Chapter Ten
Bryce
I’ve decided it’s time to take Bodie on our first official date—mini date , I guess you could say.
I thought it would feel weird, but as I get ready, it feels normal, as if we’ve done this a hundred times before.
Bodie is still in the shower and probably nervous as hell, but I have a plan that will hopefully set him at ease.
I set up in the living room and patiently wait for him, the pattering of my bouncing leg filling the room. He comes out in the gray sweats and T-shirt that I asked him to wear.
“What’re you doing?”
“What are we doing, you mean?” I tell him, patting the pillow on the floor as I sit down on another.
“Uh-uh. Keep your hands to yourself.” He pouts and sits comfortably on his pillow.
Since we got home last night, he hasn’t kept his hands off me for long.
He’s blown me three times already—each time better than the last—and I don’t know if I have anything left for a fourth today.
“We’re just going to do some of your meditation techniques.”
“I kind of got that from the pillows, babe. But why?”
“To calm any nervousness.”
“Bryce, I’m not nervous.” Sitting across from me with confidence, Bodie asks, “Are you nervous?”
“No! No, not at all.”
“Then let’s go.” I watch in bewilderment as he jumps to his feet and runs to his room. Moments later he comes back, having replaced his sweats with jeans, and hurrying to the door. “C’mon, slowpoke.”
“Who are you?” I snicker incredulously as I chase him down the hallway.
His passenger door isn’t even closed yet before he’s asking where we’re going and what we’re doing.
“Lunch and shopping.” He’ll never admit how much he likes to browse in the mall—but I know better. “But first—” I hand him the bouquet of roses and box of chocolates from the back seat.
With an exaggerated gasp, he says, “You remembered!” The dramatics are on point today.
“You said you wanted flowers and chocolates. You get flowers and chocolates.”
“Is that how it works?” His sinfully smug expression tells me he’s up to no good. “In that case, I want to suc—”
“No.”
“Joy killer.”
The way Bodie has taken to exploring his sexuality with me is astounding—and I can’t complain about reaping the benefits—but we won’t be having any more sex until we explore the relationship side today.
Yes, we have our friendship, but I don’t want this to be purely physical, at least on his part.
I know the many things he offers me, but what exactly does he get out of this aside from sexual pleasure?
I notice the way he sits more upright in his seat when we get off the highway going toward the mall. He’s so transparent, and he doesn’t even know it.
“We’re going to the mall, aren’t we?”
“Yes. Is that okay?”
“Sure. Can we get ‘pichotle’?” I will never not find his drunken mishap a few years ago funny, when all he wanted at 2 a.m. was a burrito.
“Whatever your heart desires.” He looks my way, and I realize what I said. “No.”
“You keep turning me down, and I’ll stop altogether.”
“Sure, you will.” The scrunch in his brows and tight-lipped scowl say he knows that I’m right. “C’mon, let’s go feed you.”
Confident Bodie is still present when he clasps my hand as we walk up to the building.
It’s still early in the day on a weekday, so the mall isn’t too crowded.
We eat and start to stroll through the mall—Bodie stopping in almost every store “just to look.” He comes out of half the stores with bags, which I’m now holding.
Like a kid in a candy store, Bodie sprints toward the movie theater to look at all the “coming soon” posters.
“Bryce, look.” He points to The Wizard of Oz poster. “They’re playing our movie. Can we watch it?”
I could never deny him with that look on his face. “Of course.”
Luckily there’s an upcoming session with just enough time to get drinks. My hockey-playing boyfriend decides that even though he just ate a huge burrito, he needs two candies, popcorn, and water. I don’t know where he puts it all, but I’m sure he works it off in minutes on the ice.
“A movie isn’t a movie without candy and popcorn,” he says as he dumps the chocolate pieces into his popcorn bucket and swirls everything around.
The movie starts, and we get lost in the iconic world of Oz. Halfway into the show, Bodie finishes the bucket and grasps my hand, pulling it into his lap. At the point where the foursome is skipping up the road to Emerald City, Bodie leans into me. “The Emerald City reminds me of your eyes.”
I’m thankful for the darkness when heat rushes to my face.
“You’re like Oz, and your eyes are the capital.” His metaphor has a smile hurting my cheeks. “You’re my Oz.”
I haven’t taken my eyes off him since the city appeared, and when he finally looks my way, I’m shaken to my core at how fast I fell in love with this man. Was I in love with him the whole time too and didn’t know it either?
“You’re my everything.” I’ve never meant anything more in my entire life. His lips skate across mine with a faint sigh, and we watch the end of the movie with his head resting on my shoulder.
Walking into the Coliseum with Kasey for tonight’s game, I’m anxious.
This game makes or breaks Bodie’s team going to the playoffs.
He was nervous earlier this morning when he left for his game-day routine, but I know once he’s on the ice, he gets into the zone.
His game has improved a great deal over the past two seasons, and I just know he’s going to get called up soon.
I didn’t tell him we were coming tonight in hopes of not distracting him. Our seats are close enough to see the action, but still far enough away that he shouldn’t catch sight of us during warm-up.
When the team explodes onto the ice, Kasey sits upright and leans forward with wide eyes.
“Is this really your first game ever?” I wait for a response but don’t get one. “Kasey?”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah. First game ever.”
What the hell? He didn’t even take his eyes off the ice.
I spot Bodie as he takes the ice and starts his warm-up—I’ve always loved watching him warm up, but I never thought it was fucking sexy as hell until now.
I wasn’t supposed to think about him like that, but damn, I wish I had.
Given his height, I’m amazed how he’s able to do a full split, and my mind wanders to how flexible he’d be in bed.
We’ve taken it slowly, and he’s loved everything we’ve done so far, but I want it to be his decision to do more—I won’t ever try to pressure him.
“How did I not know what a great sport hockey was until tonight?”
I can’t help but laugh. “They haven’t even started playing yet, Kasey.”
“Fuck, there’s more?”
Once the game starts, Kasey can barely remain in his seat, and I can’t keep my eyes off Bodie. He’s playing like an NHL pro, blocking twelve shots on goal just in the first period. By the end of the second period, they’re leading 2-0.
With two minutes left in the third period, he sends the puck down the ice toward the empty net, and two players collide with him, knocking him to the ground.
He doesn’t get back up right away, and I’m on the edge of my seat as the referees rush over to him, along with a team trainer.
A scrum breaks out, his team retaliating for the collision with their goalie.
The trainer seems to be talking to Bodie, but I can’t tell if he’s responding.
When he finally starts to move and gets up on his skates, I release a deep breath.
Kasey comforting me only works half as much as it should, but Bodie shakes it off, and the refs finish breaking up the fight to set up for another face-off.
The horn blares, Bodie’s team taking the win. I’m so fucking proud and excited for him that I run down toward the tunnels leading to the locker rooms to wait for him. Luckily, the staff know me, and nobody gives me trouble about Kasey.
“He’s okay, right?” Kasey asks.
“Yes, he’s fine. They wouldn’t have let him finish the game if he wasn’t.” Even as I say it, I still need to see him to know he really is okay.
Half an hour later, Kasey is still jabbering on about how much he loved the game when the locker room door opens.
Something unfamiliar comes over me when I see one of his teammates I’ve only met once hanging on him, his face right up in Bodie’s, and laughing like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
Bodie doesn’t see us right away, but when his teammate kisses his head and slaps his ass, I see red.
“You should really keep your hands and mouth to yourself.”
Both of their heads swing our way with surprise in their eyes.
“Bryce, I didn’t know you were here tonight.” I feel a little more at ease when Bodie heads straight for me with long, eager strides. When he reaches me, though, he stops short of a kiss or even a hug. “This is Mickells. He’s a defenseman.”
“I don’t care what he is. He needs to keep his hands and mouth off you.”
Bodie gets in close. “Bryce, not here. Please, let’s go talk.”
“Bodie, you have some rude as fuck friends,” the asshole says as another teammate comes out of the locker room.
“Fuck off. Just stay the fuck aw—”
“Whoa, what’s going on here?” I finally notice it’s his captain who joined us.
“Everything’s good, Davidson. We were just leaving.” Bodie steers me away from his teammates. Kasey lingers behind.
“Bryce, what the fuck was that?” Even his whispering sounds angry. “Kasey, you coming with us?”
“Nah, you guys go ahead. I’ll catch an Uber.”
The tension between us is palpable as we walk out of the Coliseum to my car. I pull my car door open and turn, leaning against the frame. “You’re mad.”
“Yes.”
“He shouldn’t have been touching you like that.”
“Bryce, you know athletes smack each other’s asses.”
“I’ve never seen anyone else do it to you.” I want to stand tall with my argument, but my willpower weakens with every word that leaves my mouth. I may be overreacting but I can’t help it right now—Bodie is mine. “And I know I’ve never seen any of your teammates kiss you.”
“On my head, Bryce!”
“Can I just be jealous? Am I allowed to not want someone else’s lips on you? Why is that wrong?” The petulance that seeps from my tone grates on my own ears.
“Because you should trust me. That’s why,” he says as he turns and walks away.