Page 61 of Broken Ice, Mended Hearts

Cheeks burning, I gave him a pleading look. “I was an asshole when I found out about Kev and Ty. I didn’t mean to be, but I was. Jeremy Weaver played for LA back then, and he’d just come out. At dinner one night…” I glanced down, unable to look at him. “I basically said I couldn’t believe Weaver was gaybecause he was too manly, and…” Raising my head, I blew out a breath. “I said the gay Barracudas were different kinds of men, meaning not as tough. I’m so sorry, babe.” Shifting my gaze back to Stick and Kev, I said, “I apologize, guys. I didn’t realize how homophobic I was.”

Kev and Stick traded a look and walked over. Sven and I were still holding hands, but Kev put an arm around my shoulder on the other side. “You apologized a long time ago, and we forgave you then. Stick and I were trying to be funny, but…”

Stick finished the thought for him. “It was in poor taste. You weren’t trying to be a shithead, and you’ve more than made up for it since. I’ll never bring it up again.”

“Me either.” Kev squeezed my shoulder and then let go. “I’m happy as hell for both of you.”

“Thanks, guys,” Sven said, then turned to me. “Your past made you who you are, so don’t be so hard on yourself. I’ve been ignorant about a lot of things.”

Relief washed over me, and I kissed him. Though little more than a touch of our lips, it was an enormous step—kissing him in public and not giving a rat’s ass who might see.

“There we go,” Stick said. “Gags, after what you’ve been through, you deserve someone who makes you happy.”

“I’m crazy about Pip,” Sven said. “We both appreciate your support.”

Letting my hand go, he held up his fist for bumps from Kev and Stick, and then they bumped mine.

“Who’s Pip?” Stick asked.

“That would be me,” I said, “and for the record, I’m pretty crazy about Holmer too.”

Kev found another devilish grin. “Pip?That’s so cute. Can I call you that?”

“If you want to risk your life,” I said, maintaining a straight face. “Sven calls me that, nobody else.”

“Got it,” Stick and Kev said together, and Sven gave me a look that made me want to drag him into the rough for some golf course sex. That was something to keep in mind for another day.

Chapter 17

Sven

The week passed quickly.Pip and I holed up at home, spending every minute together, and leaving the house only once to get some things we needed for camp. We used the weights in his basement to work out and took turns running on his treadmill. Despite the satisfaction of being together, a shadow of dread was always lurking at the edges of my happiness.

I woke early on the morning of our last day together. We’d stayed up late the night before, packing for camp and having sex. During the night, we’d become a tangle of arms and legs. In the dim morning light, I remained still, enjoying his warm breath against my throat as I considered what was about to happen. As two so-called tough guys who were both experts at denial, we’d hardly discussed it, but I’d seen the apprehension in Pip’s eyes. For days, we’d danced around the subject, resorting to forced jokes and hollow promises about how it wouldn’t be that bad, that phone calls would be a huge help, and we’d be together more than we thought.

We both knew better. Since both teams were sharing Cuda Arena, one would be on the road while the other was at home. Asa result, Pip and I would almost never be in the same place, and time together would be rare.

It wouldn’t be only for a short time, either. The league used to give teams a little downtime after camp before the season started, but they’d stopped that a couple of years ago, and our separation would begin tomorrow. If one of our teams made it to the playoffs, this bullshit could go on for nine months—almost a year of rarely being together, struggling to remember what it was like to cuddle, and watching games on TV to get glimpses of each other. Phone calls and FaceTimes wouldn’t be enough, and hanging out with teammates or having silent dinners alone would do nothing but make us miss each other more.

What would happen to us? Would the distance dull the connection we had, or worse, kill it altogether? The thought of waking up without Pip, of hearing his laughter only by phone and not feeling the warmth of his touch, sent shivers through me. Our comfortable routine was about to be replaced by the challenges of a long-distance relationship.

Today would be our last opportunity to discuss things before we landed in the middle of them. If we didn’t discuss the situation like mature people, it would hit us even harder. Trying to shift into a positive frame of mind, I buried my nose in Pip’s hair, reveling in the scent: clean sweat, musky man, and the sandalwood shampoo he liked. Although the worry had killed my morning wood, my dick quickly roared back to life. Besides talking and packing, we needed to make the most of this day. It would be too long before we had another opportunity.

He moaned when I rolled on top of him. Our dicks found each other, drawn together like magnets, and I kissed him. His heat seeped into me like a drug I craved, and my need pushed the thoughts of the coming separation from my mind. As our tongues slid together in a lazy dance, I moved my hips, rubbing our cocks against each other. We were both naked, still stickyfrom when I’d fucked him the night before, and he moaned into my mouth when I deepened our kiss. All at once, an emotional tide had my eyes watering. I still couldn’t believe, after all that had happened in my life, that a man like Pip even allowed me to touch him.

Please don’t let me lose him.

He rolled us over. Desire spiked, and I wrapped my legs around his hips, using my strength to pull him closer. Our dicks, trapped between us, throbbed with need. I’d always been a top, but I loved taking it from Pip, so I broke our kiss to whisper, “Need you. Fuck me?”

“Hell yeah.” His voice, rough with sleep and lust, turned up the heat. “Want me to rim you first?”

“No, just finger me a little.”

He raised himself and reached toward the nightstand.

“Wait.” I pulled a bottle of lube from under my pillow. “I didn’t put it away last night.”

He took it and rolled to the side. “Flip on your stomach and get on your hands and knees.”

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