Page 9 of Hot Ice, Tennessee (Hard Spot Saloon #2)

9

MASON

Before Jesse walked out and found me, I’d been lost in the chatter of the crowd.

“He is so fucking hot,” I heard a young girl saying from behind me, and her friend agreed.

“Went to a few games on campus last season just to watch him,” the other girl said. “I would have, like, ten of Jesse Sanocki’s babies.”

I know exactly how you feel , I thought as the crowd thinned out around me.

After most people around me had filtered out, I kept scanning the hall toward the locker room, waiting to see if Jesse would come out.

I saw the look of defeat on his face as he emerged, wearing a clean white T-shirt and shorts, hair still damp from a shower. His eyes finally landed on me and I felt like I really was getting to see some kind of athletic demigod coming toward me.

Win or loss, I’d just watched Jesse be in perfect control out on the ice. I had no idea how fast hockey really was—how the players had to make split-second decisions and manage micro-movements of that tiny-ass puck.

It hadn’t just been impressive.

It was almost unbelievable, watching him skate around fluidly like it was what he was born to do.

Just tell him he was amazing , I thought, watching as he walked over. He’s not going to be happy about the loss. But there were so many great plays he made—

The moment he came up to my side, I was ready and loaded with compliments.

“That was incredible. Your control —”

Before I could finish my sentence, though, he leaned over and pressed his lips to mine.

Blood rushed to my cock all at once.

I drew in a sharp breath against his lips as he dipped me slightly backward, one of his hands sliding to the back of my head, his fingers nestling in my hair.

It was a tight kiss, his tongue sliding out against mine.

“I don’t want to talk about the game,” he said in a soft whisper near my lips as he pulled off for a second.

His eyes looked like fire. Behind the beautiful green was some sort of passionate urgency, like he’d wished everything had gone differently.

Was he always this disappointed to lose a game? Or… was this something more?

“But you played like a fucking animal.”

“And I didn’t win ,” he said in a low tone, regret flooding out in his tone. His eyes dipped lower to look at my lips, and he let his hand slide down over my chest and stomach, landing on one of my belt loops and giving it a quick tug to pull me closer.

“So what?”

His eyes flashed to meet mine again. “You know what .”

I swallowed. “So you’ll just have to suck my cock instead.”

He paused, letting my words hang in the air, tormenting me with silence as I slowly started to harden under his gaze.

That was my own little Hail Mary.

Not that I thought it was going to work.

He was quiet for a second, and I saw the same look I’d seen on his face before, where he gets all calculating and curious for a while and I fucking lose my mind waiting to hear his reaction.

I stared back out at the empty ice, where a guy was cruising around on a… Zanloni? Zoombini? Whatever the fuck I’d heard people calling it earlier. I watched it make slow, curved circles on the ice, where Jesse had been a total menace, just a little while ago.

Zamboni . Right. Because the girls near me were joking about a Halloween costume where they’d been in a skeleton suit and called it “zam- boney .”

I glanced back at Jesse. He had been looking down, his thumb moving gently over a bruise on his arm that he must have gotten during the game.

Fuck, please say something.

When he finally spoke, I was stoked into a frenzy, trying so hard to seem like I was cool and collected.

“When you sent me that text earlier, I was in the locker room,” he said. “I didn’t have time to reply, but… I was going to tell you no .”

I sucked in a breath. “I understand.”

His eyes were so soulful and so pretty I wanted to die right about now.

I wanted him so fucking badly.

But I’d missed my chance, and now he was pulling back. I respected it, even if I wanted to kick myself.

His voice was low. “I think we both know the reasons why we shouldn’t do anything physical together—”

I nodded fast, looking down. “Right. Yep. Can’t blame me for trying, though.”

“—but then I fucking changed my mind.”

I felt each beat of my heart when I glanced back up at him. He sucked his lower lip into his mouth, then let it go.

“ God , you are going to ruin me,” I said, my breath a low whisper.

“Come with me.”

His hand clasped around mine. My heart was still pounding like a drum inside me as he took my hand and gave it a tug, leading me down the row of seats.

Holy mother of God.

The same sinking feeling that had flooded me the other night—when I was loopy on allergy meds, making a fool of myself in front of him—rushed back into me now.

Not sinking. More like falling .

Like I was being swept along in Jesse’s current, and I wanted to surrender to it.

To let him take that control.

As we walked down the hall between sets of seats, a few straggling groups of people were still standing and chatting in the wings. He waved and nodded at a few people as he walked with me, even stopping for selfies with a few of them. Afterward he went right back to grabbing my hand, with no shame in his game, and certainly not trying to hide that he was holding my hand.

“So you liked watching me?” he asked.

He was asking me if I liked the goddamn hockey game?

Now?

I practically couldn’t think straight with my hand in his, and I didn’t know where he was taking me, but at this point I’d follow him into moving traffic if it meant getting a chance at having him touch me just once.

“I don’t know how you do it,” I told him. “The puck is basically microscopic, and it’s sliding all over the ice at a million miles an hour. You skate like you’re all graceful one moment, then you’re up in a guy’s face the next. My jaw was on the floor, Jesse.”

“You actually liked it,” he said, sounding amazed. A satisfied expression landed on his face for the first time since leaving the locker room. “You enjoyed watching hockey?”

“I enjoyed watching you .”

He led me down a short hallway and opened a door, leading me inside.

It was a small supply closet, with one shaded window at the back and racks of rink maintenance supplies along one wall. The air was quiet and still, and faintly smelled like a fresh lemon-scented cleaner.

He did a quick check of the room, looking it over it like he was making sure nobody else was inside before reaching behind me and shoving a giant box in front of the door.

“No lock. This’ll have to do.”

“Holy fuck,” I whispered.

He slowly used his bulk to back me up to the wall, inch by inch, until my back hit the cool concrete.

He pinned me up against it, the warm front of his body connecting with mine as one hand came down onto the wall beside me.

He was so close. All heat and muscle. I was reminded of our slight size difference—I wasn’t exactly a weakling, but Jesse worked out like it was a full-time job, and even an inch or two of height over me was enough to notice.

His lips were on mine again in another rough kiss and I opened to him, letting his tongue inside. I was seeing a part of him I hadn’t experienced before—a quiet rage that came out as a possessive, almost animalistic urge. Maybe it was because he lost the game, or maybe he was mad that I’d been there to see it.

If this is how you take out your post-game anger… then I’m your number one fan.

Hazy colors filled my peripheral vision. I saw his tattooed arm coming up against the wall beside me, positioned near the edge of my face. My cock ached, shoved up against the front of my jeans in the same almost pained way it was on our first night together.

Whether he tried to or not, he wore his heart on his sleeve, and right now he was eyeing me like a hungry animal.

If this was my one shot, I was going to take it.

“I liked knowing you were in the crowd,” he said, looking me over before trailing downward with his lips, kissing against my neck and then my collarbone. “But you can’t come to any more games.”

“What?” I protested, which turned into a low moan as he licked against my collarbone.

“You distract the fuck out of me.”

“No I don’t. You were totally focused on the puck. How was I distracting you?”

“I was thinking about your lips,” he said, leaning back to look in my eyes for a moment. “How your lips might feel on me , if I won. And then I fucking lost.”

“Well, next time you won’t lose.”

He hummed as he reached for the buttons of my flannel, undoing them one by one. His eyes widened as he revealed what I was wearing underneath. He moved his hands underneath my flannel, running his palms along the sides of my body.

“You got a TNU Talons shirt?” he said. “You’re wearing one of our shirts?”

“There was a little stand out front selling them before the game. Is that cheesy?”

“You’re repping my team,” he said, his eyes full of tender pride. “If that’s cheesy, then I guess I like cheesy.”

I pulled in a slow breath, my skin heating under his gaze.

And then he slowly dipped down onto his knees, running his hands down the front of my body until they landed on my thighs. He reached up to drag his palm along the very obvious bulge in my pants, cupping my cock and balls through the fabric and looking up at me.

I know what I should have been thinking as Jesse’s eyes met mine, there from the floor: Abort mission. Off-limits. There is absolutely nothing good that can come out of making this decision .

I didn’t think any of that.

I couldn’t think about anything else in the world right now other than his eyes and how much I wanted to feel his hands on me. I reached down, stroking my fingers through his still slightly damp, gorgeous dark hair.

“I… I want you so fucking badly.” My voice came out low and broken, and I didn’t care anymore if I seemed desperate.

I saw the hint of a smile come across his face and it sent my heart racing.

His hand moved to the button of my jeans, and I focused on the tattoo near his wrist, a small string of green vines and red flowers that snaked up the lower part of his arm.

He had my jeans undone a moment later. My shoe slipped on the ground as he shoved my jeans down toward the concrete floor. As I slipped, he grabbed my lower leg fast, steadying me with his strong hand.

“You okay?”

“I’m good. Very good,” I said.

He guided my leg back into place and I filled my lungs with air, watching as he leaned in to kiss my thigh. He brought his hand down to palm my cock from outside my boxer briefs, with only the soft fabric separating his hand from my skin.

“Look at you,” he murmured, leaning in to lightly kiss the tip of my cock, where a little spot of precum had gotten through the fabric. I moaned softly at the contact, trying to keep myself in the moment instead of melting into a pathetic puddle.

He slid down the waistband of my boxer briefs slowly, and my cock was right there in front of his face a moment later, hard and standing at attention like his dutiful servant.

I felt bare.

Exposed.

And really fucking turned on, knowing that he was seeing my cock for the first time, and I was completely helpless under his gaze.

I like that helpless feeling, with you.

Somehow it feels more like a thrill.

“Oh, God,” he murmured. “I’m going to like this.”

His hand was on my bare skin a moment later. My body was hot all over now, and my only solace was the cool air of a vent somewhere coming down over my skin.

I’d known that Jesse had bedroom eyes since the night I met him, but even that was nothing compared to how he looked when his lips were inches away from my cock. His eyes were heavy-lidded and focused.

“You make me do bad things,” I murmured.

“I know.”

He was so close to my cock now.

I expected him to tease me but instead he came down on my cock in one smooth motion, his wet mouth gliding over every inch of my length.

“ Holy fuck ,” I uttered as he took me to the hilt, pushing me as deep as he could take me all at once. I was buried in his mouth all at once, my cock was suddenly surrounded by heat and slickness, and I braced myself against the cool wall behind me with one hand. My other hand returned to his hair, coming down on it slowly.

He then steadied a hand at the base of my cock, holding me there above my balls as he moved in a few sure strokes with his mouth. My knees were weak as I watched him—his tattooed arm bracing me while he took my cock like a goddamn pro.

All of the confidence that Jesse projected in life, or on the ice, or even in his tone of voice, translated directly into his confidence now, too.

I watched his cheeks tighten a little around me as he worked his mouth along my cock, laying long strokes with the pad of his tongue along my underside. I whispered a little string of curse-laden praise as he deep-throated me for a moment, my head leaning back against the concrete.

“Oh, God, Jesse—”

The sound of jostling metal came through the room and my breath caught.

I quickly glanced over to the door handle of the supply closet and saw that it was being turned. The door didn’t open, thanks to the heavy boxes Jesse had slid in front of it, but somebody had tried.

“ Fuck ,” I whispered.

Jesse pulled off me for a moment, looking over and seeing it, too. He looked up at me, bringing one finger to his lips, giving me the shh signal.

And then the motherfucker went right back down onto my cock.

The sound of a walkie-talkie beep came from right outside the door—just inches from where my cock was currently deep in Jesse’s mouth.

From outside the door, I could hear the sound of the exchange.

“ Ay. Marv. Did you lock up the front closet? Got to grab a broom and change over for the free skate tonight.”

Jesse didn’t even seem to care. He was sucking me just as steady as before, trying to take me to the brink while someone might shove in at any moment.

The walkie-talkie beep came through again a moment later.

“ Don’t know. Don’t think so, but I’ll be over in a few. Hang tight.”

“ I’ll give it another try. Mechanism’s sticking or something. Doesn’t feel like the handle has any problem. ”

As the door handle started jiggling again, Jesse released my cock, then went back in again with little, teasing strokes of his tongue.

“I hate you,” I whispered.

He just hummed in response.

I swore he was trying to make me moan even louder. Even as the sound of the door handle was still coming into the room, Jesse was tracing wet, swirling patterns with his tongue all along the tip of my cock.

I looked at anything else in the room to try to keep my voice down—staring over at bottles of glass cleaner, stacks of towels, and a big broom at the edge of the closet. Keep it steady, Minton.

As if anything could distract me from Jesse’s tongue.

He was torturing me, he knew it, and he loved it, reaching up to gently cup my balls as he popped the tip of my cock between his lips.

The sound of the door handle finally stopped. I heard the maintenance guy whistling outside a moment later, along with his footsteps and the light jangle of keys with each step. He was clearly pacing the short hall outside.

Jesse pulled off of me, looking up as he fisted my cock, slicking his hand with his own spit.

“Why’d you barely text me all week?” he asked in a low tone as he stroked me.

“ Shh ,” I whispered back at him, jerking my head toward the door.

“He can’t hear,” Jesse murmured. I had no clue if that was even true. “Why didn’t you text me more? Or come to dinner?”

That’s what you’re fucking asking me about right now?

I breathed deep. I was already hot all over but now my cheeks flared with heat, too. Jesse gripped my cock with his fist as he gave me a questioning look, and it felt so good I had to concentrate on staying mad at him.

“I don’t know,” I said.

“Thought maybe I should leave you alone.”

“No. God, please, don’t leave me alone,” I said too fast. I swallowed hard. “It’s just—you took care of everything that night. Wasn’t going to bug you any more. I made a fool of myself on my meds—”

“I like you when you're a fool.” His eyes smoldered as he pumped my cock harder.

“Like I am right now?”

His smile appeared again. “Yes. And we’re not leaving this room until you come for me.”

My knees felt weak—literally fucking weak —hearing him give me that command. He dipped back onto my cock with his mouth, his tongue hot, taking me deep all over again just as I heard the sound of the other maintenance guy coming down the hall. I was torn between wanting to stop Jesse with every fiber of my being and thinking it would be insane to stop him now.

I was close.

I’d been close since the moment he dragged me into this goddamn room.

I sank my fingers into Jesse’s soft, damp hair, cradling the back of his head as he sucked. I tried to push away the thought of anyone outside. I gave Jesse a heated look, but he was deep-throating me again, keeping a fast rhythm, and my hips involuntarily bucked into his mouth.

I fucked into his mouth, pressure building up inside me like water behind a dam, and I knew I was on the brink of losing control. The sound of the two guys came from down the hall, having a conversation a little further down.

“Going to come,” I whispered as I felt Jesse’s tongue swirl around my tip before he plunged lower again, pushing me past the point of no return. I watched his lips, slick and ruddy, sink down around me, and he looked up to meet my eyes, commanding me just with a look: come for me.

I moaned openly as I felt myself starting to lose control. Maybe the guys out in the hall were going to hear me and maybe they weren’t, but I was past the point of caring. The outside world couldn’t compete with Jesse’s hot mouth. I’d wanted to come for him since the night we’d met, and I wasn’t going to hold back now.

Every cell in my body needed this. Needed him. Pleasure started to unfurl in me, slowly at first and then all at once. I braced my back against the wall and gripped Jesse’s hair.

“H— holy fuck— ”

My breath was a shaky whisper. Jesse’s free hand came down hard on my hip, gripping me there as I came on his tongue and he swallowed around me, taking it all.

The world slowed to a crawl for a moment as I came back to reality. Even the wall behind me didn’t feel cold anymore, heated by my body pressed up against it. I was breathing heavily. My heart was still slamming in my chest, beating like a drum inside me.

I’d wanted to come fast and get it out of my system but now, when I looked down at Jesse, something even worse hit me like a crashing wave.

God, I really like you .

I thought it silently, though in my own head I may as well have been shouting.

And I can’t like you. I can't do anything with you and yet… here I am.

He was up off his knees a moment later. He wiped at his slick mouth with the back of his hand. I wanted to say so many things to him, but every time I tried to speak, a fresh wave of disorienting shock washed over me.

I just face-fucked Kane’s brother.

He still didn’t seem to have any fear of the guys coming in—he took his time, leaned in and gave me a tiny kiss on my forehead before helping me zip my pants back up.

“You did so well,” he whispered softly, giving me a glance that was something between praise and simple acknowledgment, like I was a student who’d just passed a test.

He rearranged the bulge in his shorts. He shoved aside the heavy boxes by the maintenance room door, and in one quick motion, grabbed the handle and yanked it open.

He gave me a little push out into the hallway with a hand at the small of my back.

“Jesse, what the fuck?” I protested, but it was too late. I was out in the hall and in a moment, Jesse was there after me. I glanced over, seeing that the two men, somehow, by a mad streak of luck, had their heads down to look at one of their cell phones.

The two men turned to see us the moment we were out, though.

“Oh. Sanocki. You’re still here?” one of them said.

“Hey, Marv,” Jesse said, giving them a casual wave. “You catch that bloodbath from Nashville?”

I stood behind Jesse as he seamlessly morphed into shooting the shit with the guy who worked at the rink. It was clear he was a TNU hockey fan, and Jesse expertly distracted him, talking about the game.

They must have known we were in the supply room. I couldn’t imagine they didn’t know we were in there, doing something , but despite some confused looks from the second guy, it didn’t seem like they were going to ask about it.

That was the privilege of being with a well-known player, I guess.

My cock was still in the process of deflating and here Jesse was, turning on the hockey-star charm and covering for both of our asses.

Jesse waved at them a moment later and started off down the hall toward the two big glass doors that led out to the parking lot.

I followed behind, and out in the lot, he turned and looked at me with a satisfied grin.

It was magic.

He’d gotten us out of there, unscathed. He was so good. Too good.

And I was starting to think Jesse Sanocki was capable of anything.