Page 24

SILAS

I wanted to stay with Damien, but it was past eleven, and I had to get home.

I texted Jo to let him know I was on my way back, then used the bathroom and got dressed, and Damien met me in his foyer.

Truthfully, I’d trade sleep for sex any day, but Damien insisted I get a move on because we had training tomorrow and I needed to be well-rested.

The man was a total hard-ass, but I had no complaints.

The fact that he was more concerned with my training than his sex drive was yet another reminder of why I found him irresistible.

While he came off as brusque and demanding, which he was, he also cared. A lot.

We spent nearly ten minutes on one goodbye kiss, stopping only so I could grab my backpack. I leaned in again for one more taste, but Damien put a hand to my chest.

“You kiss me like that again and you’ll never leave,” he teased.

“And your point is?”

Damien stepped back and shook his head.

“Go home. Get some sleep and be on time tomorrow,” he warned me. “Or else.”

“Or else what?” I bit my lower lip and chuckled when I saw the heat in his eyes. It only made leaving that much harder. “Ooh, what kind of punishment do I get? Does it involve edging?”

“Go on, get,” he ordered and stepped back, leaning against the doorframe, crossing his arms, clad in nothing but those sexy shorts.

His raven hair was mussed, his eyes were bright, and the smile on his face had me struggling to move.

“What are you doing Saturday?” I asked.

“Hopefully spending it with you,” he returned.

“How about I come here and cook dinner for you? Nothing fancy, burgers on the grill. Jo’s staying at his friend River’s for the weekend. I don’t have to pick him up until noon on Sunday.”

Damien reached for me, slipping one finger in the beltloop of my jeans and tugging me closer. “Stay overnight?”

I smiled and nodded. “It’s a date.”

“Text me when you get home.”

Then Damien swatted my ass and let me go.

I finally stepped out of his house and got in my truck.

As I drove away, I stared at him in my rearview mirror.

He was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed, that intense look on his face.

I was tempted to hit the brakes. No, more than that; I was tempted to turn the truck around but my rational brain said no.

The drive back home took no time at all, and I thought about how funny it was that Damien lived so close all this time and I never knew. The porch light was on and when I entered the house, I checked on Jo, who was already in his room, fast asleep.

I wandered into the kitchen, ate a protein bar, downed a huge glass of water, and then got my breakfast prepped for tomorrow. Once I checked the alarm on my phone—twice—I padded down the hallway to my bedroom, plugged in my phone, and slipped into the bathroom to wash up.

When I finally hit the sheets, I was tired but not sleepy. It was like the night before a big game when nerves and excitement battled it out. Only, I wasn’t obsessed with hockey, but with Damien.

I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text.

Silas: Home safe. I had a great time tonight.

Damien: Me too. Now go to bed.

Silas: Yes, Coach.

Damien: Don’t start…

Silas: Next time we’re naked, I want you to wear that whistle around your neck LOL.

Damien: Kinky.

Silas: Fucking right.

Damien: Stop flirting. We’ve got a full day ahead. I expect to see your best.

Silas: You’ll get that and more. And take your own advice and stop teasing me.

Damien: Me? I didn’t do anything.

Silas: You made it very difficult for me to leave tonight.

Damien: You made it difficult for me to let go.

My phone buzzed again, but this time it wasn’t a text, but a picture. Damien was clearly sitting on the deck again, but all I could see were his long legs. The focus of the image was the lake, or, rather, the shimmering reflection of the moon on the water.

Silas: Gorgeous. And no, I’m not talking about the lake.

My cock chubbed up thinking about Damien wrapping those stunning legs of his around my waist. Soon. Very, very soon.

Despite his warning, I reached for the tube of lube I kept stashed under my pillow and began to stroke myself off.

Damien: Saturday feels like a long time away. I’m not going to wake up tomorrow and find out this was all a fevered dream, am I?

I snapped a pic of my hand wrapped around my dick and typed out a reply.

Silas: Not a dream, baby.

Damien: Stop.

Silas: What???

Damien: I’m ordering you not to come. You’re going to save that for me. For Saturday.

Silas: Fuck, Damien.

Damien: Yes, soon. Stop touching yourself.

I did as I was told and removed my hand from my dick, rolling over onto my stomach. Shoving my face into the pillow, I let out a groan of frustration.

Silas: You being all bossy is such a fucking turn on. I stopped. Satisfied?

Damien: Not hardly. But think of how good it will be when we finally get our hands on each other again.

Silas: Four days feels like forever.

Damien: Go to sleep. I’ll see you at eight.

Silas: I’ll be there at seven.

When my alarm buzzed at six-thirty, I all but bolted out of bed.

I didn’t fall asleep until well past midnight, but who needed eight hours?

I was so hyped from being horny and not rubbing one out that I could probably skate for two days straight.

And who knew that Damien Banning was such a freaking tease?

I had all kinds of dirty plans to get back at him on the weekend.

Oh yeah, I was going to edge him until he lost his goddamn mind.

He thought he could play this game, but he’d met his match.

I shoveled in my breakfast—overnight oats with protein powder and blueberries, drank one cup of coffee and put another in a to-go cup.

When I was ready to leave, Jo stalked into the kitchen. He looked more rested today.

“Hey, you’re looking better.”

“I’m feeling okay,” he muttered. “You, on the other hand, look like you hardly slept.”

“Yeah, late night.” I coughed into my fist. “Are you working today?”

“Noon to six. River’s picking me up at eleven. Also, I’ve got a follow-up with my doctor on Thursday to talk about my medication.”

“What time?”

“Nine.”

“I’ll take you before I go to work.”

I plucked my phone out of my pocket and added the appointment to my calendar with a reminder. Then I texted Hen to make sure she was okay if I came in to work an hour late. I promised to make up the time next week.

“Thanks.” Jo yawned and ran a hand through his curls. “So, what did you do last night?”

Man, where would I even start?

“I was, you know, out.”

“Hot date?” he quipped.

“You know I don’t do that.”

“Maybe you will someday.”

I thought about Damien. God, I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

“Maybe.”

“Are we going to stop by and see Dad on Sunday?”

“Of course.”

My phone pinged with a reminder.

“You better get going. You don’t want to be late for camp. Again.”

“No, I don’t.” I chuckled. “Damien made it very clear that I was to be on time or else.”

“You seem different,” Jo commented and gave me a curious look. “Happier.”

“I’m playing hockey today, of course I’m happy.”

“That’s not it,” Jo replied.

I rolled my eyes, and he waved me off.

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

“There’s nothing to tell, Jo.”

I couldn’t. Even if I wanted to tell him, I couldn’t. Damien and I had too much at stake.

“Don’t work too hard,” I added as I walked towards the front door. “I’ll be back around five, so I’ll cook dinner.”

“See ya.”

I left the house and hopped in my truck.

It was another sunny, hot day. Taking full advantage, I lowered all the windows and enjoyed the warm breeze washing over my skin.

It was a nice change from six months of ice and snow.

Not that I’d be basking in the warmth or the sunshine for long since I was heading for a cold, badly lit rink.

Summer? Beaches? That was for everyone but hockey players.

Besides, I’d take an icy rink any day, every day, over anything else.

The drive took a bit longer than usual since there was a decent amount of traffic in town. Tourists flocked to Vermont for the summer camping season and every other vehicle had kayaks and bikes on their racks.

Fifteen minutes later, I parked, unloaded, and walked into the rink. It was after seven, which was perfect. I wanted to be the first one there so I could get dressed, get on the ice, and get my head in the right space. More than anything, I needed to feign indifference when faced with Damien again.

I thought about the way I reacted every time I was near him. Or heard his voice. The way my heart pounded, and my stomach dropped out. Shit. Maybe I ought to look up an acting class, because hiding my intentions was going to take skill.

The locker room was freezing, no surprise, and quiet, with none of the usual chatter to greet me.

I quickly changed, slid my pads on, my jersey, and helmet, and tied up my skates.

By the time I grabbed my stick and headed for the ice, I was calm, centered.

The ice was freshly flooded, perfectly smooth, reminding of the lake last night.

And me and Damien, sitting under the stars.

No. Head in the game, remember?

I did a few practice laps to clear my mind, get my muscles heated up, and then I started my stretches. Halfway through my warmup, and I knew I wasn’t alone anymore.

But it wasn’t Damien.

“Extra early, eh?” Finn quipped as he joined me on the ice. “Show off.”

“Hardly. I’m eager to get the day going. I’m doing what you suggest, trying to get in the right mindset.”

I was trying not to think about Damien…

“You mean, you don’t want to get on Coach’s bad side?”

I chuckled. “That too.”

Not that Damien had one. Fuck, everything about him was appealing to me. I had it bad. So bad.

“You’re early yourself,” I retorted.

“I guess we’re all a bit eager.” Finn skated past me and stopped short. “You look different today.”

Not him too.

“Wait.” Finn nudged my arm. “Holy shit! Si, what’s that on your face? Are you… are you actually smiling?”

“Fuck off,” I grumbled.

“Ah, I get it. I know what this relaxed vibe is all about. You got laid last night.”

“No comment.”

“Come on. I’m your friend, you gotta spill the deets. Who was the guy?”

“It was nothing. A casual one and done. The way it always is.”

Lies, lies, and more lies.

“Well, it must’ve been good because you, my friend, are glowing.”

“As if,” I scoffed and shook my head.

“Someone’s got a crush,” Finn said teasingly.

“No.”

“Who’s got a crush?” a voice interrupted from behind me.

Fucking Ethan. How’d he get the drop on me like that? So much for getting my head in the game.

“No one,” I bit out.

“It’s Silas,” Finn explained. “Look at him.”

Ethan gave me a once over and then glanced at Finn.

“You’re right, Finntastic. So, who’s the guy, Rufus? Give us the dirty deets. All of them.”

“You two are so freaking nosy. There is no guy and there will be no deets,” I insisted. “Now, can we get back to our warmup?”

I sighed and pushed off, turning around to find Damien standing at the far end of the ice, his tablet in hand, looking entirely too hot for a man in sweats at this hour of the day.

Before, I was always able to push my naughty thoughts about my hot coach aside and move on with my practice.

Now? All I wanted to do was skate towards him, yank him into my arms, and kiss him senseless.

I got his trademark warning glare, which only made my pulse beat faster.

Determined not to fuck up in front of Damien, or, worse, have my teammates figure out what was up between us, I skated to the other end of the ice to get my focus back. It didn’t matter. I felt his gaze tracking me, and I shivered in anticipation.

This was going to be the longest day of practice in the history of ever.