Offside (58 page)

“Tracy’s doing good. So is Mathew. They both loved coming down for Casey’s party.” Zach gave Tim a stiff smile. “Everything else is private.”

“Got it.” Tim pressed the button to call the elevator. After the doors opened, he hustled his luggage and briefcase inside. “But I’ve spoken to my brother, and Becky looks just as miserable as you do.” He didn’t speak again until the elevator stopped on their floor and they both stepped into the hall. “I have a feeling you’re both having the same issue Vanek is, in your own ways.”

“Yeah? How do you figure?” Zach really didn’t want to have this discussion with his coach, but he was curious.

“The structure of a scene can make things seem very clean-cut. You have the Top and the bottom. Or the Dom and the sub. In any case, what comes after can be messy. Becky knows she can’t be a sub all the time. Managing her life and her job and her submissive urges is a juggling act, and I have a feeling I know which ball she’ll let drop first.” He gave Zach a shrewd look. “You’ve got two balls, Pearce—you know what I mean. I’m not talking about the ones hanging under your junk. I think you can handle three or four, but you keep tossing up the same two, keeping the rhythm going, all nice and neat.” Tim dropped his bags in front of his door, then took out his phone and his wallet. He started juggling them. “Player. Dom. Player. Dom.”

This is ridiculous.
Zach laughed, shaking his head. “Coach—”

“Player. Dom—” The perfect circles became uneven as Tim fought to keep the rhythm going. “You’re not overconfident about either, which means you’re always trying to improve. Which is great.” Tim caught both the phone and the wallet. “But you’re more. You know to push a sub’s limits. Learn to push your own.”

Zach chuckled. “If you were a sub . . . but you’re my coach. So I’ll take the odd lecture with a thank you and a have a good night.”

“Sometimes I
am
a sub. Sometimes a coach. Sometimes a husband.” Tim shrugged. “I can see you’re not getting the point. But you will.” His lips slanted. “Just like you’ll eventually hit the net. You got pretty close at the last game in Jersey.”

“Ha-ha.” Zach’s brow furrowed. He hadn’t missed the point. But he disagreed. If they were talking about his relationship with Becky, Tim was wrong. He’d been more than a Dom to her. She refused to see that.
Fuck, I miss her.
He swallowed, speaking up as Tim opened the door to his room. “She’s miserable?”

“She hides it about as well as you do.” Tim shrugged, hand on the door. “So you tell me.”

“Right.” Zach stared at Tim’s closed door for a long time, then bowed his head and pressed his eyes shut. Maybe he should call her. They’d exchanged a few texts over the past week, mostly consisting of him vaguely telling her about his day and her doing the same. There was a distance between them that couldn’t seem to be crossed, and the coldness of short-typed sentences wasn’t helping.

He went to his room, dropped his bags on his bed, and called her cell.

“Zach?”

“Hey. I . . .” He took a deep breath and rested his hip against the large black dresser. “I needed to hear your voice.”

“Really?” Becky sounded so unsure it made him feel like a complete dick. How could he have let this go on for so long? She continued before he could answer her. “The last time I asked if I could call you, you said you were busy.”

“We had a team meeting.”

“All night?”

“Late enough. I didn’t want to disturb your sleep when I saw the time,” His brow furrowed at the length of silence. “Can we just talk for a bit? I want to know how you’re doing. Is Casey feeling better?”

“Zach, I can’t talk now. The phones been ringing off the hook at the office, and I have a lot of paperwork to do. Casey’s all better. How do I say this . . .” She let out a bitter laugh. “I’m busy too. Maybe we can schedule a meeting when you get back.”

“Becky—”

“You know, when I took off for three weeks, I knew you wouldn’t be happy, but I didn’t realize how much it hurts to be treated like that.” Her tone was the sharp edge of a razor blade. “Thank you for showing me
exactly
how much it does.”

The dial tone came as a shock, even though it shouldn’t have. Part of the reason he loved Becky so much was her strength. Her independence. And how much it took for her to depend on anyone, even a little. He pulled off his suit jacket and shirt, tossing both onto the bed before making his way into the bathroom to take a shower. Shave.

Something.

I want her to be able to depend on me.

She might have considered it if things hadn’t gone so far off track. He wanted to do things for her, to be there when she needed someone, provide for her so she didn’t have to work so much.

But she loved her job. And she could provide for herself and her daughter all on her own. All he could give her was that taste of giving up control at the club. Without that . . . maybe she was right. Maybe they had nothing else.

The door to the hotel room opened. Closed. He didn’t need to look to know who it was. The new collective bargaining agreement between the players and the league granted each player their own room on the road. Keane had to give them the option, but Tim took it on himself to encourage the men to pair up as much as possible. Not so much to save the team money, but to instill the closeness rooming together on the road provided. For some, it wasn’t an issue. Ramos and Carter.

Zach and Scott.

“You ready to talk?” Scott leaned against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest, his black shirt and tie giving him a bad boy appeal, but his expression completely no-nonsense. He watched Zach through the reflection of the mirror above the sink, then sighed as Zach braced his hands on the edge of the sink and nodded. “What about listen?”

The porcelain warmed under Zach’s hands, but goose bumps rose on his flesh from the cooled air around him. “I guess you’ve spoken to her? That’s good that . . . that she has you.” He pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “All this time I was worried about you hurting her.”

“So you finally done sulking? Ready to face that storming out of her place and not letting her explain herself was a dumbass move?”

Brow furrowed, Zach looked at Scott over his shoulder. “Yeah. Rub it in why don’t you.”

“Naw, I’m done.” Scott’s lips twitched at the edges. “It’s a relief actually. I’ve been practicing a whole bunch of speeches—none of them were all that good.” He pushed away from the doorframe and stepped up behind Zach. Wrapped his arms around Zach’s waist. “We all get second chances. Even you.”

Letting out a rough laugh, Zach met Scott’s eyes in the mirror. “I don’t think flowers are going to cut it.”

“Nope.”

“I could go home.” The idea warmed him a little. So did Scott’s solid hold. “Stand on her doorstep and refuse to leave until she speaks to me. Short of that—”

“Tim will kill you if you leave. And you’ll make her believe you think you have to give the game up for her.” Scott grazed Zach’s throat with his teeth. His breath was hot on Zach’s skin, but the frisson of pleasure made him shudder. Scott spoke low, close to his ear. “That’s not what she wants.”

“I know.” Zach had to struggle not to pant as Scott kissed his throat, hands moving down to undo the top button of Zach’s pants. Drag the zipper down over his rapidly swelling cock. He practically strangled on his words as Scott traced a finger above the waistband of his boxer briefs. “I’m not sure I know what she wants.”

Scott chuckled, nipping Zach’s earlobe hard enough to add an edge of pain to the sensations already on the verge of driving him mad. “She wants the same thing I do. You. Just you.”

Zach shook his head. Scott didn’t understand. “She needs more. She needs a Dom who can teach her how to trust, who can see when she’s holding back, who can—”

“It’s still you. Her Dom is the man she loves, not someone separate.” Scott slid his hand into Zach’s boxer briefs, then fisted it around Zach’s dick. “Now shut up. I’m fucking tired of you pushing me away because you can’t deal with your shit.” He bit the curve between Zach’s neck and his shoulder, breathing hard. “Not going to let you do that anymore.”

Gritting his teeth, Zach moved to turn, to face Scott. He let out a rough sound when Scott pressed his hand down between his shoulder blades, forcing him to stay as he was, with his hands gripping the sink.

“Don’t move.
Sir
.” Scott gave him a feral smile in the mirror, then pulled something out of the pocket of his black slacks. He held it up between his thumb and forefinger. A small black package. He opened it and inside was a condom and a sample of lube. “It’s my turn.”

Arms shaking slightly, Zach struggled to stay in place, to not shove back and twist around to grab Scott. Make the arrogant fucker get on his knees. Zach didn’t bottom often. Not that he didn’t enjoy it, but he found it difficult to guide a sub from such a submissive position. The effort it took to give directions when he just wanted to be fucked ruined it almost every time.

But Scott wasn’t a sub. He didn’t ask permission before pushing Zach’s pants down over his ass. He held Zach’s gaze as he lubed up his fingers. As he pressed them against Zach’s tight hole. As he thrust them in deep.

Groaning, Zach jammed his hips backward, needing more.
Now.
The rough, burning feeling of Scott stretching him was exquisite. His whole body was humming. His cock twitched, the head swollen and hot. He pressed his eyes shut, turning all his focus to hauling himself back from the climax that already tempted him.

If Scott wanted revenge for all the times Zach had made him wait, he was close to getting it. Zach cursed as Scott’s fingers left him, pressing his eyes shut as Scott reached around him to wash his hands. The throbbing in his dick was almost painful. He heard the distinct sound of a condom wrapper being ripped. Then the pressure as Scott slowly pushed inside him.

So fucking full. Rough friction as Scott eased in all the way, showing he’d used just enough lube to slick Zach up, but not enough for him to feel nothing but the wet glide. The Dom in Zach took note, knowing most gave what they liked to receive. If the notes had been physical ones, they would have been barely legible scribbles. Zach’s hand slipped on the sink as he tried to reach for Scott’s hip. To get him moving.

“No, Sir.” Scott put his hands over Zach’s, rocking his hips at a languorous pace. “I want to take my time.” He flatted his chest against Zach’s back. His silk tie stuck to the sweat beading up on Zach’s flesh. “You’re not in charge.”

Snapping his teeth together and his eyes open, Zach glared at Scott in the mirror. “Then stop calling me ‘Sir.’”

“I thought you liked it.” Scott thrust in a bit harder. Then he dragged out, panting with his lips on the side of Zach’s neck. “Fuck, you feel good.”

Scott smiled at him, still cocky as ever, but there was something different in his eyes. Something that stole the urge from Zach to rush things. He was looking at Zach as though he’d found everything he would ever need right here. Right now.

Pressure built up gradually at the base of Zach’s spine, in his balls, as Scott slid and out, his rhythm faltering before long. His grip on Zach’s hands tightened. He groaned as he pistoned faster and faster, still staring at Zach in the mirror. Pleasure rushed through Zach’s core, barely contained, like a can of soda shaken up with the top cracked but not opened completely. He could feel it sizzling, ready to burst.

Scott slammed in and brought one hand to Zach’s dick, stroking even as he came. Zach tensed, letting out a sharp cry as the climax erupted, stealing the strength from his arms and legs. His cum spurted into the sink, and he clenched down on Scott as the nerves inside him ignited. He held on to the sink with everything he had left so he wouldn’t crack his head on the porcelain on his way to the floor. Which didn’t seem all that solid at the moment.

“Fuck, ah . . .” Scott rested his head on the back of Zach’s neck, gasping for air. “Don’t . . . don’t move for a bit.”

“Not sure I can.” Zach laughed breathlessly, feeling like he’d just finished a double shift—or maybe a triple—on the ice, going full speed without stopping. And some asshole had iced the puck, trapping him there. “Damn it, I’m glad you’re not a sub.”

“Yeah?” Scott took a deep breath, wincing as he eased out. He braced one hand on the sink beside Zach’s. “Why’s that?”

“Because I needed that. Needed to not be in control.” Zach straightened, kicking off his pants and boxers so he could take a shower. A quick one because he needed to crash. Hopefully in the bed. If he made it that far. He gave Scott a rueful smile, sure he’d shocked him. “Strange thing for a Dom to say, huh?”

Scott shrugged. “Not sure why. You sign up somewhere agreeing to be a Dom and nothing else?”

Strange question.
“Of course not.”

“Then, the way I see it, we had some hot fucking sex. Me and you. No one surrendering, not one of us giving while the other takes. I get kink. I get that some people need it all the time to get off and that’s cool.” He moved in close and gave Zach a lazy kiss. “Not so sure you’re one of them. And neither is Becky.” He smirked against Zach’s lips. “Which works out pretty damn good for me.”

“Clearly.” Zach snorted, shaking his head. “I’m going to take a shower.
Alone
.” He added when Scott’s lips curved. “Get some sleep.”

After his shower, Zach climbed into bed, pleased to see Scott was still awake. Waiting for him. Zach pulled Scott close, aligning their bodies. He loved the feeling of Scott next to him, all that solid muscle relaxed, the tough guy gone, leaving one who actually like to snuggle.

This guy was easy to talk to. Zach didn’t have to hold anything back. “You’re getting to know me pretty well, Scott. How about you tell me what I’m gonna say next.”

Scott laid his head on Zach’s chest and let out a contented sigh. “’You’re a very wise man, Scott. I don’t know why I would ever argue with you—you’re pretty much always right.’” He paused. “’And I love you.’”

Smiling, Zach buried his face in Scott’s mussed up hair, breathing in his clean, masculine scent. Then he whispered, “Close enough.”