Neutral Zone (BU Hockey Season 2, #4)

Chapter 1 Mickey

Mickey

ONE YEAR AGO…

“Do you like it when I suck your cock?”

A breathy voice practically purrs the words, and I feel myself nod vigorously because I do like that. I like it a lot. But before I can answer in the affirmative, someone else does.

“You know I do,” the voice says. “Jesus. Wrap those pretty lips around my dick and take me deep. I want to feel the back of your throat.”

What the fuck is happening right now? Did I leave my laptop on the floor when I fell asleep?

Is Doug, my feline friend, lounging on the keyboard, making biscuits and unknowingly cueing up porn?

I mean, it’s hot shit, so I’m not exactly complaining.

But I’m a visual guy, so I’d like to see the scene play out, not just hear it.

I reach down to feel around for my computer, but when my hand hits the floor, my fingers don’t graze the soft, plush carpet that lines my bedroom.

Instead, I feel cold hardwood. And I don’t have to reach far because I’m not sleeping on top of my cushiony mattress.

The bed I’m in is lumpy and small. I peel my eyes open and realize I’ve been sleeping on a bean bag chair.

And the thing in my hand isn’t my laptop. It’s a headless doll.

Where the fuck am I?

I start to sit up even though the movement makes my head pound, and my surroundings come into view. And the gasps and moans get louder.

Holy fuckballs. Someone is having sex in this room, and it isn’t me.

I blink a few times before my eyes focus on the two figures moving together on the couch. Long blond hair brushes over muscular shoulders and two shapely legs are wrapped around a narrowed waist.

My buddy Van and his girl, Josie, are having sex, and I’ve got a front row seat.

And that’s fine. I mean, it’s their basement. And it’s a damn fine spot for secret sex. I should know because I just had a night of glorious debauchery with the hottest girl on campus. The hottest girl I’ve ever seen. The hottest girl anybody has ever seen.

Vivian McDonald is impossible to miss. Even before my best friend got her best friend pregnant, I knew Viv.

Well, I knew of her. Everybody at Bainbridge University does—not only because she’s beautiful, but because she spends her free time standing on the top of a tower of people and launching herself back down to earth in a series of tumbles and flips.

She’s the top girl for the school’s cheer squad, so she flies and bounces around like it’s her natural state. As someone who has as much energy as a dozen kindergarteners at a birthday party, I can appreciate that.

I wonder if she’s hearing this and is as turned on as I am, or maybe she’s still passed out.

The berry punch she made for the baby shower yesterday packed quite the punch—huh.

Maybe that’s why they call it punch? I reach for my phone to look it up, but I don’t have my phone because it’s probably in the pocket of my jeans, but I’m not wearing jeans. I’m not wearing anything.

I reach for the blanket that’s covering my bendy little goddess but when I tug on it, there’s no resistance at all. She doesn’t smack me or yell at me or tell me to get my face back between her legs, stat—I remember that command verbatim from last night—because she’s not here.

I’m all alone.

Well, I’m not alone at all.

Van and Josie are still going at it on the couch about fifteen feet away, but they don’t see me. And if I turn my head, I can’t see them. And if I cover my face with the blanket, I can’t hear them, either.

Scratch that. Yes, I can. Damn, they’re loud.

I hear a high-pitched moan followed by an intake of breath and the unmistakable sound of a hand smacking an ass. Then I hear a giggle. And another gasp.

I need to get the hell out of here. Live porn is great in theory, but not when it’s two of my closest friends—and especially when they don’t know they’ve got an audience.

But how can I leave? The stairs are all the way on the other side of the room, and there’s no way they won’t spot me if I start my walk of shame here and now. And that will just make things even more awkward for all of us.

But I also can’t stay here at the impromptu peep show.

“Shh, Jos,” Van says. “You gotta stay quiet. You’re going to wake everybody up, and then I won’t be able to finish what I started.”

The volume decreases, but not by much. In desperation, I grab two stuffed animals off the floor and make a DIY version of noise-canceling headphones before wrapping the blanket around my body and over my head.

Forcing my eyes closed, I beg sleep to claim me for a few more hours, or at least until everyone else in the room is fully clothed.

My prayers must have been answered, because the next time I open my eyes, the room is much quieter.

There’s no moaning or screaming in ecstasy.

The only sound I hear is the steady rhythm of feet hitting a treadmill.

I look over to see Josie’s brother Zane getting his workout in.

He’s a freshman in high school, but he’s also a fellow hockey player, so I offer him a wave as I yawn and stretch.

“Dude, did you sleep down here all night?” he asks, pulling his earbuds out.

“Yeah,” I admit, scratching at my bare chest. “Well, except for the part where I woke up to—” Miraculously, I manage to stop running my mouth before I blurt out what I witnessed in the wee hours of the morning.

Zane doesn’t need to hear those details.

And since I’m not usually known for my restraint, I mentally reward myself with five gold stars.

Apparently, though, I don’t need to say the words in order to convey the meaning. The kid’s eyes go wide as he fills in the blanks, and then he shocks the hell out of me by laughing his ass off.

“Oh, my god,” he says, stepping off the treadmill. “Did you catch them?”

The surprises just keep coming. “You know Van and Josie sneak down here?” I ask.

“Uh, yeah,” he says. “I’m not dumb. And I let them because it’s way better than walking in on them in the laundry room when they think they’re being sneaky. I’ve made that mistake more than once.”

“I can see that,” I agree. “Speaking of sneaking, can you help a guy out? I’m kinda stranded down here, and I’ve got no clue where my clothes are.”

“No problem. I’ll be right back.”

When he’s halfway up the steps, I start crawling around on the floor in search of my phone.

I find it and one of my socks a few feet away from the bean bag that served as my bed last night.

My slides are under the couch, and after I root around a little longer, I find my jeans in a pile by the pool table.

As soon as I reach for them, though, I know it’s a lost cause.

They’ve turned a pinkish purple color and they smell like cherry Jell-O.

As I fish my car keys out of the pocket, a memory comes flooding back.

I was trying to pour the leftover punch into a pitcher, but ended up spilling it all over myself.

I was pissed when it happened because I love those jeans. But about a minute after Viv peeled them off me, I couldn’t think of a single regret in the history of my life.

That’s because she took her dress off and immediately erased my bad mood.

The squeak of sneakers on the tile floor lets me know Zane has returned, and I’m grateful when he hands me a clean set of clothes.

The blanket I’ve got wrapped around my waist is doing the Lord’s work right now because even a five second trip down memory lane has me wishing Viv had spent the night. Or at least left a fucking note.

It’s possible that she texted, but I haven’t checked my messages, so I don’t know for sure.

“Thanks,” I say, holding the blanket in place with one hand and taking the borrowed clothes with the other.

“Don’t stress about sneaking out,” Zane calls over his shoulder as he walks across the room and hops back on the treadmill.

“The coast is clear. Van and Josie took a bunch of stuff over to JT’s place.

I guess they got a ton of gifts yesterday, and they wouldn’t all fit in his car.

They took Iris with them, and Milo and Tillie are at a birthday party, so you’re good. ”

I thank the kid for the forty-seventh time because he’s doing me a solid, then I head up the basement steps and stop by the kitchen to swipe a banana off the center island.

I’m starving, so I peel it in two seconds, and polish it off in three bites.

I leave through the front door and shake my head when I don’t see my car by the curb.

It takes a few seconds for me to remember that I parked two streets over because Viv figured if Maggie and JT spotted my car, it’d give away the surprise.

Viv.

Damn, I want to see her again, and lucky for me, it’s a question of when, not if.

Our besties are practically married to each other, and they’re having a baby together.

That means I’m definitely going to see her sooner rather than later, and if she’s up for it, we can pick up right where we left off.

Ok, I don’t technically remember exactly where we left off, but I’m pretty sure Viv had her thighs clamped around my head at one point, and that seems like the perfect starting place for round two.

And also for rounds three, four, five, and six.

For round seven, we might need to get a little creative, but we’ll jump off that cliff when we get to it.

And I can’t wait to get to it.

Last night was incredible, and if my gut feeling is right, it’s only going to get better from here.