Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Hey, Eric? James? You guys home?”
The other man in question stills above me mid-thrust. He curses under his breath and pants, eyes blown wide.
Every slight twitch and shift of his cock burrowed inside me sends little shockwaves of pleasure through my body.
Neither of us expected to be in the middle of having sex while Eric’s best friend came over for a surprise visit.
“Should we stop?” I ask, but my leg wraps around his waist, cradling him closer, and I trace my fingers down his back over the ridges of his spine.
“How can I when you feel this good?” Eric groans, rolling his hips and hitting that spot causing my toes to curl.
“Don’t stop,” I gasp, arching into him and digging my nails into his skin.
Two days ago, we returned home from our camping trip. Instead of unpacking, instead of getting back to everyday life, we continued our sex marathon by heading straight for his bedroom. If we weren’t fucking, we were eating or sleeping, never far from one another.
In the process, we kept the door to Eric’s bedroom wide open.
We didn’t think there would be any reason to shut it the last time we hurried upstairs.
We should stop, we should go down and meet Braydan before he walks in on us, but neither of us move to untangle ourselves.
Instead, Eric and I remain locked, his cock so perfect, so filling.
“Be good for me and try to keep quiet just a little longer,” he murmurs, his eyes dark and heavy with lust.
I clap my hand over my mouth, moaning into my palm as Eric lifts my legs over his shoulders, deepening the angle of his thrusts. There’s no way I could stay quiet otherwise, not when we’re both this close.
“I’ve got you, James,” he reassures in a hushed whisper. “Keep your eyes on me.”
With the threat of being caught looming over us, every sound is heightened. The creak of the bed, the rhythmic smack of our bodies, the muffled whimpers I can barely contain. He quickens his pace, hitting the same spot as before with every delicious grind.
When Braydan calls out again, I cry into my palm, all but melting into the bed as my climax crashes over like a rushing tide.
I clench all around his cock, squeezing tight, causing him to curse through his teeth.
With half-lidded eyes, I gaze up at him with total reverence.
His thrusts grow ragged, and he has to bury his face into my arched neck to muffle his deep groan as he comes.
My hand slips away from my face, and Eric leans down to kiss me, stealing my breath and smothering my weak moans.
I card my fingers through his hair, wishing he could linger, but common sense and rationality have started to kick in.
Eric slides off of me and throws away the full condom.
He bends down and pulls on a pair of his own discarded sweats, but the shirt he plucks off a nearby chair is mine.
By the time I notice his mistake, it’s too late.
He’s already out in the hallway, racing down the stairs to meet his friend.
“Hey, Braydan!” Eric calls out. “Sorry. You just caught me while I was in the shower...”
Braydan’s muffled response causes a harsh dose of reality to settle in.
Moving gingerly from soreness, I roll out of bed and search around the room, thoughts speeding out of control.
Braydan might not be aware of Eric’s sexuality.
There’s no evidence pointing to the contrary.
If Braydan finds out I’ve been with Eric, if Braydan takes the fact his best friend’s bi negatively, the damage to their relationship could be catastrophic.
If word gets out to the rest of the Seadogs…
We weren’t thinking. We were so caught up in the trip, the glow of our newfound relationship, we didn’t talk about something as serious and vital as who we’re out to.
I’ve had no reason to worry as a single man up until now, but Eric has had previous partners.
How will Eric and I navigate our privacy?
Yes, Eric said he wanted to date me. Yes, Seattle has a significant LGBT community and is supportive, but it’s not so cut and dry in our line of work.
Eric’s a recognizable celebrity. Some hockey fans, even plenty of hockey players, wouldn't be pleased to discover a player was interested in other men.
What sort of expectations will Eric have with our relationship when it comes to others?
What sort of expectations am I supposed to have for myself?
I need to get out of Eric’s bedroom, but I can’t go downstairs flush in the face so shortly after Eric already went down, especially while smelling like sweat, sex, and, well, Eric.
I can’t put on the same clothes as before.
Braydan didn’t become one of the best defensemen in the league by being oblivious.
He’s a married man. One good look, and he’ll figure it out.
A shower, then? I can’t cross the hallway; what if Braydan comes upstairs and catches me coming out of Eric’s room?
It would be even more damning to appear as if I’m snooping around Eric’s belongings.
With no other choice, a quick, frigid shower inside Eric’s bathroom allows me to think of what I’ll say to Braydan.
It’s only after I reach for the shampoo do I realize my fatal mistake.
None of my products are here. Eric and I have shared a bed for the last two days, but I’ve only brought over a toothbrush and comb from the guest bedroom.
I’ve been using his soap, his hair products, and without thinking, I’ve cornered myself into using them again.
So much for not smelling like Eric and raising suspicion.
Water pounds against tile and swirls down the drain.
Braydan mentioned Eric’s been happier since All-Star Weekend; he’s noticed a significant change in Eric’s behavior.
But what if that only extends to friendship, not something romantic?
What if I have it all backwards, then? What if Braydan has no problem with Eric being bi and instead I’m the problem?
What if I’m not good enough for Braydan’s best friend?
When the questions become circular, I shut off the water and towel off, drying my hair as best as I can. I burst back into the bedroom lit with nerves. I can’t go wandering down the hall to the guest bedroom for my clean clothes in nothing but a towel for the same reasons as before.
With no other feasible choice, I turn to Eric’s wardrobe.
Eric and I have the same build, so if I borrow some of the clothes from the back of his closet, Braydan won’t notice anything out of sorts…
at least until I catch myself in the mirror and face a stark reminder: There are countless teeth marks and hickies all over my neck that demand a coverup.
Surely Eric’s closet must have something that will hide as much of the evidence as possible, but there’s few options.
I settle on a shirt with the highest collar I can find and pray it’ll be enough.
As appropriately dressed as I’ll ever be, I creep downstairs, moving as quietly as possible to pretend I was anywhere other than Eric’s room when Braydan arrived.
“…Kaori and I have been watching some true crime lately, so when I didn’t hear back from you, I started worrying something had happened to you two out in the woods.”
“It’s my fault. I completely forgot to check my phone when we got back. Sorry.”
“Hey, I get it. Seriously. I’m glad you two had a great time.”
And that’s my cue to step into the kitchen as if I stumbled upon the two of them there.
Braydan’s full attention shifts from Eric to me with a broad smile. “Oh, hey James!”
“Hi.”
“How’s it going?”
“Uh… It goes? I just woke up from a nap,” I feign.
“How was your first camping trip?”
“It was fun,” I answer with complete honesty. Our camping trip will go down as one of the highlights of my summer—quite possibly my life.
“Did he take you fishing by chance? I hear it’s been a great season.”
“Uh… Well…”
“We didn’t get a chance,” Eric cuts in. “Boat rentals were closed.”
“Too bad. Next time, then. Eric’s great with a rod.” Braydan grins and winks. “He doesn’t like to brag, but he knows how to reel them in.”
I blush. Is that just fishermen humor? Or is he talking about something else?
“Did you take any pictures?”
We didn’t take any explicit photos, so I don’t see why Braydan can’t scroll through them. I take a seat at the counter beside Braydan and offer my phone with the album app already open to the first trip picture. Braydan swipes through each, his smile widening as he proceeds.
“This one’s nice,” Braydan notes, gesturing to a picture of Eric and I standing in front of the falls. “Kaori and I took something similar when we went last year. You should get it printed and framed.”
After the photo at the falls, however, the only other photo involved myself and a s’more. We only have a handful of photos from the trip, but we definitely made memories.
“You didn’t take anything else? Weren’t you guys there for a week? What were you doing?”
“Sometimes it's better to live in the moment,” Eric deadpans.
“Of course.” Braydan hands back my phone and pats me on the shoulder. “You two planning on going again before training camp?”
Eric’s eyes meet mine. “If James wants to, I’d be happy to take him again.”
And again, and again, goes unspoken. Eric’s already proven it.
I clear my throat, hiding my blush behind my hand. “So… Were you staying for dinner?”
“He was just heading out, actually,” Eric says with a hint of force. “He’s got an important thing he’s gotta take care of before it gets too late in the day. Right, Braydan?”
“Yeah, yeah. I didn’t come over to impose. Just wanted to make sure you two were alright. The first forty-eight hours are the most important in a missing persons case, you know.”
Eric rolls his eyes and waves him off, and all I can muster is an awkward laugh. The two of us did fall off the face of the earth for the last few days.