Chapter 19
MADARS
After a blissfully perfect night of sleeping in the same bed, Connor and I ordered room service for breakfast. We lounged for a while, enjoying some good food and even better coffee.
Then we packed our things and took a cab to Atocha, the main train station in Madrid.
There, I got us tickets on the next train to Sevilla, and an hour or so later, we boarded.
With Connor’s suitcases in the luggage rack and both of our smaller bags on the shelf above our heads, we settled into our seats.
“I have no idea what coach is like,” he said on a happy groan, “but I’m really glad you shelled out for business class.”
I laughed. “Eh, it’s not much different from coach on this train. Seats are a little bigger and there’s a little more leg room, but it’s not fancy. Now, the bullet train between Madrid and Barcelona?” I whistled. “That is some bougie first class.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Yeah? So are you treating me to a luxury bullet train ride while we’re here?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “We’ll see how you behave.”
Connor scoffed and kicked me gently. “You’re such an ass.”
“Fine. Coach tickets it is.”
He gave me the finger, and we both chuckled.
As the train pulled out of the station, I asked, “So did Lena ever apologize for making you and Michael scramble to her wedding?”
Connor scowled. “No. And Michael’s team got eliminated in the third round, so he had a little more time.
Some of us had to work through the end of the finals.
” Then he grinned. “But I kept threatening to bribe the maid of honor to mention the Bentley in her speech, and Lena looked nervous as hell when she got up to speak, so… I’d say we’re even. ”
I laughed. “Did anyone say anything about it?”
“Nah. I don’t give her shit about it within earshot of my dad.” He grimaced. “I think he’s still mad about it.”
“Oh, yeah, you said you thought you might still be grounded, didn’t you?”
“Mmhmm. He’s going to be a hundred years old and still holding a grudge about that.”
“Okay, but, to be fair…” I spread my palms. “You did total his Bentley.”
“Well… not on purpose!”
“Oh, well, since it wasn’t on purpose, I’m sure the dents just popped right out.”
Connor chuckled. “The dents weren’t the problem. The water damage…” He grimaced again.
“Jesus Christ.” I laughed, shaking my head. “I’m surprised he ever let you drive anything again.”
“I know, right? He told me the only reason he did was because I needed to be able to drive in order to eventually move out of his house, and if I didn’t, he’d probably kill me.”
I barked a laugh. Truthfully, Stuart Ellis had been upset about his car, but he’d also been obviously relieved that his son was all right.
Angry? Sure. Grounding him until the sun burned out?
Definitely. But I was at the house the night he got the call, and I still vividly remembered the look on his face and how he’d damn near sprinted for the garage to head to the scene.
He’d never been thrilled to see his Continental GT being pulled out of a lake on a winch. He’d been crushed to realize his beloved car was a complete loss.
But the car hadn’t been completely submerged.
Connor and his friend had been able to get out, and though they’d been wet, cold, and shaken up, they’d been all right.
There was camera footage of Stuart arriving at the scene and realizing both boys were all right, and he’d nearly broken down in tears as he’d crushed Connor in a hug.
I think everyone in the house had been relieved beyond words when Stuart had shifted to lecturing and punishing Connor for driving too fast on that winding road; that was when we all knew for sure that everyone was okay.
When he could focus on that, the fear and panic had passed, and everyone could breathe again.
Well, everyone except Connor. He’d felt terrible for wrecking the car, and he’d been almost inconsolable because his friend could’ve been hurt or killed. I’d never seen him so shaken up before, and I’d played like shit in my next two games because I was so damn worried about him.
I was glad he and his siblings could joke about it now. Keeping the jokes out of their dad’s earshot—probably a wise idea.
As the train continued out of Madrid and into the open countryside, Connor watched the scenery going by while I watched him.
I still couldn’t believe we were here. That we had most of the summer to be together.
A few times in the weeks leading up to this, I’d worried we were diving in too deep.
That we’d only had sporadic face-to-face conversations in Prague and a whole lot of texting and FaceTiming since then.
Back when we’d lived together, we were apart more often than not too, since I was constantly traveling for hockey and we’d both had school.
Then there’d been a decade of just… not being involved in each other’s lives.
Was the spark we’d found in Prague really something we could sustain through a long visit?
Sitting here with him now, all my doubts scattered.
Connor had always been a calm spot in my world.
With him, I could breathe. I’d been able to be myself—a gay kid instead of a hockey player shouldering tons of pressure—because that was all Connor had ever asked of me.
He’d just wanted the quiet honesty that came with two teenagers figuring out who they were, and being with him—whether in bed or just chilling front of a movie—had been exactly what I’d needed to let my ears stop ringing from the noise of hockey.
On this train, watching him take in the scenery, that calm settled over me now. Free agency felt distant and abstract. Teams and contracts and professional pressure were a million miles away. I wasn’t representing Genève or Team Latvia.
I was just here. With him.
And everything in my world was perfect.
Finally, we were in Sevilla, and I was parking our rental car in front of the villa that would be home for the next few weeks.
“Holy shit,” Connor said when we got out of the car. “You said it was big, but it’s… Jesus. That’s huge!”
“That’s what she said.”
That earned me an eyeroll, and I laughed as Connor shook his head.
He was right, too—the place was huge. It was a three-bedroom stucco house with a pool and an enormous garden, all within a high stone wall. Inside, the house was cool thanks to the soaring ceilings and the gray marble floors.
I closed the door behind us and looked at Connor. “You want the grand tour?”
“Eventually.” Connor put his backpack down, then grabbed my belt and tugged me in close. “There’s only one room I want to see right now.”
I grinned. “The one with the bed in it?”
“Uh-huh.” He kissed me lightly, and barely broke that kiss enough to murmur, “I’ve been fantasizing about this for months, and I don’t want to wait anymore.”
Groaning softly, I drew him all the way in and kissed him hard.
I couldn’t even crack a joke about how he’d already seen the ceiling in that room because…
Fuck. I’d spent so much time fantasizing about him since the Games, and it was surreal to have him here now.
To be holding him and kissing him, our dicks hardening between our bodies as our hands slid all over each other—this was surreal and incredible.
Connor broke the kiss and went for my neck, and I moaned as his soft lips and coarse stubble made my skin tingle.
“We should…” I grabbed handfuls of his shirt as I tried to stay upright. “We should really go into the bedroom.”
“Yeah?” He nipped just above my collar. “There’s lube in there?”
“So much lube.”
“Mmm, show me the way.”
I did, and fortunately we didn’t have far to go. Though the house was sprawling, the main bedroom was near the foyer, and in a matter of seconds, I was dragging him down onto the mattress on top of me.
Oh, this was perfect. Connor’s weight over me. His powerful thighs straddling my hips. His thick erection rubbing mine through our clothes. And that mouth of his—he’d always been a good kisser, but he was spectacular now.
Once again, he started down my neck, and I thought I was going to lose my damn mind.
“God, I missed you,” he purred against my throat. “I have never jerked off this much in my life.”
I moaned as I arched against him. “Yeah? What’re you thinking of when your hand’s on your dick?”
“You.” He kissed beneath my jaw. “Just… everything. The way you fucked me in Prague.” He rubbed his hard dick against my thigh. “That was so good. So damn good.”
Biting my lip, I dragged my nails up his back. “Yeah? You want to be fucked again?”
His strangled moan almost had me coming between us. “Hell yeah,” he growled. “I swear I almost had a hard-on my whole fucking flight because I kept thinking about you dicking me down.”
The whimper that escaped my lips didn’t even sound like me. Then I found my voice and managed, “You still good with no condoms?” I’d brought some just in case, and I’d absolutely use them if he wanted, but I hoped he still wanted to do this raw. I wanted to really feel him, damn it.
“No condoms.” He pushed himself up and looked in my eyes. “You still good with it?”
Running my hands up his sides, I nodded. “Absolutely. Might be a quickie the first time, but…”
Oh hell, I would never get tired of his beautiful smile.
“I’m amazed I’ve lasted this long,” he whispered, and kissed me again. “But I’ve got multiple rounds in me if you do.”
“I’ve got as many rounds as you want.”
Connor’s eyebrow flicked up. “That a challenge?”
I laughed and lifted my head to kiss him. “You accepting?”
“Maybe I am. What are you going to—whoa!” He yelped as I rolled us both over and pinned him on his back.
“How about we start with the first round?” I growled, letting my lips brush his “Then we’ll see how much you can put your money where your mouth is.”
“Mmm, I’m pretty sure I can put my mouth somewhere.”
I barked a laugh and let my head fall beside his, pressing my forehead against his shoulder. “You are such a dork.”
He was vibrating with laughter. “Uh-huh. And?”