25. Kingston
It was one of the rare days Kingston had the morning off before the pre-season games started, and he was thrown into the world of professional hockey, yet he was still being woken up before noon.
Even though he shared a bed with three other people, he rarely heard them come and go because they were quiet, and the memory foam mattress stopped any source of movement.
Kingston was an athlete, but he liked to sleep in when he could, which was something Riley couldn’t grasp since he was always up with the rising sun to work out.
“Evans—I swear to fuck if you shake me one more time, I’m drowning you in the toilet.”
The hands touching his back went still, and Kingston gripped his pillow, preparing to smack Riley when he inevitably came up with a snarky response.
“I’m not Riley, and no offence, but I don’t think you’re strong enough to force me into the toilet.”
Kingston lifted his head, blurry-eyed and confused. “Why are you bothering me then? You’re supposed to be the nice one.”
Jake scoffed, and the hands disappeared from Kingston’s back. “I need your help with something.”
“It’s not wedding planning, is it?” Kingston asked.
He was happy for Allen and Jake and their engagement. When they came back to the penthouse, windswept and grinning from ear to ear, Kingston had manhandled them both into a hug and congratulated them. He couldn’t wait for the wedding, but there was no way in hell he was helping plan it.
He didn’t do decorations. He didn’t do cake testing. He didn’t do anything that wasn’t rough-and-tumble sports and building bookshelves because that was who he was.
“Nothing to do with the wedding,” said Jake. “It’s personal.”
The monotone in the man’s voice made Kingston think he was nervous about something, and if Jake was coming to him, that meant that the other two were busy.
Kingston groaned and rolled onto his back, unashamed of how naked he was as he stretched and yawned, trying his best to keep his eyes open.
Jake wasn’t shy about looking at him either, and Kingston preened as those dark eyes dragged down the stretch of naked skin on display, respectfully appreciating from a distance.
Kingston wouldn’t complain if Jake chose to close the distance, but he understood that wasn’t going to happen until everyone was ready, so it could only be teasing for now.
And kissing. He couldn’t forget about the kissing.
“Do I need to get dressed up for this task, or can I rock sweats and a t-shirt?” Kingston asked, grinning when Jake’s gaze snapped from between his thighs to land on his face.
“Casual is okay,” Jake said stiffly.
Kingston winked and let out a breathy chuckle. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll meet you by the door. That sound good?”
Jake blinked slowly, processed, then nodded. “Five minutes.”
Kingston watched the big guy walk away, looking like a soldier going off to war, and shook his head. Jake gave him fucking cute aggression, but he didn’t think the guy would appreciate being squeezed every time he did something adorable—which was all the damn time.
After getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and straightening his hair, Kingston wound up in Jake’s car, tearing down the highway away from the city.
Jake never bothered to mention what they were doing, and he wasn’t talking much, so Kingston was left to entertain himself on his phone and the blur of the world passing outside.
Texting Riley and Allen didn’t help at all since they weren’t answering him, and with every minute that passed in silence, Kingston’s worries grew until he was ready to explode.
“Where are we going?” he tried again, praying Jake would say something.
Anything.
“Nowhere,” said Jake. “We’ll be there in another thirty minutes.”
That would put them at an hour and a half of travel time, which was too far away from home for Kingston to be comfortable with, but he was stuck now.
He hadn’t explored Nova Scotia a lot because he was always so busy, and everything he needed was in the city, so seeing buildings give way to massive fields filled with cows and crops was eye-opening.
It was a pretty province, but all Kingston could think about was how hot it was outside the air conditioning of the car, and how many bugs wanted to bite him on the other side of the glass. He was a city boy like Allen; he didn’t like going into the wilderness like Jake and Riley did.
Kingston’s fears escalated when they exited the highway and ended up on a road with more potholes than pavement. He didn’t know how Jake didn’t take the bottom of the car out, but he never once changed his speed or flinched when they hit a hole too hard.
The guy was so stoic it was difficult to get a read on him at times.
When they pulled onto a dirt road and began barreling full speed into a forest that looked like the home of a cryptid, Kingston grabbed the holy shit handle and sent one last text to Allen and Riley in their group chat.
It was nice knowing you. I’m going to fucking die.
He nearly dropped his phone when Jake suddenly turned the car onto another road that went down a steep hill, and Kingston’s mouth fell open when a goddamn lake magically emerged from the trees.
Left with more questions than answers, Kingston stared at the lake as Jake parked the car and cut the engine, leaving them in a silence so deafening he could hear his own heart beating.
“Let’s check it out,” said Jake.
Kingston’s head whipped around so fast that Jake flinched and leaned away.
“Check what out? I’m not fucking going out there.”
Jake had the audacity to look confused, as if driving into the middle of nowhere was something he did all the time.
“If I didn’t know you, I would think you brought me here to murder me,” Kingston added, hoping that would provide some explanation for his hesitation.
Jake peered out the window, brows pinched as he studied the deserted area before turning back to Kingston.
“If I were going to murder you, I would have brought more supplies—and I wouldn’t have picked a place that was recently listed for sale. Too easy to get caught by people viewing the property.”
Kingston crossed his arms and glared at him. “You’re not going to believe this, but that didn’t make me feel better at all.”
Jake smirked and took his seatbelt off, ignoring Kingston’s glare as he got out of the car and walked around the front, stopping outside the passenger door. They had a small standoff through the glass, and then Jake opened the door and leaned inside, pushing into Kingston’s space.
“Do you want to hold my hand? Would that make you feel better?”
Kingston’s curse sputtered and died in his throat. He wanted to tell Jake to fuck off, but his face was red, and he was struggling to focus on something clever enough, so he settled for showing him a middle finger.
Jake shrugged and reached across him, unbuckling his seatbelt like he was preparing to manually remove Kingston from the car.
“Come on. We have property lines to check.”
“Fuck your property lines,” Kingston muttered.
Jake chuckled and braced himself on the seat, effectively pinning Kingston in place as he stood over him with a smug grin.
Kingston was absolutely not distracted by the bulging biceps caging him, or the curve of Jake’s annoyingly kissable mouth, or the laughter brightening his eyes.
He was also definitely not staring.
“You’re not hearing a word I’m saying, are you?”
Kingston jolted, Jake’s words snapping him out of his lovestruck stupor with enough force to leave him choking on air. “What?”
Jake’s gaze dipped down, making no attempt to hide the fact that he was tracing the shape of his lips with his eyes.
“I said,” Jake began, coming closer—close enough that Kingston could almost taste him— “You don’t want to watch my back while I look around?
What if something attacks me and you’re too far away to save me? ”
Kingston licked his lips, and Jake caught the movement, but he didn’t come any closer.
“Y-You wouldn’t be walking around if you thought this place was dangerous,” Kingston stuttered, heat burning his face.
Jake’s smirk grew into a full-blown smile, showing off his perfect teeth. “Then you have nothing to worry about.”
Kingston couldn't move—he couldn't even breathe right now. He was holding onto whatever sound Jake was dragging from him for dear life, trapping it behind clenched teeth so he could keep the last shreds of his dignity.
His heart pounded against his ribs, loud enough that he was convinced Jake could hear it, and all he could do was stare helplessly back at him.
“You want a kiss, Sloan?”
Kingston’s body betrayed him by nodding, the reaction so automatic that he could do nothing to stop it.
Jake leaned in, coming close enough that Kingston could feel his soft laugh ghost over his lips.
“Then behave and get out of the car. I need you to tell me if my plan to surprise our boyfriends will work.”
He paused so the request could wade through the mush that was Kingston’s mind right now before continuing.
“The kiss will come after, but you have to earn it.”
Kingston breathed sharply through his nose as soon as the words processed, and Jake pulled away, leaving him feeling edged within an inch of his life.
Muttering rapid-fire curses, Kingston shoved himself out of the car and into Jake’s space, trying not to be offended by their height difference. He did one quick check to make sure Jake was okay with the sudden contact between them before leaning in just like Jake had moments before.
“I don’t like how good you are at rizzing me up, Valero.”
Jake shrugged, activating Kingston’s cute aggression so swiftly that it punched a groan from him.
“Allen says I rizz him with the tism, whatever that means.”
“It means you’re lucky you’re fucking cute,” Kingston grumbled, turning away to shut the car door before bugs could find their way inside. “So, can you explain why we’re here? You don’t need to go into detail, just give me something.”