Chapter 20
IT TOOK EVERYTHING IN Tobias not to get too far ahead of himself and wish this could be the first of so many mornings with Chase in his home.
It was a dream he couldn’t linger on, no matter how much he craved it.
The more Chase interacted with Madison, the more Tobias wanted him. They’d hooked up once, and for all Tobias knew, Chase was a hookup kind of guy and wouldn’t want anything more than sex. Or maybe he didn’t want kids one day.
He didn’t think it was the case, but Tobias certainly didn’t know for sure.
After they finished with the mess of breakfast and the long process of cleaning up, it was time for Grace and Madison to head out for their girls’ day and Tobias and Chase to head to the basement for training.
They descended the stairs as Tobias explained his ideas for drills. He wanted to keep doing the reflex drills they’d been utilizing, but Tobias figured he should be doing more of them in full gear on ice to make it as close to the real thing as possible.
There was a huge difference between lunging after a reaction ball wearing nothing but shorts and wearing all his goalie gear. All of his padding and layers used to feel like a second skin to him, and he needed to get used to it again.
Tobias swung open the door to his training room and flicked the light switch, letting Chase into a place few people had ever been.
Kind of like another place he’d like him to be. One that hadn’t had any visitors in years.
‘Damn, you need to get laid. Your mind is stuck in the gutter.’
I haven’t had sex in years, my mind lives in the gutter at this point.
‘Well, do something about it.’
“Urrrrgh, shut up.”
“Um, I didn’t say anything,” Chase said, his voice laced with confusion.
Tobias spun to face Chase, who looked at him incredulously. Apparently, his thoughts were no longer staying in his head. Not a good sign.
“Uh, sorry, I, um, wasn’t talking to you,” Tobias said, struggling to remember how words worked. Was it too much to ask Chase to ignore his quirks?
Chase checked around the room, making sure they were alone before he turned back to Tobias.
“Who were you talking to?”
I guess we aren’t ignoring them after all.
“I’m, uh, talking to myself. I haven’t had many other people to talk to, so I guess I’m getting used to having people in my space. Sorry, I know I’m weird,” Tobias said, dropping his head and turning away from Chase to busy himself with the gear on one of the shelves.
Tobias flinched as a soft pressure landed on the small of his back. Chase stood beside him concerned.
“You’re not weird for talking to yourself,” Chase said, his eyes narrowed at Tobias. “I’m curious what thoughts you were having that you needed to tell them to shut up, though. Are you sure it’s okay I’m here?”
For a moment, Tobias could only blink at Chase, having no clue what to say, his mind blank.
Sure, now you’re quiet.
“Hey,” Chase said. “Whatever it is, it’s okay. I’m not gonna judge you. If you want me to leave, if you’re not ready for me to be in your home, I won’t hold it against you. I know this is a lot.”
Tobias took a deep breath and thanked whatever higher power listened and delivered Chase to him. It had been so long since someone had even tried to understand him.
“It’s, um,” Tobias started, unsure how to explain his thoughts. “It’s the opposite, actually. I’m really glad you’re here. Too glad, probably. And my brain is throwing inappropriate thoughts at me that I really shouldn’t be focused on because we have training to do.”
The smile blooming across Chase’s face was… arresting. Tobias gulped as he basked in its allure.
“So, you’re saying you need help getting out of your head again?” Chase said, his body moving closer to Tobias’, Chase’s one hand pressing against his back as the other settled against his chest and slowly made its way around his neck. “We did say it could be a part of your training.”
“Maybe, uh, maybe that could be our warmup?” Tobias asked, internally cursing himself for being so freaking lame. Shockingly, his lack of game did nothing to dissuade Chase.
“Sounds like a good plan to me, boss.”
In one swift motion, Chase pulled him down until their lips could touch and every ounce of Tobias’ awkwardness rushed away.
Chase dominated his mouth, as if he was delivering a lesson on disarming your opponent via his lips. It was a tactic Tobias hadn’t tried on the ice before, but he could admit it fucking worked.
Just as Chase reminded Tobias how amazing their mouths felt against each other, he disappeared.
Tobias’ eyes sprang open to search for him. When he found Chase kneeling in front of him, a wicked smirk gracing his pretty face as he toyed with Tobias’ waistband, Tobias was sure he was about to come on the spot.
Thankfully, he managed not to embarrass himself as Chase yanked down his sweats and underwear in one swift movement, Tobias’ hard cock bouncing off his shirt.
Once his sweats were pooled around his ankles, Chase slowly ran his hands up his legs, Tobias’ thighs trembling under his touch.
“Can I?” Chase asked, his voice cracking.
Tobias was officially the luckiest guy on the planet. All he could do was nod, words too difficult for him to figure out.
The hungry look on Chase’s face made it impossible for Tobias to think about anything else. Nothing existed except Chase and Tobias.
Chase leaned forward, licking a long stripe up Tobias’ shaft, and Tobias quivered.
He grunted as Chase licked every inch of him, and then his lips were closing around Tobias’ cock, sucking him down like he was the fountain of youth, and Chase was trying to get every last drop.
As Chase bobbed up and down, one hand holding Tobias steady, his other dove into his own pants, pulling out his hard length, precome gathered on the end. Chase used it to slick his cock, sucking Tobias while jerking himself in a rhythm Tobias got lost in.
Words were inconceivable, and all Tobias could do was grunt and moan through the pleasure rocketing through him.
He neared the precipice with blinding speed, and he hoped Chase was willing to jump with him.
Tobias’ hands dug into Chase’s hair, and he tried to pull him off, or at least warn him about how close he was. Chase simply moaned and doubled down on his movements, achieving a frantic pace that pushed Tobias toward his orgasm.
When it hit him, he shouted through the release, unintelligible words mixed in with his yelling. The pleasure lasted forever, Chase sucking every drop from his dick, only pulling off when Tobias yanked on his hair, his dick sensitive from the onslaught of pleasure.
It took another minute before Tobias’ sight functioned properly, and he was floored by the vision at his feet.
Chase leered at him from his spot on the floor, one of his hands dripping with come under his spent cock, while the other softly caressed Tobias’ thigh.
Chase’s face was as relaxed as he had ever seen it, a smirk making Tobias think things that were way too soon to be thinking.
Instead, Chase did what he did best and took control of the situation.
“Ready to train now?”
Tobias barked out a laugh, shocking both of them, Chase’s delight unmistakable. He didn’t laugh often, but Chase had a way of disarming him like no one had been capable of doing before. And it was addictive.
He cupped Chase’s cheek in one of his hands and internally cheered when Chase leaned into it.
“Yeah, I’m ready for anything now.”
It shocked Tobias how much he meant those words.
————————
Thump thwack.
Thump thwack.
Thump tap.
Thump thwack.
“Keep it up, you’re killing it,” Chase said, throwing the reaction ball against the wall in front of Tobias again, the thump of it hitting the wall and the thwack of it meeting his glove sounding like music to his ears.
When the ball headed toward his stick side, he tapped it away easily, staying alert in case it bounced back toward him, always a possibility with the misshapen ball.
At long last, Tobias was in the zone, a place he didn’t think he’d ever be able to return to after leaving the sport he loved.
With every catch, every block, he returned to his old self. The self that deflected pucks like second nature.
And it felt fucking amazing.
Tobias’ confidence built with every save he made, until he thought he could actually manage tending the goal for this alumni game.
There was an extra motivation he didn’t have before, all thanks to Chase.
Chase, who looked at him like he could stop anything thrown or shot at him, like he’d singlehandedly solved world hunger, instead of just catching and deflecting a ball a bunch of times in a row.
Chase, who worked his body like a damn instrument.
Chase, who had quickly become a major part of Tobias’ life.
Tobias could get used to this.
As he gulped down some water during a much-needed break, Chase cleared his throat, and Tobias was thrown off by the nerves on his face.
“Uh, so I was thinking, have you ever been to Otherworld in Philly?”
Tobias furrowed his brows before he answered, “No, what’s that?”
“It’s sort of like a museum, but it’s more like a really cool immersive art experience with these wild interactive sensory rooms. I thought it might be a fun place to take Madison for Valentine’s Day next week, if you were up for it.”
There was a sudden ache in Tobias’ jaw from smiling. It didn’t happen often, but it happened more and more around Chase.
“So, would this be… a date?” Tobias asked, Chase’s nerves making more sense now.
Chase’s answering smile would have been enough, but he responded anyway. “Yeah, a date. We can show Madison how a date should treat her. And… how I’d like to treat you.”
Tobias’ heart raced. He wasn’t sure what was sweeter, how Chase wanted to treat him right or how he wanted to include Madison.
How had Cooper phrased it before? His balls were exploding from this guy being so damn cute? It still sounded more dangerous than swoon-worthy, but Tobias thought he understood exactly what Cooper was talking about.