Chapter Fifteen
Kip sat on Scott’s bed and watched him pack for his road trip. He was wearing his own jeans and one of Scott’s New York Admirals hoodies. It was too big for him, but he loved wearing it.
“Can I hold on to this?” he asked, tugging at the strings of the hoodie. “While you’re gone?”
“Of course,” Scott said, tossing some underwear into his suitcase. “As long as you think about me while you’re wearing it.”
“I’ll be thinking about you no matter what I’m wearing.”
Scott smiled and kissed him. He would need to leave by two this afternoon to catch the team bus to the airport. That only gave them another couple of hours together before they’d be apart for nine days.
“I was thinking,” Scott said, “that maybe you could stay here while I’m gone.”
Kip hadn’t been expecting that. He didn’t know what to say.
“Not the whole time, if you don’t want,” Scott said quickly. “I mean, you don’t have to at all, obviously. I just thought—”
“Really? You want me to?”
“Yeah. I do. I like the idea of you being here while I’m gone. At least sometimes. Plus, it would be easier for you to get to work, right?”
What Scott was polite enough not to say was that this apartment was a grown-up place to live, and not Kip’s parents’ house.
“If you’re sure you don’t mind, yeah. That would be great,” Kip said.
“I don’t mind. I can think about you sleeping in my bed while I’m in some lonely hotel rooms.”
“You’ll have your roommate,” Kip pointed out.
“Not the same.”
“And if you ever find yourself without a roommate, we could…”
Scott smirked. “Believe me, I’ll be calling you. Every chance I get.”
He held up the blue socks Kip had given him on Valentine’s Day and placed them in the suitcase. Kip grinned.
“So,” Scott said, “I’m back on a Monday. And I’ll be in town for a week after that. How should we celebrate my return?”
“Well…” Kip said, “I kind of have plans that night.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s no big deal, but…that Monday is my birthday. I’m just going out with some friends for a drink or whatever. But after that we could—”
Scott froze. “It’s your birthday?”
“Yeah, but it’s fine. Twenty-six isn’t exactly a milestone. And, besides, why would you know when my birthday is?”
“Because I should have asked!”
“Well…you can remember it next year.” Kip realized as he said it what his words implied. He glanced shyly at Scott, but Scott only reacted with a heartbreakingly happy smile.
“I will,” he said.
Kip flushed a little. He fiddled with the strings on the hoodie, trying to distract himself from all these damn feelings.
He was in love. There was no question. He was head over heels in love with Scott Hunter. It was absurd, but it was real.
“So,” he said unsteadily, “where will this trip take you?”
Scott sighed. “Too many places. Columbus first. Then Detroit, Toronto, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Montreal. Short flights, at least.”
“Yeah? That’s good,” Kip said. Then, for no particular reason, he added, “I’ve never been on a plane.”
“Seriously?”
“I’m serious. Never had anywhere to go, really.”
“Oh, Kip! And you studied history—there’s so much you should see!”
Kip shrugged. “Figure I’ll get around to it someday.”
“I’d love to take you somewhere,” Scott said.
“What, like, Winnipeg? Or Detroit?”
“All right, fuck off.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then Scott was on him. He’d knocked Kip backward onto the mattress and was covering him, all in one swift move. “Are you mocking me, Grady?”
“Of course not.” Kip smirked. “Hunter.”
Scott growled and kissed him, fierce and challenging. “I’m going to miss you. So. Fucking. Much.” He moved his mouth down Kip’s neck, teeth scraping.
“Give me something,” Kip stammered out. “Gimme something to remember you by.”
Scott sucked in a breath and pressed his hardening cock into Kip’s hip. Then he sealed his mouth to the tender flesh just above Kip’s clavicle and sucked hard. Kip squirmed happily under Scott’s weight as he held him down and marked him.
Scott pulled away slowly, admiring his work. “That should last,” he said. “Maybe even until I get back.”
“I hope so,” Kip said weakly.
Scott ran his thumb over the mark. His eyes were wild with lust.
“What do we have time for?” Kip asked.
“Anything. Fuck, let me—I don’t know.”
“Let me fuck you. I know you don’t want any marks, but I can make you feel me, at least for a little while.”
“Yeah. Fuck, yes. But just like this. Me on top of you.”
“Fucking finally.” Kip grinned.
Scott yanked off all of his clothing in a frantic whirlwind. Kip pulled off the hoodie and his T-shirt together, then hauled his pants and underwear off. They were naked in seconds, and Scott had already grabbed the lube.
They didn’t have a lot of time for foreplay, so Scott got himself ready as quickly as possible. He tossed Kip the lube and a condom.
Kip slicked himself up, moaning a little as he slowly stroked himself. When Scott lowered himself onto his dick, it felt so fucking good. He was still so tight, and Kip could see in his face that it was hurting a bit, but Scott sank down carefully until Kip was deep inside him.
He sat there for a moment, which gave Kip a chance to admire him. He was all chiseled muscle and faded battle scars. Thick thighs, deep-cut abs and massive, solid pecs. His big hands stroked Kip’s own chest, fingers tracing through his chest hair.
“You’re so beautiful,” Scott said, his voice quiet and reverent.
“You’re perfect,” Kip breathed. He brushed his fingers across Scott’s cheek. “Unreal. All of you. Can’t believe how lucky I am.”
Scott smiled and started moving, pulling himself up and slamming back down. They both cried out, and Kip grinned up at him because this was fucking incredible.
He just enjoyed the show, watching all that muscle bounce on his dick. Watching Scott’s face twist and relax, sweat forming on flushed skin. And Scott was riding him so hard, so relentlessly, that Kip could feel himself racing to the finish line without doing anything.
Scott’s cock bounced in front of him, huge and hard. Kip reached for it, hands still slick from the lube he’d used on himself.
“Yesss…” Scott hissed.
Kip jerked him off, hard and fast to keep with Scott’s rhythm. Scott threw his head back, and planted one hand firmly in the middle of Kip’s chest. “Oh my god. Oh my god, Kip! I’m gonna… Fuck, I’m close…”
“Me too. I’m right there, Scott. I’m… Come on, sweetheart. Give it to me.”
Scott cried out, and a second later Kip was being showered in his release. Scott clenched and fluttered around his cock, and that was it for Kip. He came inside him with a silent scream, so hard his ears felt like they’d burst.
“Kip…” Scott gasped. “Fuck. Holy…”
Kip lay panting on the bed, trying to return to himself. “Yeah. Yeah, Scott. Come here.”
Scott pulled off him and fell beside him on the bed. Kip grabbed his face and kissed him giddily. He couldn’t stop smiling. He felt unhinged. He felt…like a man who was very much in love.
Scott brushed his fingers over the mark he’d made on Kip’s skin at the base of his neck. “Was that too much?” he asked. “It’s bigger than I thought it would be—”
“No,” Kip said, covering his hand. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
“You haven’t even seen it yet,” Scott said affectionately.
“I don’t care. I love it.” I love you.
Scott kissed him again, and then sighed. “I need to finish packing.”
“Can’t you call in sick?” Kip teased.
“Yeah, yeah. All right, Grady.”
He rolled off the bed and went into the bathroom, leaving Kip alone to stare at the ceiling. Before Scott left for nine days, should Kip just…tell him how he felt?
He shook his head. What if it was too much?
It had to be too much, right? If he told Scott he was in love with him now, Scott would have a week away from him to think about how weird that was.
Kip could imagine Scott returning from his trip to tell him that it wasn’t going to work out between them.
It was devastatingly realistic in his mind.
Not fucking worth it.
He traded places with Scott in the bathroom and got himself cleaned up. He inspected the mark Scott had left on him. Scott hadn’t been kidding about how big it was, but Kip was very happy with it.
He returned to the bedroom, where Scott was already wearing most of a striking gray suit.
“I do appreciate the NHL’s dress code for team travel,” Kip said, admiring the way the perfect tailoring showed off Scott’s broad shoulders and trim waist.
“That makes one of us,” Scott grumbled. He tied a Windsor knot with the ease of someone who had done it countless times since childhood.
As Kip retrieved his underwear from the floor, Scott said, “You said last night that you know some good clubs.”
“Yeah,” Kip said. Scott had once again said something he had not expected at all. “I do.”
“I was just thinking. Do you…go to clubs often?”
“No, not really. Not for a while now.”
Scott seemed to relax a little, which was weird. “Oh. Okay. It’s nothing, anyway. Forget I said anything.”
“Scott,” Kip said. “Are you trying to ask me if I’ve been hooking up with other guys while we’ve been…?”
“No!” Scott said, way too quickly. “I mean. I guess. Yes. But not because—I’m not going to tell you not to. I know I’m not always available.”
“Scott,” Kip said again. He walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around Scott’s ridiculous chest.
“I’m sorry,” Scott said. “I’m not…jealous. I just… I don’t know how these things work.”
“There aren’t any rules,” Kip said. “Unless we set some. But I don’t need any.”
“Okay.”
“I haven’t been with anyone since we met. Just for the record.”
“Me neither.”
Kip laughed. “Yeah, no shit.”
Scott laughed too, then he turned and kissed Kip.
“You’re enough for me,” Kip said. “More than enough. I have no problem waiting for you.”
“I know it’s dumb, but I’m really happy to hear that,” Scott said.
“It’s not dumb. And to be honest, I think I’m developing an addiction to reunion sex.”
Kip let Scott finish packing while he got dressed. At five minutes to two, Scott was kissing Kip goodbye at the door.