Page 29

CHAPTER 29

MILLER

I wiped my sweaty palms against my pant leg, which did nothing to dry them. Maybe I was making a mistake? No. I had to take a chance. The look of hurt on Lathan’s face had haunted me throughout the gala. I’d given my opening speech, listened to Ace and Wade in the choir, and smiled as I talked to teammates and donors. But I hadn’t been present. How could I when my heart was still standing in that hallway with Lathan?

I’d looked for him everywhere, but he’d never reappeared. Nor had his mother. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something big had happened and I was going to lose him.

That wasn’t an outcome I was ready to accept.

As soon as it was socially acceptable to leave, I’d bolted. Thank goodness I wasn’t on cleanup duty. There was no way I’d be able to focus. It was a miracle I’d been as present as I had, considering my mind had been whirling with a plan. It had taken me too long to realize what had set Lathan off, but now that I did, I knew what I had to do.

The goal was open. The shot was clear. I just had to take it.

So I’d come home, packed up my room, and tossed those darn brochures into the trash.

I hadn’t expected to wait this long and was beginning to worry I had a bigger issue to deal with. Thankfully, the door opened and put me out of my misery.

It was soft, but I heard it. How could I not when everything in my being was laser focused on it? My heart pounded as I waited. His feet shuffled on the floor, pausing midway down the hallway, and I had to plant my feet into the carpet to stop myself from going to him. Alaska didn’t have the same qualms and jumped off the bed and slipped out the small crack in the door.

The time between Alaska leaving and Lathan coming closer seemed to last a lifetime. When the door swung open, and I saw him for the first time in hours, my heart stopped, free-fell, and restarted.

He wasn’t looking up, so he didn’t notice me right away. It gave me the chance to take him in. His hair was mussed, and his shirt was untucked. It was the most disheveled I’d ever seen him. He ran his fingers through his hair before looking up. His blue eyes widened when he spotted me.

“Miller… what are you… I thought you…” he rambled, unable to finish his sentence. He swallowed, and I could no longer hold myself back. With two long strides, I stood before him, cupping his face.

“I know what you thought, Lath. It was wrong. I’m not going anywhere. I belong here with you.”

“But your stuff,” he argued, like he couldn’t let himself believe what I was saying.

I smiled, stepped back, and took his hand to lead him to the walk-in closet. I opened the door and revealed my haphazard attempt to integrate my clothing with his. “Surprise! I moved in.”

Lathan choked, but it sounded more like he was trying to stop himself from laughing and crying. “This won’t do.”

My heart sank. There it was. I thought he was on the same path, but I was wrong.

“Oh. Okay. Give me a few hours, and I’ll?—”

“It’s a good thing I put a deposit down on the other apartment on this floor. We’re going to need a bigger room and closet. I love you, Mills, but you’re a slob.”

My heart lurched forward, giving me whiplash. “You fucker! That was my line.”

“Did you just cuss, Bambi? That’s not very becoming,” he teased. Lathan stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me.

“Well, it’s warranted when you steal my thunder by declaring your love first.” I pouted.

“The things you do to me,” he said, ignoring my petulance. He trailed his nose up my neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps. My dick perked up, and my fingers curled into him as he pressed kisses to my heated skin.

“Lath, wait, I…” I trailed off as he slid his hand into my pants and cupped me.

“I’m taking what I want, Bambi, and that’s you.”

Groaning, I quit fighting his touch and fell into it. I needed to feel him. I needed to touch him. I needed him.

“Shirt off,” I ordered, pushing him back against the wall. Lathan obliged as I dropped to my knees and made quick work of his pants. It was tempting to stay down here and show him how much I loved him, but Lathan had other ideas. He pulled me up and slammed his mouth to mine.

The kiss was heated and full of power. His hands gripped my hair and tugged on my curls. I moaned into his mouth and swirled my tongue with his. He opened deeper, and I gripped his naked flesh in my hands, sure to leave marks behind.

It was a mad flurry as he shoved my clothes off and fell onto the bed. His skin against mine was everything. Hot, hard, and smooth. We gripped each other, almost like we both wanted to be as close as possible. My cock was already leaking, leaving a trail of precum as we rutted against each other.

“Need you,” he grunted and reached for the lube. I didn’t need to be told twice. I was all on board for this plan.

I slicked my fingers and reached around him. His lips continued to assault me as I stretched his hole. It was hard to breathe, but the thought of not kissing him was worse. Our bodies were slick with sweat, and I was jittery as I pressed three fingers inside him.

“Now,” he groaned.

Lathan slipped off my fingers and notched my cock at his entrance. Slowly, he lowered himself onto me. Our eyes never left one another, telling each other everything.

I’m with you. You’re it for me. I love you.

It was exquisite pleasure and torture as my cock filled him. His tight heat wrapped around my bare cock had to be the world’s greatest joy. I’d fight anyone for the claim because I was the lucky man to have it all to myself.

He rose, and I moaned at the loss of him. It only lasted a second before he sank down. We lost ourselves in the slip and slide of our bodies, our hearts connected on a deeper level. I watched in amazement as his powerful thighs lifted him up and down, giving me the most erotic show as his cock slapped against my stomach with each pass. His dick was begging for me to touch it, but I wouldn’t yet. Everything felt too good for it to be over so soon.

Surging upward, I wrapped my arms around him and banded us together. Our foreheads touched, and we watched as I pumped up from the bottom. His dick rubbed against my abs, causing his eyes to roll back. Dropping my hands to his ass, I spread his cheeks apart and used them to thrust deeper and harder. Our bodies were fused together. Every part of us that could touch, was. I’d never felt more connected to a person than I did him right then.

Lathan groaned, and the sound undid me. I thrust upward, and the world exploded around me. Tingles raced over my body as my balls emptied themselves. Lathan’s walls gripped me tight as he came, his release coating both of our stomachs. Fireworks exploded throughout my body, and I felt sore all over. We panted together, our hearts beating hard as we came down from our high.

“That was wow.”

“Yeah. You know… you never actually said it.”

“Huh?” I rubbed his back and threaded my fingers through his hair. My cock was already slipping out of him, but I didn’t want to move or lose the closeness.

“You said I stole your line. What line was that, Mills?”

I blinked. Had I really not said it? Rewinding back the conversation, I realized I hadn’t.

“Lath, baby, I love you wholeheartedly. I have for a long time. I’m sorry I was too scared to tell you until now. You claimed my heart from the moment you entered it.”

“Say it again,” he whispered.

“I love you.”

He smiled and pressed a soft kiss on my lips. “I love you.”

“Let’s clean up before we make a bigger mess.”

Together, we showered and changed the sheets. “Bold of you to move your stuff in,” he teased.

“Don’t lie, you’ve wanted me here since the moment I moved in.”

He snorted. “Yeah, you’re right. I just wasn’t ready to admit it yet.”

We climbed into bed and I pulled him into my arms. He settled on my chest. “What happened after I left? I kept looking for you and your mom, but neither of you showed up.”

“Oh. Yeah. That’s the craziest part.”

“Crazier than us declaring our love for one another?”

“Believe it or not, yeah. My mom and I went to a diner, had cheeseburgers and milkshakes, and talked. She apologized for a lot of things.”

“Wow. I don’t know what’s harder to believe in that sentence. That your mom and you had a conversation or that you ate a cheeseburger.”

“Haha. But seriously. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t been there.”

“Was it a good talk?”

“Yeah, it was. A really good one. I, um, told my mom about us.”

I squeezed him tighter. “How did she react?”

“Better than I expected. Not that I thought she would disown me, but I always feared she’d use me for a platform. Instead, she said you sounded perfect for me and told me not to give up if I loved you.”

“Wow. Guess I have your mom to thank for that mind-blowing sex,” I teased.

“Gross. Don’t ever use the word mom and sex in the same sentence again.”

“Yeah, okay.” We chuckled, and he turned and stared up at me.

“I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about what I found before I jumped to conclusions. That wasn’t fair. I guess all of my childhood shit reared up, and I didn’t give you a fair chance.”

“I get it, but I hope you will in the future. Our relationship won’t work if we both assume things without talking.”

He blew out a breath. “Fair. I’ll work on it.” He dropped his gaze to my chest and his fingers, tracing imaginary shapes. “I’m not ready to come out to the world.”

“I’m not asking you to,” I interrupted.

“I know, Bambi. Let me finish.” I blushed, and he smiled. “But I think I’d be okay telling the team. I’m sick of hiding how I feel around them.”

My heart picked up. This was a big step. “Are you sure? Not everyone will be on board with this.”

“That’s their problem. Besides, outside of a few guys, I’m not Mister Sociable.”

“The team respects you more than you know, baby. Why do you think you were named the alternate captain so young?”

“No one else wanted it?”

I searched his eyes. He truly believed that. “Fuck that noise, Lath. You’re the most amazing man I’ve met. You’re an incredible hockey player, and the team respects the hell out of you. And not for your last name,” I tacked on, seeing the retort on his lips. “But because of you. You’re going to win the Stanley Cup one day, and we all hope to be there when you do.”

“Says the man who has already won one.”

I smiled. “Don’t you get it? Winning one with you tops everything. Besides, I barely played in those games. My team won, but it didn’t feel like I earned it.”

“Only you would say that.” He laughed. I rolled my eyes, and we chuckled together. It was quiet as we stared at one another. “I don’t need to win the Stanley Cup to be happy. I already am.”

I thought hearing him tell me he loved me was the most romantic thing in the world, but in true Lathan fashion, he showed me how wrong I was.

This time, when we came together, he was inside of me. We lay panting together, his arms tight around me, and he kissed my shoulder.

“I might be a bad influence on you.”

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“You’ve cussed at me twice tonight.”

“It’s not that I don’t cuss, just that most situations don’t call for that level of vigor. Tonight, did.”

“Whatever you say, Bambi. I like the idea of corrupting you.”

“Don’t forget who corrupted who here,” I retorted, rolling over and taking him to the bed.

“Hmm, I think I need to be reminded.”

Laughing, we wrestled in the sheets until we remembered we were both still messy. After another shower and change of bedding, we settled under the comforter and turned off the lights.

“So does this mean we’re boyfriends?”

“We’re whatever you want to be, baby. Linemates, roommates, friends… it doesn’t matter what label you put on it because you’re mine, and I’m yours.”

“I like that. I love you.”

“I love you.”

I fell asleep with the best smile.