Chapter Twenty-Five #2
Scott shook his head and continued, “And the thing is… Not to sound dramatic, but for my entire adult life, my teammates have been the only family I’ve had. So the thought of losing their respect and support is terrifying.”
And now Kip really felt like shit for pushing him. But he still wanted Scott to take the leap.
“That all probably sounds like a weak reason to not come out,” Scott said. “I’m not expecting to get beat up in the locker room or anything. It’s just—It’s a big fucking line for me to cross. And there’s no going back.”
“No,” Kip agreed. “There’s no going back. But, let me tell you, there are some pretty amazing things on the other side of that line.”
Scott smiled. “I know. I want to see them. I want to have them all. With you.”
“Me too. And whatever happens, Scott. You know I’ll be right there beside you, right? I can take it. Whatever you are afraid of, we’ll fight it together. I am so proud to be your boyfriend. If you think the world finding out how much I love you is scary to me, you’re dead wrong.”
Scott’s face crumpled a bit. His eyes were wet. “I love you. Kip, I don’t know what I’m doing, but I just love you so much and I can’t lose you. I just…can’t.”
Kip’s heart felt like a big, warm puddle. “I love you too, Scott.”
“Can you wait until the playoffs are over? Is that too much to ask?” His tone was sincere, not angry.
“I can wait,” Kip said. “But when the playoffs are over, we need to figure out what happens next.”
Scott nodded. “That’s fair. Yeah. All right.”
“Okay.”
“And can you promise to stop thinking that I’m going to think you’re not worth it? Or whatever? Because that is so far from the truth, I can’t even tell you.”
Kip gave a relieved, wet smile. “Deal.”
Scott closed his eyes and pressed his face against Kip’s palm. He took Kip’s other hand in his, and Kip curled their fingers together, squeezing reassuringly.
“What happened to your hands, anyway?” Kip asked. He lifted one of them to his lips and gently kissed Scott’s bruised knuckles.
“You didn’t watch that game?” Scott sounded a little hurt by that.
“No. I tried to watch the first one, but it… I just couldn’t. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was only a fight. It was stupid.”
“A fight? You don’t fight. I’ve never seen you fight.”
“I don’t, usually. Not for a long time. And I shouldn’t have the other night, but…”
“What happened?” Kip asked, tracing his fingertips over the bandages.
“He called me a...well. You can probably guess. Which,” Scott said quickly, “is really not that big a deal. Like I said, words like that are so common on the ice that they don’t even mean anything.”
“Until they do,” Kip said quietly.
“Until they do.”
Kip cradled Scott’s big hands in his own.
“I wanted to tell him,” Scott said. “I wanted him to know exactly who it was that was beating his face in.”
Kip looked at him, surprised. “Well, that’s one way to come out. Not sure it’s what I’d recommend.”
Scott laughed. “I shouldn’t have done it. Fought him, I mean. I wish I hadn’t. But I was… You know.”
“Miserable?”
“Yeah. And I hadn’t been sleeping.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have walked out after that argument.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m going to figure this out,” Scott promised.
“I know. You’re going to win the Stanley Cup, and I’m going to get my master’s degree, and we’re going to be amazing together.”
“Unstoppable,” Scott agreed, and kissed him again. “Wait…did you get into school?”
Kip smiled. “I did! NYU!”
Scott wrapped him in his arms and squeezed almost too hard. “I’m so proud of you.”
“See?” Kip said into his shoulder. “Unstoppable. But…maybe, for now, it would be best if we give each other some breathing room, y’know?”
Scott released him, which made Kip laugh. “No, I meant, like, for the next few weeks. Until the playoffs are over, so you can focus. You’re traveling so much anyway, maybe it’s better if you just…forget about me for a while.”
He could see Scott tense up.
“Not gonna forget about you,” Scott said.
Kip smiled. “A little. Besides, I’ve got stuff to deal with in my own life. I, um, I got a new job.”
“What? Really? Like…a history job?”
“No,” Kip said. “Nothing that great. But a better job than the smoothie shop for sure. It’s at the Kingfisher. You know, the pub I go to.”
“Oh. The, um—”
“Gay bar. Yes.”
“Right. That’s… I mean, that’s great. You’re happy about it, right?”
“Yes. I think it will be fun. Late nights, for sure, but I’ll take that over ridiculously early mornings. And the money will be better. Good tips.”
“Well, congratulations then. Have you put in your notice at work?”
“Yeah. I sent an email yesterday. As soon as I was offered the job.”
“Oh.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” Scott said. “It’s just… I have fond feelings about that smoothie shop.”
“Aw. You’ll have to visit me at my new job.”
He waited for Scott to get weird about that.
Instead, Scott said. “I will. I promise. As soon as I…can.”
“Something to work toward.”
“Yeah.”
Kip leaned forward and kissed him.
“Will you stay here?” Scott asked. “Tonight?”
Kip ran his fingers down Scott’s necktie. “Yes. Of course.”
Scott shuddered out a breath and Kip moved his lips over to brush the shell of his ear. “What do you want to do?” he murmured.
“I don’t know.”
“How about this?” Kip said. “How about you take off this sexy-as-hell suit, go lie down on your bed, and I spend a couple of hours kissing every inch of you?”
He could feel Scott smiling against his shoulder.
* * *
Scott shivered on the bed. He felt both cold and hot, skin exposed to the air and Kip’s mouth and hands searing him and making his blood run like lava.
What Kip was doing to him, so slowly and carefully kissing and licking every part of him—cataloging him—it was almost an out-of-body experience.
Kip would press kisses up the inside of one thigh, tantalizingly close to his cock, then switch and nip the inside of Scott’s wrist. He would flick his tongue over one nipple until Scott thought he would die, then he would lovingly comb his fingers through Scott’s new beard.
It was heaven and agony and possibly the most sensual experience of Scott’s life. He would need to return the favor someday.
Finally, Kip curled his tongue over Scott’s balls. He hummed as he took one into his mouth. Scott gasped and arched.
“I love you,” he said. “I love you so much and I’m going to fix everything. I promise. I’ll—”
“Shhh,” Kip said, replacing his mouth with his hand. He caressed him and lightly kissed the head of Scott’s swollen cock. “Don’t worry about anything. Just relax. Let me take care of you.”
Scott sighed and closed his eyes. Kip wrapped his plush, bruised lips around his cock and put his tongue to work taking Scott apart.
The buildup had been exquisite and eternal. Scott let himself feel everything that Kip was doing with his mouth and fingers. He felt the way it made his body tighten, the way it made his heart race. He wanted to come, and he wanted this to last forever.
He wanted so many things.
But now he could feel himself racing to the edge.
“Kip,” he said hoarsely.
Kip pulled off, replacing his mouth with his hand. “Want to see it,” he said. “Show me. Come on, baby.”
Scott came, silent and awestruck, as his gorgeous, perfect boyfriend watched. The thick white ribbons of his release splattered across his stomach and up onto his chest.
“So beautiful, sweetheart,” Kip said. He crawled up and kissed Scott, who kissed him back gratefully.
“You’re so good to me,” Scott said. “I love you. Don’t forget that, all right? I love you.”
“I won’t.”
Later that night, they lay in the dark. Kip was asleep with his head on Scott’s chest. He’d given Scott so much that night. He’d wrung himself out for Scott. And now he was curled against him, his body heavy and exhausted.
Scott held him, and made a silent promise that he would be the man Kip needed him to be. Then he slipped blissfully into sleep.