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

Chapter 22

After dinner, we’d snuggled on the couch with a movie and a few beers, attempting to forget all the bullshit of the day, then retired to bed and cuddled in each other’s arms all night. The day had worn us both out. Now, we were at our gate at the airport, waiting to board our plane to Minnesota. It would be a long day of flying and connections, but at the end of it, I’d get the answers to my burning questions about Dad, and I’d have the love of my life with me.

Leo dropped into a blue vinyl chair at the end of a row and ran his hands over his face. “So, I heard from Axel. He had a nice heart to heart with my parents after I left.” He sighed. “I guess I’m glad he’s seeing the truth, and I don’t have to hide anything from him anymore.”

I sank in next to Leo, setting my backpack on the floor and resting my hand over his on the arm rest, then gazed out the wall of windows facing the tarmac and the taxiing planes in the early afternoon sunshine. The rain from yesterday was long gone. “Yeah, it’s got to be a relief on some level, right?” My phone buzzed in the pocket of my puffy down jacket, and I slipped it out. Uncle Tad scrolled across the screen. “Shit.” I started the call. “Is Dad okay?”

“For now. They’re putting him into surgery in the morning. What time will you be here?”

“Uh, we should be there around ten tonight. I’m bringing my boyfriend.” I held my breath. Dad would have told him about me, right?

Leo snatched my hand, his gaze affixed to me.

Uncle Tad huffed. “Oh, yeah. I heard you were queer, but I didn’t know?—”

“Yeah, I have a boyfriend now and I wanted him with me.” And I didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought about it. “Why hasn’t Dad called me?” I lifted my chin. It was time for answers, now that the initial shock had worn off.

“He’s on a ventilator. He can’t.” Uncle Tad scoffed. “Oh, sorry. I guess I thought I’d told you that already.”

“No, and I was too shocked to ask.” I leaned into Leo’s side and said, “Do you know he hasn’t spoken to me for months?” I clenched my jaw for a beat, my gut curling in on itself. Maybe it would be better to have this conversation in person, but I had to know what I was walking into.

“Yeah, I know. I also know about the message you left him.” He sucked in a quick breath. “Archer, we need to talk when you get here.”

I cut my gaze to the carpet under our chairs, then worried my lower lip. “Yeah, okay.” I gathered my strength. “Just tell me this. Is he really so angry at me for hanging up on him that he didn’t want to talk to me?”

Leo squeezed my hand and pressed my knuckles to his soft, warm mouth, his forehead creasing.

“No, why the hell would you think that?” He tutted. “Just…we’ll talk when you get here. I’m picking you up from the airport, so text me your flight info.”

“Yeah, sure.” Rubbing a groove into the armrest between me and Leo, I said, “See you soon, Unc.”

“Take care of yourself. Your Dad has a good doc who worked at Ceders Sinai before coming here to cold ass Minnesota. He’s in good hands.”

“Thanks. You take care of him, too, until I get there.” I glanced at Leo while I ended the call.

“And I’ll take care of you.” Leo pressed a quick kiss on the tip of my nose, then gave me a sweet grin.

We grabbedour luggage from the carousel at baggage claim under the stark lights and I gazed out the windows toward the pick-up lanes. It was late here, but there were still plenty of cars driving slowly by. “Let’s go. He’ll get us at the curb.” I tagged Leo’s arm.

“Sure. What sort of vehicle are we looking for?” Leo rolled his suitcase behind him as he strolled next to me over an old linoleum floor.

“A nice Ford truck. Uncle Tad owns a construction company, and he does pretty well for himself.” As I walked through the glass doors and into the cold night air, the scent of trees and home hit me full force. “Damn, haven’t been here since August.” Snowflakes floated in the air around us.

“Look, it’s snowing.” Leo stuck his tongue out. “Think I can catch one?” He gave me a swift side hug, then darted his head around trying to catch one.

“Stop it, you look like you’re from the desert.” I chuckled. He was cute and trying to take my mind off shit.

“I am from the desert. The only time I see snow is when I go up North to the mountains.” He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself and his black North Face jacket. “Fuck, it’s cold.”

Dipping my head with a grin, I said, “This is nothing. If it’s snowing, it’s actually warmer than it could be for this time of year.” He might freeze before I get him into Uncle Tad’s truck. Which, where is he? I scanned the line of cars headed our way and stopped on some headlights peeking out above the other cars. “I bet that’s him.” I pointed at the vehicle.

“Oh, good.” Leo’s teeth chattered. “It’s seriously cold out here.”

“Maybe we’ll see if we can find you a warmer jacket at the house.” Dad had fucking parkas tucked away in closets there that would make an Eskimo proud. I grabbed Leo’s cold hand. “And gloves.” I kissed his knuckles.

Uncle Tad pulled up in his massive white truck with the super extended cab and jumped out, then jogged to us, the collar of his thick winter coat hiked up to the bottom of his graying hair. “Archer, so good to see you.” He gave me a tight hug, then turned his gaze on Leo with a smile that wrinkled around his blue eyes. He held out his hand. “And you’re the boyfriend.”

“I am. Name’s Leo.” Leo shook his hand.

“Damn, son. You look like you’re freezing to death.” He patted Leo on the shoulder. “Get up into the truck and I’ll take your luggage. The heater’s on and even the seats are heated.” He snatched Leo’s suitcase and tossed it into the back of the truck.

I threw my suitcase in behind Leo’s, eyeing my uncle for any signs of intolerance.

He leaned in toward me. “Those Arizona boys are kinda fragile in the cold weather, huh?” With a cackle, he slapped my arm.

Nope, no intolerance. Just the same old Uncle Tad I’d always known. “We didn’t have time to get him properly outfitted.” I scoffed a laugh, then climbed up into the truck’s toasty warm front seat and twisted around to Leo. “Better?”

He rubbed his palms together. “Yeah, much.” Ducking his head, he gazed out the window. “There’s snow on the ground, too.”

“We’re expecting a little blizzard later tonight, but the plows will have the roads cleared out by morning.” My uncle drove the truck into the line of traffic leaving the airport and tapped the dashboard. “But with this thing, we don’t even need the plows.”

I shook my head with a laugh. “Snow days aren’t real, right Unc?” He’d always said they never had snow days when he was a kid. And he walked in the snow uphill both ways to school. Yeah, right. Maybe I missed being home more than I’d thought I would.

“Hell no. Just some made up bullshit to give teachers and slackers a day off.” He freed a soft snort, turning the corner onto a bare-branched, tree-lined street, with quaint, two-story bungalows, the snow hugging the rooflines and piling up where the lawns should be.

“Interesting theory.” Leo nodded, his gaze rushing over the scene outside the truck.

“My dad’s house isn’t very far from the airport.” I watched my family home come into view, same as the others with a long porch in front and dark green siding. Dad wouldn’t be there. My heart stung. I hadn’t thought of it until now.

“How long has Dad been in the hospital?” I swept my gaze to Uncle Tad. There was so much I didn’t know still.

“He was rushed there by ambulance the night before I called you, so a few days.” As he drove the truck into the long driveway on the side of the house, the snow crunched under the tires. “I’ll come in with you boys for a few minutes and answer any burning questions, but let’s leave the rest for tomorrow.” He parked the truck and turned to me, his wrist resting on the steering wheel. “He goes into surgery at eight AM and we should be there before he goes. I want him to see you before they wheel him back. You got me?”

With my eyes widening, I nodded. Thank God I had Leo here with me. “How long do you think they’ll be working on him?” And when could I finally talk to him?

“I was told it could be as little as three hours or as long as six or more. We’ll just have to wait it out.” He patted my thigh. “Come on, let’s get you boys set up in the house.”

“Yeah.” I snuck a peek at Leo, and he warmed my cheek with his palm for a beat, then climbed out of the truck.

I stepped out, then grabbed my suitcase out of the back of the truck while Leo did the same and we all headed to the front door, holding our suitcases out of the few inches of snow on the ground. Digging into my backpack pocket, I pulled out my keys and unlocked the front door.

Uncle Tad pushed it open and stepped inside, turning on the lights in the hallway, then in the front room. “You know your dad usually puts all the Christmas decorations up the day before you get here. I guess he didn’t have a chance.”

I peered at him. It was like he knew it was going to be weird for me to be here without Dad. He wanted to prepare things for me to make me more comfortable. I set my suitcase at the foot of the stairs. “It’s okay. Thanks.” After sloughing off my jacket, I hung it on the coatrack by the door while Leo did the same.

My uncle shifted in his work boots. “Anyone want something to drink? There’s probably some sodas and water in the fridge?—”

“No, thank you. Let’s just sit down a moment and let me ask a few questions, then you can go back to Dyana and your girls.” How much had they seen of him since this happened? He was all Dad had now, as far as I knew. Dad had never mentioned seeing any women since Mom had passed.

Leo walked down the hallway toward the kitchen. “I’m going to see if I can find some bottled waters. You two talk.” He stalked off.

I ambled with Uncle Tad into the main room and sat down on the modern, leather couch Mom had loved so much. Fuck, this whole house had her all over it. All the furniture was picked out by her, the picture frames on the walls of us as a family, and it was all still where she’d left it. Dad hadn’t changed a thing. An ache swept through my chest. Maybe I’d been too hard on him.

“So, what do you want to know?” Uncle Tad slowly sat down in front of me on the dark brown trunk that doubled as a coffee table.

“When did he start having problems? Didn’t you say he was already scheduled for a stent or something?” I studied him and took calming breaths.

Leo entered the room and handed out bottled waters. “I didn’t know if you wanted one, Tad, but I figured it couldn’t hurt.” He twisted off the cap on his and sipped it. “Funny, we’re so used to drinking water all the time in the desert, it’s just a habit for me now.”

“It’s still pretty dry here in the winter.” I drank a few gulps of my water. And being on a plane made me thirsty-as-fuck anyways. “Maybe not as dry as Arizona, but still.” I focused on my uncle. “So?”

Uncle Tad turned the bottle in his hands. “So, he found out about a year ago he had some thinning arteries or whatever the hell you call it.” His gaze snapped to mine. “He had plaque and not the tooth kind.” The corners of his lips twitched.

I couldn’t help but grin. This was serious, but Uncle Tad didn’t know anything about the human body and how it worked. Plumbing and electric lines for houses, framing and anything to do with construction? He was a genius. “Okay so he knew a while back he had issues, and the docs wanted to put in a stent to open up his arteries?” Why the fuck didn’t Dad tell me about this?

“Yep. He was supposed to have it done last September, but he kept saying he didn’t have the time to take off work.” He scoffed. “It was only a God damned week. Guess he’s going to be taking more time off now.” He shook his head.

Leo dropped into the couch next to me and draped an arm around my shoulders. “Does he have good health insurance?”

“Yeah, that’s not a problem. The man has a great job.” Uncle Tad unbuttoned his coat. “He has money saved, too.” He faced me. “You know your mom had life insurance.”

“Yeah, I know.” I winced. It helped keep me in hockey and paid what my scholarship didn’t at school. “Anyways, the only other burning question I have is…why didn’t he call me after I left him the message about the Coyotes’ coach?” I furrowed my brows. “Did he tell you Mom’s friend, Richard Dupont, is now a coach for the Coyotes and gave me a chance at going to their development camp for try outs?”

“Oh, um…” Tad pressed his lips into a thin line. “Yes, he told me. Let’s leave that one for tomorrow, okay?”

I huffed out a long breath. “Yeah, sure.” Why the hell was it such a big mystery?

Slapping his hands to his thighs, Uncle Tad stood up. “Welp, I need to get home. We’ve all got a long day tomorrow.” He walked toward the door. “You boys get some rest and I’ll be here to pick you up around seven-fifteen.” He waved at us. “I’ll let myself out.” He swung the door open and left.

I stared after him, my brows knitting. “Why the hell did the mention of Coach Dupont make him leave like that?”

“I don’t know.” Leo pressed a soft kiss on my cheek. “But he’s right. We have a long day tomorrow. Why don’t we head up to your bedroom and get settled?”

“Yeah, sure.” I could give him the quick tour of the house in the morning. I rose up and took his hand. “I have a double bed in my room, so it could get pretty cozy,” I said, leading him to the stairs, my dick waking. It sure would be nice to lose myself in him tonight. I’d probably sleep a lot better. I grabbed my suitcase. “Leo? You think we could make tonight special?” I trudged up the stairs with my luggage.

Leo followed me. “You read my mind. It’s only like eight o’clock or so in Phoenix.”

As a grin broke out over my face, I flicked on the lights and took a left at the top of the stairs, passing Dad’s office, then entering my room at the end of the hallway.

Leo stopped at the photos on the wall. “Is this you?” He pointed at one.

“Oh no.” I dropped my suitcase inside my room, turned on the nightstand lamp, then strode back out to grab his finger. “Yes, that’s me. I was probably eight in that photo. Let’s save this for the morning.” I glanced at the photo, me in an outdoor rink with a puffy jacket and my hockey stick, the same one I kissed before every game.

Leo cocked his head. “Wait, is that the stick?—”

“Yes, now come on. We’ve got better things to do.” I pulled him down the hallway, then into my childhood bedroom, the bedspread sporting hockey team logos on it.

Scanning the room, Leo chuckled and said, “Oh my God, it’s all hockey in here.” He walked to the shelf over my dark wooden desk with my trophies on it. “Looks like you were on a lot of winning teams.”

“Yeah, I was. One of them was with Jonah.” Fuck, was he going to go on like this all night? “Leo.” I undressed at the foot of my bed, tossing my sweater and jeans into the corner, my cock at half-mast. “Leo.”

He swiveled around, his gaze raking over me. “Oh, damn.” With a coy grin, he set his suitcase on the floor, then unzipped it and rummaged through it. “Just in case you were feeling up to it, I came prepared.” Crouching down, he held up a bottle of lube. “No condoms, right?”

“Damn right.” I padded to him, knelt down, then cupped his cheeks in my hands and claimed his mouth with my own, sneaking my tongue inside to dance with his, my dick tingling and lengthening between my thighs.

With a husky moan, he pushed me onto my back and lay on top of me, his hard dick pressing into my hip from under his jeans. “Fuck, Archer, it’s been too long.” He nibbled along my chin and rolled side to side, freeing his solid cock, and working his jeans and briefs down to his thighs. “Fuck, I need to get this shit off.”

“That you do and let’s move to my bed.” I propped up on my elbows, watching him throw off his clothes, his lean and muscled body being exposed bit by bit. “Unless you want to fuck me on the floor?”

He tossed his fleece over his head and off, then raised the edge of his mouth. “No, it’s supposed to be special, remember?” He held out his hand and lifted me from the floor.

With my gaze roaming over his body, I scraped my teeth over my bottom lip. “But special can be a little dirty, too, right?” A flash of desire heated my skin and I focused on his long, thick cock, pointing up to his navel, my mouth watering. “Like, we can start with me on my knees?” I dropped in front of him and swallowed him whole, fisting the base of his dick and cupping his balls. The heady taste of him slid across my tongue.

“Oh, holy fuck.” He tipped his back and hissed, then threaded his fingers into my hair.

I pumped his cock with my mouth, sliding my tongue up his shaft and fluttering at his slit. My dick pulsed and ached, dribbling precum. There was nothing else to think about, but me and Leo and the connection that awaited us.

With an open mouth, he looked down on me, his eyes darkened, and brows tensed. “Shit, that feels good.”

I kept on him for a few long minutes, leaving his balls to stroke myself slowly, teasing myself with the edge of pleasure.

Leo’s cock swelled harder in my mouth. “Fuck, that’s enough,” he gritted out, shoving my head away from him. “It’s been too long and I’m close already. Get on the bed.” He stepped back and set the lube on my nightstand.

“Yes, sir.” With a chuckle, I climbed onto the bed, my bare ass pointed at him.

With a slap to my ass cheek, he said, “Damn right.” He crept up behind me and over my back while I was still on my hands and knees. “Can I prep you like this?” His breath shivered over my ear.

Goosebumps broke out over my neck and back. “Hell yeah.” I pushed back, shoving his dick into my crevice. “Lube us both up first.” I liked the feel of his heat against my skin.

He slathered lube on his dick, then in my crevice and nestled himself against it. “Like that?” he breathed, nipping at the back of my neck. “Fuck, this feels incredible.” He thrust, sliding his bare cock against my hole.

My breath came fast. “Yeah, keep teasing me.” I fell to my elbows and hung my head, my cock aching. With every thrust, my hole clenched and my body jolted with a wave of pleasure.

He wrapped an arm around my torso, then scraped his teeth along my spine, giving me soft bites, then licking. “I’m so fucking hot for you right now. I could just—” He nudged his dick into my hole and both of us shuddered. “Oh, God, Archer. I need you, need this.” His body trembled behind mine as he kissed his way to my earlobe and nibbled it.

With a rasp, I said, “Put it in, Leo.” It would hurt like a bitch at first, but I could take it. I used a damn dildo most the time when I beat off for fuck sakes. I braced myself.

“Are you sure?” He held me tighter and thrust faster against my hole, gasping.

“I’m sure. Do it.” I wanted him now. All the fucking way, nothing between us. I gritted my teeth and as the head of his dick pressed into my hole, I shoved backward.

The tip of his cock breached me, and a burn lit me up inside. “More Leo, do it.” The pain took everything else away and all I had left was Leo. The love of my life.

He slowly pushed in. “Fuck, so fucking tight,” he said inside a ragged breath. “Holy hell.” His fingers dug into my abs and droplets of his sweat fell onto my back.

The fullness and heat consumed me, and I chased it. “More Leo. Give me all of you.” I panted, sparks lighting up behind my eyes.

As his balls rested against the back of my thighs, he gritted out, “Love you, Archer. Love you, so much.” He peppered kisses along my jaw, my neck, my shoulder, then tugged on my aching cock.

Sensation and emotion exploded inside me all at once. “Love you, too. Now, fuck the daylights out of me.” I gasped for air.

He hit me with hard, quick thrusts, grunting behind me. “You okay, baby?” he asked, pumping my cock with his fist.

As pleasure swirled through my whole body and tingled down to my toes, I lost myself to it. “Best ever.” I swooned with the slick gliding of his skin against my insides. It was like nothing I’d ever had before, and it was Leo. We were one.

Pumping me faster, he groaned in my ear. “You close? I’m so close. Can’t wait.” He thrust hard inside me and whimpered, then pulled out and thrust a few times more.

Heat filled my insides and my climax rushed to the surface, surges of sensation shivering over me. I cried out, my dick painting the bedspread with cum in quick spurts, my ass clenching around Leo’s cock with each one.

“Oh, Jesus.” Leo panted above me, his full body weight on my back. “That was amazing, babe.”

I breathed heavily, attempting to calm. “More than amazing, but I don’t have a word for it right now.” I pushed up and he lifted off my back. I’d need to clean up the bedspread before we went to sleep.

Leo plopped onto the bed on his ass, a shit-eating grin in his face.

When I stepped off the bed, warmth slithered down my leg. Spreading my legs, I looked down at the blob of Leo’s cum. “Shoot, guess we should have brought a towel in.” I chuckled, then tore a tissue out of a box on my dresser and wiped it up.

“Yeah, you made a mess on our bed.” Leo leaned against the headboard, one knee bent and one arm laying across it. “You’re fucking gorgeous, Archer, and maybe the hottest lay I’ve ever had.”

“Yeah? Is that what I am to you? A hot lay?” With a grin teasing my lips, I stepped to him and leaned in close, planting my hands on the headboard above him and focusing on his red, swollen lips.

His grin widened. “Yeah, along with the hottest hockey player I’ve ever seen and the man I love more and more each day.” Grabbing the back of my head, he planted a lingering kiss on my lips.

As the kiss broke, I pressed my forehead to his, my heart blooming with warmth. “Good, same.”

He swallowed. “Tomorrow’s going to be hard. I want you to know, I’m here for you. Anything you need, anything at all, I’ll be there for you. Don’t feel like you have to hide or, or?—”

“I know, Leo. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that you’re a stable, unwavering force in the midst of chaos. I know I can count on you.” Thank God I hadn’t ended up with a moody hockey player or some shit. I gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll be right back.” I left to go clean up and bring a wet towel for the bed.

After cleaning up,I lay in bed with Leo, him on his back and me on my side, wedged into him, my head resting on his shoulder. I’d turned off the light and through the window, my deep blue curtains drawn open, the snow pecked against the glass and built up on the panes. There’d been so much drama around my dad, I’d barely had time to think about having Leo here in my childhood home. “Leo, I’ve never brought anyone home like this before.”

“Yeah?” Tilting his head over his pillow, he brushed his finger pads up and down my arm. “I’m a lucky man, then.” He kissed the top of my head.

Any other time, I might argue with him about who the lucky one was. “Maybe tomorrow morning I’ll show you around a little bit before we have to leave.” I snuggled into his side, his chest slowly rising and falling with his breath. Was my father struggling to breathe right now? The unknown was driving me crazy. “How badly off do you think my dad is?”

“Listen, plenty of people have heart surgery and go on to live full lives. I’m sure your dad will be okay with time.” Leo tightened his hold around me. “You don’t have to show me anything until this is over and your dad is stable. We should get our rest tonight.” His attention drew to the window. “It’s going to be a winter wonderland out there in the morning.”

“Yeah, it will.” Leo was fast becoming the voice of reason. “Love you, Leo.” I kissed his pec and closed my eyes.

“Love you, too, babe.” He yawned.