Page 32

32

Nick

I can tell Caleb’s trying his best not to interfere with Maddox and Schultz, but when the latter scores a strike and gets ahead of Maddox, Caleb groans and buries his face in his hands. This protective side of him is really endearing, and I can’t wipe the dopey smile off my face.

“Relax.” I squeeze his wrist. “Even if he loses, Maddox can take care of himself.”

“I know that.”

“Then why are you on edge?”

“Because!”

I give him a skeptical look. Caleb bites his cheek and sinks in his seat, glaring at the screen that displays our scores.

“I need to get my head together,” Caleb mumbles. “Distract me, Nicky.”

“Maybe we should make our own bet,” I joke.

That gets his attention. “Let’s do that.”

I eye our scores. I don’t think he’s too concerned with winning, since he doesn’t seem to be putting that much effort into it. Maddox and Schultz are way ahead of us, then Rhys, then there’s Caleb and I.

Caleb puts a hand on the back of my neck and leans in, whispering in my ear, “Whoever wins will top tonight.”

A shiver runs through me and my dick twitches in my pants. Awkwardly, I shift in my seat and gently push him away. “Don’t get me worked up while there are people around,” I complain.

Caleb, of course, doesn’t care. He waggles his eyebrows at me. “Well?”

I stare at him blankly.

He hasn’t fucked me yet. It’s not that I don’t want it, but Caleb’s always taken the lead and I’m happy enough letting him—though that also means that he doesn’t ask me for anything. It’s always been about me. He’s always taking care of me first.

Caleb’s grin doesn’t falter as he squeezes my arm. “Relax, Nicky. If you’re not okay with me fucking you, then I’m cool with that.”

“I’d let you top. I already told you that.”

“Okay, so let’s put it to a bet.”

“Why? We don’t have to. I’ll let you do anything.”

He groans at my words and rubs a hand over his face, but it’s true. Even if it makes me nervous because it’s something entirely new, I want him in me. I don’t care about the stupid game at all.

“Jennings!” Rhys calls. “Your turn.”

Caleb gets up and walks towards the balls. He grins at me again and cocks his head towards the pins, taunting me, and I can’t help but laugh. Probably spurned on by this one-sided challenge of his, Caleb easily makes a strike—and my theory that he hasn’t been putting in effort so far sounds truer now.

When he’s done, it’s my turn, and I get up to retrieve a ball. He walks up to me and grabs me by the arm, pulling me close.

“Looks like I’m going to be in you tonight,” Caleb mutters.

“I already said you don’t need a bet for that.”

“Going to make you feel so good, baby.”

Fumbling, I almost drop a bowling ball on my foot. I secure it in my hand and glare at him, and he cackles and walks away.

And, okay, even if I said he doesn’t need a bet… I’m also competitive as hell, and I end up striking as well. My face lights up, and when I turn back around, my friends are cheering. Caleb laughs and shakes his head, and I grin at him.

As the game nears the end, Maddox and Schultz finish first and Schultz actually scores more. He yells in surprise, as if even he can’t believe it, and Maddox scowls at him. When Schultz isn’t looking though, Maddox’s scowl turns into an amused smirk.

I look at Caleb, wondering if he saw that his best friend lost, but Caleb’s on his phone with a focused expression.

“Jennings! Your turn,” Rhys says, impatient. I think he’s over the game now.

“Wait a sec,” Caleb says. “Kinda busy here.” He doesn’t look up and swipes at his phone.

Maddox peeks over his shoulder. “What are you looking at? Oh… shit. Oh, shit!”

Everyone turns to them. Maddox grabs him by the arms and shakes him, and Caleb’s face splits into the widest and earnest smile I’ve ever seen on him.

“You did it!” Maddox yells. “Nick, Buffalo said his entry-level contract’s waiting for him as soon as school’s over!”

“He’s… what?” It takes a moment for it to click, but when it does, I get giddy all over. “Buffalo’s gotten in touch?”

Caleb grins. “McAvoy says that I’ve still got some shit to work on but that I’m going straight to the NHL. No farm team for me.”

“Congratulations, man!” Schultz yells, and beside him, Rhys is also smiling.

The game forgotten now, I approach Caleb, and he willingly lets me crush him into a hug. He laughs against my neck and clutches at my shirt, and I don’t care if we’ve got an audience when I kiss his cheek.

“Oh. Ohh.” Schultz points us at, eyes wide. I can practically see the cogs turning in his head, and Caleb snickers at his reaction. “Okay. Shit. I didn’t want to ask, but yeah, I thought you two were banging.”

Rhys wheezes. “They’re dating.”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.”

Rolling his eyes, Caleb puts an arm around my waist and pulls me close. “The game,” he says, gesturing at the pins.

“Fuck the game!” Schultz says, and I don’t think any of us can disagree.

***

Caleb’s enthusiasm sticks for the rest of the afternoon. He doesn’t even care anymore that Maddox lost to Schultz, or that Maddox has somehow warmed up to him in a few hours. We drop Maddox off at the dorm and then head back to ours, and Schultz bombards Caleb with questions the entire time.

“Does this mean you won’t play for us anymore?” Schultz asks.

In the backseat, Caleb has his hand in mine, and I mindlessly trace circles against his palm.

“Nah, I’m only signing the contract after the school year’s over. I get to finish off my senior year playing.” Caleb cocks his head. “This means we better make it count, assholes.”

Rhys, usually annoyed by Caleb’s brashness, surprisingly nods. “We need to make it to post-season.”

“To the frozen four,” Caleb corrects.

“Tall order, but maybe we can.”

Schultz slams his fist against the dashboard and yells, “That’s the spirit!”

We get to the dorm and Rhys parks his car, and Caleb practically drags me out. I protest, but he ignores me, and he mock-salutes my friends. “Great day, Beavis and Butt-Head. Now excuse us while we go celebrate.”

“We’re not invited?” Schultz asks.

Rhys grimaces. “I don’t think you want to be.”

Caleb ignores them and drags me by the hand. When we get to the empty elevator, I smile at him and let go, sliding my hand to the back of his neck and squeezing it. He closes his eyes as I rub against the base of his scalp.

“We never found out who won our bet,” he grumbles.

“I told you, I’ll let you do anything to me, anyway.”

The elevator doors open, and thank god the hall’s empty, because Caleb grabs me by the face and kisses me until I’m dizzy. We stumble out to the hallway, grasping at each other, and pull away just long enough to head to our door.

I wait impatiently as he fishes his keys out of his pocket. He takes two tries to get the correct one into the doorknob, and as soon as we step inside, he slams me up against the wall and bites down on my lower lip.

“Caleb,” I groan. He rocks up against me and my vision goes hazy with lust.

“You serious, Nicky? You’ll let me fuck you?”

“ Yes. ” There’s impatience in my voice, but I’ve been wanting this for far too long. I couldn’t ask because what if I wasn’t any good at it—what if he hated it? But with Caleb bringing it up again today, and with him looking at me as if he’d devour me, there’s no ounce of hesitation in me any longer.

I want him in me. My body craves for it.

“Clothes off,” Caleb commands, and we both hurry to strip.

Caleb pushes me down on his bed, and he rummages around in his drawer. He tosses the supplies on the mattress, right next to my head, then presses our foreheads together and kisses me. Our dicks are hard against each other, and I’m breathing hard, nervous with both anticipation and excitement, and Caleb smiles against my mouth before pulling away.

“You need to promise me you’ll tell me to stop if you hate it,” he tells me.

“Yes. Yes, I get it.”

“You never tell me what you need.”

“I’ll tell you,” I say. “God, Caleb, what I need right now is to have you in me.”

His eyebrows lift in surprise, then a wicked smirk spreads across his features. Caleb pushes my knees up, folding me, and I hear him tear the condom wrapper open. He fiddles around with the bottle of lube, and I shut my eyes, unable to concentrate.

I may have experimented a bit before, especially since we started messing around, but having Caleb’s fingers in me is a sensation I never fully prepared for. It’s new and startling, and I take a few moments to wrap my head around what’s going on.

“Relax, baby,” Caleb croons, and he grips my dick with a slick hand while he pumps his fingers in and out. My jaw clenches at how good it feels, and I groan loudly. “Need to keep it down. Walls are thin.”

I grit out, “I’m trying.”

He knows what he’s doing. I’m sure he’s had a lot of experience, though I won’t dwell on that. Caleb works me thoroughly and gently, watching my face the entire time for hints that I may be uncomfortable.

Then he presses in, knuckles deep, and crooks his finger, hitting a spot in me that makes me gasp and yank at his head.

“Fuuuck,” I groan.

“That’s it.”

“Caleb… please. Enough,” I plead. I’m reduced to begging and I don’t care.

He flashes me a grin and leans in close to suck on my lip, then he pulls away and strokes himself. I suck in a breath and watch him, my mouth watering at the sight of his hard cock. He’s huge—how’s he going to fit in me?

“Trust me,” he mumbles, probably sensing my doubts. Caleb slips on the condom and hovers over me, one hand beside my head and the other guiding himself in. I concentrate on him—only him. I keep my eyes steady on him, watching the way his mouth drops open and how his eyes flutter when he presses into me.

Caleb’s careful and he goes slow, and I shudder with an exhale when he bottoms out. I feel so full of him and my heart thunders in my chest.

He’s not even moving yet, but I’m overwhelmed. I blink rapidly at him, and he gives me a shaky smile, watching me too closely and clearly gauging where my mind’s at.

“I’m good,” I promise him, and he nods.

Caleb presses his forehead against mine and gives a few shallow thrusts. Panting, I bite on my lower lip and lay my hand flat on the small of his back.

“Caleb, I can take it.”

“All right,” he murmurs, and pulls out until only the head of his cock’s in me—then he drives in, deeper and faster than before, and I savor the drag of his cock in me. I like Caleb when he’s gentle and careful, and I like him even more when he takes what he wants.

When Caleb’s thrusts become more forceful, and he repeatedly brushes against that spot inside me, that’s when it feels so fucking good, I have to remind myself to breathe.

He sucks on my lip as he fucks me, keeping his eyes on me the entire time, and I brush away sweaty hair from his brow. God, it feels amazing. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh fills the room, coupled with all the obscene groans that escape us.

Caleb sits up and rearranges my legs, wrapping them around his waist. He bottoms out once more and I gasp, the new angle giving him better access to my prostate. I writhe under him, and electricity traveling down my spine and pooling in my gut.

If he edges me again tonight, I might just lose my mind—but fortunately, Caleb’s too far gone for that.

“Touch yourself,” he demands, and I obey right away. Placing my hand around my dick, I stroke myself, and Caleb grins widely as he watches me. Caleb murmurs, “I’m so close, Nicky.”

Gasping, I give him a jerky nod. “Me too.”

His nails dig against my thighs and Caleb’s eyebrows crash together as his thrusting becomes more erratic. His mouth parts and he shudders, and I feel his dick pulsing as he comes. Frantically, I scramble against his back, and even if he’s just come, he continues to fuck me. Caleb smacks my hand away from my dick and wraps his fingers around me, tugging it in a vice-like grip.

“Nicky,” he says hoarsely, and the way he says my name is all I need. “Come for me.”

“Fuck…” Shaking, I come all over his hand.

For a long while, Caleb stays still, his chest expanding with every deep breath he takes. The grip he has on my knee relaxes, and he shifts his attention to me—his stare catching on the mess I made on myself. He smirks and presses his mouth against my thigh, and I unwind my legs from around him.

I take a while to come down from my high. Caleb pulls the condom off him and leans over me to discard it in his wastebasket, then grabs his shirt and helps me clean off. It leaves a sticky residue over my skin, but I don’t care because neither of us want to get up and go to the shower.

“God,” Caleb mutters. He presses his lips against my temple and then collapses beside me. I stretch myself against the bed and he doesn’t miss my wince. My ass is sore. Caleb asks me. “You okay?”

“Yes.”

“Huh… your first time probably shouldn’t have been the night before a game.”

I laugh. “I’m fine.”

Caleb turns to his side towards me and closes his eyes, and I reach for his blanket and put it over both of us. Smiling, he nuzzles his face against my bare shoulder.

It’s still a surprise to me that someone like Caleb likes to cuddle, and I sometimes wonder if it’s because of his aversion to the cold. He teases me for being a human furnace but ends up using me for my heat, anyway.

After a minute, his breaths even out and I realize that he’s half asleep. I rake my fingers through his hair, and he leans towards my hand. Caleb looks relaxed and content like this, and it takes everything in me not to lean in and kiss him. To maybe ask for another round.

I’m obsessed with him, maybe.

“Nicky,” Caleb murmurs against my shoulder, his voice tired and barely audible. “Go to sleep, love.”

My heart leaps and my fingers freeze in his hair, but he doesn’t seem to notice. I wonder if he even realizes what he called me—since the day we met, he comes up with all these new nicknames for me.

That one may just be my favorite.