Chapter 15
Karrick
Lingering in the locker room with Phoenix on my mind wasn’t an option.
I was barely able to contain my arousal once I was free of the jockstrap.
A quick, very cold shower, was all I could muster before I dried off and stuffed my uncooperative dick back into my jeans.
When I finally headed for the door, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
I turned back to see Silver standing there in just a towel, his body still dripping from the shower.
“You got this, buddy,” he said, giving me an encouraging nod.
I didn’t dare turn all the way around, not when my jeans were full to bursting with a boner that refused to go away. “Thanks,” I muttered, and pushed my way through the door.
The afternoon sunlight momentarily blinded me as I stepped outside, but I quickly spotted Phoenix waiting on a bench nearby.
He was wearing that same loose, cream, button-up and those suspenders that made him look a little bit like a character from Anne of Green Gables.
The sight made my heart skip a beat and my already uncomfortable situation even worse.
He looked up when he heard the door, those orange eyes locking with mine, and rose to his feet.
“Hi,” he said, his voice soft but determined.
“Hey.” I shifted uncomfortably, trying to subtly adjust myself. “You really waited this whole time.”
“I told you I would.” He smiled, a tentative thing that made my chest ache. “Can we talk now?”
I glanced around the practice field. Several of my teammates were filtering out of the locker room, and a few curious glances were already being thrown our way. The last thing I needed was an audience for whatever was about to happen between us.
“Not here,” I sighed, nodding toward a wooded path that led behind the athletics complex. “Follow me.”
Phoenix fell into step beside me, close enough that I could smell the faint scent of cinnamon and woodsmoke that seemed to cling to him. It was intoxicating, and I found myself breathing deeper just to capture more of it.
“You played well today,” he offered as we walked.
I snorted. “No, I didn’t. I was terrible.”
“Well, I wouldn’t know,” he admitted with a small laugh. “I’ve never actually watched football before.”
That surprised me. “Never? Not even on TV?”
He shook his head. “My parents thought sports were beneath us. Especially ones played by...” He trailed off, but I knew what he meant. Ones played by monsters.
“Right,” I muttered, a familiar bitterness rising in my throat.
We walked in silence for a few minutes, the path narrowing as we entered the woods.
The late afternoon sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows across Phoenix’s face.
He looked both familiar and strange to me.
He was the boy I’d known in those childhood summers and the beautiful man he’d become, all at once.
“Where are we going?” he asked finally.
“There’s a clearing up ahead,” I said, pushing aside a low-hanging branch for him. “It’s quiet. Private.”
The trail opened into a small glade, sunlight streaming through a break in the canopy to illuminate a fallen log and a patch of wildflowers. It was one of my favorite spots on campus, a place I came when I needed to think or be alone. I’d never brought anyone here before.
Phoenix stepped into the clearing, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the peaceful scene. “It’s beautiful,” he said softly. “It reminds me of...”
“The woods behind my house,” I finished for him. “Where we used to play.”
He nodded, a smile spreading across his face. “You remember.”
“I never forgot,” I said, the words coming out harsher than I intended. “That’s the whole point. I remembered everything, every moment we spent together. While you...”
Phoenix took a step closer, those orange eyes locked on mine. “I know. And I’m so sorry, Karrick. If I could go back and change what happened—”
“But you can’t,” I interrupted, unable to stop the rush of emotions flooding through me. “And neither can I. We can’t just pick up where we left off like nothing happened.”
“Why not?” he asked, his voice so earnest it made my chest ache. “We’re both here now. We’re both free. My parents can’t control me anymore.”
I ran a hand through my fur, trying to organize my scattered thoughts. How could I explain what was happening to me when I barely understood it myself?
“It’s not that simple,” I said finally. “We’re not the same people we were back then. You’ve been living one life, and I’ve been living another. And now suddenly we’re thrown back together and expected to just... what? Be best friends again?”
“Why does that sound so terrible?” Phoenix asked, hurt flashing across his face. “I thought you wanted your friend back.”
“I did! I do,” I corrected quickly. “But it’s...”
“Complicated,” he finished for me. “You keep saying that. What exactly is complicated about it, Karrick?”
The way he said my name sent a shiver down my spine. Standing there in the dappled sunlight, with his dark hair falling into those fiery eyes, Phoenix looked like something from a dream. My dream, specifically. The one that had me jerking off in the woods just this morning.
“Everything is complicated,” I growled, frustration and desire making my voice rougher than usual.
“You show up out of nowhere after all these years, looking right through me like I’m nothing.
Then suddenly you remember everything, and you’re throwing yourself into my arms, and I don’t know what to do with that! ”
“So you’re avoiding me?” Phoenix took another step closer. “That’s your solution?”
“I’m not avoiding you,” I lied. “I’m just... processing.”
“Processing what?” he demanded, his hands balling into fists at his sides. I could feel the temperature rising around us, his fire magic responding to his emotions. “Tell me what’s going on, Karrick. I deserve to know. Why are you treating me like some sort of pariah?”
He was right. He did deserve to know. But how could I tell him that every time I looked at him, I imagined pressing him against a tree and kissing him until neither of us could breathe?
That I’d spent the morning fantasizing about his hands, his mouth, his body beneath mine?
That I was terrified of these new feelings because they threatened to change everything about how I saw myself?
“I don’t know how to be around you,” I admitted finally. “Everything feels different now.”
Phoenix’s expression softened. “Different how?”
I looked away.
“Different how?” Phoenix repeated, taking another step closer.
My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I thought it might break through. The smell of cinnamon and woodsmoke was stronger now, making my head spin. I wanted to back away, to put distance between us, but my feet seemed rooted to the spot. Something inside me felt like howling. I wasn’t sure why.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” I muttered, staring at the ground between us. “It’s like... everything I thought I knew about myself is suddenly up for questioning.”
“Because of me?” His voice was so quiet I almost didn’t hear it.
I forced myself to look up, to meet those burning orange eyes. “Y-Yes.”
The word hung between us, heavy with implications neither of us seemed ready to voice. Phoenix’s face was flushed, a rosy tint spreading across his cheeks that made my stomach flip.
“I’ve been feeling something too,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “These... new feelings. They’re confusing and intense and...” He trailed off, swallowing hard. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
The admission sent a jolt of electricity straight to my groin. My already uncomfortable situation became almost unbearable as my cock strained against my jeans. I pulled my hoodie down further, trying to cover it up.
“Phoenix,” I warned, taking a step back. “You don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“I do,” he insisted, following me step for step. “I might have forgotten you for a while, but I know myself, Karrick. And what I’m feeling isn’t just friendship. It’s more. And it’s not… It’s not new.”
“How can you be so sure?” I demanded, frustration and desire making my voice rougher than I intended. “We were kids when we knew each other. Now we’re practically strangers.”
“Are we?” Phoenix reached out, his fingers hovering just inches from my arm. “Because it doesn’t feel that way to me. It feels like... like finding a part of myself I didn’t know was missing. I’ve liked you ever since I was a kid. I just didn’t know what it was back then. But I do now.”
His words hit me like a physical blow, echoing my own confused thoughts so perfectly it left me breathless. I’d spent years trying to forget him, to bury the pain of his absence, and now he was standing in front of me offering something I hadn’t even known I wanted until yesterday.
“I’m scared,” I admitted, the words feeling strange on my tongue. I wasn’t used to admitting fear. I was Karrick Laurent, linebacker, Beastkin, and a survivor. I didn’t get scared.
Except apparently, I did.
“Of what?” Phoenix asked, his hand finally making contact with my arm.
Even through the fur, his touch burned like a brand. I had to suppress a shiver of pleasure.
“Of ruining everything,” I said honestly. “We just found each other again. What if... what if these feelings mess that up? What if we try something and it doesn’t work out and then we lose each other all over again?”
Phoenix’s hand slid up my arm, leaving a trail of heat in its wake.
“We won’t lose each other again,” he said firmly, his orange eyes blazing with determination. “I won’t let that happen. Not after what my parents put me… put us through.”
His fingers traced along my forearm, and I couldn’t stop the shudder that ran through me. Every nerve ending felt like it was on fire where he touched me, and my cock throbbed so hard I was afraid I might cum just from this simple contact.
“Phoenix,” I breathed, his name coming out like a prayer or a curse. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”