CHAPTER FIVE
Leif took deep, calming breaths as he closed his hotel room door behind him.
So, maybe he hadn’t been paying attention to where his room was earlier. He’d walked past it. He’d stayed in dozens of hotel rooms already this season; was it any wonder that he hadn’t remembered his room number?
He might also have been somewhat distracted by arguing with Tanner, but who wouldn’t be? Tanner Clayton was the single most annoying human being on the planet.
What had Leif ever done to deserve any of this?
Fine, maybe he could be a little bit … particular about things. But he wasn’t a horrible person. He did his best to be a good teammate, son, and friend. He’d never intentionally harmed anyone!
So why was he being punished this way?
With a sigh, Leif twisted the dead bolt, then walked farther into the room. He flipped on the light by the bed before stripping his clothes off. He hung them neatly before wandering naked to the bathroom to turn on the shower.
Leif let the water heat as he pulled out the toiletry kit he’d set on the bathroom counter earlier when he checked in and unpacked.
He showered, letting the water loosen his tight shoulders as he went through his usual routine, finishing with a careful shave. His facial hair was too light to show much anyway but it was one less thing he’d need to worry about in the morning.
After the shower and shave, he dried off, then wrapped a towel around his waist. He mentally rehearsed everything he needed to do tomorrow as he laid out clothing. They’d have a couple of hours of meetings before warmups and hitting the ice for their first practice.
He’d just finished mixing an electrolyte packet into a bottle of water when he heard a knock on the door. He frowned and continued shaking. Probably someone knocking on the door across the hall. Or some hookup arriving for Tanner.
Leif groaned aloud. If Tanner and his person were loud enough for Leif to hear through the wall their rooms shared, he was demanding a new room. He didn’t care how full the hotel was.
There was no way he was going to be forced to listen to that all night.
The knock came louder and Tanner called out, “I know you’re in there, Ice Princess. Just answer the door.”
Leif scowled and stalked over to it. He tried to yank it open, realized the dead bolt was locked, cursed, then finally wrenched it open. “What do you want?”
Tanner—who was dressed in a ratty old pair of plaid pajama pants with a rip in one thigh and no shirt—eyed him up and down.
“Daaamn. Nice to see you too, Princess. Do you always answer the door looking so fuckable?”
Leif flushed and resisted the urge to tighten his towel. It was hanging a little bit low at the moment. “I said, what do you want?”
“Well,” Tanner said, planting a hand on Leif’s chest and gently guiding Leif to step back. “I came to ask if you have a spare charger but now I’m thinking about something else.”
Leif’s back hit the wall just as the door closed behind Tanner. Leif gulped when he realized Tanner was in his room and they were alone.
“A charger?” he asked hoarsely. “Why? Did you forget yours?”
“No!” Tanner protested, his warm palm still pressed to the center of Leif’s chest. “I mean, kind of.”
“How can you kind of forget something?” Leif scoffed.
“Umm, well, I packed the charger, but it doesn’t actually … work. I kinda forgot that part.”
Leif sighed. “And of course you never pack a spare?”
“I travel light!” Tanner protested.
“You’d forget your head if it wasn’t attached,” Leif scoffed.
Tanner dragged one fingertip down Leif’s chest and stomach. “Speaking of head …”
Leif sputtered and brushed his hand away. “Not that kind!”
“Why not? You’re single. I’m single. We’re both half-naked and alone. What have we got to lose?”
Leif blinked. “Um, everything? We are opponents. Rivals, in fact.”
“Dude, if any team here at the tourney is USA’s rival, it’s Canada,” Tanner said, laughing. “You Nordic guys aren’t even on the fucking radar.”
“Oh, fuck you, Clayton!” Leif pushed Tanner away.
His back hit the opposite wall of the narrow hallway, but it didn’t seem to faze him. Instead, his eyes lit up. “Shit, yeah! I’d love to have you dick me down.” He reached for Leif’s towel, hooking a finger in it and tugging.
“Not what I meant,” Leif said through gritted teeth. He braced his arm against the wall to keep from being pulled closer as he was hit by a memory of their hookup in the alley last summer.
“It could happen. If you wanted.”
Leif shivered, imagining sliding his dick into Tanner. To let all of this annoyance out. Fuck it was tempting to push Tanner down on the bed, cover his mouth with his palm, and fuck him until he was a shaking, begging mess underneath Leif.
“I don’t want you.”
Tanner snorted. “Then why are you hard? Why do you use every opportunity to get close to me? You don’t like me, Princess, but you fucking want me and you know it. Just admit it already.”
With a sinking feeling, Leif knew it was true. He didn’t have to look down to know that his cock was already pushing at the flimsy barrier of the towel wrapped around his hips.
He hated it. Wanted to deny it. Wanted to shove Tanner away and push him out of his room.
But even if he did, he knew he’d think about him later.
He’d climb into bed after Tanner left and he’d still be hard. He’d close his eyes and even if he tried to push away the thoughts of Tanner, they’d come creeping back.
Eventually, he’d end up with his hand on his cock, choking back Tanner’s name as he shot all over himself.
That was what happened after every game they’d played against each other so far this season. Leif didn’t want to think about him, didn’t want to fantasize about what it would be like to fuck him. But he did anyway.
Every. Damn. Time.
With a groan of frustration, Leif leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Tanner’s. “Shut up,” he muttered. “Just shut up already.”
“Make me,” Tanner taunted.
With a groan, Leif grabbed his jaw and kissed him.
Same as last time, it left him feeling like he’d been zapped by electricity. His heart did this funny little stutter step and then Tanner was all over him. His hands were everywhere, running up and down Leif’s back and then in his hair and frantically pawing at Leif’s towel.
Leif groaned because he wanted to hate this but already it was the opposite of boring. The opposite of a checklist item. It was nothing like drinking a protein shake when Tanner made these needy little noises as if he couldn’t get enough of having Leif’s tongue in his mouth.
Tanner sucked on Leif’s tongue and there was cool air on Leif’s backside when his towel hit the floor. A moment later, Tanner shoved his pajama pants down and pressed their bodies more closely together.
Leif still had one hand on Tanner’s jaw to keep his head in place, and he let go, reaching down to fumble for his hand, pinning his arm up above his head, the bracelets Tanner wore biting into his fingertips as Tanner wriggled against him.
They both groaned when Tanner hitched a leg up on his hip and their cocks slid together, trapped between their bellies, better than last time.
Leif’s skin was still a little damp from sweat and there was a bit of slickness from Tanner’s pre-cum.
Leif groaned when Tanner got a free hand on his ass, pulling their bodies flush.
Leif boiled with need and he kissed Tanner deeper, muffling the stupid noises he made.
And then Leif wondered if he was trying to say something or tell him to stop and he quickly wrenched his mouth away, worried.
But Tanner’s eyes were closed and he looked kinda blissed out and he was just mumbling nonsensical things about how good he felt.
Relieved, Leif leaned in and kissed him again.
Tanner ran his hands along Leif’s sides and Leif groaned, deep in his throat.
“Wait,” Tanner said breathlessly as he tore his mouth away. “Don’t come yet. I want you to fuck me first.”
“I wasn’t going to come!”
“Well, how would I know?” Tanner asked. “You were a two-pump chump the last time we hooked up.”
“What the fuck?” Leif snapped. “I was not!”
“Fine, three, maybe four.”
“Fuck you, Clayton,” Leif snapped.
“That’s what I’m saying!” Tanner grinned and pushed past him, stripping as he walked toward the bed and leaving a little trail of pajama pants and underwear behind him.
Leif huffed and scooped them up as he followed. A phone and key card fell onto the floor and he grabbed them too. He placed them on the dresser beside his own key card, access badge, and lip balm, then folded the clothes and set them there too.
He took his discarded towel to the bathroom and hung that up and when he got back to the bedroom, Tanner was already spread out on the bed, legs parted as he played with his hole.
Leif stopped in his tracks, gulping at the sight.
Tanner must have helped himself to the lube that Leif had set out on the nightstand earlier, because his fingers glistened as he slid them inside himself.
“You don’t waste any time, huh?”
Tanner shrugged. “I know what I want.”
Leif took a seat on the edge of the bed, mesmerized by the sight of Tanner’s long, narrow fingers and the way he twisted them as he moved them in and out.
“You don’t believe in foreplay?” he asked hoarsely.
“I fuckin’ love foreplay,” Tanner said with a laugh. He slid one hand along his cock, dragging his palm slowly up and down it. “I could eat someone out for hours.”
Leif shivered at the image and told himself it was just the cool air on his naked skin. “But not me?”
“Princess, if you want me to eat your hole, I will feast.” Tanner smirked. “But our arguments are the foreplay for me, you know?”
“Yeah,” Leif said, because that was true for him too.
“So get your ass over here and fuck me. We can always fool around more later. I love a good round two.”
“I need sleep,” Leif said with a glance at the clock. He should have been in bed already. He had a routine.
“Then what are you doing over there, dummy?” Tanner rolled his eyes, then held out a hand.