Chapter Sixteen
Bodie
“Oz, are you almost ready?” He’s been glum ever since our conversation last week, to the point he’s barely eating.
I’ve at least made sure he’s sleeping; otherwise I’m not sure he’d be able to make it through work every night.
Luckily, I had a couple days’ break from games before the playoffs began.
We won our first two games, and we hit the road tomorrow for a few away games.
So, I’m taking Bryce out to dinner tonight.
Maybe a night out is just what he needs.
“I’m ready,” he says, walking into the kitchen with a half-smile. “Where are we going anyway?”
“A new steakhouse that opened a few weeks ago. Davidson said it’s one of the best steaks he’s ever had, and I know how much you love a good ribeye.”
“You know me well, don’t you?”
“I hope so.” I stride up to him, touching my lips to his before tugging on the belt looped of his black slacks. “You look delicious all dressed up.”
“Ditto.” He kisses me softly for a moment. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”
We arrive at Stonewood’s just in time for the evening rush. Even with accepting reservations, they’re packed, and a dozen parties are still waiting for tables.
“Wow, they must be really—”
“Bryce! How are you, man?” Someone walks up to Bryce, and he looks strangely familiar.
“Hey, Luke, right?”
“Yes. Luke Stonewood.” The guy motions around the room.
“Holy shit, this is your place?” Bryce shakes his hand and follows Luke into the dining area, guiding me with a hand on my lower back.
“Yeah. It’s my first, and going pretty well, as you can see.” Luke stops at a table tucked away in a corner. “You going to introduce me to your friend? Or are you afraid I’ll hit on him?” he says with a wink.
I’m guessing he’s gay too, from the teasing.
“Luke, this is Bodie.”
“Hey, Luke.”
“Luke is a customer at The Garden. He and his boyfriend tend to eye-fuck each other all night, and I mess with him by—”
“By hitting on my boyfriend right in front of me.” Luke laughs as Bryce blushes.
“Umm, should I be jealous?” I take my seat as another guy approaches us. This one has dirty-blond hair with really pretty eyes—not as gorgeous as my Oz’s, though.
“No reason to be jealous. Luke is head over heels in love with Kaden.” The new guy sidles up next to Luke. “Gabe, Luke’s business partner. I recognize you from the bar. How are you guys?”
Seeing the two of them next to each other now, something clicks. Gabe was with the platinum-blond guy in the parking lot of The Garden a couple weeks ago, and Luke is the guy they were watching with, I suppose, his boyfriend, Kaden.
Heat rushes to my face as they start chatting, and I’m mentally back in that parking lot, watching Luke and Kaden fucking behind the Jeep.
Even now, I feel like a creep thinking about that night.
They had no care in the world for whether anyone was watching them.
Luke carries himself with so much confidence, and while I never thought of myself as lacking confidence, damn, but I could never fuck like that out in the open.
I can’t imagine Bryce is into that, but then again, I never knew he would be into a lacy jockstrap either. Hmmm.
“Babe, are you okay?” Bryce’s question bursts the bubble my mind got stuck in. “You look a little flushed.”
I fan myself with the menu. “Nope. I’m good. Just surrounded by a few gorgeous men.” What am I saying? Shut up, mouth.
Thankfully, they all laugh.
“Well, we’ll let you get to your dinner. Hope you’re hungry. Luke’s menu is to die for.” Gabe pats Bryce on the shoulder and waves goodbye as he walks off to the bar.
“Have a good night, guys. Enjoy your meal.” Luke leaves us alone, and I’m even more embarrassed about my comment.
Bryce leans into me, his lips brushing against my lobe. “Don’t you go flirting with every cute guy you see now. You don’t want to bail me out of jail, do you?”
“Nah. I’d leave you in there a little while and let you sweat it out.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” he says as he bites my earlobe and sits back in his seat.
I love it when possessive Bryce comes out—I feel the same way about him.
I’ve always felt a type of way about other guys around Bryce, but I was just too blind to see it for what it was at the time.
I don’t know what I’d do if someone hit on Bryce right in front of me now.
I know how I get with Drew, but he’s a whole different story—I’ve never liked him.
When Bryce gets his rare ribeye and does the little happy dance he does when he eats—he doesn’t even know he does it—it fills my heart with joy.
I know how hard this last week has been for him with opening up like that and leaving himself vulnerable.
Even if it was only with me, which should have been easy given our past, but I get it.
“Sorry I didn’t get you flowers and candy.” I smirk as he looks up from his steak.
“You know damn well I’d take a steak over flowers and candy any day. What’re you up to?”
I chuckle at his skepticism. “You have zero trust in me,” I joke, but Bryce’s lips go tight and his jaw tenses.
“I trust you, Bodie.”
Unspoken words settle between us when he reaches over, clasping my hand in his.
We finish our dinner over small talk and just enjoy each other’s company. We say our goodbyes to Luke and Gabe on our way out, thanking them for their hospitality.
“No parting words to give Kaden your love or anything, Bryce? You feeling well?” Luke’s questioning brows and hand to Bryce’s forehead make us laugh. “You must really like this one.”
“Yeah, maybe just a little bit.” Bryce shoots an ear-to-ear smile my way until Luke adds, “I’ll have to tell Kaden about our new friend,” winking playfully at Bryce.
Bryce’s arm hooks around my waist, guiding me out the door while giving Luke a side-eye. This has to be the little flirting-with-boyfriends game that they spoke about earlier. Although I haven’t officially met Kaden, I have a feeling we may get along well with these games our men like to play.
I feel like I have my own personal guard dog when Bryce buckles my seatbelt as if to prevent anyone from taking me before he gets in the car.
“Is Luke going to come steal me away from you now?”
“If I didn’t see how in love with Kaden he is, I wouldn’t trust him, even if it was only to mess with me.”
“Kaden must be very in love with him too. The confidence they have together. Oof, I couldn’t imagine.”
“What do you mean?” Bryce raises an eyebrow.
“Nothing. You can just see how much they love each other.”
He hesitates before putting the car in drive and taking off. I’m tired of being an anxious mess inside, so I stifle my nerves before they get too strong of a hold on me. Reaching over the center console, I unbutton Bryce’s slacks and wrap my hand around his thick cock.
“Fuck, babe. While I’m driving, really?” He feigns indignation even as he stretches out and widens his legs for me.
I take the opportunity and stroke him until he’s semi-hard, then lean over the console and close my wet lips around his tip.
He hisses and runs his fingers through my hair.
When I slide my lips down until my nose barely touches the short dark hair at the base of his cock, the car jerks to the right, making me gag.
“Shit, are you okay?” Bryce gives me an apologetic look as he pulls the car over and cuts the engine.
“Yeah, just warn a guy,” I joke through my coughing fit.
He grasps the back of my neck as soon as I’m stable and seals his lips to mine in a sinful kiss, claiming me as his once again.
My hand seeks out his cock, stroking him while he devours me until I can’t take it anymore. I need to have him inside me one way or another.
I reach around him and lower his seat until he’s in a reclining position, all while he watches me with a devilish grin.
There’s no way I can straddle him in this car with how big we both are, and we’re parked right out in the open.
I’m not that brave. Instead, I take him back into my mouth, deep-throating him in one motion as I moan alongside him.
Geez, I love sucking his cock. I can’t believe I missed out on this for years.
He shoves his hand down my shirt, rubbing my back while his other hand massages my neck and head as I work him over. “Shit, how the hell are you so good at this already? Unngghhh…slow down, slow down.”
I don’t grant his request, instead picking up pace and adding both hands, jerking and twisting along his shaft as I suck on his head and tease his slit with my tongue.
His panting fills the car, joining my loud moans as he begins thrusting into my mouth while he fists my curls.
I brace myself against the door and his chair, letting him use my mouth for his pleasure and enjoying every second of it.
With every thrust into me, I suck harder as he pulls away.
My own dick throbs, and I can feel it leaking all over me as I push the heel of my hand against it.
“Fuck, baby, you’re gonna make me come.” Then he pushes deep into my throat with a growl, just as I feel his cum spurting into me.
It’s enough to send me over the edge, and the next thing I know, I’m coming hands-fucking-free.
There are hundreds of thoughts swirling like a typhoon in my mind as my body spasms and I swallow his release, but the one that stands out the most is how much this man is and has always been my everything.
I lick up every remnant of his cum and wipe my mouth with the hem of his dress shirt. “Sorry about that.” I grin cheekily.
He takes it off and wipes my mouth thoroughly. “I’d never leave you messy,” he says as he kisses me softly.
I’m embarrassingly wet in my pants, so I shove his shirt partially down the front of them and wait it out as Bryce laughs and rights his slacks.
“I’ll get us home quickly.”
As we get back on the road, the silence is calming. Bryce’s hand in mine and a cold breeze coming from the slightly opened window are perfect right now.
“Are you ready for your next few games?”
“Yeah. Game three of the first round is in two days. We leave first thing in the morning.”
His silence speaks volumes. I know he’s in his head about being alone at night now.
He’s become so used to having me in his bed, I think we’re both afraid his sleep issues may worsen when I’m gone.
Especially since he shared the details of his dad’s death with me.
When we were younger, and I asked him about it, he always said he didn’t want to talk about it. After a while I just stopped asking.
“I’m only a phone call away.” I press my lips to the back of his hand.
“I get home from work too late to bother you when you’re on the road, Bode.”
He’s right. I won’t be able to get any sleep if I wait up for him, and that will definitely throw me off my game. I can’t risk that while we’re in the playoffs. My heart rate spikes and my palms sweat enough for Bryce to notice, taking them and rubbing them on his pants.
“I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry about me. I’m a big boy who can deal with a little less sleep while you go win some games.”
“It’s less than a week,” I add like it matters. One day or six days, it still means he’ll be here alone.
Davidson is furious tonight. I’ve never seen him like this.
“One game, guys. One fucking game and we would’ve had this in the bag.”
We just lost the fourth game in the semifinals, putting us at 2-2 and having to play the fifth to break the tie.
“Foster kept them at zero all fucking night, and then we go fucking it up.” He doesn’t even look at Delaney and Karlson, who wound up screening me worse than our opponents when they scored their first goal in the last four minutes of the third period.
They scored another two goals back-to-back after the first and came out with the win.
No one is sure how it all happened, but Davidson does his best to not point fingers.
“We have one day to get our heads on straight and come back ready to win this whole thing!”
The locker room breaks into a roar of agreement from my teammates, and win or lose, we walk out of here together and ready for the next game.
Davidson looks ragged when he approaches me after he showers and gets dressed. “Where are you heading? I need a beer.”
“Do you mind if we go to The Garden?” He gives a knowing look. “I just need to see him.”
“I got you, man. You ready?”
We get into his truck, and when he leaves the music off, I know something is up.
“When did you know you liked men?”
“Whoa! Left field question.” I laugh and then regret it. “Why the ask?”
“First answer the question.”
“I don’t know. It was just Bryce. It wasn’t even me who realized it first.”
“What do you mean?”
“My ex, Amber. She was the one who noticed it before either of us did.”
“Hmm.”
“So, why the ask?”
“Just curious. I didn’t know if there was something specific that made you realize you’re attracted to men.”
“I can’t even say I like men yet. I’m not attracted to anyone like that, really.” I see him glancing at me in my periphery. “I know I’m attracted to Bryce, and maybe it’s because I’ve loved him forever.”
After a few minutes of silence, Davidson decides it’s time for music for the rest of the ride. I don’t know who’s more intrigued by our conversation, though.
We walk into The Garden, and it’s packed as usual on a Saturday night. I immediately look for Bryce behind the bar, but he’s not there. I see Kasey, though, and make my way through the crowd to him with Davidson in tow.
As I’m walking over, I see Drew walking toward the back hallway to the bathroom. “Great, that asshole is here,” I mumble.
“Hey Bodie, how are you?” Kasey yells over the crowd. “Emmett, nice to see you again.”
Davidson greets Kasey with a smile. “You too. Can we get a couple beers?”
“Have you seen Bryce?”
“Yeah, he went to the back. Go get his ass out here. I’m swamped.”
“You good here?”
“I’ll take care of him,” Kasey answers for Davidson. I look between the two of them and walk away.
I get to the hallway that leads to the bar’s back room where the bathrooms are, and I stop dead in my tracks. My ears begin to ring, and the ground feels as if it’s shaking beneath my feet—everything becomes a blur before I come to my senses.
“What the fuck?” I shout, and then I’m charging down the hallway.