolt him out of this stupid spiral of drunken confusion.
Connor gulped down the water, the sound of someone’s laughter making him glance back toward the lobby. Several more people streamed in through the front doors and he wondered if maybe the reception was winding down. It sure looked like it.
He froze, whiskey glass halfway to his lips, when Jesse sauntered past.
No matter how annoying Webber could be, he looked damn good in his tailored navy-blue suit. He had the jacket draped over his shoulder, shirt on but only half-buttoned, hair a mess.
Possibly still from Connor’s hands. He flushed at the thought.
Somehow, Connor always thought of Jesse as being a blond but his hair was actually quite dark brown, streaked through with lighter strands, like he’d been out in the sun this summer.
He reminded Connor of the yuppies from the wealthy suburbs of Boston, the country club assholes whose parents had gobs of old money. Guys who’d gone to prep schools and had private development coaches from the moment they got on skates.
The kind who summered on the Vineyard or the Cape.
Jesse Webber was from Ontario and Connor was the one who’d grown up in Massachusetts with a rich father who took them on trips to Cape Cod and paid for his sons to have as much private skills development as they wanted, so maybe it wasn’t a fair comparison to make, but Jesse definitely had that look .
He glanced over, catching Connor’s gaze, and Connor sucked in a breath at the intensity.
Jesse did have that square-jawed, high-cheekboned pretty boy prep-school look though. The clear blue eyes and the cocky quirk of his full lips.
The ones that had felt so good against Connor’s own …
Connor was on his feet before he could think twice, tossing down a bill from his wallet.
The bartender glanced up. “That’s more than enough to cover the bottle and a tip, buddy.”
Connor looked at the denomination on the bill, shrugged, and pocketed his wallet. “Keep them both.”
“Thanks,” the guy said, sounding surprised, but Connor was already halfway across the bar.
He strode to the elevators but people were already piling on, the car filling quickly. Jesse stood in the back, surprise lighting his face when his gaze met Connor’s.
Connor wanted to apologize for running earlier. Wanted to pull Jesse out of the elevator and drag him into his room to kiss him again and see what he looked like under that suit?—
The elevator doors closed and Connor cursed, stepping forward to jab at the Up arrow. The car on the other side opened and Connor hurried inside, searching for the Door Close button.
“Hold the door please, young man!” a woman called and Connor tried not to curse as an elderly couple toddled slowly toward him.
He bit the inside of his cheek while he held the door for them, politely asked what floor they needed, then waited as patiently as he could manage while they got off.
Fuck! He had no idea what floor Jesse was getting off on.
With a sigh, Connor admitted he’d lost his chance and that was probably for the best. He leaned his head against the mirrored wall, eyes closed, waiting for the elevator to whisk him to his floor.
Once there, he stepped out, expecting the hall to be empty, freezing when he spotted a man in a navy-blue suit disappearing through the door a few down from his.
“Wait!” Connor called out, jogging toward it, hoping desperately that it was Jesse and not some other random guy with a great ass and shoulders he was chasing down. “Wait.”
He pressed his palm to the nearly closed door and a moment later, he was face-to-face with a confused Jesse Webber.
“I’m sorry,” Connor said, a little softer now. “I’m sorry I bolted earlier.”
Jesse arched an eyebrow, studying his face for a moment before he nodded. “Want to make it up to me?”
“Yeah,” Connor said hoarsely. “I do.”
Jesse stepped back and Connor walked into the room, letting the door close behind him. He was on Jesse in an instant, not wanting to let that stupid voice in his head talk him out of this. Again.
He needed to know.
His kiss was met with equal fervor, Jesse’s mouth warm and desperate against his. Connor pressed him against the wall, delving into his mouth like they were picking up where they’d left off earlier.
There was a soft sound when Jesse’s suit coat slithered to the floor. Though the room was dark, Connor’s eyes were beginning to adjust to the light streaming in the windows.
He fumbled for Jesse’s shirt buttons, gulping in air, trying to kiss him and strip him all at once.
“Hey,” Jesse rasped. “What’s the rush?”
He stilled Connor’s awkward movements and pushed him back until his back met the mirrored closet doors with a quiet rattle. He slid warm hands up Connor’s chest, pushing at his suit jacket.
Connor shrugged it off, letting it fall to the floor too. They kissed, stripping each other more slowly, tongues dueling as each piece of clothing hit the soft, plush carpet. Connor kicked off his shoes and Jesse did the same before Connor pulled him tightly against his body.
He gasped at the hot press of Jesse’s skin against his.
“Connor,” Jesse said with a gasp.
Part of Connor wanted to quiet him, afraid someone else would hear, but the other part liked the sound of his name on Jesse’s lips too much to stop him.
He gasped at the touch of Jesse’s hand, skimming his waistband, flicking the button open and sliding down the zipper. Each individual rasp of the zipper’s teeth seemed loud in the room but Connor didn’t stop him then either.
Instead, he splayed his hands on Jesse’s back, mapping out the width and the strength of the lean muscles beneath. Jesse shifted, sliding his hands into Connor’s trousers and squeezing over the fabric of his underwear. He got two handfuls of Connor’s ass and hauled him closer.
For the first time, Connor felt the brand of Jesse’s cock against his hip. He shuddered, blood going hot.
Jesse froze. “Okay?” he whispered, sliding his tongue along Connor’s throat before grazing his teeth across the spot and biting down.
“Yeah. Yeah,” Connor encouraged him, because he didn’t know how to say that he loved it. All of it. Touching Jesse felt perfect, like something Connor had only dreamed about but had always known he wanted. Or maybe he hadn’t always known it, but he had wanted it. Somewhere down, hidden, under the layers of hockey and masculinity and growing up Catholic.
It was the shivery hot feeling of doing something he knew he wasn’t supposed to want but couldn’t stop. The sugary taste of candy during Lent, when he’d promised to give it up.
So he pressed harder against Jesse, reaching down and gripping Jesse’s ass, firm under his palms, even through the layers of fabric.
“C’mon,” he coaxed and he was barely sure what he even meant but Jesse seemed to.
With a quick bounce, he hopped up, wrapping his legs around Connor’s hips. He was heavier than Connor anticipated and he staggered back, thankfully hitting the wall instead of the flimsier closet door this time.
He got his hands under Jesse’s thighs in a tight grip as Jesse wound his arms around Connor’s neck and kissed him again.
“Fuck that’s hot,” Jesse rasped.
Connor carried him toward the bed, heart racing with anticipation. It took real effort to carry Jesse because he was only an inch or two shorter than Connor and deceptively muscular, but Connor managed a breathless laugh because it was hot and he was hard too. He tumbled them both onto the bed, catching himself before he put his whole weight into Jesse’s body.
But Jesse pulled him close, legs still around Connor’s hips, but lower now, tucking Connor into the cradle of his body. Connor groaned when their hard cocks met for the first time. Even though they were still half-dressed, it was overwhelming, and he buried his face against Jesse’s throat.
He smelled dizzyingly good again, salty sweaty man layered on top of the rich scent of his cologne.
“Christ,” Connor managed, overwhelmed.
Jesse threaded his hands through Connor’s hair and rocked his hips. And then they were moving , pleasure racing up Connor’s spine, sparking through him like lightning.
However unfamiliar the partner, Connor knew this dance, knew to run his hand along Jesse’s thigh and tug at the clothing that was in the way. He had to unwrap Jesse’s legs from around his waist but that was good too because Connor could watch him spread his long legs in a vee, wide apart like he was about to do the splits.
Connor suddenly remembered every single damn goalie exercise he’d ever seen and groaned, pressing his hot cheek against Jesse’s leg, the tickle of hair against his skin new and unfamiliar. “Fucking hell.”
Jesse laughed, low and rich, and Connor had to kiss him again. They had to repeat the maneuver to get Jesse’s underwear off and Connor had half a moment to admit he was surprised Jesse wore them at all before Jesse tightened his grip and rolled Connor under him.
With a gasp, Connor landed flat on his back, muzzily blinking at the streak of city lights on the ceiling before Jesse sat up and slithered away.
Connor made a noise of protest, belatedly realizing the drinks were beginning to hit. His head swam while Jesse undid his trousers and yanked them off, then did the same to his underwear. Connor lay there, breathing heavily, hard cock bobbing in the cool air.
A moment later, Jesse knelt on all fours over him. “Do you want this?”
Connor let out a short barking laugh of surprise, because his very, very hard dick was pressed against Jesse’s stomach now and if he couldn’t tell that Connor was into him from that …
He sputtered something to that effect and Jesse set a hand on his chest, staring down at him, surprisingly serious for once. “You’re drunk, Connor, and I’m not sober. I don’t want this to be something you’re going to regret tomorrow.”
Connor winced and nodded, tangling his hand in the thick, soft strands of Jesse’s hair. “I’m not that drunk,” he promised. “And the whiskey isn’t why I want you.”
Lights played across Jesse’s face for a moment before he nodded. He pressed a hard kiss to Connor’s lips, then shifted away.
He returned a moment later holding condoms and lube. When Jesse knelt between Connor’s thighs, he felt the first stirrings of unease. “Uh, I’m not sure I …”
“The condom is for you, the lube is for me,” Jesse said.
And that made Connor wanna protest that damn it, he could take it up the ass like a man too but he wasn’t sure if he could or if he wanted to.
Jesse kissed him again. “You’re thinking too much,” he murmured. “Stop it.”
He dragged a hand down Connor’s chest and wrapped his palm around Connor’s cock and Connor sighed, the staticky noise of his thoughts going quiet until all he could think about was the warmth of Jesse’s palm and the way he stroked Connor’s dick, thumbing over the head on the upstroke.
He let out a rough noise and Jesse grinned, teeth flashing bright in the dim room.
Connor reached up, pulling him in for another kiss. This one was messy and hot, their panting breaths and the wet sounds of their mouths filling the air. Jesse shifted until he straddled Connor’s waist and Connor ran greedy hands up his thighs and cupped his ass.
Connor grasped his cheeks and spread them, brushing a fingertip across Jesse’s hole. Jesse moaned against his lips and it fueled Connor to do it again. There was enough sweat to allow him to swirl his finger across the furled muscle and he pressed carefully inside, waiting for Jesse to stop him if he didn’t like it.
But clearly he did, gasping with pleasure against Connor’s mouth and biting at his lower lip, pushing back until Connor’s middle finger was buried to the second knuckle.
“You like that?” Connor rasped.
“Yeah, give me more.”
Connor let go of one cheek to fumble for the lube and Jesse had to help him, but then everything was so slick and easy as he shallowly fucked Jesse’s hole. Connor added another finger, watching greedily when Jesse straightened and threw his head back, his chest and jaw striped by the city lights as he rocked his hips, seeking more.
Connor’s dick throbbed at the sight, at the feeling of Jesse wrapped so tightly around his fingers. He groaned when he caught a glimpse of Jesse’s cock, hard and pressed tight against his belly. He let go of Jesse’s ass cheek to wrap his hand around it.
The skin was hot and soft, familiar and unfamiliar all at once, the angle awkward, the rush he got when Jesse moaned, low and long when he began to stroke, unexpected.
Conno felt a little clumsy but it didn’t seem to matter when Jesse rocked between his fingers and his fist, abs and thighs flexing.
Jesse shuddered, stilling, pressing his damp palm to Connor’s chest. “You ready to fuck me?”
Connor nodded dumbly, mouth hanging open when he imagined how good it would be. He eased his fingers out of Jesse’s ass, expecting him to slide back and sink over Connor’s cock.
But Jesse flipped the condom onto his chest, moving away to sit on the bed beside him, and Connor flushed because he’d nearly forgotten. He fumbled it, fingers slippery, but finally got it in place.
Jesse shifted to his hands and knees on the mattress, glancing over his shoulder. The light was too dim to see his face clearly and Connor was suddenly glad because he couldn’t imagine what he looked like when he settled into position, kneeling between Jesse’s calves.
His heart beat fast as he gripped the base of his cock and shuffled forward. He missed the mark at first and they both hissed. Connor nudged him again, more carefully this time, and he sank inside a few inches.
They both gasped. “Fuck you’re thick,” Jesse muttered.
“Too much?” Connor asked but Jesse shook his head, already pressing back, taking more of him. And then Connor was pushing in steadily too and he sank to the root. He shivered at the tight, hot grip, overwhelmed.
He’d done this before but it had been years. An old girlfriend—before he met Viv—but fuck Jesse was no girl. Connor widened his stance and Jesse did too, canting his hips at an angle that made them both moan. Connor rocked his hips, testing out the rhythm, and then they found it.
It lit Connor up from the inside, heat spreading through him. At first, it was all he could do to hang on to Jesse’s hips, palms sweaty, trying to figure out what he liked. He shifted a little and drove in harder, Jesse letting out a choked noise.
Connor froze.
Jesse made an impatient sound. “Congratulations, you found my fucking prostate. Now, keep going ,” he demanded.
Connor made another deep thrust and Jesse urged him on and then it became nothing but heated, desperate need and the slap of their bodies together. Connor reached under Jesse, grasping his cock—not quite as hard now—and fuck he loved the feel of it in his hand.
He pressed his palm to Jesse’s stomach, pulling him up until they were both on their knees. He kissed the side of Jesse’s throat, tasting the salt of his skin.
“Fuck you feel good,” he rasped and Jesse choked, reaching back to grip Connor’s thigh. Connor buried his face against Jesse’s shoulder, loving his low moans and the smooth hard muscles.
The taste of him.
Connor smeared the wetness at the tip of Jesse’s cock across the tiny hole there and Jesse let out a sobbing noise, collapsing forward onto his hands and knees.
“I’m close,” he whimpered. “C’mon, stop fucking around. Put your back into it.”
Connor let him go, let him shift until he was down on his elbows, face mashed against the pillow, panting.
“You want it hard?” Connor asked, brushing his palm across Jesse’s back, a little damp with sweat.
“Yeah. Yeah, give it to me. Don’t hold back.”
Connor closed his eyes, balls already beginning to draw up. He gripped Jesse’s hips and drove into him, hard and relentless. Rough in a way he’d never been with anyone else.
Jesse whimpered once, and then again, until the air was filled with his sharp little cries and low curses. After a while, his body went tight and he muffled a scream against the pillow, panting hard, body trembling.
Connor let out a desperate gasp and came too, his mind going white with the force of his orgasm.
Some hours later, Connor awoke to Jesse climbing back into bed. He made a confused noise.
Jesse shushed him, whispering, “Just got up to get some water. You want some?”
“Please,” Connor muttered thickly. He gratefully took the cool bottle from Jesse’s hand and sucked down a few gulps before he handed it back. They traded the bottle a few times before it was empty.
Jesse slid under the covers again, his body cool from the room’s air conditioning. Connor reached out, wrapping an arm around him. Jesse tensed and Connor lifted his arm, thinking maybe Jesse didn’t like it, but he grabbed Connor’s forearm, settled it back into place, then rolled over, tugging Connor with him.
They ended up with Jesse lying on his stomach and Connor half draped over him. Jesse let out a contented sigh and Connor relaxed, pressing a kiss to his shoulder, surprised by how weirdly normal this felt.
He was trying to figure out how to say that when Jesse mumbled, “Give me like an hour to sleep and then I’ll suck your dick.”
“Uh, okay.” Connor gave a mental shrug and closed his eyes, letting himself drift for a moment.
He awoke from a heavy sleep to a mouth on his cock, warm and wet. Connor lifted his head, confused, blinking in the early pre-dawn gray light before hazy memories of the previous night came flooding back.
Jesse . Right.
Connor let his head fall back onto the pillow, eyes closed as he reached for Jesse’s hair. It was thick and silky under his fingers and he hummed like he enjoyed it when Connor experimented with tugging a little.
Jesse’s mouth was slick and snug, his tongue hitting all of the right places, his suction perfect. For every tug of Connor’s hands on Jesse’s hair, Connor felt a corresponding tug on his balls, pleasure already gathering low and tight in his belly.
Jesse swirled his tongue over the head of his cock before going deep again and his free hand shifted to tease experimentally at Connor’s hole. Connor tensed but when Jesse shifted like he was going to pull away, he squeezed his thighs against Jesse’s shoulders, trapping him in place, silently begging him not to stop.
When Jesse brushed his thumb across the spot again, Connor relaxed, breathing deep, uncertain but wanting. He made a noise of displeasure when Jesse lifted his head away, leaving the tip of his cock throbbing in the cool air.
But Jesse spat, the sound shockingly loud in the quiet room, and then he was gently pressing forward with his thumb. Connor let out a rough noise at the strange, intrusive pleasure of something inside him, but it felt good too, spreading him open as Jesse took him in his mouth again.
Jesse fucked in shallowly, sucking at the tip of Connor’s dick, and then it was over before Connor had time to enjoy it. Pleasure slammed into him and he only had a second to choke out a shocked sound of warning before he unloaded in Jesse’s mouth, coming with great, heaving gasps, his head whirling.
The third time Connor woke, it was bright out and his skin felt too warm. His head pounded a little but the rest of him felt pretty great.
He stretched, peeling his eyes open and blinking to see where Jesse was. The previous night came flooding back—a bit hazy from the drinks, but clear enough to make Connor’s skin heat.
Well, damn . So, yeah. He was bi. Undeniably fucking bi.
“No, no, no,” Jesse muttered, sitting up.
Connor reached a hand out, smoothing it along the pale gold planes of Jesse’s back.
Half of him wanted to fucking blush at the shit they’d done last night. The other half wanted to do it again and see what else he’d been missing.
It wasn’t like this would ever become a regular thing. Jesse was in Toronto and from what Connor had seen, fucked at least half of it. Last night was probably nothing special to him. But it meant something to Connor.
“Fuck,” Jesse rasped and for a solid three terrifying seconds Connor wondered if he’d said that last part aloud.
Panicked, he sat up, protests on his tongue dying when he caught a glimpse of the headline on Jesse’s screen.
Toronto Goaltender Traded to Boston Following Chaotic Cup Celebration
Fuck was right.