Page 3 of Defensive Zone (Chicago Thunder #3)

Chapter Two

Zach

I didn’t know how badly I needed this vacation until we arrived three days ago.

The warm sun soothing the aches and pains that are a result of a tough season. The coarse sand between my toes reminding me that there’s tranquility in this world when life has been hectic. The relaxing sound of ocean waves crashing against the shore lulling me into a peaceful sleep every night.

The uninterrupted time with Carter refills my soul.

Look at me, getting all poetic and shit.

When Carter suggested moving up our vacation the morning after we got knocked out of the playoffs, I could have kissed him. I didn’t though, because you don’t kiss your best friend. Especially the one you’re secretly madly in love with, even if it is out of gratitude.

But Chicago was beginning to feel… suffocating. The pitying looks I was getting anytime I left my apartment were becoming tiresome, and I knew I needed to get away for a while. I needed some space to lick my wounds in paradise before we head to Denver ahead of Carter’s preseason training camp.

And paradise it is. This beachfront villa in Oahu is the perfect place to unwind. I have amazing views everywhere I look. Behind me is the ocean, where I went surfing this morning as the sun came up. Palm trees sway in the light breeze on either side of the sun lounger I’m currently lazing on. But it’s the view in front of me that has the happy atoms bouncing inside my body.

Carter’s lounging on an inflatable pool float, his beer wedged into the cup holder. His light brown skin glistens under the sun as it catches the water droplets that are nestled in the grooves of his sculpted chest and abs.

I haven’t been able to take my eyes off him. I’ve had a prime view from this shaded sun lounger next to the pool, watching him swim and now sunbathe. You won’t see me sunbathing though, no matter how many times he tries to convince me. I’ve spent far too many hours sitting in a tattoo chair to let them fade from sun exposure.

“I could live here,” he announces, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah! What else could I possibly want in life? The weather is amazing. This pool is awesome. I’ve got a beer, and there’s fresh mangoes growing in the trees right over there.” He points them out, then tilts his head toward me and grins. “And I’ve got my best friend. Like I said, what more could I want?”

His declaration stings a little. Not because it isn’t true. I know without a doubt he’s one hundred percent genuine when he says it, but because I know what more I would want.

Him .

Yeah, I have him in my life. A best friend, a confidant. But I don’t have him—not wholly.

The crush I told myself I would get over back in college? Consider it quadrupled. It seems the years we’ve been apart have only caused it to grow. I’m reminded of that saying, Distance makes the heart grow fonder . Well, I’m very fond of Carter Lockwood. So much so that I’ve moaned his name while hooking up with another dude on more than one occasion. I felt like a complete asshole afterward. It wasn’t my finest moment, but I suppose neither is having a crush on my best friend for nearly two decades.

“When we retire?—”

I balk, my eyes widening behind my sunglasses, and I hold up my hand to stop him.

“Whoa, hang on! We’re not even thirty yet, and you’re retiring us? Do you want to jinx us and end up on IR next season?” I ask, referring to the injured reserve list. He knows we don’t talk about the R-word before it’s time.

“No, you jackass.” He snickers, splashing me with water. “In many, many years to come. When we’ve hung up our skates and cleats, I think we should buy a house out here, and then we could come out here as often as we wanted.” He sits up slightly, and those delicious abs of his tighten, making my mouth water. “We could even move here.”

I swallow a few times then clear my throat. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

He grins before finishing off his beer, and that sting in my chest returns. I know he isn’t doing this intentionally. I know he doesn’t mean to hurt me, because he doesn’t know how I feel about him.

I’ve never told him. I never will. But like I always do, I entertain it, because that’s just what I do. It’s almost like I enjoy torturing myself.

Because in years to come, he’s going to have a wife and kids, and I don’t want to be a third wheel, watching the love of my life live his with someone else.

The next few days pass by with sun-induced naps, dips in the ocean, working out with Carter before indulging in delicious food, and exploring this beautiful island. The hike we’re currently on is tough. It’s humid and muddy. We weave our way through overgrown greenery, some of it so sharp that I’m glad I read the reviews before we left and opted to wear pants. My legs would be scratched within an inch of their lives if I was wearing shorts.

“Fuck!” Carter hisses. He slaps the branch away and gives it the middle finger before rubbing his arm where it scratched him. “I’m going to look like I’ve been in a brawl with a cheetah by the time we get back.”

I snort. “Or a vicious kitten.”

He flips me off over his shoulder and continues up the path. I snicker, following close behind. We stop as we make our way up the trail to take photos and drink some water when we reach certain vantage points that offer beautiful views. With it being so hot today, the last thing either of us needs is to suffer from dehydration.

Sweat drips down my back from the exertion, causing my sleeveless T-shirt to stick to my skin.

“I feel like I’m going to melt.”

“Me too. I think my balls are stuck to my thigh.” Carter laughs, tugging on the crotch of his hiking pants.

I suppress a groan. I really don’t need to be thinking about his balls being all hot and sweaty right now. I’d do anything to nuzzle against his sac. I was already having a hard time with how good he looked in those pants. I nearly dropped to my knees and burst into tears when he turned the corner this morning and I saw how they emphasized his incredible ass and thighs.

Ugh. My cock gives an appreciative throb at the memory. Now is not the time to be boning up.

Think about anything else. Anything except his ass or his balls.

It should be illegal for someone to look so fucking hot. I’ve jerked off at least twice a day while we’ve been here. Seeing him practically naked, in only his short swim shorts, for nearly the entirety of the trip has made my dick be in a constant semi-hard state.

“There should be a pool up here that you’re allowed to swim in. I’m definitely going for a dip when we get there,” he says, completely unaware of the salacious thoughts in my brain.

When we reach another flat area, I stop and dump my backpack on the ground so I can take off my shirt. It’s practically dripping with sweat. I wring it out before using it to wipe my chest and my lower back. I don’t want to put my damp shirt in my bag, so I tie it to the straps, then turn to Carter. He’s peeled off his own shirt and his chest glistens with sweat. My tongue feels too big for my mouth as I ogle him behind the safety of my sunglasses.

“Can you put some sunscreen on my back?” I croak out.

He nods and retrieves the sunscreen from his bag and pours a generous amount into his palm. He runs his hands all over my back and arms in circular motions, and it takes every ounce of strength in me not to purr like a damn cat under his touch.

I’m more than capable of doing my chest and arms, but it doesn’t stop him from squirting more into his hand and stepping around to do my front, grinning like an idiot as he puts some on my nose with his finger.

“You’re such a dork.” I laugh, rubbing it in with my hand.

“Don’t want your nose burning like that time in Mexico. I’m pretty sure planes could have seen your red beacon of a nose from the sky.”

“Yeah, fuck you very much.” I scowl. “Someone didn’t think to cover my face when I fell asleep in the hammock.”

“Hey! That someone covered your body with a towel! I saved your tattoos.”

“You could’ve saved my face too,” I grumble.

He laughs and gives my nipple a flick once he’s finished rubbing in the sunscreen. If I wasn’t sweating like a beast right now, the move would have gone straight to my dick.

I’m about to ask him if he wants me to put any sunscreen on him when he speaks.

“Come on, let’s find that pool,” he says, throwing the bottle into his bag.

I let out a sigh of relief. It’s not that I don’t enjoy putting sunscreen on him, it’s the fact I enjoy being able to run my hands over his smooth skin a little too much.

We continue on our hike, making sure to stop for regular water breaks to stay hydrated and to take more photos.

“I think we’re close,” I announce as I hear the sound of rushing water.

My speed picks up in excitement of cooling off in the pool. I’m already calculating whether to lose my pants or go in fully dressed. Swimming in pants won’t be ideal, but it’s so hot, they will dry quickly. But in my haste, I don’t notice the rocks leading to the waterfall are slippery, and I lose my balance.

“Fuck!”

My arms flail as I try to stay upright. I startle as Carter’s arms wrap around me tightly. The move prevents me from falling, but I end up turning around in his arms. My bare chest is pressed up against Carter’s equally naked one. His hands grip my waist above the hem of my pants. My nipples brush against his as our chests heave with our panting breaths, and my dick doesn’t fail to notice. Heat races down my spine, and I take a steady step back, needing to create some distance between us before he feels the evidence of my arousal.

I’m thankful he can’t see my eyes behind my sunglasses because I’m sure what he would see would ruin our friendship.

I want to kiss him. Devour him with my mouth before stripping out of our clothes and seeing just how close we could get while naked in the pool.

“You’ve gotta be careful. I don’t want to be explaining to Coach Harris why you broke your leg on vacation,” Carter scolds, dumping his bag to the side and unbuttoning his pants.

I stand there for a moment, completely dumbfounded. My head is a mess from nearly falling and the weight of Carter’s sweaty body pressed up against mine. The feel of being skin to skin. My cock throbs in my briefs as image after image floods my brain like a reel of us sweaty and naked in bed.

“You coming?” he asks, eyeing me curiously from the edge of the water.

My head jerks in his direction, snapping me out of the daze. He takes tentative steps into the pool, making sure he doesn’t make the mistake I nearly did. He stripped down to his boxer briefs and kept his sneakers on. We both packed an extra pair of shoes and change of clothes in our bags for the trek back down.

“Y-yeah,” I rasp.

I put my bag on the ground next to his and take a drink of water, giving myself some time to let my dick deflate. I run through stats and practice drills in my mind, and remind myself of the time I threw up doing bag skates and once it calms down, I take off my pants and place them neatly over our backpacks.

This time, when I step onto the rocks, I take it slow and steady. Carter is right—Coach Harris would have my head if I injured myself during the off-season.

When I’m in up to my stomach and the water reaches my belly button, I let out a shuddering breath. It’s cold and refreshing and exactly what I—and my cock—needed to cool down.

I walk further in, then push off the ground and swim over to where Carter is. He’s floating on his back, arms out wide as he peers up toward the top of the waterfall. We learned a few years ago not to stand under them, no matter how tall they are, after he got hit with a falling log and cut his shoulder.

I shift to float on my back next to him, but he lunges, grabbing hold of my shoulders and dunking me under the water. I’m coughing and spluttering when I resurface.

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” I glare, wiping the water from my eyes.

He grins, and when he opens his mouth, I get my revenge. I dunk him under, then wrap my arms and legs around his neck and body. Our laughter bounces off the surrounding trees as we tussle, trying to get one up on the other.

Eventually, we swim to a shallower end where we can stand, the water coming up to mid-chest. I just stand there, allowing it to soothe my heated skin as I take in the stunning surroundings.

“I’m really glad I get to experience all this with you.” Carter’s voice is soft, almost vulnerable.

“Me too.” Glancing over at him, I smile softly as an ache blooms in my chest. “There’s no one else I would want to share these memories with.”

Even if memories are all I’m ever going to have.