Face Offs & Cheap Shots (CU Hockey Book 2) Read online

  “I do really like it when Jacobs is mad at me.”

  “It’s why he likes pissing me off.”

  Grant laughs. “Well, I can’t say this isn’t a surprise, but at least you two have found a way to get along?”

  “Sex helps,” I say. “A lot.”

  Grant laughs more. “You guys are awesome on the ice when you hate each other. Imagine what it’s going to be like this season when you’re in loooove.”

  Both of us scoff at that.

  “Whatever. We’re hanging up now. Byeeee.” I hit the End button. I turn to Jacobs whose lips are pursed. “Did that help?”

  “A little? Still hasn’t made me think okay, I’m definitely this. Or that.”

  I lean in and kiss his forehead. “You don’t have to figure anything out right now.”

  “Oh, there’s definitely one thing I need to figure out.”

  “What’s that?”

  “How to get you to do a full day of work on the farm again tomorrow.”

  “At this point, I think it will be more useful to cut off my arms so someone else can lift them for me.”

  Jacobs chuckles. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  27

  Jacobs

  I love being back on the farm. My family is intense and exhausting, but I always miss them when I’m gone. That said, I’m glad I’ve chosen to do summer camp every year, because even after a few weeks here, things are getting tight.

  And I don’t just mean in my pants.

  I’m glad I asked Beck to stay, but no matter where we try to sneak off to, there’s always family, or people visiting, or casual farmhands popping up unexpectedly. It’s a fight for the bathroom in the mornings, and noisy chaos at dinner each night. With Beck, and Tony’s girlfriend, and whatever friends Rafter and Cole bring around, the place that always felt small growing up is stifling now.

  Beck’s getting more used to the work though. I think Dad felt sorry for him after the first day or two and let him help with making the cider and taking the tractor rides instead.

  They’ve never let me do those things, and I’m beginning to think Beck was right.

  Those bastards like him better than me. And I don’t even care.

  Every time I see him teasing my brothers or talking to Dad or helping Mom, it makes me feel all gross and gooey inside. It also makes me want to drag him away and touch him all over, to show him how I’m feeling, but it’s borderline impossible.

  The few nights we’re not too sore to fool around, it’s all quick jerk-off sessions or rushed blowjobs. I hate being sneaky and cautious. I hate holding back. But I also hate the thought of any of my family hearing me fuck Beck into the mattress. And the walls here are thin.

  We sit out on the back deck, the final Thursday before school goes back, taking a moment to relax before the weekend starts again, and I laugh as Cole and Rafter try to convince Dad to let them have a drink.

  Tony nurses the one beer he’s allowed, knowing better than to taunt them openly, but the little dramatic moans he lets out every time he takes a sip are driving Rafter crazy.

  “Tony’s not twenty-one yet, this is so unfair.”

  “Yeah, but you’re sixteen,” I point out. “Nineteen is a whole lot closer than that.”

  “Don’t bother engaging,” Mom says.

  Beck shifts around and relaxes against the armrest of his chair so he can lay his legs across my lap. “So, Jenny, since I’m the favorite son”—he’s met by four scoffs—“what are the chances of taking some of those donuts back with me?”

  “If you make them, you can take them.”

  “Always trying to get me to work,” Beck groans.

  Dad laughs. “You think what you’ve been doing is considered work, Teddy?”

  “Jenny,” Beck whines. “Are you going to let him talk to me like that?”

  “Pretty much.”

  I laugh as Beck turns his pout on me. “Nope. You’re on your own.”

  “Fucking Jacobses.”

  I start to massage his calf, which draws a smile from him.

  “Hey, Chris,” Tony says to me. “We’ve all been dying to ask you, but Mom said to keep quiet …”

  I tense, waiting for the gay questioning to begin.

  “You haven’t mentioned anything about being captain this year when it’s all you talked about whenever I called you last semester. Did you get it?”

  Beck must feel the sudden tension because he swings his legs off mine and sits up.

  “No, actually.” I hook a thumb toward Beck. “Looks like it’ll be Beck leading us to the Frozen Four this year.”

  Tony’s eyes are comically large as he looks at Beck, who’s shaking his head.

  “Nothing’s decided yet. Coach is going to take it to the team to vote as soon as we’re back.”

  “But you won the challenges—”

  “They were stupid challenges—”

  “Which you still won.” I turn to Tony. “All the guys who volunteered for summer camp will vote for Beck, and most of the ones who didn’t are close with him as well. So he’s a shoo-in.” I smile at him. “And he deserves it.”

  Beck nods, not looking entirely convinced, but I’m sure all he needs is to get back on his skates and he’ll realize how naturally it comes. I’m disappointed I won’t get the C on my jersey, but I’m not disappointed he will. Because he does deserve it.

  I watch him as an idea slowly starts to form in my brain. The almost two months we’ve been sleeping together has been sneaking around and next to no privacy. It’ll be the same this weekend and the same again when we move back to CU.

  But if we left here tomorrow, maybe we could have the weekend. Just us. Being able to do whatever we wanted without having to set an alarm to sneak out or get to work.

  “Hey, Mom …” I already feel guilty before I’ve even got the words out. “If Beck and I were to head back tomorrow, how short would that leave you this weekend?”

  She looks uncomfortable, torn between letting me go to do my thing and needing the help. I instantly regret asking.

  “Go,” Dad says.

  “Are you sure? Because if it’ll be too hard—”

  He laughs. “That isn’t anything you need to worry about. You work hard, you deserve the weekend off.” His eyes squint up as he turns to Beck. “Besides, your boyfriend gets in the way.”

  “Hey!” Beck exclaims, pretending to be offended, but there’s more of that gooey happiness flooding my veins.

  “You cool with going tomorrow?” I ask him.

  He doesn’t look at me, which is probably a good thing because if he did, there’d be one massive word passing between us: SEX.

  “Yeah, sounds good.” His words stay level even as he shifts in his seat.

  The dorms at CU will be open seeing as it’s the weekend before school starts, but I don’t want to go back to campus yet. I’m hoping Beck won’t mind getting us a hotel room, and while normally asking for someone to spend money makes me feel uncomfortable, I think we need some time to ourselves.

  Especially after our conversation with Grant. Beck made it clear I’m the only guy he’s ever been attracted to, so it’d be naïve of me to assume he wants everyone to know his business.

  He didn’t hesitate in telling Grant and Zach about us which was a boost to my confidence, but I also know he was never that close with them.

  What about his friends? And the rest of the team?

  I’d like to think we’re both on the same page here. It doesn’t matter who we’ve been attracted to in the past, all that matters is the here and now and what he does to me. Both physically and mentally.

  For the first time in my life, I’m with someone where everything comes natural—not like I’m trying to force something that doesn’t fit.

  But I don’t want to assume he feels the same way.

  And I don’t want to ask him while we’re on my turf, where he’d feel pressured to agree.

  The emotion between us has always been big and
loud and something neither of us has been able to rein in, and now that I know what it’s like, I won’t settle for a relationship with anything less.

  I only want Beck.

  And fuck, I hope I’m it for him too.

  Beck books us two nights in a hotel that isn’t anything special but probably the best Burlington has. It sits on Lake Champlain, and he requests a late checkout on Sunday. Being in Burlington gives us a degree of separation from Colchester, but we’re still close enough that anyone heading back to school could be around.

  And I don’t care.

  We hold hands in the lobby and stand close while we wait. I brush a kiss against his head, and he leans into the contact. It’s so perfect, it cements my conviction that I want this way longer than just the summer, or the semester, or maybe even the year. I dunno. Slotting what we have into a time frame makes me feel sick.

  I don’t realize until we’re in the room that Beck has booked us a suite. “What’s this?” I ask, sticking my head into the bedroom and noting another door that leads to a bathroom.

  “Figured we deserved a little better than just a bed. Besides, this room has a huge tub and I’m dying to use it.”

  I hook my arm around his waist as he tries to pass me and pull him in close. “Slow down. I figured before we got naked, we could have a quick chat about something.”

  His eyes narrow. “A bad something?”

  “I don’t think so. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”

  “In that case, there doesn’t seem to be a reason why we can’t have this talk naked.”

  He’s right. “You’re one smart man.”

  We strip off as the bath runs, and I have to admit Beck did well. The bath can easily fit us both with my back to Beck’s front.

  We’re silent for a long time as we enjoy the warm water on our muscles.

  “So what did you want to talk about?” he finally asks, sounding half-asleep.

  I hum, equally relaxed. “What happens when we’re back at CU?”

  “We keep dating, right?”

  I let out a lazy chuckle. “I hope so. I’m a long way off satisfying my need for you.”

  “What did I say? Always horny.”

  “You know that’s not how I mean,” I whisper.

  The water sloshes over the side as he submerges his arms and wraps them tight around me. “I know. This feels stupidly right, doesn’t it?”

  “Definitely. Which brings me to my question. Are we telling people we’re together?”

  “I want to. You?”

  “Thank God. Yes. I want to tell everyone.”

  “Even the team?”

  “Especially the team.”

  His arms tighten and he nips my earlobe. “About time.”

  I push my ass back against him and feel his dick immediately perk up. “You know what else has taken a long time?”

  He stills against me. “Are you saying …”

  I turn in his arms, sending a huge wave of water onto the floor that we both ignore. Our mouths collide, and the need we’ve had to hold back while at the farm pours into the kiss.

  Beck’s hands find my ass as I lean my arms on the back of the tub and grip his hair, yanking his head back. We force the kiss so deep I can barely breathe, and when Beck thrusts up, bringing our cocks together, I can barely think either.

  One of his fingers slips between my ass cheeks and circles my hole. It sends sparks of need along my spine, and I remind myself to relax as he starts to apply pressure. I bear down as his finger slips inside, and it doesn’t take long before he brushes my prostate and I’m fucking myself on his digit. That, combined with our cocks rubbing together, takes me to the edge so quickly, I know I need to back off, but I don’t have that kind of self-control.

  Beck starts to laugh and slides his free arm up around my waist, pulling me against him so tight I can’t move. “Not allowed to come until you’re on my dick.”

  “There’s something I wanna try first. Can I?”

  “Anything.”

  “Turn around, get on your knees, and brace your arms against the wall.”

  Confusion crosses his face. “While I love you dicking me out, it’s my turn tonight, remember?”

  “You’ll definitely be giving me the D. But first, trust me. I wanna see if this is as hot as it looks.”

  He’s still clearly confused, but he gets on his knees and tilts his ass back toward me. An unintelligible noise leaves me at the sight, and I can’t imagine a world where Beck’s ass doesn’t pull that reaction from me.

  Before I can think with anything but my dick, I duck down and bury my face between his cheeks.

  “What are you—oh shit!” Beck pounds the tile and immediately pushes his ass back as I grab it with bruising force. I lick his hole, slowly massaging the muscle with my tongue, and while this might be good for him, it’s making my cock absolutely throb.

  Beck’s hand finds the back of my head, and he pushes my face in deeper for a moment, before he grips my hair and pulls me back. He’s panting as he stands.

  “Bed. Now.”

  I scramble to follow him. Beck goes straight to his bag to grab the lube and condoms while I give myself the fastest dry off in history. I crawl onto the bed on my hands and knees.

  “Nope, on your back.”

  I flip over and Beck blankets my body with his. I pull my knees up as his fingers pick up where they left off and work their way back into my body.

  “Your mouth …” He leans down to kiss me again. “Fucking magic.”

  “You liked?”

  “That was so hot. But thanks to you, I can’t see this lasting long.”

  “Lucky I don’t have much left in me.”

  His kisses turn harder, deeper, but there’s a level of control that wasn’t there in the bath. He hugs me close, rutting against my hip as he works me up to three fingers. Each time he brushes my prostate, I’m sure I’m about to come.

  I yank his hand away. “Now.”

  Beck’s gone in a flash, tearing open the condom and rolling it down his long dick. He kneels and positions his tip at my entrance.

  “Ready?”

  “Fuck yes.”

  He starts to push in, and it’s initially more painful than I thought it would be. Beck listens to and watches my reactions, backing off and easing in as I need him to, and even though it’s really uncomfortable, the care he’s taking makes me fall for him a little more.

  Once his hips find my ass, he leans forward and kisses me while he strokes me back to full hardness, and I’m relieved when the pain eventually disappears.

  “Okay, I think I’m good.”

  Beck’s thrusts start slow and deep, working up to a faster rhythm, and each time he pegs my prostate it gets easier to take. I wrap my legs around his waist and pull him down on top of me, needing to feel him everywhere. His arms land beside my head, and his forehead rests against mine, and each breath hits my lips as his thrusting gets more desperate.

  “Nrg, you’re tight. So, so fucking tight.” He reaches between us and closes his hand around my cock, jerking madly as he pounds into me.

  Each brush of my prostate, the friction on my dick, sends me closer and closer to the edge. Then my eyes meet his and it’s all over. My orgasm crashes into me, and cum hits my abs. I ride out the high as Beck lets go and slams into me once, twice, before his face screws up and I feel his cock start twitching.

  He collapses and the cum and sweat smears between us, but I have exactly zero energy to get up and clean off.

  “That was …” I can’t talk.

  “Yep.”

  Apparently he agrees with whatever adjective I can come up with, and while I’m tempted to throw an “eh” out at him, there’s no way I can do it with any conviction. My limbs are jelly.

  I cringe as he pulls out, and Beck’s forehead wrinkles with concern. “Sore?”

  “I can take it.”

  He drops the condom on the side of the bed and falls back on top of me
again. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Never better.”

  As I hug him against my chest and get taken over by all those soft, happy emotions, it really hits me how true those words are.

  I’ve literally never been better.

  28

  Beck

  It’s move-in day at the dorms, but Jacobs and I are still in bed in the hotel when my phone wakes us.

  “Who’s calling so early,” I grumble into my pillow. “They’re ruining moving day!”

  Jacobs reaches over me to get my phone off the bedside table. “It’s the same person who’s been calling you nonstop.”

  “Ugh. I should block his number.”

  “Don’t make me call you Teddy,” Jacobs says. “You need to talk to your father at some point.”

  “I really don’t. I already know what he’s going to say. I can’t be in a gay relationship, I can’t fuck around anymore, and I need to prepare to become his successor. Blah, blah, blah. I’ve heard it since I was in high school.”

  Jacobs’s warmth covers me as he throws his leg over mine.

  I’m on my stomach with my arms underneath my pillow, and I turn my head to look at him.

  “Maybe he wants to apologize?”

  “Clearly you have no idea who Theodore Beckett is. He’s probably calling to tell me he’s not paying for my tuition and is cutting me off.”

  Jacobs’s face falls. “Shit, would he really do that?”

  “He’d at least threaten it until I pulled in line. He’s never wrong, he never backs down, and he gets the final word … unless it’s anything Mom wants.”

  “Maybe your mom talked to him. Maybe she got through to him.” The optimism in my boyfriend’s voice is sweet, but so fucking naïve. “Side note on your mom though … Are her boobs made of rocks?”

  “Don’t talk about my mother’s boobs. Please.”

  “No, seriously, when she hugged me, it hurt. Like, she squished cement blocks into my chest. And did she say she was at a Playboy mansion party? How cool is that?”

  I bury my face in my pillow. “She was a Playboy Playmate.” The sound is muffled, but he hears it.