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It wasn’t a slam dunk, but I was pretty sure Ellie was a little. If he was, how did that affect me? Did I tell him I knew? Did I tell him I was a Daddy? Well, a wannabe Daddy who had no damn experience but was willing to learn and try because I was already obsessed with taking care of him?

Ellie wasn’t the kind of guy who came around for a good time. He was too sweet and a little na?ve for that. He needed to be taken care of, coddled, and loved on, not sent out to a club to fend for himself like a lamb into a wolf pack. He’d be eaten alive.

What I needed to do was be honest with what I wanted. Obviously, I had a crush on the guy. But if I were going to go after him, I had to make it clear there was more to it than just killing some time until graduation because Ellie didn’t deserve to be strung along for shits and giggles.

It was time to be honest with what I wanted.

No, Ellie wasn’t my type. I’d always been happy to hook up and leave as friends because it was a good time on both sides.

Go to a club, find someone, fuck around, and call it good.

There was no fucking way I’d be down for that with Ellie.

I’d never been possessive over someone like I was with Ellie.

Shit, I liked when my hookups flirted with someone.

Half the time, we invited someone to join us because the more the fucking merrier.

The very thought of someone else putting their hands on Ellie made me queasy.

Imagining someone else making him come, taking care of him, fixing him breakfast, and ensuring he got to bed at a decent hour was enough to make me see red.

There was no goddamned way I could stomach anyone but me doing that. Those were my jobs.

If I was going to do this with Ellie, then I needed to fucking do it.

If I didn’t, then a fuckboy, one who looked exactly like Matty, likely waited in the wings to scoop him up.

He’d never take care of Ellie’s heart the way I could.

If Matty weren’t a Daddy, he wouldn’t even know what to do.

I didn’t either, but I knew more about it than he ever would.

I knew where to get information, and most importantly, I wanted to figure it out.

Once the thought of someone else taking hold of Ellie flashed in my brain, I knew my answer.

There was no goddamn way I was going to let him slip through my fingers.

I was already crushing on Ellie, so why would I walk away?

I needed to lay my cards out on the table and see if Ellie was interested.

Being roommates complicated things, but if he gave me a chance, then we could figure it out.

Even though we were nearing the end of the season, I was eager to attend practice.

Knowing Ellie would be there made everything so much better, especially since I’d decided to claim him for myself—assuming he also wanted me because, you know, consent.

Missing him for two days had really sucked.

We’d developed a little routine in the evening, and since we weren’t dating, it would’ve been weird if I’d called him to continue it.

In the locker room, it didn’t take long to switch out of my street clothes, grab my gear, put on my pads, and get on the ice.

I was running early, so I did a few laps around the rink to loosen my muscles.

When I saw Ellie emerge from the tunnel, I immediately headed to the edge of the ice, where he was busy setting up practice pucks and sticks.

“Hey, you made it to practice.” It was a dumb opening line, but I didn’t have anything else to go with. So much for being the cool guy.

“Yeah, and only two minutes late,” Ellie said with a rueful laugh. “I’m not sure where else you thought I’d be, but yeah, I made it.”

“We’re still on for dinner, right?” He pulled his shirt down before he scrubbed a hand over his face. My sweet Ellie was nervous.

“Are you sure it’s okay? I don’t want to be somewhere I’m not supposed to be.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. You’re part of the team. Fuck anyone who says you aren’t.” A faint blush sprang across Ellie’s cheeks. He looked down like his shoes were the most fascinating things in the world.

The urge to touch Ellie overcame whatever concern I had about respecting personal space. I pulled a glove off and covered his smaller hand resting on the rink wall with mine. My fingers laced with his before I tightened my grip. His fingers were long and delicate.

“And I want you with me tonight.” Ellie’s eyes shot to meet mine. They were wide and uncertain. “I’ve missed you too much to have you not come tonight.” I hoped he understood the sincerity in my voice.

“Brennen?” Ellie’s eyes were filled with uncertainty and something else that I couldn’t figure out.

“We can talk about it later when we have more time, but I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the last couple of days.” The way Ellie’s chest heaved told me my words struck a nerve with him.

Fuck it.

I leaned over the wall and kissed his cheek. The warm skin was smooth against my lips and his gasp went straight to my cock. When I drew back, Ellie’s shocked green eyes were filled with lust. He swayed toward me and the nerves in the pit of my stomach settled. I’d best not fuck this up.

When I leaned forward again, Ellie met me halfway.

My mouth brushed against his lips, and the innocent, soft sigh he gave back in return fed my soul.

I cradled the back of his head in my still-gloved hand.

Because he was on the bleacher side and I was on the ice, we were more matched in height.

I urged him forward, cursing internally when my gear kept me from feeling the full effect of his body against mine.

The whimper of disappointment that escaped Ellie when I drew back made me smile. My lips were still curved when I properly settled my mouth on Ellie’s again. My tongue traced the seam of his lips, and I nibbled his pouty bottom lip. When his mouth opened, I plunged my tongue inside with a growl.

I poured every bit of what I wanted to say to Ellie into that kiss.

My tongue mapped every surface, every curve.

My blood thrummed through my veins at his tentative, unpracticed attempt to reciprocate.

I’d guessed he didn’t have a lot of experience, but nothing had prepared me for the juvenile and wholly unimportant knowledge that I might be the first man to taste him.

Maybe the last one too.

The sounds of the guys headed back from the locker room penetrated the fog around us, and Ellie wrenched his mouth away. He reached up to lightly touch his swollen lips as if he wasn’t sure if what we’d done had truly happened.

“Why did you kiss me?”

“Because I couldn’t help myself.”

When the lust faded from Ellie’s eyes, confusion replaced it, and I knew he wasn’t out of line to be concerned. For all the shit I talked about Matty, our reputations were identical.

“This is a bad idea,” Ellie whispered.

I wasn’t sure if he was talking to himself or me.

“Before you talk yourself out of anything, let’s talk when we get home tonight after dinner.” Before answering, Ellie turned to look toward the noise of the approaching team. “Just talk. That’s it.”

“Ugh…umm…I guess…”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I let out a whoop and pushed off the boards. Ellie’s laugh, somewhere between a twinkle and a giggle, followed me.

I was gonna get my man.