Chapter 6
DEVON
As I sat on the bench in the locker room, waiting for Coach, I had way too much fucking time to get up in my head.
Aside from feeling like I’d let the team down, which was bad enough, I let Coach down.
He said the team had potential. That meant me as well.
So I needed to show him what I was made of.
What I was capable of. That the Grizzlies hadn’t made a mistake in acquiring me.
Lous dropped to sit beside me. “Coach’ll be here in a minute.”
“Yeah. About tonight—”
He waved me off. “Those penalties were bullshit. Coach saw that. The fans saw that. Those refs?” He flailed his hands.
“Bullshit?” I offered a small smile.
“Yes.” He grinned. His dark skin gleamed under the crappy fluorescent lights.
He’d talked about his Haitian heritage a bit at dinner last night.
I’d come from multicultural Toronto and had been a little surprised to hear about Lous being raised in Alberta.
The neighboring province to the east wasn’t exactly known for being a bastion of diversity.
Lous made it clear things were better in Edmonton, where he’d grown up.
Beneath the surface, though, I caught…what? That he’d faced discrimination? That was pretty much a given. For all of Canada’s claims of acceptance, we still had a bevy of bigots, racists, and homophobes. I nudged Lous. “Thanks.”
His smile didn’t diminish. “This isn’t the worst loss we’ve had this season.
That doesn’t make me feel better. But nice try.
Coach breezed into the locker room.
A silence fell upon us.
He took a moment to meet the gaze of every player in the room.
Did he linger as he met mine? Hard to say. He certainly gave nothing away. Which I appreciated.
He blew out a long breath. “I’m not going to rehash the game. I think we know where we went wrong and what we did right.” He pointed to Lous. “I saw you guys dig deep and try—even when we were clearly going to lose the game. I saw grit and determination in the face of some awful calls—”
“Bullshit calls,” Lous puffed out his chest. “Like they were in the Narwhals’ pocket or something.”
“Or something.” Saffron—with his Russian accent even heavier than usual. He met Coach’s gaze. “Yes, we can do better. What do you want from us?”
“That you give it your all. That you play your very best every time you hit the ice. That you play like we’re one win away from winning the Cup.”
Hairs snickered. The American was one of the youngest players—and also one of the mouthiest. Chirping at the opposite team was one thing. He’d gone a little too personal, to my mind. In return, the Narwhals hadn’t let him anywhere near the puck.
Coach stared at Hairs. “You have something to say?”
“Me?” He batted his eyes. “I’m innocent.”
This time, Rizz sniggered. He was the right winger on Hairs’s line and I hadn’t seen a lot of camaraderie between the two. They needed better chemistry, or they’d never score.
“Tomorrow morning we’re going to run drills. I want to see exactly what you’ve got—”
“Or what we don’t have.” Arts, one of our veteran players, tapped his temple. “We have the wrong frame of mind. We don’t think we can win.”
Coach cocked his head, clearly uncertain of what he’d heard.
“Hey, take that back.” Hairs rose. “I wanna win. I wanna be called up. I wanna get the fuck out of this goddamn town.”
Well, okay. When you put it like that… Except he came across as always wanting the spotlight.
The glory. A couple of times tonight he could’ve passed and we might’ve scored.
But he’d held on to the puck too long, and his shots had either gone wide or, more often, the Narwhals had taken it away from him entirely.
Coach surveyed the room again. “Is Arts right? Do you think you can’t win?”
I couldn’t conceive it. I went into every game believing if I did my best, then we were going to win.
“Our old coach would browbeat us,” Pells shrugged.
“I didn’t like getting yelled at—almost as much as I hated losing—but sometimes we deserved it.
Sure as shit didn’t make us want to do better for him.
” He eyed Arts. “I wouldn’t say we don’t think we can win.
But I would say we’re a long way off. Management brought you in to fix this—” He flapped his hands in the air.
“Clusterfuck?” Lens winced. “Too damn many goals tonight.” He’d had five scored against him, and if the frown on his face was any indication, he was taking the loss hard.
“Tomorrow morning.” Coach again surveyed all of us. “I do have faith in this team. I believe you can win. Is this going to be easy? Probably not. Am I going to bust your asses? You bet. Have a good night, and I’ll see you in the morning.” With that, he strode out.
I’d love to bust your ass. See it red with bruises and welts. Feel the skin burning under my hand. Have you begging me—whether to stop or to keep going would be, of course, entirely up to me. I want—
“You’re going to sit here all night?” Lous slapped me on the back.
“No. Just…not in a hurry. I need to go over the game in my mind.”
He laughed. “What you need is to get laid. There’s a club over in Langley—”
I shook my head. “No way. I want to regroup and have my head on straight for tomorrow.”
“Oh, well, not everyone is straight at this bar.” With that, he headed into the showers.
Since we’d done our post-game media—painful as it had been—we just needed to get into our suits and head home.
A bar where not everyone is straight sounded nice, but I wasn’t going to go.
If only because I’d have to beg a ride and then would be stuck if I wanted to leave.
I had no idea where Langley was or how much a cab would cost.
By the time I emerged from the locker room, most of the guys were gone.
I caught sight of Coach talking to Amy and Tori. Likely they’d have plenty to say to each other.
Still, Coach looked my way and met my gaze. “You need a lift back to the hotel?”
“Uh, I can walk. Or grab a cab.”
“It’s pouring rain.” He tossed me his keys. “I’ll be there in five.”
Whether this was appropriate or not, I wasn’t going to be rude and toss them back.
His SUV was easy to pick out in the nearly empty lot. I didn’t see any of the guys, so I didn’t need to worry about that. Of course, most of them knew I’d gotten a lift from Coach last night, so another tonight wouldn’t be all that weird.
Or so you tell yourself.
I disarmed the alarm and got into the front passenger seat.
My mind swirled with all the shit of the last three hours.
The horrible game.
The showdown between Coach and some players who clearly weren’t happy he was here.
And what was with that, anyway? Surely they weren’t giving him attitude because he was gay.
I’d researched him before the game. Should’ve long before now, but he hadn’t hit my radar when I’d been in Toronto.
What I’d read? Came out first in the League.
Won two Cups. Injury that ended his career but transitioned him right into coaching.
The perfect couple. The perfect marriage.
And, according to media reports, the perfect divorce.
Why? Who the fuck would walk away from Jack Showalter?
Or maybe he’d done the walking. Unfaithfulness? Growing apart?
My heart ached as I thought about Mom. She’d never been married. My father wasn’t someone in the picture. So was I looking at Coach and seeing a potential father figure?
Ew. Ick. Christ, no. Even if I thought it might curb my attraction to him, I wasn’t going there. Nope. Although I needed to see him as just the coach, the attraction wouldn’t lessen. My craving for him wouldn’t be sated. When I thought of all the things I could—
The driver’s door opened and Coach slid in. He ran his hands through his damp hair. “Does it ever do anything but rain?”
I handed him the keys. “Not that I’ve seen.”
He nodded. “Do you want to go somewhere or straight back to the hotel?”
“You mean the bar in Langley?”
“What bar in Langley?”
“The one Lous invited me to. The one where not everyone is straight.”
Jack laughed. “Okay, I hadn’t heard about that place. No, I’m not heading to a bar where a bunch of my players are hanging out.”
“But you’d take me out?”
“For coffee. Or a late dinner.”
I blinked. “Have you thought this through? We might be seen.”
He winced and rubbed his face with his hands. “You’re right. I just…I don’t want to go back to the hotel room and be alone. Which is crazy. I have so much—”
“Drive, Jack.”
“Yeah, okay.” The engine purred to life, and he eased the car into motion. “Where are we going?”
“Back to the hotel. And you’re going to park in the farthest spot and away from all the lights. There’s a back corner you’re going to choose.”
He licked his lips as he drove. “Yeah.”
“Then you’re going to give me a blowjob. If you do it well, I’ll reward you.”
Holy fuck. We should be running in the opposite direction.
Yeah, but he needs this. He’s all up in his head.
So am I. This is a way to blow off steam.
He pulled into the hotel parking lot and, as instructed, picked the farthest spot away from all the lights. From everything I knew about Abbotsford, the town was pretty safe.
To my relief, he parked facing the street. Anyone looking out their window from the hotel would just see the back of his SUV. Anyone brave enough to be walking in the pouring rain would just see a steamy window with rain pounding down.
Jack turned the engine off. For a long moment, he stared straight ahead.
Without the wipers, the rain just fell unheeded. Without the airflow, the windows began fogging almost instantaneously. The temperature outside was just above zero, so we’d need to generate some heat soon or we’d get chilled.
I unbuckled my seat belt, then shifted so my pelvis was at just the right angle.
“I told you I want a blowjob. Now.” My cock had been hardening for the entire drive.
If he rejected my command, then I’d go upstairs and, likely in about six tugs, come hard.
I wanted this man in a way I’d never wanted anyone before. That both terrified and reassured.
Terrified because he held my career in his hand.
Reassured because, as he unbuckled his seat belt, he met my gaze. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
He blinked.
We were shrouded in darkness, but with just enough light for me to see his pupils dilate. “Yes, Sir.”
I nodded. Then pointed to my crotch.
The console would be an impediment, but nothing he couldn’t overcome. By instinct, I could say Jack would be creative.
He pushed his seat all the way back. Then he maneuvered, so he sat on his knees. He didn’t meet my gaze as he reached over to unzip my dress pants. With gentle—but very cold—hands, he eased my cock out of my boxer briefs.
This was uncomfortable as fuck, but when he ran his thumb over my slit, I found I’d be willing to endure any discomfort if it meant having him close.
He lapped up a drop of precum and hummed.
I resisted the urge to thrust into his hand.
After a moment, he bent to take my crown in his mouth.
I grasped his hair.
He moaned.
Then he went to work. His talent didn’t surprise me—him having been married all those years—but his enthusiasm did catch me off guard. He went at this with gusto. He swirled my cock with his tongue. He speared my slit. Then he pulled me deeper.
I held his hair tightly. I needed him to know who was controlling this. I wasn’t going to let him choke, but I was going to ensure I came.
He raked his teeth gently down my length. He hollowed his cheeks so he could take me deeper. He did everything just right.
And just like that, my balls drew up and my body went rigid. “I’m coming.” Said through gritted teeth. I had to offer him a choice. Not all guys liked to swallow, and I’d never force him.
He sucked harder.
I came. With an intensity that I’d only found one other time—when I’d been drilling him into the mattress.
This feeling? Unfamiliar to me. Not just that I was in charge—because fuck yeah, this was all me.
But also that his submission was so complete.
Never a hesitation. He just did what I wanted.
What I knew he needed. In essence, his needs came first—he just didn’t realize it.
When I didn’t have a drop left to give, he pulled off.
“Kiss me. Like you did last night.”
“Yes, Sir.”
His mouth met mine, and I opened immediately. I liked tasting my own cum on someone else’s tongue. Elemental. Erotic. Forbidden. I grasped his hair and yanked.
He pulled back from me and gasped. “Fuck, yes. That.”
“You’re going to get out of this SUV. You’re going to go to your room. You’re not going to get off. You’re going to decompress by having a shower. You’re going to bed now, and tomorrow you’ll get up early and deal with the clusterfuck of a team that we have. For tonight, you’re going to let it go.”
“And you?”
I cocked my head.
“Am I supposed to let you go as well?” The intensity of his dark eyes bored into my soul.
“We can’t do this again.”
“I know.” He ducked his head. “But—”
“No buts. Actually, I’m going to leave first. So you can activate the alarm.” I released his hair, then set about putting myself to rights. After a moment, my zipper was done, and I was ready to leave. “Will you do what I said?”
He held my gaze. “Of course. Decompress. Shower. Bed. Shitshow tomorrow.”
I ran my hand down his cheek. “That’s a good boy. You want to be a good boy, right?”
He nodded vigorously.
“Well, good boys earn rewards.” What the fuck are you doing? This has to end. This can’t go on. “Text me before you go to bed. I might give you a treat.”
“Yes, Sir.”
With that, I exited the SUV.
The parking lot was completely deserted, and all the drapes were closed in the windows. Hell, I could barely see through the pouring rain. Fuck, did it ever end? I was no longer convinced spring would ever come.
If we don’t start winning games, the weather will be the least of your problems.
I didn’t look back.