Page 34 of Nix
Nix had always thrived on praise and appreciation. It was his kink. No, like literally, Nix had been to kink clubs and being praised was a big thing for him. If his Dom wanted Nix to kneel for hours or do anything really, all Nix needed was the right motivation and appreciation. He’d been very careful not to reveal any of that to Evan though.
Evan was super smart. Head always buried in a book. Fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, paranormal, intellectual, even romance. Maybe Evan had figured Nix all out on his own. Now that was a scary thought. With his head pounding, Nix just wanted to curl into a ball and not have to worry about anything else.
“Hey!”
It took all his effort, but Nix was able to blink open his eyes.
“There you are.” Evan was kneeling in front of him.
Huh, he must have dozed off. “What?” Nix straightened. “What happened? Where is everyone?” And how was Evan showered and dressed already?
“We let you sleep. I checked in with Jon to make sure you were okay. He assured me that you were fine. No concussion. The adrenaline leaving your system must have made you crash.”
“Coach?” Nix questioned.
“We’ll deal with all of it tomorrow. Right now, Evan is going to take you home. First, we need to get you dressed,” Laney said.
Damn, how had Nix not noticed his captain was beside him? “I’m so tired.”
“I know you are, baby. Let me help you.” Evan pulled Nix up and into his arms.
The shaking had stopped at least. He just felt spent. Like he’d used up every ounce of energy he had. Nix wanted to grab the clothes he’d folded and put on the shelf in his cubbie but that just seemed like too much effort.
“I got it,” Evan said. He placed a soft kiss to Nix’s forehead before taking the stack of clothes from Laney.
Evan knelt in front of him. “Put your hand on my shoulder. Lean on me. I’ll help you.”
That sounded like a good idea. Gripping Evan’s shoulder, Nix was able to lift one leg as Evan had him step into his underwear.He’d only been wearing a towel. All his teammates had been around him as Nix had literally passed out in his cubbie. Like a little kid that had needed a nap. How embarrassing.
Nix groaned as Evan pulled his underwear up under the towel.
“What’s the matter?” Evan questioned.
Nix liked the warmth of Evan’s shoulder under his fingers. He looked over at their captain though. “Is everyone mad at me?”
“Mad?” Laney relaxed against the cubbie at his back. “You're a hero.”
“Hero?” Nix repeated.
“The little shifter that beat up Crowly to protect our goalie,” Laney told him. “Even Marlin was cheering for you when you got your ass tossed from the game.”
Nix nodded. That was good that his team wasn’t mad. Now all Nix had to worry about was his mom and Gem.
Evan tapped his foot. “Pants now.”
“Oh, right.” He lifted his foot to try to help although honestly Evan was doing most of the work.
Not that the goalie seemed to mind. Evan encouraged him with soft words, gentle touches, and even a couple of small kisses to his forehead and cheek. Evan had him dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt in no time. Nix was in heaven.
As Evan collected Nix’s belongings, Laney rose.
“I’m going to leave you with Evan now. That’s okay?” Laney asked him.
Nix nodded letting Evan take most of his weight. “I…I’m sorry. I’m just so damn tired.”
“It’s fine,” Evan assured him. “You’ll bounce back. I have no doubt.”
Laney squeezed his shoulder. “Let Evan care for you. I’ll call tomorrow and check in.”
