Page 67 of Shift Change

He rolled onto his side to face me. “What part?”

“The bar, those girls.”

“I thought we already talked about this.”

“You did, but I didn’t. What you said about feeling like it was a waste of time? I do too.”

He skimmed his fingertips across my chest. “What the hell is up with that? Didn’t we both love it in the past?”

“Yes, but I wasn’t feeling it tonight. I need more than those stupid games.”

“Same.” He waited a few beats before adding, “I think we’ve ruined each other.”

I forced a chuckle, but something heavy pressed against my heart. When our eyes met, the truth hit me like a wave I hadn’t seen coming: I needed him in ways deeper than sex or closeness. I craved all of him.

Fuck. I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.

This is because we’re having fun and are such good friends, right?

I didn’t know how much time passed, but the room was too quiet. We lay side by side, not touching and not talking. It was the kind of silence that pressed in around the edges, full of things neither of us knew how to say.

The night had been weird, and my feelings were out of control. One minute we’d been laughing, drinking, and dancing with beautiful women. The next, everything inside me turned. Now, in the quiet, I had to admit I’d never felt so fragile before.

The heat of Chuck’s skin was so close it made me ache for him. I wanted to reach out and say something, but I didn’t know what. Instead, I rolled onto him without a word. He blinked up at me as his chest rose and fell under mine.

I dipped my hips slowly and loved the drag of my cock along his. His breath hitched, so I did it again. He grazed his hands down my back and settled them on my waist, gripping me hard. His mouth opened, but he still said nothing. Instead, he arched against me and slid his cock against mine.

My face hovered inches above his. We moved faster, increasing the friction between us as the slide and drag sent thrills up my spine. Our cocks throbbed, and sweat beaded between us as our hips fell into rhythm like we were made for each other.

Our breath came in sharp, quiet pants. Our eyes were locked, and even as my excitement soared, my chest ached. This wasn’t like any sex I’d ever had before. Not even close. A different kind of need mushroomed inside me and wrapped its hands around my throat.

I couldn’t stop looking at Chuck, and I didn’t want to. We kept moving, chasing the scorching pull between us. My grunts grew desperate as the pressure coiled tight and hot in my gut.

His nails dug into my back when my mouth found his neck. I breathed him in, biting and licking like an animal who couldn’t get enough. He smelled like soap and sweat, but he felt like home.

“Nate,” he gasped.

I thrust harder. My hips jerked frantically until he cried out beneath me, his cock twitching against mine as cum shot between us. I was right behind him, groaning into his throat while I added to the beautiful mess.

Afterward, we lay there shaking while we sucked in air, stuck together by sweat and cum and silence.

Neither of us moved, and we didn’t say a word. Yet everything I wasn’t ready to admit was right there between us. Like our mess, it was all over us. I stared into his eyes.

“I know,” he finally whispered.

21

mad dog

January stormedin like it had a personal grudge, dumping blizzards and record-breaking low temperatures not only in Buffalo, but in almost every city on our schedule. Despite the cold outside, the Warriors stayed hot. We strung together a series of wins, keeping us on top of the division. Montreal had been running a tight second before the holidays, but injuries had knocked them down to third while Toronto rose to second.

I was starting to feel at home in Buffalo. Criswell had left me on the first line, and every goal and assist chipped away at the doubt I’d had when I drove into town. I was a genuine Warrior—not filling in, and not just lucky. I was here, and I was staying.

And then there was Nate. Still Nate, but not. Things had changed after Miami, and although we hadn’t discussed it, it was right there with us every day. We never spent a night apart and had sex every time we found a bed or closet. Hell, if there was a world record for most orgasms in a single month, we’d be solid contenders. We spent every possible moment together, and when we were apart, I felt an ache, a physical ache nothing would soothe until I saw him again.

Did he feel it too?

One morning, we drove separately to Amherst since I had a sore ear and had to see the team doctor after practice. He diagnosed a mild infection and gave me a prescription. While I waited at the pharmacy, I checked my phone and found a stack of texts from Nate.

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