Chapter 44 Travis
Travis
Istand in front of the net on the ice at the San Francisco Seagulls training facility.
It’s the middle of development camp for all of the draft picks and team prospects. We’ve been here for the past five days, running through drills and training sessions in front of the coaches.
They’re assessing our skill level and also seeing how we integrate into the team’s workflow and culture.
The player with the puck speeds toward me. I zero in on it, my muscles tense as I get into position, ready for when he shoots it at me.
My brain runs through all the possibilities. I’ve noticed this guy likes to aim for the top corners, so I straighten up to cover the gap between me and the top of the net as best as I can. He favors the glove side too, so I flex my hand, making sure I’m ready to catch the puck.
Or he could go for a surprise and aim for my five-hole. I bring my legs in closer together, determined not to let this puck get past me.
He winds up and takes the shot. The puck heads for my left shoulder. Glove side. I manage to catch it.
One of the assistant coaches blows the whistle, stopping play.
“Nice save, Maxton,” he says when he skates over to me. “I like how you’re anticipating the puck. Well done.”
“Thanks,” I say. I push my helmet up and take a swig of water.
We run through another play, and I manage a couple more saves.
At the end of the session, I skate over to the team’s goalie coach. He goes over his notes for me.
“Overall, you had a fantastic showing,” he says. “The coaches are very impressed by you. We’re excited to have you on our team.”
“That means a lot.”
He chuckles. “You’re a serious guy, aren’t you?”
I glance down at my skates. “Sorry. I’ve been pretty locked in this whole time. I wanted to be as focused as possible.”
“That’s good,” he says. “But it’s okay to let yourself enjoy this, Maxton. You earned your spot. Hockey is supposed to be fun. So have fun.”
The session ends, and everyone heads off the ice toward the locker room.
I stay toward the back of the group, skating slowly so I can glance around at the arena.
We’ve been playing here for five days, but I still can’t believe it.
I’m really here. I’m in San Francisco, playing on a professional hockey team.
I want to take it all in. All the seats in the arena. The bench. The smell of the ice.
I never thought I’d get here. But here I am. And I want to soak in every moment.
We get showered and cleaned up and meet with the coaching staff.
There’s a potluck tomorrow night that one of the assistant coaches is hosting.
It’s supposed to be a relaxed team-building event, but I’m nervous.
As excited as I am to be here, I’m out of my element.
The other Seagulls draft picks and prospects are cool, but we’re not friends yet since we’ve only just met.
I miss playing with my Hollis teammates.
I pack up my bag and head out of the locker room. On my way out of the arena, I shoot them all a message in our group chat.
Me: How are you guys holding up? Surviving dev camp?
Nick: Thriving, not surviving ;)
Blake: Of course you’d say that, St. George. You’re the only one of us who didn’t have to travel to go to dev camp.
Nick: I’m god’s chosen. He wanted me to stay in Denver, the best city in the country
Blake: *eye roll emoji*
Blake: Wait till you come to Nashville. It blows Denver out of the water. This city is so fucking cool.
Nick: Denver has mountains. Mountains are the best.
Leo: Dev camp’s been awesome. Took like half a day for me to shake off the nerves and play well, but I think I finished strong.
Me: Right there with you on the nerves thing. I was sweating buckets on my first day.
Blake: Same. I feel like everyone gets nervous though. It’s normal.
Nick: We know you kicked ass, Travvie. You’ve got nothing to be nervous about.
Me: Thanks for taking a pause from gloating about how amazing you are to build me up
Nick: Always here to gas you up, Travvie
Blake: Does Poppy know that you sweet-talk Travis like this? You sure she’s not jealous?
Nick: Poppy understands my bromance with Travvie and is 100% comfortable with it. Just like she is with my bromances with you and Leo.
Leo: *eye roll emoji* *kissing face emoji*
Blake: Hey, do you guys think it’s gonna be weird in a year when we all start playing for the teams that drafted us, and then we have to play against each other?
Leo: No. I’m excited. I can’t wait kick your asses.
Nick: Maybe a little weird at first, but this is what we’ve all worked for, right? It’s gonna be a blast.
Blake: We should make a pact that we won’t fight each other.
Leo: Oh, come on. I’m excited to fight. That’s half the fun of playing pro hockey.
Nick: I’ll fight with you guys, but you can’t hit my face. That’s my money maker.
Me: I thought your wrist shot was your money maker
Nick: It is, but I’m the best-looking one out of all of us. I don’t want one of you taking the top spot just because you managed to break my nose
Blake: JFC how does Poppy put up with you?
Nick: My pretty face helps a lot :P
It feels good to laugh and joke with my teammates. Yeah, I’m sad to think that in less than a year, we’ll graduate from Hollis, move out of our house, and go our separate ways to play for our own teams. But I hope we’ll always be friends.
Doubt gnaws at my gut when I think about Nick…about how I’m secretly dating his twin sister…about how pissed he’ll be when he finds out…
There’s no way he’ll want to be friends with me anymore.
Dread slices through me at the thought of losing him as a friend. But there’s no way I’m letting go of Anna. She means everything to me.
I slide my phone back into my pocket and try to ignore the doubts whirring my brain.
A moment later, my phone buzzes with another text. Anna just sent me a photo.
When I look at it, I almost walk into the wall.
She’s kneeling on her bed, wearing nothing but my Hollis U jersey.
Her back is to me, and her hair is pulled over her shoulder so that my name and number are the focus of the image.
Maxton. Number 1.
Want surges through me. My dick twitches in my pants.
I lean against the wall to steady myself as I text her back.
Me: You trying to kill me?
Me: This is the hottest picture I’ve ever seen in my life.
Anna: So you like it?
Me: I fucking love it.
Anna: I wanted to send you a little surprise while you’re away at development camp.
Me: Your little surprise is the highlight of my whole fucking week. Jesus Christ, you’re sexy when you wear my jersey.
Anna: Is this sexier though?
She sends a photo of her bent over so that all I can see is her bare ass and the back of my jersey.
“Fuck,” I mutter.
I glance around. Thankfully, it’s just me. I spot a single-occupancy bathroom at the end of the hallway and walk over to it. I lock the door behind me and text her back.
Me: Yeah, that’s sexier. I really miss that sweet ass, by the way.
Anna: Here’s something to hopefully ease the sting of being apart.
She texts a photo of her from the front now. It’s just her torso; her head and everything below her hips are cut out of frame. She’s holding up one side of the jersey so that her bare breast is exposed.
My mouth waters as I zero in on her candy-pink nipple.
Me: You’re fucking flawless, Anna. Every inch of you is perfect.
Anna: *blushing emoji*
Anna: Are you hard?
Me: Yes.
I drop my bag on the floor and push down the waistband of my joggers. I pull my hard dick out of my boxer briefs, hissing at how swollen the head already is.
I grip the base and give myself a rough tug to hold myself off while I text her.
Me: I’m in a public restroom jerking off. That’s how much you’re turning me on right now.
Anna: Naughty boy ;)
Anna: I think you should send me a pic of your hard cock. Then maybe I’ll send you a photo of my wet pussy to help you along with your self-pleasure session.
I take a photo of myself and text it to Anna.
Anna: *wide eyes emoji*
Anna: I miss your cock so much. Also, you sent that to me impressively fast.
Me: That’s how much I want to see your pussy, sweet thing. Now send me that picture.
The second I send it, I regret it. That was way too pushy. Yeah, we’re having fun together, but I can’t talk to her like that, like I’m entitled to a photo of her body.
Me: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to order you around like that. You don’t have to send it to me if I made you uncomfortable.
Anna: You didn’t at all. Thank you for checking in with me though. You’re so sweet.
I let out a breath, relieved.
Anna: I like it when you boss me around. You can boss me around when we text too. It turns me on.
Me: Really?
Anna: Yeah. I feel safe with you, Travis. I know you’d never push past my boundaries.
Me: Never.
Anna: Everything about you turns me on.
I give myself a slow jerk in my fist. This woman. She’s so fucking perfect, and I can barely handle it.
A second later, she texts a photo. My eyes almost pop out of my head at the close-up of her pussy, all pink and swollen and wet.
I jerk my shaft hard and fast. My balls are tight, and I’m so hard, it hurts. Already I can feel the heat spiraling around the base of my spine, wrapping around my lower abdomen. Everything feels tense. Everything aches.
I don’t have the patience to draw this out. This is going to be fast and filthy as fuck.
I stare at the photo. I imagine running my tongue up her slit and teasing her clit.
I think of her taste, how fucking sweet she is.
I think of the way her inner thigh muscles twitch against the sides of my face the more turned on she gets while I eat her out.
I think about how her clit pulses right as she’s about to come…
I jerk my dick faster. The edges of my vision start to blur as the heat and pressure inside of me collide…
Release slams through me, and I fall forward. With my free hand, I brace against the wall and blast my load into the sink. I grind my teeth shut so the feral noise making its way up my throat doesn’t escape my mouth.
I close my eyes and breathe hard. My brain is gone. It’s just mush in my skull right now.
I swallow hard and grip the edge of the sink. I’m hunched over, breathing like I’ve done fifty sprints across the ice in all my gear.
Once I catch my breath, I text Anna.
Just came. I think I died.
She sends back a string of laughing emojis.
I tuck myself back into my pants, then rinse out the sink with soap. After I wash up, I check my phone. She sent a photo of just her vibrator.
Anna: Guess how fast I came thinking of you jerking off?
Me: Ten seconds?
Anna: Haha. Less than a minute.
Me: Wow. I’m gonna be smug about that for a while.
Anna: You should be. That’s the fastest I’ve ever come playing with myself. And it’s because I was thinking about you.
I can’t help the cocky grin that splits my face. Or the warm feeling that bubbles up inside my chest.
She turns me on like no one else. She makes me feel safe and wanted.
Something surges in my chest. Something I can’t put words to. An intensity I haven’t felt before. Not for anyone.
Me: I want you to wear my jersey when you watch me play at our first game of the season. And to bed. And when you’re sitting on the couch watching TV. And while you’re in public so that everyone knows who you belong to.
Anna: Okay :)
That warm, tingly feeling lingers as I walk out of the restroom and head out of the arena. I can’t believe I jerked off in a public bathroom. I’ve never done anything like that before in my life.
But this is what Anna does to me. The woman I never thought I’d be with, making me do things I’d thought I’d never do.
“Travis?”
I turn at the sound of my name and freeze.
There’s my dad standing a few feet away.