Page 113 of Shift Change

“What the hell’s going on back there?”

Chuck froze at the sound of Gabe’s voice. My eyes jerked open. Because I’d been about to shoot what no doubt would have been a massive load, the pain was real, and I couldn’t contain a groan. Some of the boys were asleep, but too many faces were turned toward us.

Riley—lovable, hateful bastard that he was—grinned. Logan, more decent by nature, rubbed his chin and tried to stifle his chuckle.

“Everything okay?” Harpy asked.

I cleared my throat.

“Do we need another game of truth or dare?” Brody asked.

Chuck came to my rescue. “No, we’re fine. Nate fell asleep and started snoring, so I woke him up.”

“You boys should go to bed if you’re tired,” Packy said.

He was right. If we went upstairs, Chuck could finish me, and I wouldn’t have to be so quiet. But I was the host and needed to stay. “Nah, I’m good now.”

Chuck traced a fingertip up my very hard dick.

“Anyone need anything?” I asked with a shaky voice.

Gabe grinned, the same one he used on the ice to sayI’ve got your back. “We know where the beer is. Mind if we put a movie on?”

“Good idea,” I said. “How aboutThe Dark Knight?”

Thankfully, Gabe found the remote and started the movie. My dick was still out in the open air, and Chuck was fingering it. When I was sure everyone had their attention on Batman, I leaned over and whispered, “Still want to eat it off your hand?”

“Oh yeah. I’m hungry for you.”

I leaned my head back again, and Chuck started jacking me off. He kissed me, and between the hard jerking and what he was doing to my mouth, it didn’t take thirty seconds to get me there. I tapped his leg in warning, and he cupped his free hand over the end of my dick. Except for one harsh grunt into his mouth with the first shot, I stayed impressively quiet.

No one seemed interested in what we were doing anymore, and I tucked myself away while Chuck licked my cum out of his hand. I hummed when he sucked his fingers, and when we kissed, the taste of me was strong on his tongue.

Goddamn.He’d made a fantasy I didn’t even know I had come true.

40

mad dog

Heat crept in slowly,and I didn’t notice until sweat traced a line down my ribs. I closed my book and indulged in a deep, satisfying stretch that made my spine crack and my muscles relax. Everything was bright—the ocean was a thousand shades of blue, and the white sand gleamed beyond the shade of our umbrella—but under the canopy, it was shady and quiet, just this side of paradise.

I reached for my phone and squinted at the screen: 1:27 p.m. No wonder my stomach was growling. I set it down and turned to the lounge chair beside mine to look at Nate—long limbs sprawled, head tilted enough to catch the line of his jaw. The rise and fall of his chest told me he was still asleep, probably dreaming of something fun and ridiculous, or maybe of me. A man could hope.

Bronzed from the sun, he was wearing only swim trunks, and I indulged in the view. I’d never get tired of looking at him. His body had surely been sculpted by some cocky Roman god with excellent taste. I licked my lips as I ran my eyes over the smooth, tan lines of his chest, his tight abs, and the hairy trail leading down from his navel. The filtered sunlight under the umbrella played tricks with the shadows, highlighting every cut and curve.

I let out a slow breath, thinking how lucky I was. We were on a beautiful island instead of still in the playoffs—we’d lost to the Barracudas in game six—but I was still happy. It had been my first playoff run, and we’d made it to the second round. I’d learned a lot to help me do better in the future. Losing to the Cudas hurt like hell, but the Caribbean sun and crashing of the waves were helping the disappointment fade away.

There was plenty of time. I was only twenty-four, with a solid rookie season behind me and a good shot at taking the Calder home. Thinking of that made my stomach flip. Being named Rookie of the Year wouldn’t erase the pain of losing the second round, but it would mean a lot.

Still, even if none of it happened—if the trophies never came and my career took a bad turn—I had Nate. Coming so close to losing him had carved something into me, a deep gratitude for what we had. Imagining life without him had been like staring into a black hole, and I never wanted to go near that edge again.

Loving him was the best part of every day. He was the air I breathed and the future I wanted, the only place I could land when trouble came. We’d been tested, and we’d prevailed. Now we were on St. John with salt on our skin and sand between our toes, holding each other close. Whatever storms came, whatever cracks tried to form, it didn’t matter. We were here. We were whole. And we were stronger than anything that tried to pull us apart.

I sat on the edge of my chair and rested a hand on Nate’s arm. He moaned but didn’t move. “Whoever you are, you’d better have a body to die for and the most beautiful brown eyes I’ve ever seen.”

“Not sure about that, but willIdo?”

He opened his eyes and looked at me as a smile spread across his face. “Hey, you’re the guy I was dreaming about. Want to go back to our suite and get frisky?”

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