43. Anthony

What a fucking day, and it was only like three in the afternoon.

Any minute now, my phone would ring and my agent would break the news about my future as a professional hockey player. My ex-boyfriend was no doubt feeding some more bullshit to Cole Tandy just to be a vindictive dickhole. There was nothing I could do to stop any of the wheels currently in motion. All I could do was wait.

Beside me on the couch, Wyatt studied me. “So what happens now?”

I considered it. I was so tired, so utterly wrung out from facing down my team’s management and now having a confrontation with my ex, I couldn’t even think. I rubbed my forehead and sighed. “I don’t even know. I mean, I just have to wait for my agent to let me know where I’m being traded, or if—”

“Anthony.” Gentle fingers grasped my wrist and tugged my hand from my face. When I looked up, it was into those soft hazel eyes. His voice equally soft, he said, “I don’t mean that. I mean, what happens right now? Just… you. Here. With me.” He caressed my cheek. “Everything else is out of our hands, but what can I do right now so you can relax?”

Oh, God, I was falling so hard for this man. All damn day, through all this bullshit and chaos, no one had asked how I was doing or what I needed.

But here was Wyatt, watching me with a gentle expression, ready and willing to help me even after my ex had come in here and stomped all over his trauma.

“I…” For a moment, I chewed my lip.

Wyatt ran his thumb along my arm, still silently waiting for me to speak.

“Honestly?” I let my shoulders drop under the weight that had been trying to push them down for months now. “I kind of just want to get drunk and not care about anything for a while.”

I fully expected a patient sigh followed by a comment about how self-medicating wasn’t healthy or something.

Instead, Wyatt smiled. “Yeah? So… just lock the doors and get shitfaced?”

“You don’t think that’s weird? Or unhealthy?”

“Oh, I’m sure it’s unhealthy.” His smile turned to a wicked little grin. “But you’re talking a former soldier, my friend.” He lifted his chin to kiss me softly. “I’m not going to judge you for getting fucked up as a coping method.”

I managed a laugh as I wrapped my arms around his waist. “As long as I share the coping juice, right?”

“Well, yeah.” He shrugged innocently. “Therapeutic drinking is way more effective when you do it with someone else.”

I laughed with a little more feeling. “Oh really?”

“Mmhmm.” He draped his arms around my neck. “Scientific fact.”

“Amazing the things scientists get paid to figure out.”

“Please.” He brushed his lips across mine. “They just tossed a couple of kegs into a group of soldiers and took notes.”

I tried to kiss him but burst out laughing instead. From the way he grinned, that was the effect he’d been going for.

God, he was so good for me. Somehow, he always knew exactly what I needed in a given moment, whether it was a gentle touch or some levity. After three years of walking on eggshells, I’d found a man who let me feel what I needed to feel and also offered up whatever I needed to stay sane.

I reeled him in, and this time I did kiss him. Amazing how quickly I could go from worried and feeling like shit to happily losing myself in Wyatt’s arms. He was afraid he wasn’t good enough for me? Here I was, wondering how in the world I deserved someone as good as him.

Maybe I didn’t need to get shitfaced after all. Maybe all I needed was… this.

I touched my forehead to his. “You know, if it wouldn’t be too disappointing to skip the booze, I’ve got another idea.”

Wyatt drew back to meet my gaze, one eyebrow arched. “Yeah?”

“Mmhmm.”

If he was disappointed about skipping the booze, he sure didn’t let it show. As we tumbled naked into bed, he kissed and touched me like this was all he could ever want. Long, sexy kisses. Deep, hungry ones. Letting his lips skate up and down the sides of my neck and along the underside of my jaw.

His hot skin against mine had me dizzier than the alcohol ever would have. When he crawled down and took my cock between his lips, teasing and tonguing me until I couldn’t think anymore, I almost cried from pure bliss. Everything he did was magic, and I didn’t think I’d ever craved that magic more than I did right then.

“Jesus, Wyatt,” I moaned, tangling my fingers in his hair. “That’s so damn good.”

He hummed around my dick and kept at it, somehow driving me absolutely out of my mind but keeping an orgasm well out of range. As if he just wanted to take his sweet time and let me enjoy the ride. As if he were enjoying the ride, too. From the sounds he made, I was pretty sure he was. He always did. Christ, but this man loved giving head, and he could go on for ages without ever seeming to get tired of it.

When he did finally stop, he loomed over me, lips swollen and eyes on fire.

“Tell me what you want,” he whispered. “I will blow you within an inch of your life, fuck you into the mattress—whatever you need.”

A whimper escaped my throat and I dug my fingers into his ass cheeks. As much as I loved the things he did with his mouth, the promised of being railed was too much to pass up. “I want your dick.”

“Yeah?” He dropped a light kiss on my lips. “You want to suck it? Or you want me to fuck you?”

Both of those sounded amazing, but more than anything—

“Let me get on top and ride you.”

Wyatt groaned softly and kissed beneath my jaw. “Fuck yeah. Let me get a condom.” He grabbed one out of the nightstand, and as he lay back to put it on, I got up and straddled him.

Oh God, he was gorgeous. He was so damn sexy, especially when he was gazing up at me like he wanted to eat me alive.

He fingered me a little just to make sure I had on enough lube, biting his lip and moaning the whole time as if the anticipation were driving him out of his mind. I could relate. Even with his fingers inside me, I needed his cock so bad, I was going to lose it.

“That’s enough,” I breathed. “Get… I want your dick. Now.”

Wyatt didn’t hesitate. He slid his fingers free, and then he guided me down, and we both swore as I took him inside. I didn’t think I’d ever get over how perfectly we fit together; he wasn’t big enough that we had to worry about him hurting me, but he was absolutely packing plenty to rock my damn world.

And oh God, he rocked my damn world.

After a few slow strokes to make sure I was taking him easily, we fell into a frantic, hungry rhythm. He matched me stroke for stroke, thrusting up into me every time I came down, and holy hell, he felt so damn good. When I could actually keep my eyes open—a challenge with how intense this was—the view was utterly spectacular. I loved the way he looked beneath my like this, running his hands all over my thighs and abs as he seemed to drink in the sight of me. Of us moving together.

All the while, the upheaval and uncertainty in my world were there, making themselves known like someone in the next room playing their music too loud, but I just didn’t care. I could deal with all of that later. Right now, the only thing that held my focus was this gorgeous man who somehow couldn’t get enough of me. Every brush of his fingertips or his lips, every stroke of his dick inside me—it all just made everything else seem a million miles away. It all became unimportant compared to moving with Wyatt and watching his pleasure play out across his face.

I rested a hand on the headboard, and with the other, I started jerking my cock.

“Ooh, yeah,” Wyatt growled. “That’s it, baby. Oh my God, that’s hot.”

“You want me to come like this?” I panted.

He groaned low in his throat and arched beneath us. “Yes. Fuck yes.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and pumped myself for all I was worth. Wyatt swore under his breath and thrust up harder, driving himself as deep as he could and sending me hurtling toward that edge.

“C’mon, baby,” he murmured. “Let me see it. Let me feel it.” He was as breathless as I was, his rhythm falling apart as we took each other higher and higher.

“Oh, yeah,” I murmured. “Fuck, I’m almost there. I’m almost…” I trailed off because I forgot how to speak.

Wyatt gasped, his whole body tensing under me, and the realization that he was on the edge sent me right over it. I cried out, gripping the headboard for dear life as I came on my hand and his stomach, and a few erratic strokes later, he shouted with the force of his own release.

And just like that, we were still.

I slumped over him, and he pulled me the rest of the way down. I didn’t care about the cum or the sweat. I just let myself be wrapped up in his hot, trembling arms as we rode out those last few aftershocks.

“I think you’re right,” he slurred. “This is way better than getting shitfaced.”

I laughed, ironically sounding a bit drunk. “Sex with you is way better than a lot of things.” I lifted my head to find his mouth with mine, and added, “A lot of things.”

He chuckled, too, and we kissed lazily for a moment before we finally separated to clean ourselves up. When we returned to the bed, we collapsed in the middle in a tangle of shaky limbs and sleepy kisses. My bare foot grazed his prosthetic, but I was so used to that now, the touch of cold metal only vaguely registered. It was, if anything, just a reminder of who was in bed with me.

As if I could forget. No one had ever held me like Wyatt did. The sex was incredible, but he also had this way of holding me close that was comforting without being suffocating. I missed being next to him when I was on road trips, and I missed this part even more than the sex.

It was like I’d been miserable for so long, I’d forgotten what it felt like to be loved.

I closed my eyes and smiled to myself. Yeah, I’d forgotten it for a while. I sure remembered now, though, and I was happily making up for lost time whenever I got into bed with Wyatt.

After a while, he loosened his embrace and pulled back enough to meet my gaze. “Listen, to be serious…” He carded his fingers through my hair. “Are you okay? After everything with Simon?”

I thought about it, and then I nodded. “Yeah. I think so.” I trailed my knuckles down his arm. “I’ll still have hockey one way or the other. I’ve still got you and my boys.” I half-shrugged. “The rest will shake itself out.”

“You’re not stressed about being traded?”

“Oh, I am.” I laughed halfheartedly. “I hate it when things are up in the air like this. I hate not knowing when or where I’ll be playing hockey again. But it’s… I mean, this is also a huge relief, you know? I don’t have to pretend Simon and I are happy together anymore. I don’t have to room with him on the road anymore. Yeah, there’s a lot going on that’s stressing me out, but I feel like I can breathe again for the first time in ages.”

He kissed my temple. “I hope it works out. You’ll be able to breathe even better when this is all over.”

“Yeah, I will.” I caressed his cheek and held his gaze. “Listen, if they do move me—when they move me, because it’s probably a done deal—will you come with me?”

Wyatt’s eyes widened. “You’d want me to?”

“Yeah. I know we haven’t been doing this for very long, and maybe we shouldn’t move in together right away in a new place, but…” I swallowed. “This thing we’re doing—this is the best I’ve felt in a long, long time. I don’t want to rush into anything, but I also don’t want to give it up.”

He studied me for a few seconds, and then his expression softened. “I’d… Yeah. I’d love to. I like this, too.” He paused. “But I also don’t want you to feel like you have to take me along, you know? We can find a way to do it long-distance.”

“We can. But like… we already have to spend so much time apart because of my job. Maybe it’s a little selfish, but I want to spend my time at home with you.” I winced. “Okay, that sounded better in my head than it did out loud. I don’t want you at my beck and call, or trapped with me, and I don’t want to pull you away from your family, especially right now. If we end up on the other side of the country or something, I’ll make sure you can spend as much time as you need to in Portland, too.” I touched his face. “I just want to be with you. So we can give this a real try, you know?”

His smile made my toes curl. “I hear you. And… yeah. I want to give this a real try, too.”

“So… take it a day at a time?” I caressed his cheek. “See where things go?”

“Sounds perfect to me.” He kissed me softly. God, I was so hooked on the way he kissed. Hell, I was hooked on him. Whatever happened in the future, wherever my career sent me, I was doing everything I could to make this man happy.

Wyatt broke the kiss and grinned. “We can start that one day at a time thing with tonight and getting your mind off everything.”

“I’m game. What are you thinking?”

He pretended to give it some serious thought. “Why don’t we go order some unhealthy food, pour ourselves too much wine, and see what’s on Netflix?”

That sounded absolutely amazing to me.

As the sunrose and poked its way through my bedroom blinds, my world was still full of chaos and uncertainty. The Seattle Bobcats front office had been radio silent since yesterday’s meeting. I hadn’t heard a word from Simon since I’d booted him out. I was steadfastly avoiding the articles that were now spreading like wildfire thanks to Cole Tandy’s exposé.

Here in this room, though, everything was quiet and peaceful. I’d woken up with my arm slung over Moose and his head on the pillow next to mine. Wyatt’s body heat warmed my back; he too was on his side, probably with Lily curled against his chest like Moose was against mine. Judging by my inability to move my leg, Bear was in his usual place at the foot of the bed.

I closed my eyes and petted Moose, and it wasn’t long before he was purring, the deep rumble soothing my soul.

Wyatt and I hadn’t ended up getting too shitfaced last night, so my head only vaguely throbbed. I could live with that. In fact, I felt pretty damn good.

Yeah, there was chaos and uncertainty outside, but I was warm in my bed with my cats and the sweetest, gentlest man I’d ever met. Wherever my career sent me, whatever flux my life and career were in now, I felt anchored here with Wyatt, Lily, and the cats. The five of us could do exactly what we were doing anywhere else. A hotel. An apartment. A condo. A house. Somewhere in the U.S. Somewhere in Canada.

In that moment, no matter what came next, I was sure I’d be okay.

Beside me, Wyatt stirred. Lily’s tail thumped on the mattress. Then she jumped down and he muttered, “Mmkay. Gimme a sec.”

I didn’t think he and Lily were gone long, but it turned out to be long enough for me to start drifting off again. I awoke as Moose and Bear were situating themselves on Wyatt’s side of the bed. Moose parked himself on the pillow, and Bear stretched out as if he wanted to occupy as much of the warm sheets as he could.

When Wyatt saw this arrangement, he smirked, then rolled his eyes. “Um, can I have some room?”

They just looked at him and didn’t move.

I chuckled and reached for the nightstand. One crinkle of the treat bag, and they were both climbing over me, purring as they swatted at the bag. I tossed a couple of treats on the floor, and they leaped down to find them while I put the bag back in the drawer.

Wyatt slid up behind me and kissed my neck. In a cheesy voice, he asked, “Anything in that drawer for me?”

I snorted. “Uh-huh. Maybe later.”

“Fair enough.” He rolled onto his back, and when I turned over, he pulled me up against him. I closed my eyes as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I rested my head on his chest. Absently stroking my arm with his fingertips, he asked, “Did you sleep okay?”

“Better than I thought I would.”

“Good.” He kissed the top of my head. “I know sex and wine don’t solve anything, but…”

“No, they don’t.” I cuddled closer to him. “But they felt good, and so does this. I’ll deal with the rest when it comes.”

There was still a knot of apprehension in my stomach because a huge part of my life was still up in the air. But right here, right now, I felt better than I’d thought I was capable of feeling less than twenty-four hours ago.

We were both starting to drift off again when a familiar ringtone had me wide awake.

Wyatt tensed beside me. “What?”

I swallowed. “That’s my agent.” I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and sat up against the headboard. With my heart in my throat, I answered, “Hey.”

“Hey, Aussie,” Leanne said. “So, I’ve got some news for you. Everything’s being finalized, so nothing can be announced publicly yet, but it isn’t going to take long. I wanted you to know before it hit social media.”

“Yeah?” I felt around until I found Wyatt’s hand, and I gripped it tight. “Where are they sending me?”

“Nowhere.”

“No—what?”

“You’re staying here in Seattle. Simon is going to Atlanta in exchange for a pair of forwards, a second-round draft pick for this season, and a first round for next season.”

I blinked. “Are you… Are you serious?”

“Completely.”

“But he’s… I mean, he’s a way better player than I am.”

“Well, the powers that be know what they want. And they made it very clear they want you to stay. In fact, we’re going to be having a meeting to start negotiating your extension next week. Nothing’s written in stone yet, but they want to start talks well before you’re a free agent.”

I closed my eyes as I pushed out a breath. “Holy shit.”

“You’re good, Aussie. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what’s going on. I’ll be in touch about next week’s meeting.”

“Awesome,” I said, still dazed. “Thanks for the update.”

We ended the call, and I stared at my phone.

Wyatt sat up beside me. “Well?”

“They traded Simon,” I said hollowly, barely believing my own words. “They’re…” I met his eyes. “They’re keeping me.”

“Really?” He touched my arm. “That’s great! Isn’t it?”

“It is, but…” I gestured with my phone. “I need to call my coach. He’s got to know what’s going on.”

Wyatt nodded. With my heart in my throat, I sent the call, and as it rang on the other end, I clasped my and in his.

Coach answered with, “Morning, Aussie. I’m guessing you’ve heard by now?”

“Yeah, I have. Just… Clark is really trading Simon? And you’re okay with that?”

Coach sighed heavily. “On paper, Cars is an asset to the team. But he admitted to leaking the story to Cole Tandy.”

I closed my eyes and mouthed a few curses. “He admitted to it?”

“Eventually, yes.” Coach did not sound pleased. “He tried to insist it wasn’t him, but Clark and Megan got the truth out of him. And quite frankly, I don’t care how good someone is on the ice—that kind of backstabbing and abusive behavior is going to destroy a team. He’s a locker room cancer, and I don’t want him here.”

I was speechless for a moment. Finally, I managed, “Really?”

“Really. Listen, I think we made a mistake, laying down the law with you and Cars like that. We’re all married. We know how couples have their ups and downs. It wasn’t right, making a rule like that for the two of you. And honestly, after our meeting yesterday, we all realized that. I don’t think anyone had any mind to trade you or cut you loose.” He pushed out a breath. “Cars wouldn’t have gone anywhere either, but that stunt he pulled with Tandy…”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Wow. Damn.”

“Stats and play only go so far, Aussie,” he said. “I won’t have a cancer in my locker room. I talked to D’Angelo earlier, and he didn’t like the idea either, of having someone here who’s willing to feed the trolls like that.”

Holy shit. Our captain was onboard too? And maybe that wasn’t such a surprise. Hockey was a small community, and locker rooms were tight. If there was someone in the room who teammates couldn’t trust, that could screw up the whole team’s dynamics. In that respect, yeah, it made sense that Simon was the one who was traded, not me.

Still.

I swallowed hard. “Thanks for keeping me on. I’ll, um… I’ll do my best to live up to that.”

He laughed softly. “Honestly, kid, you’ve been living up to it from the start. Now that I know what was going on with you and Cars, the first part of this season makes a lot of sense. We shouldn’t have put you in that position. The fact that you kept your head together as much as you did, and that you recovered—I’m not worried at all going forward. Especially now that you don’t have all that pressure on you.”

“Thanks, Coach,” I whispered. “I appreciate it.”

We ended the call a moment later, and I closed my eyes as I leaned back against the headboard. “Holy shit.”

Wyatt squeezed my hand. “So… everything’s good?”

I nodded. “Yeah.” I sounded as dazed as I felt. “Everything’s good.” I let my head loll toward him so I could look in his eyes, and I relayed what my coach had told me.

“Wow. So they’re not fucking around, are they?”

“No. they’re not. All this time I thought they’d cut me loose…” I rubbed my hand over my face. “Never thought they’d pick me over him.” I paused. “Then again, I never thought he’d tell Cole goddamned Tandy about us.” With a dry laugh, I added, “Fuck around and find out, Simon.”

Wyatt chuckled. “Yeah, kinda seems like he did you a favor and shot himself in the foot.”

“About time he did something for me,” I muttered. Right then, my phone pinged with a text. I cringed, sure it was the man in question ready to read me the riot act.

Instead, it was the team’s captain.

D’Angelo: Hey, man. You good after today?

I wrote back with total honesty:

Anthony:Kind of shocked by all of it, but yeah, I’m good.

D’Angelo:Good. Wish we’d all known what was going on, but I get why you kept it quiet. We’ve got your back, though. 100%

My vision actually blurred as I sent back a thank-you text. Then I put the phone aside, and Wyatt quietly wrapped me up in his arms.

“I won’t say I’m glad he smeared your name all over the tabloids,” he said. “But I’m glad Simon showed his ass and got what was coming to him.”

“Me too.” I exhaled as so, so fucking much weight rolled off my shoulders. “I’m really glad I’m staying, too. I like this team. And the city.”

“I like it here, too.”

I met his gaze. “If I sign an extension after this season, I’ll probably be here for at least five or six more years. Especially if I ask for a no-move clause.”

“You can do that?”

“Mmhmm.” I touched his face. “I’d be willing to do it, too. Staying in one place will make it a lot easier for you, won’t it?”

He blinked as if he hadn’t expected that. “It… yeah. It will. I’ll be close to my family. I can maybe get a career going or something. Maybe—” He cut himself off.

I sat up a little. “Hmm?”

Wyatt dropped his gaze as some color bloomed in his cheeks. “It might be a bit of a pipe dream.”

“So was my hockey career.” I squeezed his hand. “Tell me.”

He looked at me through his lashes, and after a moment, he said, “Now that I have some stability, I really want to do something for people who were in my situation. Homeless vets. Or… I mean, homeless anyone, you know?” He fidgeted a little. “I’m not sure what I can do. Or what it would even take, but… If we’re going to be in the same place for a few years, maybe I can get something going.”

“That sounds like a great idea. And if you want to start something—an organization or whatever—I can offer up some seed money.”

He stared at me. “Really?”

“Of course. It’s… I mean, I’m not a billionaire or anything, but I want to help. Just say the word.”

His lips parted, but then he smiled and drew me in. “You really are amazing, you know that?”

“Nah. But I have resources, and if I can help, then I want to.”

“Like I said”—he kissed me softly—“amazing.”

I chuckled and let another kiss linger.

Not twenty minutes ago, I’d been sure my whole career and my life was in limbo. Any second, I was going to get the call that I was being shipped off to another team. Everything had been up in the air.

Now I was staying in Seattle. Wyatt and I were staying here. I would absolutely be pushing for a no-move clause going forward, both because I loved this place and this team, and because I wanted Wyatt to have a chance to build something. I didn’t know what that would look like—what kind of organization or effort he had in mind—but he knew more than anyone I could think of what someone in that situation needed. Whatever money he needed, whatever support, I was happy to give it to him so he could help others living through what he had.

In the meantime, he and Lily would never have to worry about that again. Anything they needed. Anything they wanted. As long as I had anything to say about it, they would be safe, housed, fed, and loved.

As for me, I was finally free from the man who didn’t want me anyway. I had a future with the Seattle Bobcats. I had a future with Wyatt.

And I couldn’t wait to see where that future took us.