Chapter Twenty-Seven

Five Years Ago

Tommy

Blake didn’t come back right away. Not after two hours, three, or five. I was scared that I had ruined what we had just started. That I’d pushed him too hard when all I really wanted was to make him happy. His house was dark, which meant he was either sitting in there without the lights or maybe he had left. Gone to see his mother at the hospital, or maybe he was walking around trying to gather his thoughts together. I wanted to go make sure he was okay, but he said he needed to think. I didn’t want to overstep my boundaries. I decided to reach out to my brother again for his help.

Tommy: You around?

Jax: For you, always.

Tommy: Can I call you? I need to talk with you about something important, and I’d rather not do it over text.

Instead of answering, Jackson’s name lit up my phone.

“I’m not interrupting, am I?”

“Hello, Tom, I’m great. How are you?” he teased.

I suddenly realized how much I missed my big brother and wished he was here so I could hug him, talk to him in person, and get the reassurance I needed.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?”

I paced restlessly around my room. “You heard about Blake’s mom, right?”

“I did. Tell him how sorry I am and that I’m here if he needs anything,” Jackson told me. I heard murmured voices in the background before he spoke again. “You need my help? About what we spoke about before?”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me. “If she comes out of this, if she agrees, will you do it?”

“You don’t need to ask me again, Tom. You’re my brother, and I want you to be happy. I know you love Blake; how much he means to you.” Jackson’s voice sounded off. I had so many things I wanted to ask him but was scared to bring it up. “Yes, I’ll give you as much money as you need. God knows I won’t be spending it all in this lifetime.”

“Thank you, Jax.” Again, I heard hushed voices on the other line. “Are you busy? Should I not have bothered you?”

My brother chuckled. “It’s just fucking Beau and the person he brought back with him from the bar. Trust me, picking up puck bunnies is not my thing. I prefer a stranger who doesn’t know who I am.”

“In the same room?” Was I going to have to deal with that if I ever made it to the NHL?

Jackson snorted. “That’s how it works, Tom. Might want to get used to that now. I’m in the bathroom, but they’re kind of loud. I’m a rookie, so I can’t complain unless I want to sleep in the hallway.”

“But you would, right? Bring another guy back to your room if the moment presented itself?” Something occurred to me. “Beau’s gay?”

Jackson hummed softly. “I did once after I was made first goalie, but I spent most of the time worried that Beau was going to walk in on us so I couldn’t enjoy it much. And, to answer your question, he doesn’t really put a label on himself. He likes men and women. That’s on the down-low, though.”

“Right, of course,” I assured him. “I guess the only thing I’ll have to worry about is bringing my boyfriend back with me when we’re in the same city or he comes to visit. Maybe we can get our own hotel room. Do people do that?”

“They do, yeah. The guys who are married or are in a committed relationship,” Jackson answered.

I chewed on my bottom lip. “Do you want that? Marriage or whatever? You never really had too many serious boyfriends in high school.” Tell me. Please tell me.

“Maybe. I don’t know. That’s a long way off if it ever happens. I’m afraid of ending up brokenhearted.” Jackson sighed. “Again.”

I opened my mouth to ask him about Maverick, but that’s when I saw the lights go on across the street. Why wasn’t Blake here? Why hadn’t he texted me? Was he that mad at me right now? I stood there frozen until the lights went off again. It took me a few seconds to notice the figure heading toward our house.

“Jax, I have to go.”

“Let me know when you need this to happen, okay? Anything you need,” my brother assured me. “I love you, kiddo. Talk soon.”

I sprinted out of my room to meet Blake at the front door. He had his hand raised like he was going to knock when I ripped it open and yanked him inside against me. I held him as tight as I could and felt my entire body relax. He was here. He was okay. He wasn’t leaving me.

Right?

“Tommy, you’re hurting me.” Blake squirmed in my grip. When I released him, he looked up at me with sadness in his green eyes. “I’m sorry. About before.”

I cupped his head between my hands. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I had no right to tell you what to do.”

“I’m glad you got so upset with me because it means you care. I would regret leaving Mulligan.” He leaned closer. “I love you.”

I tipped Blake’s head up so I could slide my mouth over his. “I love you, too.” I watched the way his eyes lit up. “Where were you?”

“At the hospital,” Blake murmured.

He pushed his forehead against my chest. I waited for him to say something else, but when he didn’t, I rested my chin against his head. He’d talk to me when he was ready.

“Want to go upstairs?”

“Yeah, Tommy. Take me to your bed and make me forget everything.”

Heat streaked through my body. “All you have to do is ask, Bug, I’ll do whatever you want.”

When Blake glanced up at me under his lashes, it took all I had not to take him right here.

“Come on.” I reached for his hand and nearly dragged him back to my room. Once I had closed and locked the door behind us, I turned to look at my boyfriend. “Get naked for me.”

Blake quickly peeled off his shirt, kicked off his shoes, and yanked off his pants. He was still wearing his briefs, his cock pressing against the fabric. I let my gaze move over his perfect body, the toned muscles, his flat stomach, and I took a step toward him.

“I need you, Tommy,” he whispered.

I crushed my mouth against Blake’s while I walked us back to my bed. His hands were everywhere on my body, my back, my shoulders, up in my hair, and slipping between us to grab at my crotch. I shoved him back on the mattress, dropped to my knees, and looked up at him. Blake’s green eyes sparkled with heat as he smiled down at me.

I played with the top of his briefs, my fingers dancing against his skin. “You want to forget, bug?” Blake nodded. “Okay, let’s get these off, then turn around for me.”

He quickly lifted his hips to remove his underwear and flipped around on the bed. Blake glanced over his shoulder at me. “What are you going... Yes.” His head fell forward as I pulled his cheeks apart and dragged my tongue against his hole. “More of that.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I went to town on Blake like he was the last meal I’d ever get. Like a starved man, I gave him the best rim job of my life. I pressed soft little licks against his asshole, my tongue softening him up. Blake whined and pushed back against me before I finally speared my tongue inside of him.

“Yes.” He fisted the blanket as I began to fuck him like that.

Blake looked stunning. His cheeks spread wide, his entrance glistening with my spit. I wanted to bury myself inside him. Edge him for hours, until he was begging me to come. I reached up to grip his cock with one hand and gave it a lazy tug. He groaned deep in his throat, and satisfaction swept through me. I trailed my fingers against his balls, up to his taint and back again, all while my tongue was deep in his ass. The soft little “uh-uh” noises Blake made had my own length throbbing, but I was too focused on my boyfriend to care. I wanted to make all his troubles disappear. I needed him to know how much I cared for him.

How much I loved him.

“Tommy, I’m close. Come with me.” Blake’s body trembled. “Come on me, please.”

I pulled back so I could shove my jeans down my thighs. “You want my cum?” I whispered as he watched me beneath hooded eyes. I gripped the base as desire curled inside my stomach.

“More than you know,” Blake whispered.

I stared at Blake and tried to memorize everything about this moment. The lust in his grass-colored eyes, the way he clutched the blanket beneath him with one hand and his heavy cock with the other. The messy halo of blond hair, and the lean muscles of his back. This was exactly where we meant to be. The two of us together, in love and planning a future together. If Blake decided he didn’t want to be in a band anymore, I would support him. If he went to California with Mulligan and became a huge star, I would be his biggest fan. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for this man.

“Going to make you feel so good, Bug,” I murmured.

I dipped my head to plunge my tongue back inside his ass. The soft gasp Blake released before he started jerking himself caused me my dick to start leaking, precum dripping out of the tip like a leaky faucet.

He pushed back against me, dropped his head to the bed, and came in a shuddering cry. The sound of cum splattering against the mattress filled my ears as he writhed against me. When I was sure Blake was done, I stood back up to my full height and sprayed my release over his skin, fighting back a loud moan at the same time.

When I’d finally caught my breath, I grabbed my briefs and headed out of the room to grab a wet cloth. When I stepped back through the doorway, Blake was on his feet, his eyes wide with something I couldn’t read.

“Gretzky?”

“I’m right here, Bug.”

Blake nearly fell against me. “We’ll be okay, right? If I leave and you get drafted? We’ll still be us.”

“Yeah, of course,” I assured him, pushing my nose into his soft hair.

His arms tightened around me. “Promise?”

“I promise, Bug. You and I are a forever kind of thing,” I murmured.

Blake glanced up at me with a shy smile. “Your dried cum is still on my ass.”

“That’s why I got this.” I held up the washcloth. “Let me clean you up so we can go to bed.”

He nodded but then quickly pressed his mouth to mine before I could remind him just where it had been.

“A forever kind of thing,” he repeated.

Forever and ever.