Page 25

25

holky

My ass couldn’t have stretched another millimeter. The raw burn clawed through me, making it hard to breathe. I’d known Chuck was big—I’d seen him, felt him—but knowing and taking were two different things. The flash of pain when he first breached me was sharp enough to knock my brain sideways. For a second, I almost begged him to stop, to pull out and give me time.

Then the heat roared through me, blazing past the pain like a wildfire. My gut, my chest, my throat— it seared everything in its path. My body flipped, turned instinct into craving, and I was certain if Chuck didn’t put all of himself inside me, I’d fall apart. I’d die right there in our bed.

So instead of, “God, get it out,” I heard myself whisper, “Push. I want all of you.”

And holy fucking hell, he gave it to me. I’d thought the first stretch was intense, but when he sank the rest of the way in, I swear to God the top of my head cracked open. I couldn’t believe he fit. He was so deep I felt him in places I didn’t know had nerve endings. Surely he wasn’t that long. Yet there he was.

Fingering had felt amazing. Chuck’s hands were strong, and his fingers were long and thick. When he worked one inside me, I’d had to breathe through it, writhing as his warm skin dragged across every sensitive inch. It had felt obscenely good when he started fingerfucking me. My hips moved, and when he found my prostate, I let out a high, helpless cry. It turned me into a moaning, messy wreck.

But I hadn’t been ready for his cock. The stretch was intense, the burn real. He claimed me, filling me in a way nothing ever had. When he moved in, took over, and pressed deeply, nothing mattered but the way my body was surrendering to him.

He pulled out an inch or two, then pushed back in, and my whole being lit up. The burn melted into thick, molten heat, and then into a fullness so deep it flipped my heart inside out. I hadn’t known an ache like this could exist, one that only eased when the man you loved was inside you. Chuck moved again, a little deeper this time, and every slow, steady thrust unraveled me another inch.

He leaned down, catching my mouth in a messy, hungry kiss, and I clung to him like he was the only thing tethering me to the earth. The push and pull of him slotted perfectly into the clench and release of my body, syncing up so naturally it felt inevitable. We were made for this.

He looked at me as he moved. His grin—that loopy, dazed, gorgeous grin—was like a sunrise after a brutal storm.

“Faster,” I whispered, my voice shaking apart. “Need you.”

If I’d known it could feel like this—such a fierce, wild belonging—I would’ve begged for it years ago. But it wouldn’t have been like this. It wouldn’t have been Chuck.

He dropped his forehead to mine, his damp hair brushing my skin, and the heat between us built into frantic desperation. Every thrust sank deeper, driving me closer to the edge, until all I could do was hold on and fall with him.

“More,” I gasped, my voice breaking into a moan. When he pulled back a little too far, panic surged through me, and I hooked my legs around his waist, locking him to me, refusing to let him go.

“Fuck me,” I begged, digging my heels in and pulling him with my thighs.

“Shit, Nate. Goddamn good.” He slammed into me, finding a rhythm that made the whole bed shake.

As he thrust harder and deeper, my moans grew wild. Every stroke hit something inside me that made my body jolt and spiraled my need even higher. “Deeper, babe,” I begged. “Give it to me.”

We were drenched with sweat, and both of us were panting like we’d just played triple overtime. Drops slid off Chuck’s face and landed on mine, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t stop begging.

“Fuck me harder. Please. Please. ”

He adjusted his angle, and then—shit. His cock hit my prostate head-on, again and again.

“Yes, yes,” I cried. “Yes!”

His eyes glazed with heat. “Like it, huh?”

“Shut up and fuck me harder.”

I was nothing but one raw, desperate nerve. The pleasure crawled deeper, coiling in every corner of me. It wasn’t enough. It was like scratching an itch that grew stronger; every time he plunged inside, I craved more.

His eyes, wide and blazing, locked with mine, and we moved together like it was destiny. He’d pull back, and I’d clench, trying to hold onto him. I tugged at his hips with my trembling legs, and he’d drive in again, harder and deeper. The rhythm was primal and endless.

Every thrust made my abs clench and fanned the fire hotter. We kept going, giving each other everything we had. There was no world outside our bed, only our labored breathing, slick bodies, and the sharp slap of skin meeting skin. The unbelievable pleasure that already had me wondering how an orgasm could top it.

He shifted his angle slightly, hitting my prostate in a new way that felt even better than before.

“Love you, Nate.”

“Love you too.”

“Can’t believe… I’m… inside you like this.”

“Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.”

So much for all that cool, controlled sex I’d always prided myself on. I used to be quieter, more reserved. I rarely got loud, and the only talking I’d done while fucking a woman was dirty talk. There was never anything personal. It was too risky.

Now, I was gasping and yelling. Words tore out of me because I couldn’t hold them in, and my voice bounced off the walls, begging for more because I couldn’t get enough of him.

“God, yes,” he choked out. “Never... this good. Love you! ”

I locked my arms around his back, holding him so tightly it was a wonder he could still breathe. Chuck stayed propped on his elbows, hands cradling my face, kissing me between the broken cries that spilled from both of us as we rocked like a supercharged machine.

Tears filled his eyes and spilled down his cheeks, and a harsh, guttural sound ripped out of me. It took a second to realize it was a sob. Jesus Christ, now I was crying too.

We struggled for breath, wide-eyed and wrecked, staring at each other as tears slid between our kisses. There were no words left, no sounds big enough. There was only the overwhelming crash of everything we were feeling—pleasure, awe, and love.

The tears ebbed as a fresh wave of dazzling, red-hot sensation rose through me. Chuck must have felt it too, because his rhythm changed. He pounded into me harder as the slap of skin on skin echoed louder through the room.

My balls tightened, tingled. My legs spasmed around him. The scent of us—sweat, musk, and sharp arousal—surrounded me. The mattress gave the perfect amount, holding me in place as Chuck pounded me.

The need to come locked onto me like a vise. My whole body strained for it, desperate for release. I tried to reach my cock, but my muscles wouldn’t cooperate. Then I realized it didn’t matter. I was about to come without even touching myself.

“Really close!” I shouted.

Incredibly, he sped up, thrusting into me with wild, frantic movements. I slapped my hand weakly against his back, clinging to the last thread of control as the edge raced toward me.

Curses and nonsense flew out of both our mouths.

A few more thrusts—God, just a few more…

“ Jesus! ” I cried out as it crashed into me, a thunderous eruption that shattered everything and punched the air from my lungs. My body seized, and my heart hammered out of rhythm. I was trapped under him. I couldn’t move or scream. I couldn’t do anything but come while Chuck kept driving into me like he couldn’t stop.

“ Goddammit! ” he yelled. He slammed in deep one last time, stiffened, and with a choked grunt, came hard.

I felt him, the hot flood deep inside possessing me, filling every part of me with something bigger than anything I’d ever known.

Chuck groaned and collapsed on top of me, burying his face in my throat. Completely spent, I stroked my hands over his back while I tried to catch my breath.

“It was incredible,” he whispered. “I love you so fucking much.”

“Off.” My voice was thin and pitiful. “Can’t breathe.”

“Fuck.” He rolled to the side. “Sorry.”

His cock slipped out of me, and I felt unbelievably empty. It took all the energy I had to squirm over beside him, and when I turned on my side and laid my head on his chest, his cum trickled out of my ass.

* * *

I jerked awake with a snort. The room was bathed in afternoon light, and Chuck had me wrapped in his arms. It came rushing back, the incomparable thing we’d done, and doubt reared its head. Questions slammed through my mind at warp speed. How would he feel about it? Would he be glad, or would regret start creeping in? Would he still love me? Would he pull away?

There was no doubt we’d both enjoyed it—God, we’d lost our minds—but I was an expert in how post-sex regret could take you apart, even when everything had felt perfect in the moment. Would it be too much for him later? Would he wake up and realize he couldn’t handle what it meant?

Carefully, I moved my head enough to see him, and my heart kicked hard. “Fuck.”

He blinked at me. The worry line was back between his eyes, and he was biting his lips.

Shit, he does regret it. Or at least, he doesn’t know what to do with it.

Chuck’s face was close enough for me to see the layers of brown in his eyes. I had no idea what to say. How the hell could I start a conversation that might help him deal with things?

Humor never failed, so I cleared my throat. “ So. Um… that was quite the… team bonding exercise.”

He snorted. “Yeah? What drill was that? Puck possession?”

“I was thinking more like defensive coverage. You know, making sure we didn’t leave any gaps open.”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “Jesus, Nate.”

“What? I’m just saying, if there were a league skills competition for whatever the hell that was, we’d be in the All-Star Game.”

Groaning, he rolled his eyes. “Please, for the love of God, do not start ranking our performance.”

I waggled my eyebrows. “Oh, come on, Dog. If we’re keeping stats, I think you led in shots on goal.”

He huffed. “I hate you.” The heated glance he gave me suggested otherwise.

I chuckled, my heart giving a stupid little lurch when his fingers brushed mine.

We lay there grinning like idiots, trying—and failing—to act normal, both of us wide open and stunned, scrambling for words to explain something we didn’t know how to talk about.

“Can I kiss you?” I asked.

“You’d better.” His shy smile wrecked me. “I miss your lips.”

Pushing up on an elbow, I leaned in and brushed my mouth over his. I hoped it told him how much he meant to me.

He hummed against my lips and cupped my cheek, pulling me back in for a real kiss. It was sweet and slow, and I supposed it was the kind of kiss you gave someone after letting them see every raw piece of you. After the way we’d torn each other apart and put ourselves back together, this simple, reverent kiss felt like everything.

I was deepening it when the doorbell rang.

“The fuck?”

“Were you expecting someone?” he asked.

The bell rang again.

“No,” I said. “Let’s ignore it because I’d really like a second round.”

Someone started pounding on the front door.

BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, sitting up as the knocking turned into full-blown siege warfare. BAM BAM BAM. “Who the fuck is trying to break into our house?”

Chuck pulled a pillow over his head and groaned. “Maybe if we ignore them, they’ll go away.”

The pounding grew even louder.

“Maybe if I murder them, they’ll go away.” I launched myself out of bed, yanking a T-shirt over my head and grabbing a pair of workout shorts off a chair. Fuck if I was putting in any effort for whoever this was. I’d open the door, tell them to fuck off, and be back in bed before Chuck had time to go piss.

“Don’t move,” I told him. “Be right back.”

I ran down the hall as the pounding turned into a full-on drumline. By the time I reached the foyer, I expected to find a SWAT team outside. I flung open the door, ready to verbally annihilate whoever thought this was acceptable behavior. The SWAT team would have been preferable to what I found.

Riley yelled like he was trying to be heard in Japan. “What took you so long? We were starting to think you two got permanently lost in each other’s eyes.”

I froze. And blinked. Then froze again.

There were so many of them. Riley, Logan, Packy, Harpy, Richie, Gabe, Brody, Nels… And Abby. Why the fuck was Abby here?

Logan grinned, and I already knew I’d kill him in his sleep one day. “You missed morning skate.”

“It was optional,” I said. “In case you don’t know the word, it means not required.”

He chuckled. “You still missed it, so we thought we’d stop by and make sure you were both alive.”

“And functioning,” Harpy added, like the asshole he’d become.

“And hydrated,” Brody put in.

Gabe nodded. “And not suffering from, you know, exhaustion.”

“Can we come in?” Nels asked, as if I had a choice. “It’s cold as hell out here.”

“You wouldn’t want us getting pneumonia, would you?” Harpy asked, all baby-faced innocence.

These smug, nosy, goddamn bastards .

I huffed and stepped aside, watching my so-called friends saunter in like they were here for fucking brunch. Packy had the audacity to whistle as he looked around. “Where’s Dog?” he asked. “He’s the one we were so worried about.”

Logan, cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed, “Come in here, Dog.” Apparently, the Warriors had no shame left as a species. When Chuck didn’t answer, Logan yelled again, “You’ve got company, Dog.”

I would kill them all. Every single one.

Riley turned, wearing a smirk wide enough to drive a truck through. “Holky, my man. Did we interrupt something?” He looked me up and down. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look this well-fucked.”

I dragged a hand down my face. Sorry, Chuck. There’s no surviving this.

While I stood there in shock, the guys spread out like they owned the place. They’d always made themselves at home here, and I normally liked that, but today was different. Besides needing to keep my eyes on them so I’d know where to aim the death rays, their snooping was intrusive. They weren’t making themselves at home; they were investigating.

My heart was pounding almost as hard as it had been while Chuck was fucking me, something I didn’t need to be thinking about right now. Not with Riley grinning like the goddamn Cheshire Cat and Packy looking way too pleased with himself.

My vision blurred, and holy shit, I thought I might pass out from sheer exasperation.

“What’s this? Did something happen?” Gabe asked, feigning innocent concern. He was looking down the hallway. “There are clothes all over the floor,” he said, “and they can’t all be yours. I see two pairs of boxers from here.”

A chorus of oohs went up around the room.

“Somebody’s been eating breakfast.” Richie emerged from the kitchen, with Nels right behind him. Richie had a juice glass, and Nels held up a piece of partially eaten bacon. They acted like goddamn detectives displaying evidence.

“Two place settings,” Nels said. “A lot of food left.” Like the lowlife I now realized he was, he popped the bacon into his mouth.

“Is Dog okay?” Harpy asked, tilting his head. “Should we go check on him?”

I wanted to punch that angelic innocence off his face but settled for a halfhearted, “Fuck off.”

Abby took that as his cue and stomped toward the hallway. “Is Dog hurt? I go and carry him in here.”

Chuck called out, “Hold your horses, Russian Bear. I’m coming.”

Packy looked at Riley. “Think he’s coming right now?”

Riley waved him off. “Nah, already happened. Holky didn’t get this way by himself.”

My soul left my body. I wanted to run to the bedroom, grab Chuck, lock the door, and never see these fuckers again. Instead, I froze when footsteps echoed down the hall. A second later, Chuck appeared.

Oh, fuck.

Brown hair? Disaster. Face? Still blotchy. Expression? Loopy as hell.

Shirt? Oh, for the love of God. He’d thrown on my UMass T-shirt, the one the team had seen me wear a hundred times. Of all the clothes in this house, why did he put that on?

Brody made a big show of looking at the T-shirt, and then of inspecting mine. “What are you wearing, Holky?” he asked, far too amused.

“You never played for Syracuse, did you?” Richie asked.

I frowned. “What?” A horrible feeling came over me, and I glanced down. Fuck all. I’d grabbed Chuck’s Syracuse Soldiers T-shirt.

“You guys switched shirts.” Gabe glanced between us. “Dog played for Syracuse, and Holky went to UMass.”

Chuck looked across the room, and our eyes locked. Neither of us moved, but I tried to send him a telepathic distress signal: Help me get them into one room, and I’ll wreak mayhem.

“The fuck, Warriors?” Packy flicked a hand at the guys standing between Chuck and me. “Get out of the way and let Holky over there. I’m sure he won’t be happy until he’s standing beside Dog.”

Richie and Logan seized my arms and frog-marched me across the room.

“Awww, they look good, don’t they, boys?” Logan cooed.

Richie stroked his chin. “Still isn’t quite right,” he said, then lifted my arm and placed it around Chuck’s shoulders.

“You need to lean in, Dog.” Logan nudged Chuck over until our bodies touched.

“There we go,” Riley announced, giving us a double thumbs-up. “Gentlemen of the Warriors, I present to you the men of the hour.”

A goddamn cheer went up. They whooped, hollered, and fucking clapped.

When the noise died away, Abby tilted his head and beamed at us. “Don’t blush, boys. You make very cute couple.”

I choked.

Wait. I’d been too busy having heart failure to realize Chuck and I weren’t even protesting. “What the hell?” I demanded. “This is my house. Get the fuck out.”

No one moved until Riley started slow-clapping. Unbelievable.