19. Chapter 19 #3
Ethan didn’t say what Charlie was denying himself, but it was obvious, anyway. The thing was Max.
“You think he knows?” Hank asked. He hadn’t been sure. Was pretty sure Max was aware, because it was Max, and he was an unusually self-aware person.
“Charlie? Oh my God, yes.” Ethan barked out a laugh as he pulled into the parking garage. “Have I never told you about the video?”
“What video?”
Ethan parked and turned to him, mouth dropped open. “I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned it. Well, maybe at first, because it’s kind of a family secret, and you’re on the team, and Charlie would’ve killed me slowly if it leaked out, even in the room.”
“What video?” Hank repeated. He didn’t need to reassure Ethan about his trustworthiness; Ethan knew. Ethan freaking loved him, which Hank still had a momentary oh my God that’s real moment about every time it crossed his mind.
“So a few summers back, at our house in Michigan, on the lake, Charlie got drunk one night around the firepit and started going off about how amazing Max is. Like how hot he thinks he is, and how good at hockey, and how strong and big, and really, it was fucking disgusting, how insane Charlie is about Max. Avery recorded it as a joke, because he would not stop, and well. There’s now evidence that Charlie is nuts about Max.
He hates it when any of us bring it up.”
Hank was sure there had to be something he was missing. “So they’re not . . . not like clueless? They know and they’re still like this?”
Ethan just shrugged. “It’s really dumb, and any time one of us brings it up, Charlie clams up. Refuses to talk about it. I kinda thought, forever, before I came to New York, that maybe Max didn’t know, but now I think Max knows and he still doesn’t do anything about it.”
Hank only had one thing to say about that. “Thank God we’re not like that,” he said fervently, leaning over into Ethan’s space. “Promise me we’ll never be like that.”
Expression softening, Ethan leaned in too, brushing his mouth over Hank’s. “We’re never gonna be like that. Easiest promise I’ll ever make. Now come on, I want you so fucking bad I announced it to the whole locker room.”
Hank laughed, because he sure had, and it was impossible to even feel embarrassed about it anymore, not when he had that nice warm feeling spreading through him at the idea that every one of their teammates knew just how Ethan felt.
And how Hank felt right back.
Ethan looked at his boyfriend as he unlocked Max’s door and couldn’t hold the words in any longer. Hank already had a ghost of a bruise on a cheekbone that would probably darken later. He wanted, so bad, to kiss it and make it better.
“You looked so hot fighting like that,” he murmured as the door shut behind them.
Hank leaned in and kissed him, pressing him back against the door, their hips slotting together.
He’d never done that in Max’s apartment before, but Ethan was pleased that he felt comfortable enough doing it tonight. Especially after Charlie freaking out about it in front of the team earlier.
“Your room,” Ethan murmured into his mouth. He wasn’t about to push Hank’s comfort level, not when all the things he wanted definitely fell under the subject of only in Max’s guest room.
They stumbled down the hallway, Hank never letting go of him for a second, hands on his shoulders and then his waist and then on his ass, squeezing hard enough that Ethan felt lightheaded with it.
“Come on,” Ethan said, flopping down on the bed they’d shared the last week. Had never imagined he’d want to do that, gladly cede part of his hard-won space to someone else, but then he’d never imagined that he’d beg a guy to fuck his ass, either. And he was about to do that, too.
Hank pushed a knee onto the edge of the bed, balancing there, face only inches away from Ethan’s. “What do you want?” he asked.
“You know.” Ethan pushed up, catching Hank’s bottom lip between his, then sliding his mouth more firmly against his own. They’d been talking about it. He knew Hank was into it. Hank knew Ethan was into it.
Hank’s hands tightened on his shoulders, fingertips digging in. Ethan loved how he wasn’t always gentle with him. Let the force of his desire show. “Yeah?”
“Fuck me,” Ethan asked—not begging, which he thought was pretty huge, considering how badly he wanted it. Considering how badly they both wanted it.
Pulling back, Hank looked at him seriously. “If you want this, we can try it, but if you want to stop—”
“I know,” Ethan huffed out impatiently. It was sweet and romantic how concerned Hank was, how earnest he was about it, but he wanted Hank to snap, for his guard to break down, like it had during the game.
“And we’re going to go slow,” Hank continued like Ethan hadn’t interrupted.
Ethan laughed, because of course Hank had decided they needed to go that route. “Talk dirty to me, babe.”
“You’re too much,” Hank said, but the smile on his face was so full of affection and fondness that it was clear he thought Ethan was just enough.
“Still perfect for you,” Ethan retorted impudently.
“Still perfect for me,” Hank agreed, leaning down to kiss him again. This one was longer and wilder and wetter, like the leashes on their self-control had begun to slip, just by talking about it.
Ethan tugged Hank’s shirt over his head, and then dealt with his own, then wriggling out of his jeans as Hank finally broke the kiss, his chest rising and falling with his quickened breath.
“Come on,” Ethan murmured again. “I want it. Give it to me, babe.”
Hank shot him an incredulous glance but he was just as hard as Ethan was. Ethan could see it. And he did in fact, reach for the drawer in the table by the bed, grabbing lube and condoms.
“What are those?” Ethan demanded. “We’re both—” And then he broke off, because he’d been sure that they’d both waited, but it occurred to him now that maybe Hank hadn’t. He couldn’t be pissed about that. They hadn’t made each other any promises. Not until Hank had gotten called back up.
But Hank just rolled his eyes. “It’ll be easier, okay? And if you want to ditch them after, we’ll do that, okay?”
Ethan felt the warm fire inside him grow a little brighter. “You’ve done research.”
“Well, yeah,” Hank said, sliding his pants down. “I wasn’t going to—you matter.”
That fire grew even hotter. “You love me.”
“Yes,” Hank said. “Now lie back and think of the queen or something.”
“Oooh,” Ethan teased, “getting a little bitchy? I like it. Desperate, huh, babe?”
“For you? Yeah.” Hank kissed him again, pushing him back on the bed, hand finding its way between Ethan’s legs.
Ethan widened them further, welcoming Hank in.