Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
TYLER
A fter eating dinner, Sharon went back to bed while John worked, and I watched a movie with the three Mackenzie brothers. They were a really close-knit group. Around midnight, everyone went to bed. After brushing my teeth, I padded to my room in my pajama bottoms.
My phone buzzed on the dresser, and I picked it up. I knew who it was.
Rowan
You can come into my room now. No one will bother us.
My dick perked up. We hadn’t been together in so long…I opened the door to my room and peeked up and down the hallway, a soft glow coming from a couple of nightlights stuck low on the walls. Padding into the hallway, I stopped at Rowan’s room. The door gave a small creak as it opened. “Fuck,” I whispered and looked around me.
“Come here.” Rowan opened the door, stepped aside as I crept in, and then shut the door behind us, locking it. “I can’t believe you’re here.” Cupping my cheeks, he claimed my mouth in hungry kisses, his half-hard cock brushing against mine through the thin fabric of our pajamas.
Sensation shivered over my skin, and my breath quickened. Holy hell, did I want him. After seeing him with his family and how loving they all were, it only made me want him more.
Breaking the kisses, he grabbed my hand and led me to his bed. “Love you, so much.” He skimmed his hands over my bare chest, stopping at a nipple and pinching it.
My breath hitched. “Oh fuck,” I said in a raspy whisper. “What are we doing tonight?” Fucking would be too hard and might draw attention.
“Remember that thing we did where we rubbed our dicks together? I want that. Then I can kiss you while we get off.” He glanced at his nightstand. There was a bottle of lube and a box of tissues resting on it.
“Look at you, all prepared.” I smirked and cupped his balls, fondling them before tracing the outline of his hard cock. This would be intimate and fun.
“I’ve been thinking about this for days.” He shucked his pajamas and briefs down and then grabbed the waistband of mine. “I could, uh, suck you a little first though.” Crouching in front of me, he pulled my clothes down.
“I’ll never say no to that.” I threaded my fingers in his hair as my solid dick brushed his lips and my balls tingled. “Suck me, Rowan.”
Fisting the base, he slipped his hot, wet mouth over my shaft and took me to the back of his throat. With a soft moan, he pulled off and plunged me even deeper.
I tipped my head back, losing myself in pleasure as it knotted deep in my gut. “Yeah, that’s it, baby.” I rocked my hips in time with his pumping mouth. He was getting better and better at this all the time.
After a minute or so, he left me with a wet pop and stood, giving himself a few slow strokes. “Okay, I’m ready for more.” With a sly smile, he climbed onto the bed and lay on his back .
“You’re so gorgeous, you know that?” I crawled over him and hovered on straight arms, my legs spread around his, our cocks inching toward each other. His thick hair splayed around his face, and in the glow from the nightlight in the corner, I could make out the faint freckles across his nose that I loved so much. Warmth bloomed in my chest. I never thought I’d get to be with someone so special and perfect for me.
“So are you. Now, let’s do this.” With a smirk, he grabbed my hips and pulled.
I lowered over him, rolled a bit to the side and slicked my fingers with lube. Rubbing my nose on his, I gave him soft kisses and bit his lower lip, fisting both our cocks in my hand. “Like this?”
“Yeah, just like that.” He groaned and rocked his hips, rutting against me. “Feels so fucking good.”
Sensation shuddered through my body and curled my toes. After having his mouth on me, I was already wound up. As I pumped both our cocks, I pressed searing kisses on his lips, tangling our tongues.
He writhed below me and whimpered, his mouth meshing with mine, nipping at my lower lip and sliding his tongue inside, his hands finding my ass and squeezing it. “Holy fuck, faster.”
I quickened my pace, and a pulse of sensation tingled to my toes. I wasn’t going to last. My body trembled. “Close, Rowan.” I left his mouth and nibbled my way to his earlobe, sucking it inside my mouth.
He shuddered and groaned. “I’m close too.” As I pumped our cocks, his swelled in my hand, then pulsed.
He moaned and shook as his hot cum shot between us, coating our chests and stomachs.
“Yeah, baby, so fucking hot.” My climax rushed to the surface, and I fell over the edge, my dick pulsating in my hand and against his. As cum spurted out of me, sparks flickered up and down my spine .
When it slowed, I relaxed over him, everything quiet around us except the sound of our quick breaths. I turned my head and looked out the window next to us. Snow fell through the barren tree branches in the light of a streetlamp and clung to the windowpanes. It didn’t get more perfect than this.
“Stay with me for a little while.” He kissed my cheek, grabbed my chin, and turned my gaze to meet his. “I don’t want you to go yet.”
“Okay, but if I get sleepy, I’m leaving.” I rolled to the side, yanked a few tissues out of the box on his nightstand, and gave him some. The last thing we needed was for someone to walk in on us together.
“Yeah, I understand. I’ll set a timer, just in case.” He cleaned himself up and threw the tissue to the floor.
“You don’t think a timer will wake anyone else up?” With a light chuckle, I wiped blobs of cum from myself. I’d be certain not to fall asleep in his room.
“Not if it’s on low. Fuck, I don’t know.” He huffed a snicker, picked up his phone from a charger on the nightstand, and tapped the screen. “I’m giving us an hour of cuddle time.”
“Okay.” I snuck under the covers with him, his body heat warming my skin, and lay on my side with my head on his shoulder and leg draped across both of his, my gaze floating to the window again. “It’s nice here. Not too different from where I grew up.”
“You might not be thinking that when I get you into downtown Boston and see the Bruins fans.” A chuckle rumbled in his chest, and he played with a lock of my hair, his arm curled under my head. “My family really likes you. You fit right in.”
“I like them too.” Warmth drifted across my heart. “You know what’s weird?” I raised my head to peer into his face.
“What’s that?” His gaze darted between my eyes.
“No one mentioned my sexuality. They know I’m gay, right?” It had almost been a meeting ritual for me, especially around straight people. It was like they needed the confirmation to know exactly who I was.
“Yeah, they know. I guess they don’t care much since my best friend is also gay. They’re used to seeing me with gay guys.” He kissed my forehead.
I rested my cheek on his chest and circled my fingers around his nipple. “Maybe it’s also a sign they’d be okay with you being bi and us being boyfriends.” I knew the fear of coming out was real, even if you had parents who were progressive in every way. I shouldn’t push, but I could nudge, right?
“Maybe.” He tightened his arm around my shoulders. “If Danny has already figured it out and isn’t bugging me about it…” He exhaled. “Fuck, that kid is not only smart as fuck, he’s wise. He’s waiting for me to say something.”
“You’ve got good people here, Rowan.” A loose knot formed in my gut. Who was I to take him away from them to go play with me in Chicago? Did he even have a chance with the Bruins though? There was so much uncertainty.
“What’s going through your head? I can practically hear it.” With a smirk, he brushed his palm down my hair.
“Just thinking about our future.” It might be too late to bring up such a heavy topic, but it was the truth. I snuggled deeper into him.
“I’ve thought about following you to Chicago if I don’t get signed. I can probably get a job there.” He shifted on the bed, tilting his head to peek into my face.
Raising onto an elbow, I said, “You’d do that for me? Leave your family, even if your mom needs you?” That was big…a huge sacrifice.
“Yeah. Mom’s got Dad, Danny, and Aaron here. And I could always come back for short periods if I was needed.” He pursed his lips. “I love you, Tyler. I don’t see that changing anytime soon, and I can’t imagine not being with you.” He sucked in a breath and looked away for a beat. “I hope to hell I get signed, and my home city isn’t too far from yours, but if I don’t…” He shrugged, and a slow smirk crawled over his lips. “I’d give up my family for you, but not my hockey career.” Rolling his eyes, he said, “I mean, come on.”
I planted a hard kiss on his mouth, and with a smile, I said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” And if things went as planned, we’d have it all.
The next afternoon, after spending more time with Rowan’s family, we took an Uber into downtown Boston and were dropped off at the Ward 8 bar and restaurant. I climbed out of the car and looked over the area, a mix of three and four-story brick buildings lining the street and off in the distance, glass high-rises stood tall. This part of town looked older, which reminded me a little bit of Tempe.
I followed Rowan to the sidewalk, the snow well trampled by all the people strolling in their winter jackets, scarves, and hats.
“It’s right here.” He held his arm out to a bar on the bottom floor with masonry painted in a dark gray with white accents, the lettering above the door written in a font out of an old-time newspaper heading. At least, that’s what it reminded me of.
“Cool.” I grabbed his hand and led him to the metal-and-glass door, and we entered, stomping off the snow from our sneakers. The inside walls were lined in white subway tile while black metal lamps hung from the ceiling. A wooden floor warmed the look of the place. “This looks really nice.”
A man with shorter brown hair waved to us from a square table for four by a window overlooking the bustling street.
“Hey, that’s Teddy.” Holding my hand tighter, Rowan pulled me through mostly full tables to his friend. “Hey.” He released me and opened his arms.
Teddy stood and gave Rowan a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek and then turned his attention to me. “So, you’re Tyler Hodge.” With a wide grin, he pulled his gray sweater over the top of his jeans.
“I am.” I’d heard so much about him that I felt like I knew the guy already. “Can I get a hug too?” I gave him my best smile.
“Yass.” He threw his arms around me and gave me a tight hug. “I have so much to thank you for.”
“You do?” I dropped into a metal chair with a rounded back across from Teddy while Rowan took a seat between us. I already liked this guy. He was one of those people you instantly knew you would be good friends with.
“You brought him into the queer community.” He sipped some red wine. “I took him to gay bars with me so many times, and even though he was a good sport, he never showed interest in anyone.” With a pat of Rowan’s hand, he glanced at him.
“I was putting up a good fight, I guess.” After shrugging out of his jacket and exposing his Bruins jersey, Rowan grabbed my hand resting on the table. “God, it’s good to be out of the house where we can be ourselves, huh?”
“It is.” I scanned the place, spying a long white marble bar with a row of leather barstools in front of it and a brick wall with the logo painted on it. Televisions hung on the wall above the logo. I had my viewing spot for the game. Rowan had taunted me with Bruins gear before we’d left, but I’d gone with a blue sweater instead in homage to the Maple Leaf’s colors and my boy Jonah.
A waiter dropped by the table, left us menus and I ordered a Ward 8 cocktail along with Rowan. “Now I’ll get to see how the drink I had in Tempe compares to the real thing.”
“You won’t want one anywhere else after this.” Sipping his wine, Teddy smiled at me from over the lip of the glass. As he lowered his wine, his attention drew to Rowan. “How’s Sharon doing?”
Rowan skimmed his finger along the edge of the rolled napkin holding his silverware. “She’s been up a little more the last few days.” He glanced at me. “I think it’s because Tyler is here.”
“And no one suspects you two are boyfriends?” He wrinkled his forehead.
Taking a deep breath, Rowan said, “Well, I think Danny knows. He’s made a few suspect comments.” He peeked at me. “I think he overheard a phone conversation where I wasn’t discreet.”
“Oh…” Teddy touched his chin and nodded. “And how many times have you almost held hands or kissed each other with the family around?” He hooked a brow.
I snickered, sitting back in my chair. “About a million.” Shaking my head, I said, “It’s been hard, but we’re making do with late-night visits to each other’s bedrooms.” I was sure Teddy knew what it was like.
The waiter dropped off our drinks, and we ordered some queso to share. It was too late for lunch and too early to be eating dinner, which we’d probably do during the game.
“So now we’ll see how well Boston does with Mexican food.” With a smirk, I sipped my drink, the whiskey mixing with fresh orange and lemon. “Damn, this is better here. The fruit in the drink tastes like it’s freshly squeezed.”
“It is.” Teddy tilted his head, eyeing me. “You consider queso as Mexican food?” He chuckled.
I shrugged a shoulder. “Well, it’s close. I’m just curious how hot it’s going to be.” I leaned in. “Because in Arizona, it seems like everything’s got some amount of hot peppers in it.”
“He’s right.” Rowan nodded, skimming his thumb over the top of my hand. “Even when you order mild, there’s some spice.”
“Even in the hockey players?” Teddy freed a soft snort.
“Especially in the hockey players.” Rowan kissed my cheek. “Even though he’s originally from Chicago.”
People piled into the bar, and it filled to capacity while the bartenders put the game on all the televisions and the house speakers.
“This is going to be insane. You just watch.” Rowan wagged his brows at me.
The waiter dropped off our queso and left.
Two drinks later, the Maple Leafs were holding their own with a tied game at two to two toward the end of the second period. Jonah had been crazy on the ice, checking players and grabbing an assist for one of the goals. The people in the bar were insane, shouting and jumping around when the Bruins scored while booing for the Leafs. I’d done my best to hold down my excitement at watching Jonah play so well, but with each drink, it was getting harder.
Rowan held tightly to my hand. “This better not end in sudden death.”
“Naw, not with Boehm out there shooting so well.” I smiled as Rowan’s gaze flicked to mine. The Leafs had seven more shots on goal than the Bruins.
On the television, Boehm hit a Bruins D-man and twisted while he snatched the puck from him. As he broke away down the outside of the rink, skating lightning fast, the bar erupted in noise.
“Go, Boehm. You got this.” I jiggled my leg and sipped my third Ward 8 drink, fixating on the game.
Boehm passed to his center and scrambled toward the net. The center shot to Boehm, and he angled his stick.
With a fast ricochet off Boehm’s blade, the puck flew at the Bruins goalie, hit his chest and came backward.
Shoving his stick toward the puck, Boehm dropped to the ice, face first. The puck slid through the goalie’s legs, and the horn blew.
“Fuckin’ A! Right through the five hole!” I hopped out of my seat. “That’s how you do it, Boehm. Fuck yeah!” I pumped my fist in the air, jumping up and down and laughing.
The bar went silent, everyone staring at me.
I dropped my mouth open, scanning the angry faces looking my way. “Oh shit.”
With a stuttered laugh, Rowan stood and patted me on the back. “Good for your buddy.” Grabbing my shoulder and looking around the room, he pushed me into my seat. “He’s, uh, we both play for Arizona State. Boehm is a good friend of his. They won the Championship together last year.”
A large older man in a Bruins jersey stepped to us. “It was an incredible goal. You should be proud of your friend.” He patted me on the back. “And who are you?”
“My name’s Tyler Hodge, sir.” With my pulse racing, I swallowed hard.
“Hodge…do you have a brother who plays for New York?” The man eyed me.
“I do. Nathan. I just left him in Chicago before I came out here.” I worried my lower lip.
“To be with your boyfriend?” A smile played over the man’s lips.
“Yes, to be with my boyfriend and to see what a wonderful city Boston is.” I was laying it on thick now, but the guy didn’t seem too pissed off at me.
“Well, we’re proud to have you boys here.” The man held up his hand to the bartender. “Bring these young hockey players a Ward 8 on me. I have a feeling we’ll be watching them on the ice soon enough.”
A few in the crowd whooped, and the attention in the bar went back to the game.
“Thank you, sir.” Rowan shook his hand, and then I thanked him and did the same.
“Of course.” The man left and a waiter brought us more drinks .
My gaze cut to Teddy, staring at us, slack-jawed. With a sharp laugh, I said, “Hey, you okay over there?”
He blinked. “I’m still trying to process.” He gave a soft snort and shook his head.
“Hey, let’s get a picture of us for social media. What do you say?” Rowan plucked his phone off the table and sat in his chair.
I shifted my chair closer to his as Teddy did the same.
“Say lobster roll.” He barked out a laugh.
“Very funny, Rowan.” Teddy tsked.
We all leaned in toward Rowan and smiled while he took the shot.
“Okay, let me get this posted.” He tapped on his phone. “Perfect. Now, the rest of the guys will see what a great time we’re having at the official Ward 8 bar.” He beamed at me.
As the game ended and people finished their drinks and food, they filtered out of the bar. We’d each ordered burgers to prepare for more drinking at the gay bars down on the South End. I took the last bite of my burger, chewed, and swallowed. “This was so much fun, Rowan.”
“Yeah?” He dunked a fry in some ketchup, then grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in for a hard kiss. “Having you here with me has been?—”
“Mackenzie, guess you switched teams, huh?” a male voice said behind me. “No wonder Hodge was so sweet on you in the game.”
Rowan’s face went white. “Uh, Knight. What the hell are you doing here?” He freed me and sat back, stiffening his shoulders.
“Saw your shitty little post on Insta and thought I’d pay you a visit since I was in the neighborhood,” Knight snarled.
“Who is that?” Teddy asked, staring behind me.
I twisted in my chair. It was the fucker from Providence who’d tried to take Rowan out. The asshole with the cheating girlfriend. I stood, my chair groaning across the concrete floor. “What’s it to you, Knight?” As heat surged in my chest, I fisted my hands.
“Nothing…” With a smirk, he turned and glanced behind him as two guys as big as he was entered the bar.
More Providence hockey players? My gaze darted between them all. There were three of us and three of them. But Teddy didn’t look very scrappy… What was I thinking? I’d seen twinks go ballistic on guys twice their size and take them out. A slow smirk crawled over my lips. “How about you leave us alone?”
“How about… no .” Knight stomped around me to stand chest to chest with Rowan, who was now standing too. Poking him in the chest, Knight said loud enough for the whole bar to hear, “This guy’s a player. He’ll take your girl and then come back and try and suck your cock.” With a cackle, he said, “And he’s a shitty fucking hockey player. Let’s his team down every time.”
“Shut the fuck up, Knight.” I grabbed him by the back of the jacket and yanked him backward. “You don’t know anything about him.”
With a sneer, he reared his arm back and slugged me in the jaw, the impact throwing me to the table and crashing our plates on the floor. “You son of a bitch.”
Rowan jumped on him and they fell to the floor in a heap of fists and flailing arms, some punches landing and some blocked.
“Rowan!” As I lunged forward, someone caught my arms behind me. I threw myself this way and that, attempting to wriggle free. “Let me go, asshole!”
The man behind me turned me around and head-butted me.
Seeing stars, I stumbled backward. Holy fuck, who does that? As my vision cleared, the older man from earlier grabbed Knight and threw him off Rowan. “That’s enough, boys.” The guy was stronger than he looked.
Teddy stood a few feet away, with his jaw dropped open, his wide-eyed gaze on Rowan.
Knight rose and brushed himself off. “Sorry, Dorsey. Didn’t know you were here.” With a grimace, he peeked at the larger man from under his messy bangs.
Dorsey shook a finger at Knight. “No fighting in my bar. Those are the rules.” He pointed toward the door. “Now, get out before I call the cops.”
With a jeer, Knight stomped toward his buddies and slapped them on the arms. “Come on. This asshole isn’t worth my time.”
I stared at Dorsey. He owned the bar? How the hell did he know Knight? With my gaze landing on Rowan, I rushed to him, grabbed his arm, and helped him sit up. “You okay?” Cupping his cheek, I turned his face to mine. “Shit.” His lip was split and bleeding, and a bruise was forming under his left eye. “We should probably get you home and put some ice on your face.”
“But I wanted to take you to the gay bar.” He slumped and scoffed. “This is so fucked up.”
“I’ve got some ice.” Dorsey patted my shoulder. “You get him back to the table.” He strode away.
Teddy knelt beside us. “Rowan, isn’t that the guy?—”
“Yeah. We played his team a few months ago, and he tried to fuck me up on the ice too. I don’t know why he won’t leave it alone. Fuck.” Rowan stood with our help, and we walked him to the table. As he sat in his chair, he said, “This is so stupid. I can’t believe that fucker would come looking for me. Again.”
A busser scurried to pick up the dishes from the floor.
Sitting beside Rowan, I fingered the knot forming on my forehead and moved my aching jaw. I could probably use some ice as well.
Rowan grabbed my chin and turned my face to his. “Shit, Tyler. Your head and jaw are bruising.”
“I think we should get you both home. Let’s call an Uber.” Teddy picked up his phone.
Dorsey strode to us with rags and ice in a bowl. “Here you go, boys. That Knight kid has some nerve coming in here and picking a fight with you boys.” He planted his hands on his hips .
“I, uh, take it you own this bar?” I set a few ice cubes into a rag and pressed it to my forehead.
“I do. Justin Knight comes in here all the time with his buddies when he’s on break from school.” He tutted. “Last time he was here, he’d broken up with his girl and got hammered.”
Rowan groaned. “I wonder if it was the same one…” With a pack of ice pushed to his eye, he peeked at Dorsey. “He’s pissed at me because a few years ago, I hooked up with his girlfriend at a frat party at Boston College. Problem was, she didn’t tell me she had a boyfriend. I didn’t know.”
“The kid’s got a screw loose.” With a huff, Dorsey shook his head. “Anyway, I’ll take half off your bill. How’s that?”
“That’s very generous of you, sir.” Teddy, sitting across from me, gave him a charming smile and then focused on me. “I have an Uber coming for us.”
“Good.” I looked down as Rowan’s phone lit up on the table with a text from Aaron. “Hey, your brother is texting you.” I pushed the phone toward him. Hopefully, it wasn’t something bad about his mother.
“Oh.” Rowan tapped on the screen and held the phone up. “Shit.” With his jaw clenching, he turned the phone to face me.
An image of our kiss, taken from the side, was displayed with the text.
Aaron
WTF? You’re gay? Why didn’t you tell me?
I stared at the photo. “Knight must have taken it, but how the hell would your brother have it?” My gaze cut to Rowan’s as he dropped the ice pack and scrubbed his face. “Are you okay?”
“What?” Teddy’s gaze darted between us.
Rowan showed him his phone. “I have no idea how he got the photo. That son of a bitch.” He scoffed.
Teddy’s brows furrowed, and then he pulled his phone out of his pocket, tapped on it, and said, “It’s from your Instagram account. Knight replied to a comment from your brother with the photo of you two and”—he pursed his lips—“a fairly derogatory comment.”
A waiter dropped off our check.
“Goddamnit.” With fire burning in my chest, I yanked my phone out of my pocket and opened Instagram, then tapped on Rowan’s profile. The image of the three of us showed, along with a comment from Aaron reading, have a great time, bro . A reply to the comment showed the photo of our kiss along with the caption, this dude sucks his teammate’s cock , watch out for him on the ice. As I reread the caption, I rubbed my fingers over my chin. “Delete the comment with the image and block that fucker.” As far as we knew, only Rowan’s brother had seen it. But that was bad enough.
“Good idea.” Rowan stabbed at the screen on his phone and then tossed it onto the table. “What the hell am I supposed to tell Aaron?”
“The truth.” Teddy shrugged a shoulder. “First, we pay our bill, then we get in our Uber and talk about this.”
After paying our bill, we all climbed into the back seat of an SUV at the curb with me in the middle. Teddy would be the first one dropped off, since he lived on our way home.
Rowan gazed at me, the purple around his eye growing and the lid swelling. The crack in his lip had stopped bleeding. “What if Aaron went to Dad?”
“I don’t think Aaron would out you.” Teddy tutted. “He’s not stupid.”
“And he looks up to you.” I wound an arm around his shoulder, a headache starting in my temples. Explaining ourselves was really going to suck. What the hell were we in for?
“So what should we do?” Rowan looked from me to Teddy and then tipped his head back. “Fuck, I have to come out to my brothers.”
“Why not just come out to your whole family?” Teddy grabbed Rowan’s forearm. “They’ll be behind you on this.” He looked past Rowan to glance at me. “You two are solid. Whatever happens, you have each other. There’s no denying the love between you. Your parents will see that.”
“Even through black eyes, split lips, and a nasty bump on the head?” With a shake of his head, Rowan freed a stuttered chuckle. “This is so fucked up. They’re probably going to think we got beaten for being a gay couple.”
“But you didn’t. Just tell them…” Teddy choked out a laugh. “Jesus, Rowan, the shit you get yourself into.”
We pulled to the curb in front of a brick apartment complex, and Teddy opened his door. “Just tell them the truth. It’ll work out.” He stepped out of the SUV. “And call me when it’s over.”
“Okay, thanks, man.” With a quick hug, Rowan kissed his cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” Teddy shut the door, stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket, and walked up a path toward the building.
As the car drove off, I slid my hand into Rowan’s, threading our fingers. “No matter what happens, Teddy is right. We’ve got each other. I’ve got your back, all the way. Doesn’t matter what happens. Okay?” My gaze locked on his.
“Okay. Thanks, babe.” He rested his head on my shoulder.