CHAPTER NINETEEN
Leif felt like he’d jump out of his skin in the rideshare on the way to the apartment he’d rented for the night in the South End of Boston.
They’d debated various options. Tanner had roommates, Leif had nixed the hotel as being too risky, and they’d finally settled on a short-term rental. It was the type of place where there was no owner waiting for him, which made it unlikely they’d be recognized.
Leif had been given the code already, so he’d passed that along to Tanner earlier.
For a while, he’d doubted he’d even be able to see Tanner tonight.
In the past, New York often stayed in Boston the night after a game, then flew to D.C. in the morning. Leif had reserved the apartment over a week ago, then panicked when it was announced yesterday that they’d fly into Boston the morning of the game, then leave for D.C. immediately after it.
Leif had felt like he’d lose his mind. This was one of the rare times he’d get to see Tanner in the regular season. Why the hell weren’t they staying in Boston like usual? But there was a storm moving up the Atlantic and causing flight delays.
Leif had managed to find a supply closet in the Westchester practice facility where he could call Tanner to let him know about the change of plans.
Tanner had suggested Leif try to convince the team to let him stay in Boston so he could see his dad, then fly solo on a commercial flight to D.C.
tomorrow. But the thought of lying to everyone—including his father—had nearly given Leif a panic attack.
Weirdly enough, Tanner had calmed him down. There was something soothing about the nonstop patter of Tanner’s voice telling him that it was no big deal, he didn’t need to lie to his dad or anyone else. They’d find another time and everything would work out in the end.
He’d only gotten one weird look from Ian Salter when he left the supply closet and had run into him in the hall.
Leif had stammered through an explanation that he was trying to coordinate plans to meet up with someone in Boston—desperately hoping Salty would assume it was his father he was talking about—and he’d just nodded and wished him good luck.
Leif had been so busy thinking about not seeing Tanner that he completely forgot to cancel the reservation. That was shockingly unlike him and a part of him wondered if Tanner was rubbing off on him, but it had all worked out in the end.
This morning, as they’d boarded their flight to Boston, Coach Pittman had announced that plans had shifted again. They were flying into Boston and staying overnight after all. The storms were predicted to arrive in D.C. ahead of schedule and there was no way they were getting in there tonight.
Leif glanced out the window of the rideshare to see the rain pelting down on Boston. He felt a sudden weird hope that the storms would be so bad they’d be stuck in Boston for an extra day.
The odds of neither team having practice were slim to none—this was rain, not snow after all—but it would be nice to spend a whole day with Tanner.
Just the two of them in the rental apartment.
Tanner was already there—and growing increasingly restless if the pictures he sent Leif of the place and his clothes strewn all over it were any indication. Leif smiled down at the phone at the latest one he’d sent.
I’m five minutes out, he sent back.
Hurrryyyyyyy!
After the game they’d just played against each other, Leif might have worried about what kind of mood Tanner would be in when he got there, but if Tanner was already stripping his clothes off, he was probably feeling fine, despite the loss.
He was better at that than Leif was.
Then again, it was Tanner. Of course he was more concerned about sex than literally anything else on the planet.
Still smiling, Leif clicked through the rental listing. It was nice. One-bedroom, one bath. Well decorated and very clean looking.
“Where do you want me to drop you off?” the driver asked.
Leif glanced up to meet the man’s gaze in the mirror. “At the pizza restaurant, please.”
That was the other thing that had sold him on this particular rental.
It was in a large complex with multiple retail spaces on the ground floor and residential spaces above.
The pizza place was open late on weekend nights and if Leif got dropped off at a restaurant after a game, who would question it?
He thanked the driver and hopped out onto the sidewalk, immediately opening his umbrella.
The complex was almost U-shaped with a courtyard and there were people walking around, heading toward the various restaurants or the parking garage under the apartments.
When Leif reached the main entrance of the building, a glance over his shoulder told him that the driver was long gone.
Still, he breathed easier once he was inside.
From there, it was easy enough to follow the instructions up to the fourth floor.
When Leif let himself into the apartment, it was quiet, and he leaned the umbrella against the wall to drip dry on the tile, then kicked off his shoes and hung up his overcoat. When he reached the kitchen, he found Tanner there, naked and drinking a glass of water.
“Oh my God, get your fucking clothes off,” was the first thing he said to Leif. He set the glass on the counter and turned to face him.
Leif grinned and walked over, pressing him back against the cabinets. “Hi to you too.”
“Fuck.” Tanner grinned back, sliding his hand inside Leif’s suit jacket. “Hi. Get your fucking clothes off, Princess.”
Chuckling, Leif unknotted his tie. “Can we maybe go to the bedroom first?”
Tanner shrugged. “I guess. If you want to be boring.”
Leif knew he was trying to goad him into having sex in the kitchen or something stupid like that, so he just rolled his eyes and followed Tanner down the hall to the bedroom.
Leif set his bag on the bench at the foot of the bed. He unzipped it, intending to pull out condoms and lube, and saw Tanner already had them waiting on the bed.
Of course the one thing he was good at planning ahead for was sex.
But there was no bite to Leif’s thoughts as Tanner sprawled out next to the supplies. He was too busy thinking about the warm golden tone of Tanner’s skin and the way he wanted to drag his tongue along the soft line of hair below his navel.
And below, where Tanner was already growing hard.
Leif felt almost shaky as he pulled the tie loose from his collar and draped it on the nearby chair. Fuck, he was so glad they’d wound up staying in Boston tonight. He wouldn’t have wanted to miss this.
“Faster,” Tanner demanded, reaching for his cock. “What are you? A sloth?”
Leif huffed, but he did speed up a little. And he had to admit, when they were both stretched out on the bed, their naked skin pressed together, kissing desperately, he was glad he hadn’t wasted any time arguing.
Leif felt this odd shaky sensation go through him, like he couldn’t get enough of Tanner. Like he needed him closer, needed to wind his body around Tanner’s until there wasn’t even a whisper of space between them.
When Leif finally pulled back, breathless, Tanner’s lips were kiss-swollen, his eyelids half-closed. Leif felt a throb of satisfaction, like he’d really gotten under Tanner’s skin somehow.
Tanner licked his lips, his lashes fluttering for a moment before he said, “Okay, so I need you to fuck me, like … ASAFP.”
“Yeah?” Leif said, hiding his smile by kissing Tanner’s neck. “You do, huh?”
“Uh-huh. Like, get your dick in my ass before I explode.”
“What if I wanted you to fuck me?” Leif asked, because he’d been thinking about it for a while and couldn’t seem to get it out of his head.
“Round two?” Tanner said hopefully.
Chuckling, Leif bit Tanner’s ear. “Okay. Round two.”
Leif pressed a hand to Tanner’s chest to keep him where he was, lying flat on his back, and reached for a condom and lube.
Leif rolled the condom on, and he was a little mean as he opened Tanner up, taking his time and making him squirm.
It was fun to watch his face go red and see him fuck Leif’s fingers, desperate for more.
When he was clearly out of his mind, Leif slipped a pillow under Tanner’s hips and settled in the welcoming space between his thighs.
Tanner beamed, so clearly happy to be there in that moment that Leif had to bend down and kiss him again, nipping at his lip. Tanner hissed, then kissed him back, sliding his hands along Leif’s arms and back to pull him closer.
After that it was so easy for Leif to shift his hips and reach down to guide himself inside Tanner. He was unusually still—for Tanner anyway—breathing out and taking Leif inside him like he’d been waiting for it.
And Leif felt a funny little hop-skip to his heartbeat when he was as deep as he would go.
After weeks apart, and the game, Leif had expected the sex to be frantic and desperate. A little rough, maybe. And he wouldn’t have minded that but there was something about the way Tanner wrapped his legs around Leif’s hips and closed his eyes that made Leif want to take it slower.
He traced his thumbs across the crests of Tanner’s hips, liking the way he shivered and twitched when Leif hit a ticklish spot. He liked the way Tanner’s lips parted and his lashes fluttered with every glide inside him.
Tanner wasn’t silent—he never was—he made these noises and mumbled words and sometimes Leif’s name and Leif felt oddly tender about it all. He swallowed hard and looked away, focusing on the generic painting of Boston Harbor over the bed as he rocked in and out of Tanner.
Eyes closed, Tanner reached out, running his hands along Leif’s back again, and Leif had no choice but to open his eyes and brace himself, bending Tanner in half. He stared into his face now, up close, and that was even worse.
Or better. He wasn’t sure.
He should close his eyes too, but he rarely had the opportunity to just look at Tanner without him knowing. He could see every individual piece of stubble on his jaw and the little scar on his cheek that he’d probably gotten from hockey.