Stick By Me: A Nerd Jock Hockey MM Romance (Desert Ice Hockey Book 1)

Chapter 7

Shit, the poor guy had an asshole for a father, but he sure didn’t need to hear it from me. Grabbing his hand, I rose from the couch in the bathroom lounge and led him through the casino and back into the bar. The houselights made a low glow in the room and rock music played over the regular speakers. The band must be on their break.

As I led Archer through the crowd, my gaze caught on Axel, winding his way through people. I freed Archer’s hand and stopped. I didn’t need my brother to see me holding hands with Archer. All sorts of shit would fly out of his mouth. Even though it was something he did with his friends all the damn time.

“Hey, bro. Got your new best buddy here?” Axel, his blue eyes framed by jet black, straight hair, parted on the side, planted his hands on his hips.

“Yeah, but I think you met before, right?” I stepped aside, letting Archer move forward. Everyone knew about me meeting Archer at the rescue at this point and that he was coming tonight with his friends. I’d only had to tell Remy and word had spread like wildfire among them all.

“Hi, Axel. Nice to see you again.” Archer held his hand out to Axel.

With a sly smile, Axel gave him a quick shake. “So, you brought these guys, the squad here, too?” He tongued the corner of his mouth.

“I did. I guess Leo told you all about them.” Archer glanced at me.

“I told Remy while we were at your game, and word spread.” I lifted my arm and made to wrap it around Archer’s waist. What the fuck was I doing? I dropped my arm. He didn’t need protecting from my brother. And…what the fuck?

“Oh.” With a nod, Archer said, “I guess we’re sort of like you guys. We all stick together.”

“You don’t uh…is there a guy named Ace in your squad?” With stuttered chuckle, Axel lifted a brow and rubbed his chin.

“Yeah.” Archer eyed him, then pointed. “You guys hooked up, right?”

Axel dropped his mouth open, then looked around and grabbed Archer’s arm, turning him. “Yeah, but don’t say that too loudly. My partner is here, and I don’t want him getting jealous.”

“Remy is not going to be jealous of a hookup you had before you two were together.” I rolled my eyes. Axel could be so dramatic.

“Guess we both have old hookups here.” With a soft snort, Archer snuck a peek at me.

“Guess so.” Axel freed Archer and stepped back. “So, I guess that leaves me with my final question.” He narrowed his eyes and focused on Archer. “My brother is straight as you can get. Well, if you don’t count the fact that he’d make someone a fine wife someday and dresses with more style than a lot of gay men I know.” He snickered. “What do you see in him?”

“Axel,” I said between my teeth. He had to go there.

“Well I…” Archer’s gaze met mine and the smallest of grins twitched his lips. “I like him. He’s a good man and a great friend. Isn’t that enough?”

Warmth flooded my heart, and I touched the small of his back. Shit, he was making me feel things I’d only felt with women. Or had I? Shit, I was in trouble.

Axel’s eyes twinkled. “You’re absolutely right.” He looked behind us. “Oh, Remy is calling me with a fresh beer. See you both later.” With a wag of his brows, he sauntered off.

Facing Archer, I said, “Sorry about him. He’s a little?—”

“Don’t apologize.” He held up his hand. “He cares about you and obviously thinks very highly of you.”

“Yeah, guess so.” I glanced behind me at Axel, dropping into Remy’s lap at the band wives’ table. No mistaking he was gay and who he loved. Everywhere they went, Axel was sure to let people know and he never gave a fuck what they thought about it. No way I could be like that.

“Hey.” Archer placed his hand on my cheek and guided my gaze to his. “What are you thinking about?”

I stared at him for a beat. I couldn’t say it out loud, could I? “I, I don’t know.” With a huff, I hung my head and kicked at the tile floor. “Nothing.”

“Hey, Archer. Ryder told me you were here.” Milo, his pink sequined crop top catching the lights, strolled to us. “Nice to see you.” His green eyes took Archer in, then he puffed a lock of curly brown bang off his forehead.

“Nice to see you, too.” Archer gave Milo a bear hug, wrapping his bigger body around him.

As my gut pinched, I forced myself to look away. They’d had sex. Milo knew things about Archer. He’d seen what he looked like when he came. Fuck, he knew what he sounded like. Planting my hands on my hips, I breathed in deeply. I must not go there.

Archer released Milo. “You guys sound great as usual.”

“Aw, thanks.” Milo looked him up and down. “You’re looking good after that loss tonight. I guess Leo is taking good care of you?”

Edging into my side, Archer gave a shy smile and said, “Yeah, he is.”

The heat from his body woke my dick. I moved my arm around him. What if I held him to my side? Would it be so weird for a straight guy? I dropped my arm. If Axel saw it, I’d be done for.

“Anyways, I need to go see Ryder.” Milo narrowed his eyes at me. “Take good care of him.” He patted my arm and walked off.

Did Milo sense something was up? No…I didn’t know Milo very well. He couldn’t. “So, let’s get you a new drink. I’m sure the one you had is watered down now and I think you pretty much drank it all before your dad called.” Plus, I couldn’t trust myself with him around the band wives.

“I think you’re right.” Archer snatched my hand and tugged me toward a bar tucked against the wall to the left of the venue, weaving between people, then sidled up beside Jonah, who was chatting with another young man.

“Hey.” Archer rested his elbow on the bar and wedged me up beside him and another man.

“Oh, hey. How are you doing?” Jonah twisted, then glanced at me. “Must be doing just fine, I guess.” He gave me a smug grin.

“Where are the rest of the guys?” Archer scanned around us.

“They went home when the band took their break. Some of the guys were pretty down about the game and fucking Mason almost got in a fight with a dude from U of A, so they wanted to take him home.” Jonah scoffed, then sipped his beer. “Anyways, I guess you’re okay with Leo here?” Smirking, he wound an arm around Archer’s shoulders and side-bumped him. “As in, he’s taking good care of you?”

Flicking him in the forehead, Archer said, “Stop it.” As Jonah released him, he leaned closer into my side.

Fuck, I wanted to…I hooked my arm around his waist and pulled him into me. Something inside me calmed. I needed to have him close to me.

His gaze snapped to mine, and he parted his lips. Dipping his head, he turned into me, a soft smile gracing his mouth. “Are you going to have a drink now?”

“Yeah.” I held up my hand, flagging down the nearest bartender, a man all dressed in black.

“What can I get you?” The bartender wiped the bar-top with a white rag.

“Jack and Coke for him and an IPA for me. Whatever you have on tap.” I slid my wallet out of my pocket.

“No, you are not getting this round. It’s my turn.” He turned in my hold and the side of his ass brushed over my dick.

Oh, sweet Jesus. My cock swelled in my jeans, and I bit my lower lip. “Fine, you get it.” I might be bending the line here between friend and lover. But I wasn’t going to let go of him. Fuck that.

The bartender poured our drinks and set them down in front of us, then Archer handed him cash. “Keep it.” He stuffed the rest of his money into his front pocket and backed into me, his ass pressing against my hard dick. After sipping his drink, he flicked his darkened gaze to mine. “You like that?”

I cleared my throat. He’d felt it. Of course he did. Shit, what would Axel say? “What’s not to like?” I winced. That was stupid and not me at all.

He blinked a moment, then spread a wide smile over his mouth. “Leo, are you admitting that I turn you on?”

How did I even get to this point? “Why wouldn’t you turn me on?” I swallowed hard. Where was I going with this? All my friends were here. His best friend was standing right there.

“I-I don’t know, I just thought you didn’t want…” He fixated on my lips and snuck his tongue out to wet his own. “Leo, what do you want?”

My pulse hammered in my chest and my breath quickened. “I want you.” Fuck me. It was the truth, but I wasn’t supposed to tell him that.

He twisted around to face me, his gaze searching my face. “I want you, too.”

Swiveling my head, I panned the room. Where was everyone? “Not here.” I grabbed my drink from the bar and pushed on his hips.

“Be right back.” Archer slapped at Jonah’s arm, then picked up his drink.

“Yeah, sure.” Jonah, in deep conversation with the man he was chatting up, waved at Archer, then faced the man again.

As I followed him out of the bar, the band started up on the stage, my brother’s guitar drowning out the crowd as they cheered.

Archer grabbed my hand and led me through the slot machines, past a roulette table and into a smaller bar area in dark wood paneling with lounge chairs and tables, then twisted to me and stopped. The low pendant lamps from the ceiling above us lit up his stunning face. “What’s going on, Leo?”

I gaped at him, then shut my mouth. How could I tell him what was going on when I didn’t even know myself? “I’m not sure.” Hanging my head, I let out a long breath.

“Are we friends or more? Do you want more?” He lifted my head by my chin, his deep brown gaze searching mine. “’Cause I think I’d like more, but I?—”

“I know, you want a boyfriend. I’ve never had a boyfriend. I don’t know if I can do that.” My treacherous gaze dipped to his frowning mouth. God, I’d never wanted to kiss someone as much as I wanted to kiss him right now. “What if we um…what if we got it out of our system?”

“What do you mean?” He shifted his stance, his brows furrowing. “Hook up? You think hooking up will make whatever’s going on between us go away?” He worried his lower lip.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. It might.” I sipped my beer and sat down in a lounge chair. This was too intense, and I had lost my mind. He made me lose my mind. Did he have any idea what he’d done to me?

He fell into the chair opposite me and took a deep swig of his drink, then set it on the table in front of him. “Look, I know you think you can’t have what you want because of your brother, but that’s a cop out.” His gaze locked to mine. “Axel isn’t going to care if you’re queer. Hell, he and Remy will probably be happy for you.”

My gut clenched. He didn’t know that. “They’d be shocked as hell.”

“So? My dad was…” He huffed, shaking his head. “My dad was shocked when I came out to him and even called me a fag, but so what?”

“You’re not a full-blown fag, you’re bi.” I rubbed my forehead. What the fuck just came out of my mouth? “I’m sorry, that was stupid. Your father shouldn’t have said that.” I ran my gaze over the table, then the floor. What were we doing here? “I don’t want to be um…I don’t want to be gay.” So, that was the truth of it, and I was still attracted to women. Okay, when Archer wasn’t around, I was attracted to women.

He stared at me, hanging his mouth open. “It’s not a choice and you’re not gay either.” He planted his hand on my knee. “You’re not full-blown gay, you’re bi.” He sniggered. “Right? Or are you?”

My gaze found his. “I…yeah, I’m bi.” Or was I? Around him, it felt like maybe I was gay. “You’re confusing the shit out of me.” I swallowed hard. What would it be like to let my heart go? Would I fall in love with him? Or were my feelings based in lust? Picking up my beer, I downed it, letting the buzz of the alcohol calm my racing thoughts.

He sank back into his chair, studying me. “Let’s hook up. But not tonight. I want a real date first.”

Widening my eyes, my heart flipped in my chest. “Y-you want a date? With me?” I glanced at my beer glass. I was supposed to drive us home, but damn, I needed another one.

“Yes, then I get to show you what it’s like to date a guy and not just hook up with one, and we’ll see if hooking up will get the desire we have for each other out of our systems. If it works, then we can go back to being friends. Deal?” He quirked the corner of his mouth.

“Deal.” I held my hand out. What the hell did I have to lose?

Shaking my hand, his smirk widened. “It’ll have to be in two weeks though. We have away games next weekend in fucking Alaska.” He choked out a laugh.

“Alaska?” I lifted my brows. That seemed so far away, in time and in distance. My chest twinged and I rubbed the heel of my hand over it. Was it possible I already had feelings for him and not just in the carnal sense?

“Yeah, we play the Nanooks in Fairbanks. Two games, the usual.” He tilted his head. “I have a shit ton of schoolwork to get done before we go and then there’s practice.” He bit the side of his lower lip. “We can stay in touch though?”

“So, we’d have a date a few weekends before Thanksgiving. What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” I turned my empty beer glass on the table. He was probably heading back home for the holidays.

“We have games that weekend, so we’re all staying in town and me and the squad are cooking turkey.” He eyed me. “Why, you thinking of inviting me to meet your parents?” A soft chuckle rumbled out of him, and he sipped his drink.

“I, I don’t know. My mom usually makes a big dinner, and we get together with Remy’s family, but his mom is visiting his sister this year, so it’s just us.” Where was I going with this? “Would you want to come over?” My heart raced as I watched him, thinking on my invitation.

“Let’s see how the date goes.” He hung his head. “You’re not out to anyone, remember?”

I scratched my cheek. Maybe this was a bad idea. I was so messed up. “But if we’re just friends?—”

“Leo, let’s see how the date goes.” He squeezed my knee. “You okay to drive me home?”

My gaze snapped to him. “Yeah. You want to go now?” And then I wouldn’t see him for two weeks? My chest pinched.

Nodding, he said, “It’s been a long day and I’m kind of tired.”

“Sure, but let’s go and say goodbye to everyone.” I stood up.

After sayingour goodbyes and leaving Jonah to enjoy the man he’d met at the bar, I drove Archer to his house in my Infiniti in mostly silence. Had I made him angry by bringing up Thanksgiving and thinking we’d still be friends? I was usually a pretty level-headed guy, but he turned me into a blithering idiot sometimes.

His phone, sitting in the cupholder of my center console, directed me into a neighborhood of older homes, close to campus, all larger craftsman-style bungalows. “This isn’t too bad of a neighborhood.” I pulled to the curb and peered at a sprawling, single story brick home with a small front porch. Light spilled out of a large front window next to the door. “Looks like someone’s still up.”

“Yeah, I’m sure the guys are looking over game footage and strategizing.” He sighed, then twisted in his seat to face me.

“Listen, I feel sort of stupid about asking you over for Thanksgiving, you know, given the situation.” I rested my hand on the center console. “I don’t know what it is about you?—”

Leaning over, he clutched the back of my head and pressed his lips to mine, then slid his tongue inside my mouth, claiming me fully.

I drowned in his kiss, chasing his tongue with my own, my cock sparking to life. Oh God, how I wanted him. I slanted my mouth over his, kissing him again and again, the taste of whiskey and coke still on his tongue. Cupping his cheek, a moan rumbled out of me.

He whimpered and squirmed closer to me, almost crawling over the center console, the kisses becoming needy. As he broke the kisses, he panted and fell back into his seat. “Fuck, Leo. That was um…”

“The best kiss I’ve ever had.” I adjusted my cock away from my damn zipper. “That’ll give me something to think about until our date in two weeks.” I raked my teeth over my lower lip. Two weeks were going to feel like a lifetime.

He dipped his head, then focused on me with a sly smile. “Yeah, that’s what I was going for. Just a little taste.” Leaning in, he kissed my cheek. “See you. Think about where you want to go.” He jumped out of my car, and jogged up to his front door, then ducked inside his house.

“Fuck me.” I tipped my head back and stared at the ceiling of my car. I had so much to unpack with all this. Maybe I’d grow a backbone and tell Axel and Remy about me? Naw, not yet. I had to be sure about Archer first. No point in disrupting the queer balance in my family before then.