Page 14

Chapter Fourteen

Jax

“I don’t know why you feel the need to go?” Jax heard Cade complain as the three of them stood at the Signature Airlines desk waiting for Jax to check his bag on New Year’s Eve morning.

The team was flying to the great white north early to get settled because there was supposed to be a storm hitting Minneapolis that afternoon. Of course, the fans and the home team were used to the snow so nothing would stop the game, which was why Jax was at the airport that morning.

He’d received his new cast on Tuesday, and it was fantastic to be able to scratch his leg before it was cast. Unfortunately, he was still on those fucking crutches, but he’d learned to get around better with them, so it wasn’t too bad.

Cade had gone to meet with Lionel Rawlings while Ford took Jax to the doctor’s office. When they picked Katrina and Cade up later, the good news was Cade would be able to remain out of jail until a hearing could be scheduled after the new year. The bad news was he still couldn’t leave the state.

Not being able to shower would weigh on Jax for the next two weeks until the cast was changed again but having the team doctor give him the okay to travel with the team was a weight off his shoulders. He did, however, hate to leave his lovers to go to Minnesota. He was still team co-captain, and he owed it to his line to be there for them, broken leg or not. After he was in his seat at the front of the plane in a reclining chair, he thought about the day his leg was cast.

Kisses were peppered over Jax’s neck. He was in the bed he shared with Ford and Kincade, and when he opened his eyes, he was most assuredly all smiles. He was going to the doctor to get his first cast, and it would be a relief.

The stupid bubble thing around his leg had driven him crazy. He was ready for a real cast so he could get to the stadium to be there in support of his team.

So far, Cade’s attempts at being a badass and getting arrested had been kept out of the papers, but it was Christmas weekend. The next week wasn’t so full of Christmas cheer.

“ Love, how about you wake up and let Cade and me give you a sponge bath before you go to the doctor?” Ford’s soft voice in his ear was sexy as hell.

“ I’m awake, right? You quit giving me those pain pills like I told you?” A wet tongue slinked along Jax’s abs. It didn’t stop, circling his navel and then tracing his abs on the other side until it slid down the cum trench between his pelvis and leg. It circled his balls and nearly made him lose his shit.

When a hot mouth covered the top of his cock, he had to take deep breaths so as not to let go. It was Ford’s mouth on his hard member, but Cade was sucking on his balls. “You’re fuckin’ killin’ me.” Jax gasped as a nip of teeth teased his left ball sac. It was remarkable.

He couldn’t help fucking up into the mouth around his cock, trying to hold himself together. One hot mouth was enough to make him lose control. When another was working him as well, it was more than he ever thought he could handle. It was more mind-blowing than any sensation he’d experienced in months.

After he released inside Cade’s mouth—he was guessing—Jax sighed at the contentment rolling through his body. Ford and Cade kissed, and when they swallowed, he chuckled. He couldn’t wait for his turn to share the load.

“ I’ll be right back.” Ford stepped away and returned with a crutch. “Can you get up?”

Jax started to move before Cade was next to him. “Go slow. You might be a little lightheaded. That blood hasn’t recirculated yet.” Cade hopped off the bed in a pair of green bikini briefs. Jax wanted to put his mouth all over them, but there would be time for it later, or so he hoped.

Ford and Katrina had brought Cade home at ten on Christmas morning, and their young guests had been happy to have everyone where they belonged. The gifts from the garage had been carried inside, and the boys didn’t care that it was mostly Chicago gear. The games and gift certificates were more than enough.

In return, they made a Christmas lunch for the family, and when Cade and his mom went off to discuss personal matters, the boys had helped Jax up to the theater where they had a Madden NFL tournament. He might not play in the post-season games, but he took his avatar team to the Super Bowl that Christmas Day. It was a great time .

Jax was interrupted from his sexy daydreams when Denny Walker flopped down next to him. “So, how was your holiday?” Denny fastened his seatbelt.

Jax couldn’t hold the laugh. “Kincade got arrested for breaking and entering at the shelter—the Clark Street Shelter we all contributed to. The cops closed it down, saying it was a brothel. Of course, our little engine that could had to go get the boys’ clothes and was picked up for burglary.”

He gave Denny the synopsis and then turned the tide to all things football. “Look, you need to be the leader, Denny. You’ve been there for me every step, and now, I’m turning this shit over to you. You lead them on the field, man. I’d say don’t worry about the home team, but we can’t go into the playoffs on a loss, so you need to pump them up and fuck up the snow kings at every opportunity. Oh, and remind Hans the Viking that he plays for us now. No mercy.” Jax gave his little speech and then turned to look out the window as they soared through the clouds on the way to Minnesota.

Jax wished he could be on the field with them when the action began, but he would be there in spirit and on the sidelines in support. They were his teammates, and nobody won on their own. It was the way they played the game… as a team.

The two men didn’t talk again as both relaxed into their seats. When the plane landed at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Denny helped Jax maneuver the passenger boarding bridge, and Hans Linder helped him with his luggage and onto the bus for the Hilton Minneapolis Hotel which was close to the U.S. Bank Stadium. Jax had been to Minneapolis before, and it totally sucked because it was so fucking cold every time.

The front office had arranged a meal for them in a conference room at the hotel because it was snowing like a motherfucker, but they made the best of it. There was a big screen TV showing the college bowl games in the room, and Jax saw the Irish playing their hearts out.

He remembered the nurse from when he’d been in the hospital in Chicago, and he cheered for the team from South Bend. They won, seventeen to nothing. At least someone was having a good season.

When they went back to their rooms, Jax hopped into his, happy to find it was a single. He didn’t mind sharing, but it was New Year’s Eve, and he was without his two loves. His duffle was in the room, so he dropped a crutch against the desk and turned on the television.

He went to the bathroom and relieved himself. After he finished, he dropped his jeans and shorts on the bathroom floor, snagging them with his crutch to toss them onto the ugly green couch in his room. He brushed his teeth and looked into the mirror. His hair was finally to his liking, but the goatee? It needed to go. He hadn’t been able to keep up with it, and he wanted it gone.

He grabbed his toiletry kit and opened it, seeing a small can of shaving cream and a fresh razor, thanks to Ford and Cade— or maybe it was a subtle nudge for the facial hair to go? He was about to spray the gel onto his hand when the bell at his door rang.

He hobbled out to see it was just after nine, according to the cable box, so he assumed it was Tony O’Brien. He almost didn’t open the door because why the hell did he need to be accounted for, but he didn’t want to be rude. He pulled a towel around his waist and hobbled to the door on one crutch, opening it with a smile.

Hans Linder stood there with a look of panic on his face. “Come in or leave. My balls are gettin’ cold.” Jax pointed to the towel.

Linder was a good-looking, blond kid with bright blue eyes and a sense of innocence about him, even after playing in the NFL for three years. Jax pointed to the green sofa.

“Have a seat. I need to pull on some shorts. I’ll be back. Get a water or something.” He had no idea what the kid wanted.

Once he was in the bathroom, he realized his clothes were on the couch where the Viking was sitting. He crutched out to his suitcase to snag a pair of shorts to take back with him to the bathroom. Before he closed the door, he glanced toward the couch to see the guy was still as a statue. He appeared to be in shock.

After he was dressed, Jax crutched back to the sitting area of the room. “Viking, speak or sleep.” Jax checked the clock because he needed to call home. He knew they were having a small party at the house, and Ford had planned a party at the Club, both of which he was missing because he’d traveled with his team to show support.

“I had sex with a guy on Wednesday night. I’ve never had sex with a guy before, and I’m still not sure why I did it except he was the most amazing man I’ve ever met. How do I tell my girlfriend I’d rather be with a guy than her?” The young man’s expression was complete bewilderment.

Jax wanted to laugh, god knew he did. It wasn’t funny, really, but it had some humor about it. He wasn’t so crass as to belittle his teammate and friend. He remembered the same epiphany once upon a time, and it had rocked him to his core.

If only Cade and Ford were with him. They were far better equipped to address what was on Hans’ mind than Jax. He had no idea how the fuck to explain sexual things to his teammate, but as he looked at the poor guy, he knew he had to say something.

“Okay. Now, answer me honestly so we can get to the bottom of this. Was this the first time you’ve been with a guy?”

The big kid looked at his hands before meeting Jax’s eyes. “No, I played around with a couple of friends over the years… you know, circle jerks and hand jobs, even a blow job or two, but I always told myself it was just what high school guys did. When I got signed to play for Minnesota, I didn’t do anything but date the girl my mom likes. Her name is Holly.” Hans clanked at the carpet again, and Jax’s heart ached for the big kid. Accepting one’s own truth wasn’t easy.

Jax went to the mini bar and pulled out a mini bottle of Jack, knowing he’d need a little liquid courage to get through the conversation. After he poured it into a glass over ice, he went to the chair next to the couch. He took a hearty swig and looked at the kid, sure the guy was wearing his heart on his sleeve.

“Do you like having sex with women?”

Jax knew several guys in the NFL who were bisexual. It wasn’t as uncommon as one might think, but they stayed under the radar with their male partners by being photographed with women a lot. He held no animosity toward those guys. Everyone took their own hide to the market in life.

Hans’ face melted into a frown. “I haven’t had sex with any women. My parents chose my future wife, and we’re only in the courting stage. We’re set to go out together from church after the season ends.”

Jax swigged down the rest of the drink and placed the glass on the table. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-two. I came into the draft out of high school.”

After considering the right thing to say, Jax wanted to offer the kid a lot of advice regarding the ins and outs of being gay, but maybe that was too much information in one bite, so he drilled down on one thing to say.

“Hans, I understand how confusing love and physical attraction can be, but when you’re seventy and sitting on a porch somewhere watching a beautiful sunset, do you want to hold the hand of a woman or a man? Don’t answer it for me. It’s for you to answer for yourself.”

Jax thought about the answer as it pertained to his situation, and he could see himself sitting in a rocking chair at a house near the lake, holding two hands. The hands of the men he loved more than his own life. It was an exquisite vision.

Turning to Hans, he held the younger man’s gaze. “Boy or girl? That’s what you need to think about, but right now, you need to go to bed and worry about tomorrow. If we win tomorrow, we go rollin’ into the postseason with the home field advantage. Worry about who you’re gonna fuck after the game. Trust me, you’ll have men and women lining up to spend time with you, Hans.

“You can’t live your parents’ dreams. I know it firsthand because I grew up in Louisiana, and my mama and papa had their own ideas about how I should live my life. They didn’t jive with my ideas, but I had to live my life for me… just like you.

“Go to bed, kiddo. Worry about the game tomorrow. You have the off-season to figure out all the other bullshit.”

With those pearls of wisdom, Jax showed the defensive tackle out and closed his door. He crutched over to the mini bar and pulled out another small bottle of Jack, placing a few more cubes into his glass.

Jax grabbed his phone off the charger and dialed Ford’s number. It rang through, so he hung up. Why he thought his boyfriend would answer on New Year’s Eve at a gay dance club was ridiculous. He called Cade’s cell.

It rang twice before he heard one of the voices he loved. “Mr. Delacroix, how are you?” Cade answered, sounding sexy as hell.

“I’m trying to settle into bed, but I hate being by myself. Where are you, chére?”

“At the Greystone with the boys. They’re all upstairs having a video game tournament of some sort. I watched an old movie downstairs and decided to take a bath in that huge tub. Are you by yourself?” Cade’s voice echoed, confirming for Jax that he was in the large bathroom.

“I am. Linder stopped by, but I sent the kid to bed. How about you? What are you up to?” Jax lowered the tenor of his voice.

“I’m trying not to miss the two of you, and I’m trying not to obsess over meeting with Lionel again on Wednesday. I’m afraid this thing won’t go away, Lucky.” Jax sensed the worry in Cade’s voice, and he wished to hell he was there to hold him and put all the bad thoughts out of his head.

Jax could only think of one way to get Cade’s mind off his troubles. As much as he wished it was phone sex with him, he knew it wouldn’t be enough for Cade.

“When I get home tomorrow night, I’ll take your mind off things, I swear. In the meantime, let’s think about the positive—you got to spend the holidays with your brother, which was something I know you didn’t expect. Any word when his mother’s going to pick him up?”

Jackson had no idea what the three of them would do with five homeless teens, but there had to be something within their power to help those boys. They were good kids from everything Jax could tell, and they didn’t deserve to be cast aside. There had to be a place for them somewhere.

“Apparently, Hudson is supposed to be arrested in the next few days. Amy’s at her aunt’s house for the holidays, and Cheryl didn’t want Ash home until his father’s out of the picture. I’m anxious to speak with Lionel to see what he found out about Kenneth Shaw. Hang on a minute, Lucky.” The volume of the television on Cade’s end of the line became louder.

“ Three homeless shelters catering to displaced LGBTQ+ teenagers were raided tonight across the Chicago metro area. The police received a tip they were allegedly operating as brothels, according to sources.”

“Jax, those shelters are also run by Kenneth Shaw. What’s going on?”

That was exactly what Jackson Delacroix wanted to know.

What the fuck was going on?