Chapter Five
Gem
Exhausted after a sleepless night, where Gem had tossed and turned with thoughts of Ty and Luka swirling in his mind, an early morning flight from Boston to Texas was not where he wanted to be.
Cupping the large black coffee with an extra shot of espresso, Gem scowled out the window as he waited for the rest of the team, coaches, and staff to board the flight.
He was early because of course Gem was early.
Even being sleep deprived was not an excuse to be late for anything.
That also meant that Gem was irritated that not everyone else thought the same way.
Gem glanced up just as Luka entered the plane.
“Made it!” Luka declared while shouldering his backpack. “My car was late.”
“You’re fine,” Tomas said, waving him back. “Still waiting on a few guys.”
Gem hid his snort by taking a drink of his hot coffee. This was why Gem always drove himself. He’d bought a pass to the VIP parking garage and paid in advance for it. Gem didn’t rely on anyone but himself.
“Come back here,” Tomas told Luka. “There are a few empty rows you can pick from.”
Why? Why the hell was Tomas being so damn helpful?
There were also plenty of empty rows up front as well.
Let Luka sit up there far away from Gem.
But no, Luka walked toward Tomas and Gem and chose to sit in the row in front of Gem and to the right.
The row right in front of Tomas. Which meant that Gem could see Luka from the corner of his eye without even trying.
Purposely glaring out the window, Gem sucked down more of his coffee and slouched in his seat. He ignored the twinge of pain from his ribs. He should be fully healed, yet Gem’s ribs still ached. Not that he was planning on telling anyone. He was playing in the game later that night.
He’d been in a foul mood since he’d gotten home from practice. Even watching Aries and Vegas win, Nix’s laughter and jokes with his pretty funny commentary throughout the game, and a brief video talk with Ty hadn’t pulled Gem out of his head. Not sleeping didn’t help matters.
Gem was a nice guy. He didn’t lie or cheat or bully others. He was always the first to offer a helping hand when others needed it. So why was the universe screwing with him just when Gem had his life in perfect order? He did not need the complication of Luka in his life.
“Hey, Gem.”
“Good morning, Gem.”
“What’s up, man!”
As teammates filed past his seat and greeted him, Gem nodded in their direction while sipping on his coffee.
Hopefully they assumed he was tired with the early flight and left him alone.
Gem was not in the mood to be social. Being on all the time was fucking exhausted.
Gem would do it. It was expected of him.
Sometimes it was just too damn draining.
Glancing to the side, Gem noticed that Luka was leaning against the window with his phone in his hand, giving Gem the perfect position to watch him without Luka looking back.
It had to be the similarities between Luka and Ty that was throwing Gem off.
Both men had obviously built their magnificent body with lots of hours spent in the gym and with their naturally fit shifter genes.
They also had the same color of hair, not that light brown was really that unusual.
Gem’s fingers twitched, remembering how silky Ty’s strands had been as Gem ran his fingers through his hair.
Luka’s hair shone under the dim airplane lights, appearing just as soft.
Really it was ridiculous how similar the two men were.
Gem’s mind and body noticed. He could ignore his half-hard cock but it was harder to get his mind to stop thinking about two different men.
From his pocket, Gem’s cell vibrated. He’d already connected to the Wi-Fi but it was a little early to hear from Aries so it must be Nix. Or one of his parents. His mom did like to know what her boys were up to.
Gem winced as he moved to the side to pull out his phone. Fuck! He needed to figure out a way to get through the game.
Seeing the notification from the private messaging app, Gem smiled to himself.
That instantly perked him up.
‘On my first traveling trip with my co-workers. This should be fun.’
‘Plane or car?’ Gem sent back. The very impressive private jet that he was currently sitting on had spoiled Gem.
There had been numerous bus rides, car rides, and even a few commercial flights through the years that he and his brothers had been playing hockey.
He was never going back. Never. If he had to fly other than in his shifted form, it had to be private.
‘Plane. Not really a fan of flying. My animal is uneasy.’
While Gem could only guess at Ty’s shifted animal, he knew it was a big one, a predator from the scent, and he could understand. There were several shifters on his flight and none of them really liked flying on a plane.
His gaze traveled over to Luka, who still had his head bent over his phone. Luka’s stats claimed him to be a Siberian tiger shifter. Gem had to wonder how Luka dealt with flying.
‘Are you okay?’ Gem asked. That was always a question that he would ask his boy.
‘Nervous but I’ll be fine,’ Ty replied.
‘You will,’ Gem sent. ‘And why is that?’
‘I am strong, both physically and mentally.’ Ty’s words came fast.
‘Good boy,’ Gem praised. ‘What else?’
‘I am resilient and can overcome any challenge. I can handle tough situations. I stand tall in my beliefs and values. I don’t have to be perfect to be valuable. I am enough just as I am.’
‘You deserve a treat for being so good for me,’ Gem messaged. If he had Ty’s address, Gem would send him gifts all the time. Maybe soon that could happen.
‘What kind of treat?’ Ty questioned.
‘I guess that depends on what you want.’ Gem would give his sub anything.
‘Your cock?’
Gem snorted out a laugh before looking around him. He wouldn’t be smart to get caught sending dirty messages surrounded by his teammates. They would never let him live it down.
‘I could give you my cock,’ Gem vowed. ‘Mouth or ass?’
‘Both?’
‘Greedy boy,’ Gem teased. Damn, his cock was at full mast now. Grabbing the bottom of his team hoodie, Gem pulled the material over his lap.
‘I’m hard, sir,’ Ty sent.
‘As I am,’ Gem confessed. ‘And it is your fault. I think you might need a punishment before you get your treat.’
‘Maybe the punishment is my treat,’ Ty suggested.
The boy was sure growing bold. There was none of his usual hesitance.
Normally Gem had to coax Ty into the flirting once their conversation had been going for a while.
Gem had to wonder about this sudden change.
Was it because Ty regretted their short days of no contact or was something more going on? Maybe Ty was ready for more as well.
‘I think I can arrange something,’ Gem typed.
‘I’ll let you know when. It should be soon,’ Ty responded.
Did that mean that Ty would be coming to Boston? Gem would love that. It would be the perfect first step to invite the boy into Gem’s personal space. His new house.
‘Let me know,’ Gem requested.
‘I will. What are you up to today? Not working?’
‘I’m on a plane myself,’ Gem shared. ‘Just a short trip.’
‘Mine too,’ Ty replied. ‘Late night but maybe we can still video call?’
‘I’d like that,’ Gem sent. He’d really like that. Keeping his attention on Ty was what Gem needed to do. Plus, with Ty reaching out more, it might just mean that the boy would be agreeable to moving their relationship out into the open. At least with each other.
Ty might not be out to his family, work, or friends. Gem wouldn’t push him out of the closet or anything like that. He just wanted to be able to touch Ty’s face, to kiss him, for them to make plans to spend time together outside of a club or video call.
‘We’re taking off soon,’ Ty wrote. ‘Talk to you later.’
‘Be a good boy for me,’ Gem ordered.
‘Yes, sir.’
Gem exited out of the app before shoving his phone inside the pocket of his hoodie. Movement caught his eye, making Gem turn his head.
Luka was settling back into his seat, but his eyes were on Gem.
Okay, enough was enough. Gem pressed his lips together before raising a brow at his bold teammate, challenging him back.
Gem was someone that Luka was not going to intimidate or whatever he was attempting to do.
Yes, most of the looks that Luka sent his way were heated although if Luka thought Gem was going to bend over for the big bad shifter, he was going to learn different.
Surprisingly, Luka’s cheeks turned pink and he immediately ducked his head, looking away.
Huh, okay, Gem hadn’t expected that reaction.
Maybe Luka had just been fucking with him.
It wouldn’t be the first time that a teammate had tried to play chicken with him, thinking that they could have a little fun.
Gem didn’t back down. He won every single time.
Even if Gem wasn’t in a relationship, he didn’t bottom anymore.
That was by choice. He doubted that Luka was the kind of man who’d enjoy taking another man’s cock up his ass.
Not that Gem was trying to be a jerk or anything.
And he didn’t mean to judge Luka for how he looked.
It was just Gem’s experience that the tougher a shifter thought he was, the more he liked to push smaller shifters like Gem.
Finally, the door was closed to the plane and the lights flickered, alerting everyone to take their seats.
Gem drained the remainder of his coffee. He’d get another one once they were in the plane. The Boston management took good care of them. Every flight came with the best food and beverages available. Nonalcoholic of course, but that was fine with him since Gem didn’t drink anyway.