Page 16

twelve

Mark

“ I can’t get over watching you play; I’ve never seen anything like it.

” Watching Hunter play tonight was eye opening.

This man is so calm, so sweet, and seeing him out there .

. . Fuck. The brutal power and agility. Damn, Hunter is a beast. I’ve never been into sports like this, but the power and precision he displayed on the ice tonight turned me on.

“Thanks.” Sitting in the passenger seat, my attention remains on his hand splayed on my thigh.

I’m a little pent-up after all that, and I hope he doesn’t slide his hand up further.

Sweats are my go-to attire but shit, I should have worn jeans tonight.

I didn’t expect that watching him play would do it for me like this.

I focus on the fingers wrapped around my leg, his fingertips curled around it, almost gripping it, and touching my inner thigh.

It’s possessive and dominant and fuck, I like it.

I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily a dominant person, but it’s always the role I seem to slip into with my partners—as few as there have been.

He gives my thigh a squeeze and my stomach somersaults.

“You look really hot in my hoodie.” I glance at him and watch the cocky grin splay across his face.

“You think?” Hunter nods, squeezing my thigh again. My face heats, but it’s nothing compared to how I felt watching him on the ice with his gear. There was something so cocky, so confident about him while he played.

I also appreciate his teammates. Even though it’s not exactly terrible, coming from a small town where being out isn’t something that’s celebrated there’s always been this “otherness” about me that makes me feel like I’m being watched.

But Hunter is an out athlete, and none of his teammates treated him any differently.

They celebrated and cheered, hugged, and slapped each other on the back with each successful play.

Watching them all together tonight, I could tell how much they admire him, and seeing that hit me somewhere deep.

It made me feel proud. Watching Hunter with his teammates felt special to me. “Where are we going?”

“I want to take you somewhere. It’s a surprise.

We’re almost there.” Trees pass us by, growing denser as we drive up a mountain.

The winding road is nearly pitch black, and every horror movie I’ve seen flashes in my mind as we pull down a dirt road that opens into a clearing.

Okay, definitely getting serial-killer vibes. “Relax. I’m not going to kill you.”

“Exactly what someone would say if they were going to kill me.”

Hunter laughs, and I miss his hand when it slips from my thigh. He gets out of the car and goes to the trunk, grabbing a blanket. I look ahead at the darkness. “What about bears?”

“We’re still in town. It’s just hard to see, but this is a park.

We’re still close enough to people that animals like that are wary.

That’s not to say it isn’t possible—just not likely.

You can’t see it, but there are homes all around us.

” He walks ahead to the clearing. I follow, a little hesitant.

I know we’re high up, but nothing prepares me for the sight when we reach the middle of the park and I can see the lights below us.

Um, nope. “Oh, shit.” My stomach dips. Thank god it’s dark right now so I can’t see exactly how high up we are.

It’s eerie and beautiful, but I have enough of it and walk back a little, away from the edge.

Hunter grabs my hand; the warm grip centers me.

I’m losing it a little. I fucking hate heights, but there’s something centering about having him here with me.

It feels good. It feels way different than it ever has with anyone else.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I stumble back into Hunter. He catches me, laughing. “Careful.”

“Sorry. It’s just so high up.” I’m just happy I can’t see below us right now.

“Here, sit.” He lays out the blanket and I sit down. It’s quiet, but not uncomfortable. We’re far enough away from the city lights that as I look up, all I see is a smattering of stars.

Hunter lies back on the blanket and I follow. Shoulder to shoulder we look up at the sky. It’s so peaceful. Not too cold at all yet. “My mom and I used to come up here when I was little.”

“You’re from here?”

“The next town over. It’s a small town, and she actually went to college here. We used to have picnics and stuff. It seemed super lame then, but I’d give anything to do that one more time.”

“What happened?” I ask.

“She died when I was sixteen. She had cancer. Thankfully, and unfortunately, it happened really fast. I barely had time to even process what was going on before she was gone.”

My stomach dips. “Is that why you moved in with your friend?”

Hunter’s quiet for a moment, and I nearly jolt when his hand slides into mine.

I can barely see out here. “My father kicked me out a week after her funeral. I think he did that so everyone wouldn’t realize what a dick he is.

He only tolerated me and my preferences because he loved her, but once she was gone, so was that tolerance.

It didn’t matter that I was an honor-roll student.

It didn’t matter that I was one of the top athletes on track, with a full ride with scouts watching me.

None of that mattered. I liked a guy and that was unacceptable.

I came home one day from school and my shit was on the lawn and the locks to the house had all been changed.

Lia took me in . . . she was really good friends with my mom. ”

“Is that why you don’t mind helping her out with her son?”

Hunter sighs. “I know he seems like an asshole but that’s not who he is. I can’t even begin to imagine what he’s going through.”

“I’m sorry about your mom.” I can’t imagine losing my mother. My father is strict and tough on me, but I can’t imagine him disowning me because I like men. He doesn’t give a shit about that. He just gives a shit about me wasting my time on stupid games .

“I know it all sounds bad on paper, but I had fifteen years with her being healthy. That’s more than most people get.

She packed so much love into my life. I never needed him and I’m not really even sad that he’s out of my life.

He was never there in the ways that mattered.

I’ll introduce you to Lia soon, though, she’s the surrogate mom everyone needs. ”

“Do you um, have a picture?” I wasn’t sure if I should ask, but I want to see her—see the woman who brought someone as amazing as Hunter into this world—and it seems like he wants to talk more about her.

He shifts, reaching into his pocket and grabbing his phone.

I see it then, the wallpaper on his phone.

A younger version of him, with arms wrapped around him that belong to a pretty woman with black hair and sparkling brown eyes.

She smiles wide for the camera, and I smile at the light in Hunter’s eyes. “She’s beautiful.”

“She was.” He tucks it away, and I note it for the end of conversation about her that he wants it to be.

“People on the team know you’re out, right?”

Hunter grins. “Yeah. No one gives a shit. Our coach is queer, he has a partner. If he heard any homophobic, racist, misogynistic shit on his team they’d be out.

No questions asked. Hate has no place on our team.

” Those words bring me to Derrick—hatred in human form.

“There’s a zero-tolerance policy for bullying on our team.

” Hunter’s fingers squeeze mine. “Coach puts ethics and people over scores. It’s why I respect him so much. My high school wasn’t like that.”

“He sounds amazing.”

“He is. He used to play for my favorite hockey team, so it’s fucking surreal having him coach us.

I couldn’t believe it when I came here.” It’s quiet for a moment, until I lose Hunter’s hand and he rolls to face me, propping himself up on his elbow to look down at me.

“So, the other night.” That kiss. “When should we do our control session?” He grins, and I can just barely make him out with the city lights beneath us and the stars above.

“I kissed you in the locker room.”

“Yeah, but I was naked, so that may not give you the most conclusive result. There were other factors that elevated that kiss.”

“Oh, I saw the towel. Shit was definitely elevated.”

Hunter laughs, and I love the deep richness of it. “Well, it’s not raining right now.”

“It’s not.”

“And I have clothes on.”

“Unfortunately.” That makes him laugh softly, and I love the deep timbre of it.

“I mean, I’m okay with trying now.” Hunter wets his lips, and my eyes flick to the movement of his tongue, wanting it elsewhere. It’s perfect out tonight—not too warm, not cold at all. The perfect fall night.

Hunter cups my jaw, leaning down to kiss me.

The connection is electric. Pleasure heats every cell in my body.

Hunter doesn’t hesitate to lick the seam of my lips, and I let him in, groaning at his minty taste.

His rough fingers caress my jaw. My hand wraps around his wrist, holding on for dear life.

Each press of his lips and swipe of his tongue hits me with a thousand volts of electric heat.

Pleasure weaves and winds its way through my belly.

I’m hyperaware of the problem straining the front of my sweats, and Hunter pulls back, looking down and seeing it too.

Hunter’s mouth is back on mine, ten times hungrier.

Deepening the kiss, he plunges his tongue inside my mouth, and I take it, growing more crazed with each second.

“Fuck, you taste good.” He nips my lip, crushing our mouths together.

I need more. I lose the hand on my jaw and almost protest before I feel it slide down my chest to rest on the band of my sweats.