Page 28

Caleb

My mom shoots me a concerned glance for the hundredth time.

I am bouncing out of my skin. It’s nerve-racking, giving a present to Leo.

The guy can buy himself anything he wants.

The gift has to mean something, but it can’t be too over the top and be obvious I’m into him.

That is the understatement of the year. My heart beats for the sound of his voice, the feel of his skin, and his rich scent.

We have gathered in the family room at the back of the house with the huge tree.

My dad outdid himself this year, and Mom’s decorations are festive and tasteful.

You never know what she’s going to do as the tree’s theme.

One year, it was forest animals. If I had known Lucky, I would’ve sent him a pic so he could obsess over it.

My dad shuts off the TV. “They say the worst of the storm will be over by dinnertime, and then the snow should stop by midnight. That gives the plows plenty of time to clear the roads for your drive home tomorrow. The neighbor agreed to do our driveway so you can get out.” He eyes Mason with skepticism because his fever spiked again last night.

Leo feels Mason’s forehead and relaxes, so his temp must be down. “It’ll be a boys’ trip,” he jokes. The airlines canceled all the flights out of Burlington today, so he’ll drive back with Mason and me.

“Little Bear, why don’t you pass out the gifts?” Mom asks.

I would rather someone else randomly hand Leo his gift. Now I have to debate if I should give it to him first or last or somewhere in the middle. My brain has gone into overthinking overdrive, and it’s exhausting.

The closest gift is for Mason from my parents, so I hand it to him and intend to pass all the presents out at once.

“Slow down.” My dad laughs. “We want our guests to take their time and enjoy this. It isn’t a race.”

Tell that to my racing heart that thinks I’m trying to sprint a marathon.

My parents got him a T-shirt that goes with my present, so I hand over my card. “It goes with this.”

Mason’s glassy eyes light up as he rips into the envelope. “Yes!” He holds up the printed concert tickets in victory.

“Let me tell you, I had to bribe our social media coordinator to find me a printer to sync with my phone to print these. You don’t have to take me…if you and Kayla…” I offer, knowing he won’t commit to taking her until right before his favorite band plays this summer.

“I can’t believe you got these. I spent all day on the phone trying.” He turns the paper over in awe.

I shrug and don’t tell him I asked our agent to pull some strings.

“You’ll probably want these as well.” Leo hands him a small box with two backstage passes.

“How did you guys do this?” Mason asks.

“One of the times you asked us what we were talking about and we said ‘goalie stuff,’ it was this.” I grin.

“The time you turned red and tripped.” Mason gives me a knowing look, but he’s totally wrong. He has a few other presents, but nothing compares to seeing the band he plays nonstop on repeat.

I pass Leo his gift from Mason, and my fingers tingle from where he touches me. Mason got him an Enforcers jersey with Coach Griffin printed on the back. We all pretend not to notice Leo’s eyes tear up.

“It’s your official welcome to the team. Sorry it took so long,” Mason says.

Leo hugs him. “Thank you. It’s the best gift I could imagine.”

I toss him my gift. Since nothing can top the sentimental value of Mason’s present, the pressure is off.

Leo unwraps it painstakingly slow, and it takes all my willpower to not tear it open for him. The anticipation is killing me.

His face is stoic as he reads the inscription and turns the glass over in his hands. “I don’t know what to say.” His amber eyes trap me in their gaze.

“Well.” I laugh nervously. “It’s nonrefundable, so shove it in a closet if you don’t like it.”

Leo’s arm shoots out and grips the back of my neck, bringing our foreheads close enough for me to see the black flecks in his irises. “It’s amazing. The perfect gift from you,” he whispers. He quickly lets me go and shows everyone. “It’s a case for the first puck I saved in the NHL.”

“Cool.” Mason holds his hand out to see it better. “Where’s it from?”

“I got it on Etsy. And now I know what to get you for your birthday.” I’m floating ten feet above the air. Leo loves my gift, touched me in view of everyone, and Mason isn’t even mad. I know it’s a special circumstance, but I decide to ride the high as long as it lasts.

“Don’t forget about your gifts.” Leo stretches his leg to nudge me with his foot. I honestly forgot about myself.

I purposely save his for last and open presents from my parents and Mason, saying all the right things and smiling but not paying attention to what they gave me. The box from Leo is on the smaller side, and it looks like he had it professionally wrapped with a bow and everything.

The scent of leather hits my nose as I remove the lid. I’m too nervous to take it out of the box.

“Dude, are you going to stare at it or figure out what it is?” Mason breaks me out of my trance.

Carefully, I slide my fingers into the box and feel the supple leather. It’s definitely expensive, and the smell reminds me of Leo, rich cedarwood. Leather strings tie the folded oblong gift together. I pull and it unfurls.

“For your crystals.” Leo leans in.

Each section is embossed with the name of the gems I showed Leo in my hotel room and is big enough to fit the size I wear but tight enough that they won’t fall out.

“I love it,” I blurt out, and Leo exhales with a smile. So many of my past teammates and coaches thought my crystals were superstitious nonsense, but Leo gets me. My entire body feels warm and gooey. It’s the best gift I’ve gotten that reflects a side of me I don’t show most people.

My heart feels like it’s attached to a hot-air balloon, lifting up in the night sky.

Then I remember all the things my mom said, and it crashes back to earth. There is only so much crazy a person can take. My mom made sure all my secrets were exposed.

This could be a vacation-type fling for Leo. He won’t want to put up with my anxiety and weirdness for long.

Of course, we have to endure another car trip from hell. The storm shifted, with snow so blinding Leo couldn’t see the car in front of him. The hotel parking lot is packed but continuing on would risk our lives.

“We’ve got one room left, a suite with a king bed and the other room has a queen,” the night clerk tells us.

“Does it have a pullout couch?” Leo asks, tapping his credit card on the counter.

“No, sir.”

“Will you be okay sharing a bed with your old man?” Leo asks Mason, who has rebounded, and his fever is down again.

“Worse things have happened to me,” Mason grumbles.

“We could try the motel,” I say, cringing.

“Now you’re just trying to kill me.” Mason glares.

“We’ll take it.” Leo hands over his credit card.

The suite is spacious with a big living room and a small galley kitchen. The bedrooms flank each side of the living room, and I dump my duffle in the queen room.

Mason shuts himself in the king room to shower, and Leo turns on the TV. We could steal a few minutes, but Mason takes inhumanly fast showers, and I don’t trust myself.

“I guess this is my bed check. Good night,” I say, standing in my doorway a beat too long for him not to notice I’m lingering. His smile is regretful, and I close my door.

An hour later, I’m wired and can’t turn my brain off. I’m replaying every interaction I had with Leo, every facial expression, his tone of voice, and every word he said. Since I can’t sleep, I wander out into the living room, hoping the TV will take my mind off Leo.

I stop short and rub my eyes. Leo’s in the galley kitchen, drinking a bottle of water. It reminds me of the night at his apartment when he caught me ogling him. My feet rush toward him to fulfill the fantasy I’ve had since that night.

“Let me take care of you, Daddy.” I crouch before him, giving him the chance to say no.

Leo coughs with surprise, but his eyes darken with lust. His fingers thread through my hair. “Always my Good Boy.”

I take that as permission and lower his boxers, exposing his rock-hard cock. My hands grip his hips so my thumbs can trace his cum gutters. Someday I hope to taste and fill them.

“I’m leaking for you. Open,” Leo commands and I obey. He drags his head along my lips, painting them with precum. “Lick it up, then suck my tip.”

I moan, running my tongue along his ridge and then pushing at his foreskin. Leo hauls me to my feet and kisses me breathless.

“I want you on your bed,” he growls and I run, grabbing his hand before he can change his mind.

We tumble on the bed in a heap of arms and legs, seeking as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. He owns my mouth, and my body responds to each of his nudges as if they were spoken orders.

“Please,” I beg, grinding on him, aching and empty.

“What do you need?”

I follow my impulsive recklessness and say, “I need you to fuck me, right now.”

Leo freezes but doesn’t let go of me.

“Please.” His face is conflicted, and I keep begging.

“I don’t want to hurt Mason either, but we can have this, and he’ll never have to know.

You talked about regrets, and this is me shooting my shot so I’ll never have to look back and wonder what it would be like if you fucked me.

It’s all I think about when I’m not focused on hockey.

” I hesitate and lighten the mood. “Think of it as a public service so I’m not out in the world constantly daydreaming about you being inside me. Please, Leo, don’t say no.”

He kisses me again, but this time it’s slow and sweet like a goodbye kiss, and my heart drops, but I kiss him back with all the emotion I can muster.

“In another life, I would never let you go. You’re everything I never knew I needed.” Leo untangles us and stands.

I refuse to let my disappointment be the last thing between us and try to smile, but my lips quiver. Instead of opening the door, Leo locks it and sags against it.

“I can’t say no to you when you’re everything I want.”

I’m officially dead.

Leo Griffin is going to fuck me.