SAWYER
Chapter Eleven
The blades of my skates cut across the ice as my stick swiped in front of me and the puck ricocheted away from the goalpost.
The cheers erupted through half the rink while the other half groaned and booed. In spite of them, I lifted my stick and pirouetted a little before returning to my post. Whatever these sad little Blizzard Breakers were trying wasn’t working this time.
Far ahead, Cameron lifted his gloved fist at me in celebration.
He and Riley worked like twins on the offensive, with Caden Jones leading the left wing.
Behind him, in visible discord, Beckett Partridge was struggling to align his tactics.
Those two were near the top of our team in talent but firmly sitting at the bottom when it came to their performance.
Especially now that Cameron and Riley were working for the good of the team.
And making out whenever they thought they were alone in the basement of our frat house.
I supposed that was as good a way to smooth out the differences as any.
That thought alone made me glance at the front rows of our supporters. A few familiar faces here and there, a few subtle agents and scouts, and one face that was bored despite the best efforts to conceal it.
I had dragged Noah to this game as my lucky charm.
His involvement in my physics test made all the difference, and I wanted to test a hypothesis; Noah’s presence made everything better.
So far, I had only allowed the Breakers to score three points, one of which I blamed on Beckett glaring at Caden rather than defending the line.
Noah had been reluctant to come. More than that, actually.
He outright refused, citing the big crowd and the involvement of sports, two things he could absolutely not stand.
It had taken me two weeks to change his mind.
In fact, on Wednesday, instead of covering the new grounds in our lessons, I found the surest way of making Noah agree to things that were out of his comfort zone.
And now that I possessed this power, I needed to wield it responsibly.
Noah had a love-hate relationship with a particular little pleasure technique that put him into an open state of mind.
All I had to do was put him into my lap, wrap my left arm around his arms and chest, and use my right hand to bring him as close to the edge of his orgasm as I could, then keep him there until he whimpered and begged and agreed to watch the game.
The rewards he received in return were Earth-shattering.
I winked at him, though three other people near him fanned their faces, and Noah rolled his eyes while struggling to keep a smirk off his face.
“If we win,” I whispered into his ear before leaving his room on Wednesday.
“You’re going to be the happiest, luckiest guy in the world afterward.
” And I meant to keep that promise. Every time we shut the door and pretended the rest of the world didn’t exist, pure magic happened.
Noah wasn’t even freaking out anymore. He was so ready to let me in and lock the doors, even to hint at things he wanted to do, that I soon started ignoring the rest of the campus.
Going out with Avery and the guys was a bit of a challenge lately because they all went to bars with a clear purpose while I sat, sipped my beer, and texted Noah.
Oddly, it brought me so much more pleasure to stare at my phone and provoke his snarkiest, rudest replies than to open my playbook and try flirting with someone else. It just felt wrong even to consider it.
Not that we were exclusive or anything. He had his life, and I didn’t meddle.
I highly doubted he was chasing guys all over campus, but if he was, it was his right.
He was just now entering the wild world of college flings, a place I’d existed in for years.
It was only natural that he would want to explore all the possibilities.
The thought made me growl to myself despite my best effort to be nonchalant. The truth was, Noah was way too precious to me to tie him down with agreements of exclusivity. I almost wished I’d met him a few years later when he was bored of hooking up and wanting something else.
Something else…
I could almost fit that big, spiky idea inside my skull. Dating. Exclusivity. A relationship.
The crowd erupted into applause and cheers.
It pulled me back into the present, and I realized I’d been skating left and right mechanically while my Titans scored another point on the far end of the rink.
They snatched the victory while I’d been lost in my thoughts, too far gone to even notice the moment.
Utter chaos spilled through the rink. Half the players on the ice were skating around, bumping into each other in gestures of celebration.
Our captain, Riley, threw his helmet away and kissed Cameron shamelessly in front of everyone, to which the enemy captain, Jonah, glowered.
His hatred for Cameron was such that he couldn’t hide it, but it wasn’t a surprise after the two brawled at the party two weeks ago.
Seeing Cameron and Riley grinding and kissing made me wrinkle my nose, but secretly, I was glad they were pushing the boundaries and paving the way for a little more openness on the ice.
I’d always been lowkey about my sexuality, never really hiding it but never letting it be the focus.
Hell, half my team didn’t know I was actually bi.
And if they suspected, they didn’t snoop around or ask.
But here they were, two awesome hockey players, reenacting the opening scenes of a raunchy movie, no less.
There was also a trace of jealousy in me, but it wasn’t directed at our captain.
I had the strongest urge to skate across the rink and drag Noah out to feel the ice under his shoes, then slam him against the boards and suck the soul out of his mouth.
But that would pretty much undo all the work I’d put into keeping this casual and low-pressure for Noah.
The locker room was a frenzy of celebration, a mix of triumphant shouts and the clatter of equipment being tossed around. Victory against the goddamn Breakers was sweet, and the energy in the air was electric. We'd played our hearts out, and it paid off.
Amidst the chaos, Avery slapped me on the back, his gaze as cold and expressionless as a serial killer’s, a tiny quirk in one corner of his lips telling me he was as elated as he’d ever been. “We're hitting the bar later to celebrate. Are you coming?”
I had a different plan — one that involved a quieter, more intimate celebration. My lips curved into a half-smile. "Nah, man, I think I'll pass this time. Got something else in mind."
Avery raised an eyebrow high enough to tell me he was gobsmacked. "Oh? Does it involve going over your physics notes?”
My heart raced just thinking about it. I kept my tone casual. “No.”
Avery leaned in, his voice lowered. “Seriously, Sawyer." He sucked his teeth and shook his head a little.
“What? I’m just gonna catch up on some reading. Nothing suspicious about that.” I stuffed my dirty uniform into my duffel.
He eyed me skeptically, but I shrugged it off. Just thinking of catching up with Noah tonight while I still rode this high of victory made me dizzy.
Avery clapped me on the shoulder. "Alright. Say ‘hi’ to your physics notes, and don’t do it on my bed.”
I snorted, clapping him back. “I absolutely have no idea what you’re talking about.”
As the team continued their raucous celebration, I slipped away from the locker room, my heart racing with anticipation.
Outside, Noah stood with his tutoring pimp, and I slowed down. He noticed me, then murmured something, and Matt clapped his shoulder before speeding away. A familiar voice reached my ears as I stood there, giving Matt time to leave.
“Hey, Sawyer,” she said. It took my eyes a moment to find her. There were several small groups of people scattered around, leaving the rink and making plans for the evenings.
“H-Heather,” I blurted. Of all the people I might have expected, Heather the Brother Slayer was the last on the list. Where was Zach, anyway? “‘Sup?”
“‘Sup?” She made her way toward me, and I managed a confused glance at Noah before she was in front of me. “What are you doing tonight? You’re not with your team.”
“I…have plans,” I said.
When she arched one eyebrow, she was gorgeous. There was no denying it. But the words she spoke next made me cold all over. “Can you change your plans? I’m free if you can.”
I sighed. “That’s great. Really. Great. But I’d prefer to keep my plans intact.” They involved a truckload of unseemly and unholy activities from now until the first light of a new day. I most definitely wasn’t going to change them.
“Are you sure about that?” She made a joke out of it with her light tone. In another set of circumstances, I would have wished I’d scored it with her that first time. Right now, though, it was a huge relief she and Zach had gotten into a fight over me.
“Isn’t your brother around?” I asked. “It’s weird talking to you without his jealous stare.”
She snorted. “He doesn’t need to know.”
I sighed again, louder. “There’s really nothing to know. I…gotta go. See you around.” I pushed past her, feeling her seething for a moment or two before she melted out of my consciousness.
Noah stood idly, watching the stars that dotted the night sky as if nobody else was around. The lights of the campus grounds faded the starry sky, and Noah broke his focus when I reached him. He looked at me and shared a lopsided grin. “Everybody wants a piece of you, huh?”
“Not a piece, I’m afraid. Everyone wants the same one.” The moment those words were out of me, I regretted being so crass, but Noah laughed out loud and wiggled his shoulders.