17. Jansen
17
JANSEN
There was no hiding the smile on my face the next day when I showed up for training with Jagger. He saw it immediately.
“Every day you’re happier and happier. I love seeing it.” He clapped me on the shoulder and steered me toward the pool. I was in such a joyous fog, I forgot we were training in the water today.
Melanie was there, sitting in one of the lounge chairs with her tablet in one hand and coffee in another.
“No kids today?”
“Nah,” Jagger replied. “Mel’s parents have them. They picked them up early this morning and they’ll stay there until Sunday to give us a long weekend.”
“You know, we could skip our workout today and tomorrow and give you and Mel a four day fuckfest. No kids. Lots of sex.” When I looked up, I saw Melanie watching us. I winked.
Jagger shook his head. “No, you don’t. You’re going to bust your ass today and tomorrow. Mel and I are just fine on the fucking front.”
“Could you two stop talking about our sex life?” she asked.
“We could.” I smiled. “But where’s the fun in that?”
I used their bathroom to get changed into my swim trunks. I always had them in my bag, even if I didn’t wear them every time I went into the pool. Boxer briefs worked just fine too.
Jagger was doing laps when I came out of the house. Melanie had her tablet on her lap, her mug to her lips, as her gaze tracked her husband going from one side of the pool to the other in powerful strokes.
I snuck up behind her and leaned in close. “See something you like?”
She squeaked and jumped. “You’re lucky this mug isn’t full.”
When Jagger was at the other end of the pool, I did a cannonball just to splash Melanie, which I did. A little bit of a shower, nothing more. I didn’t need to see her eyes behind her sunglasses to know she was glaring at me. She couldn’t stay mad though. Not at me.
Jagger was quick to get me warmed up in the pool, then we started the real work. If I hadn’t been in the water already, I would have been sweating my ass off. It wasn’t all fun and games in here. Jagger knew just what to do to get me working hard. By the time we were done, I threw myself onto one of the lounge chairs like a fish flopping on a boat deck, water splashing, making a mess.
My bottle of water appeared above me. “Drink,” Jagger said.
There was decent cloud cover today to prevent the full heat of the sun from beating down on us. A summer storm seemed to be rolling in.
I hung out with them for a bit then dragged my ass home. I hadn’t talked to my brother yet this week and wanted to check in on him. Opening the video chat on my laptop, I kicked my feet up on the couch with the computer on my stomach.
“You look comfortable,” Gareth said when he answered the call. He was on his phone. I watched him walk through the house I grew up in.
“I’m tired. Jagger worked me hard today.”
“He does that every day.”
“You’re right. So, what’s new with you? Anyone of interest in your life?”
He sat on his bed, leaning back on the pillows. “You share and so will I.”
“Juicy. How much are we sharing? Because while I love you, I don’t want to hear about you getting it on, outside of making sure you’re being safe.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dad, I know how condoms work.”
“Touché. Now, fill me in.”
Gareth went on to tell me about a guy he met. Someone new to town, which was a rarity, since it wasn’t a big city where people moved in and out often. It was a small place where everybody knew everybody else.
“He’s gorgeous, Jans. Lean but not skinny. Blond hair, green eyes. He had my attention the first time I saw him.”
“And he likes you too?”
A blush rose over his cheeks. I loved seeing my brother happy. I wished he could always be like this. Maybe this was a turning point. I found someone I really cared about. Gareth could have too.
“He does,” he replied. “We’ve only been on two dates. We’re going out again tomorrow night.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Me too. Now, fill me in on you.”
“Well, I don’t want to brag or anything, not that you need details, but I totally understand why men fall for other men.”
“Got a blow job from your guy, huh?”
“How did you know that?” I didn’t even bring up sex, but of course Gareth went there with the conversation.
“There’s something about having a guy’s mouth wrapped around—”
I held up my hand. “Nope, this went into I don’t need that visual territory.”
“You and your dean, huh?”
I’d been filling things in with Gareth when we talked. I didn’t tell him everything but, outside of Jagger, Gareth was my next best friend. We had the kind of relationship not all siblings did. One I didn’t take for granted.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” I told him. “It’s different with him.”
Gareth snorted. “Yeah, because he’s a guy.” If my brother was in front of me, I would have thrown a pillow at him.
“I know that, asshole. But it’s more than that. Everything is just… better.”
“I don’t think his gender has anything to do with it. It’s him. You’ve found someone you really click with. It’s a good thing.”
“It’s an amazing thing.” I grinned. “Look at us. Both finding good men.”
“Yeah, except I’ve always liked dick. This is new for you. Have you two gone out on a date in public yet? And don’t say yes, you eat and go to the museum. That can look like friends. I mean the kind of date where you hold hands, kiss, let everyone see you’re together.”
“Not yet, but we have plans to tomorrow night. I’m not ashamed to be with him.”
“I know that. You’re going to face scrutiny though. Not only because you’re seen with a guy, but this is the guy whose daughter you fucked.”
“Seriously? You had to say that?”
Gareth shrugged. “Just speaking the truth.” He sighed. “Jans, it’s me.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I don’t expect it to be smooth sailing. As long as I have Stephen, nothing else matters. You guys know. My teammates won’t care if I’m with a guy or if he’s Serilda’s dad. I mean, it will be shocking since I’ve never been with a guy before, but they’re the supportive type. I’m not worried about them.”
“The fans though. You have to be ready. You’ve seen the hate Devon gets sometimes. Not everyone is queer friendly.”
“I’ll be fine. And most people won’t know Stephen is Serlida’s dad. It’s not like they were seen together a lot.” At least I didn’t think. It didn’t matter though. Anything that popped up would be worth it if I kept getting to have his kisses, his touches, just him.
The fans weren’t all great. I’d deal. The Jetties wouldn’t care. Not with Kasper as their owner. He’d made his point that he would accept every and any player, regardless of their sexuality.
I had a great job I loved and a man I wanted to spend more time with. Everything else would fall into place. I had to believe that.
When I was with Stephen, I was on top of the world. I wanted to bottle that feeling and hold on to it forever.
“So…” I decided a subject change was in order. “Does your boyfriend know your brother is famous?”
Gareth rolled his eyes. I laughed. “He’s not into hockey.”
I gasped and put my hand to my chest. “Say it isn’t so? How is that even possible?”
“I know! The horror!” Another eye roll.
Gareth and I stayed on the phone a while longer. I missed him and my parents so much. I’d see them again soon. Being able to witness my brother smile a lot, obviously excited about his new relationship, meant everything to me. I felt more settled when I knew my family was doing well.
I spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around my place, not doing much, giving my tired muscles a chance to relax. Stephen was working. There was nothing on TV. For once, I just was. I didn’t need to do anything. I simply lay there with a smile, knowing I had someone special in my life. Someone I wanted to spend more time with. Who I couldn’t wait to see tomorrow night.
Depending on if the media caught on to us, which I figured they would, it would be a test of our relationship. Stephen would get a taste of what it was like to date someone in the public eye. I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t nervous. I was. I didn’t want to lose him. Not that I thought he was the kind of guy to bail if things got heavy. It was also new for me. I’d be under more scrutiny since I’d be with a guy.
Jansen McKenna wouldn’t be seen as straight any longer.
I didn’t care about labels, though the media would push for them. I just wanted to be happy. Be with someone who I could make smile in return. I had that with Stephen. And I was going to hold on to it however tightly I needed to.
What I felt for him, it was growing into something big. Something I wasn’t even close to putting a name to, but it was there, in the back of my mind. This little flame of hope saying maybe, just maybe, this could be it.
No, I wasn’t going to get ahead of myself. I wouldn’t snuff out that flame, but I wouldn’t add gasoline to it either. It could grow bigger on its own. Only time would tell what was going to happen between Stephen and me.
We both deserved this win. Something that had nothing to do with hockey and everything to do with two people who just fucking fit together, no matter how much they shouldn’t. Stephen reentered my life at the perfect time. I was ready for a big love. He was the person I wanted to be with.
I sighed wistfully and closed my eyes. The sight in my mind of Stephen with my dick in his mouth. I would always remember it, the first time we were together like that. Hopefully, it would be the first of many. What we’d experienced together so far wasn’t nearly enough. I was an addict craving another taste, unsure I’d ever be able to quench the thirst for him.
Tomorrow night, we were going to show the world we were together. Not that everyone would give a shit, but some would. And I would put blinders on and try to block out any bad comments. None of it mattered. Only how Stephen and I felt. We were important. He was important.
Did he like flowers? Should I buy him flowers? Maybe I’d pick him up some tomorrow after training. I could shop around for the best. Nothing else would do. Stephen deserved it.