Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
I wake to muffled birdsong, warm sunshine, and the barest touch of a knuckle brushing my shoulder. My eyes flutter open, greeted to a dreamy vision of Eric resting beside me, his head propped up by his palm. How long has he been awake? Has he been watching me sleep?
There’s no time to question Eric as he cups my chin and slots our mouths together, for a toe curling kiss. His lips are soft and gentle, yet hungry with need, like he’s been waiting all morning for me to join him in the waking world. It’s as if I haven’t stopped dreaming.
It’s so easy to let him take the lead. His hand wanders beneath the sheet and circles around my cock, already hard and stiff from his attention.
He pumps it with timid, teasing strokes, and my hips rise to meet him.
His smell is intoxicating, making me hot and flushed all over.
With Eric’s voice murmuring sweet nothings in my ear, I can’t hold myself back.
It’s too much. I lose control, my arm covers over my face, and I shoot into his curled hand, my chest rising and falling with haggard breaths.
After, the tingling sensations ripple through my body, causing me to slump back against the bed. He licks his hand clean, and I’m starting to wonder if the two of us have an oral fixation.
“How did you sleep?” he asks. For such an innocent question, there’s nothing innocent about the fire in his eyes.
“Way better than yesterday.” I grin, licking my lips, tasting lingering traces of Eric.
Instead of tossing and turning all night because of my doubts, I was with Eric.
He was always within arm’s reach, right where I needed him, his presence solid and real.
Months of pent up longing transformed into intense passion.
We spent only a narrow portion of our evening actually sleeping in bed.
“I should get us something to eat.”
My leg drapes around Eric’s thigh and locks him in place. “Don’t go. Not yet.”
Eric relents and holds me instead. My head nuzzles against his chest to listen to his steady heartbeat.
“What time is it?”
“I don’t know. Doesn’t matter.” His fingers brush loose strands of hair out of my face. “We’re on vacation.”
“If this is how vacations are supposed to feel, then never stop planning them.”
For me, for us.
“This is what summer’s for. Relaxation and recovery.”
Eric’s not wrong. The hockey half of the year is so packed with travel, practice, games, and media availabilities. Most players turn into night owls who still have to wake up early on occasion.
“I really should get us something. You must be starving. Gotta keep up your strength.”
Since last night, my hierarchy of needs has become rearranged, with all things Eric taking top priority. That’s probably the horniness talking, though.
“I’m not going to be long,” he reassures, pressing a hand to my chest. “Just rest.”
After letting him go, Eric slips out of bed and disappears to the other end of the trailer.
In his absence, I grab his pillow, close my eyes, and breathe deep, groaning.
Even just the lingering smell of Eric is enough to make all my blood rush south.
I can’t help myself; I roll onto my stomach and hump the mattress, moaning softly to a montage of last night.
Eric under me, guiding my hips as I rode him, my body on complete display; Eric sucking my cock without so much as a gag reflex; Eric holding my hands over my head, fucking me until I came untouched.
A bird’s loud cry outside breaks my immersion, and I open my eyes and catch Eric leaning against the trailer wall, his eyes half-lidded, heavy with lust. His hand fists his cock, giving it meaningful pumps. How long has he been there, eyes raking down my body while touching himself?
“Don’t stop on my behalf,” he says, smirking.
When Eric makes no move to join me, I pick up where I left off with even more frantic intensity, smothering myself in his scent until I can’t hold back. With shaking legs, I come into the mattress, whimpering his name.
My body gives out, collapsing onto the bed, boneless. As I catch my breath with my face half-pressed into Eric’s pillow, my eyes wander to his cock. I bite my lip to suppress a grin. God, the effect we have over each other. Obsession isn’t a strong enough word to capture my feelings for Eric.
Eric crosses the space, joining me in bed. With ease, he turns me onto my back and kneels over me. His hand rakes through my hair, gently tugging on the strands to angle my head.
“Open your mouth,” he growls. “Stick out your tongue.”
Obedience comes easy. My lips part, my tongue darts out, waiting to receive Eric.
Above, Eric loses himself in pleasure, his hand a blur in front of me.
When he starts to come, he curses with a groan and strokes the cum out of his cock, making sure each drop lands in my mouth.
I swallow everything, shivering from being used this way.
After, Eric moves off and cups my neck, stealing a kiss.
“Was that alright?” he asks, smoothing down my messy hair.
“Yes,” I answer, blushing. With one command, Eric managed to turn off all other thoughts in my head. All that mattered was pleasing him and taking care of his needs.
My stomach groans, needing to refuel. Eric fetches what he brought back from the kitchen: packages of s’mores Poptarts and a pair of small orange juice bottles.
He also brought ibuprofen in case I needed it, which is thoughtful of him.
I finish the entire bottle of juice in one long drink, much thirstier after the morning’s physical activities.
“I fear I’m doing you a disservice,” Eric says with a lopsided smile. “It’s your first camping trip and all I want to do is keep you inside the trailer. We haven’t even made s’mores.”
I raise the torn packaging, pointing to its design. “Says s’mores right here.”
Eric rolls his eyes, but my dumb joke nonetheless makes him laugh. “Real ones.”
“I’m getting the authentic glamping experience. The bugs are out there, and I’m in here, having a great time.”
And thank God we’re fucking inside the comfort of the trailer and not on the hard ground inside a tent.
After I finish eating, Eric takes my hand and licks my fingers clean, his eyes on me the entire time.
For being so concerned about how we’re spending the rest of the vacation, he’s making a clear argument to keep me right here in bed with him.
I snuggle up beside him, and he drapes an arm over my back.
His fingers play with my hair, light and teasing.
“I really don’t mind, Eric. This is exactly where I want to be.” My hand wanders down to his waist, trailing through the dark hairs. “I could go again soon, if you’re interested.”
Eric’s gawks, but his eyes light up at the thought of taking me again. “You’re insatiable.”
“Afraid you won’t be able to keep up?” I tease.
Never one to turn down a challenge, Eric rolls me onto my back and holds me down.
“I can keep up just fine, thank you.”
“Guess you’re going to have to prove it.”
Eric traces my bottom lip and snickers. “Gladly.”
As Eric feared, we spend the majority of our camping trip inside the trailer fucking.
Every inch of the trailer has witnessed the action.
Inside the primary bedroom, Eric’s folded my body in half and shown me just how flexible I can be.
At the sofa bed, I bounced on his cock, filling the space with the sound of my ass hitting his thighs.
Even when we stopped to eat and recharge, hands wandered underneath the kitchenette’s table.
The shower stall fared no better; we took turns washing each others’ bodies, teasing and playing with soapy, lathered hands until he spun me around, pressed me into the wall, and took me under the hot spray, pounding into my tight heat until I was a mess again.
On our last night, Eric and I decide to get dressed and spend the evening outside.
The trailer has, well, started to smell like sex, so Eric propped open the windows so it could air out.
Being in Eric’s constant orbit inside the trailer has led me to believe pheromones are actually real, because I couldn’t keep my hands off of him.
Fresh air and a chance to recover will do us both good before we return to Seattle.
With our bodies and minds preoccupied, we hadn’t been taking the time to make the meals Eric had planned during our trip.
Not that either of us are complaining, of course, but Eric, feeling a tad guilty, prepares something special for our last dinner at the campsite.
He barbecues two steaks for the both of us alongside grilled vegetables.
After dinner, I swear I can’t eat another bite, but Eric surprises me with a bag of marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers.
“I refuse to let a breakfast treat be your only s’mores experience during your first camping trip,” he insists, his dedication adorable.
Over the fire, Eric demonstrates how to cook a marshmallow to gooey perfection. When I’ve finished constructing my first s’more, Eric takes a picture of me with it to mark the occasion. Then, I squeeze down on it and take a big bite.
“So?” he asks. “How’s it compare?”
I can’t help but grin, feeling like a kid again. Gooey chocolate, melted marshmallow, the crunch of the cracker. “Delicious. Not even a competition.”
Around the campfire, Eric and I find a way to make everything sexual—from licking chocolate off each others’ fingers to making bedroom eyes in the glow of the fire. I’m tempted to crawl into his lap and explore the idea of fucking under the stars.
“Hey, James…”
The way Eric says my name causes me to swallow thickly and sit up straighter in my camping chair. The sudden seriousness dowses the flames of my desire. What could be on Eric’s mind? What could cause such an abrupt shift?
Don’t panic. Don’t freak out.
“What’s up?” I say, grabbing another marshmallow out of the bag and sticking it onto the end of my skewer. Maybe if I act normal, it will mask my nerves.
Eric covers my free hand, and I startle. “Sorry. I’m not trying to scare you. I shouldn’t have started that way.”
Christ. It’s that obvious then.
His fingers brush along the back of my hand.
“I’ve loved this trip. This week’s been nothing short of amazing.
I just want to be clear how I feel about you.
I don’t want to leave you doubting or second-guessing.
Getting this right is important to me.” He takes a deep breath.
“I really like you James. I want to date you and be your boyfriend.”
The marshmallow cooking on my skewer melts, sloughing off into the fire, completely forgotten as I wait on his every word.
My shoulders relax in relief. I smile and interlock our fingers together. “I really like you too, Eric.”
Little does Eric know, I’m already in love with him. I’ve wanted to be his for a long, long time. Between All-Star Weekend, our texting conversations, hell, even our playoff battle, my feelings have only intensified. Coming out to Seattle was the best decision of my life.
“We don’t have to figure everything out right now. I just want to enjoy every day with you and explore this relationship to its fullest.”
So focused on the trip and Eric, I hadn’t worried about anything else.
I hadn’t even considered how the rest of summer could unfold, and beyond that…
God, I don’t even want to think about the next hockey season.
As much as I love my job, I’m giving serious consideration to the idea of running away from society and living off the land in a log cabin with Eric.
Because with the hockey season comes separation. The return of distance between us. I can’t fathom having to say goodbye.
I can’t go there. Not now, hardly a week after Eric and I finally confessed to having feelings for each other.
Live in the moment. Enjoy the present. Be in the now. Maybe our trailer isn’t a log cabin hidden away deep in the backcountry, but it’s our little slice of heaven. And what was it my dad said over the phone? Don’t overthink it.
I squeeze Eric’s hand, and we share a smile. This love I harbor for him? That’s all that matters.