Page 36 of Game Winner
Laughing, I grab the creamer from the refrigerator. “You did not.”
Smiling, he takes two mugs from the cabinet. His practice day mug and a plain one for guests. “Okay, we didn’t. I said that because I thought it might make you smile.”
“It did.”
He runs his hand down the center of my back. “Was he right? Were you restless?”
“Yeah. Pre-game jitters.”
“We’ll go downstairs so we can all talk.” He pours coffee into my mug before filling the guest mug, then his own last.
Carrying our coffees, we head downstairs. Bax sprawls the length of the mattress on the side closest to the door. He has his arm flung across his face. But when he hears us, he lowers it, and his gaze tracks me. “You okay?”
“Can’t sleep.”
To his credit, he immediately sits up and pats the spot beside him. “Why not?”
I lift my right shoulder in a half-shrug and hand him the mug so I can climb in bed without spilling it. “Too much on my mind.”
He waits until I’m under the blanket to hand me the mug, then slides his arm around me. “You can tell us about it if you want to.”
Soren passes him the guest mug before climbing onto the bed’s other side. “What he said.”
I take a fortifying sip. “Every practice and game, I have a fear in the back of my mind that I could get injured.”
“Every practice and game?” Bax’s eyes widen. “That’s, like, every day.”
I nod. “It started a few years ago. After coming back from one injury only to go out with another one a few days later. Some days, the fear is worse than others. I thought I was managing it pretty well since I got here. But knowing that I’m playing for the Metros tonight, the worrying is turned up about ten levels.”
Bax kisses my temple. “Is the anxiety due to more than playing?”
“Playing’s a big part of it. My first practice with the team was yesterday. They put me on a line with Sage and Maxim. AndI’m playing tonight. We don’t know each other’s rhythms well enough yet. I just wish the learning curve wasn’t so steep or on such a large stage.” I sip more coffee. “But it’s more than playing too.”
Soren lays his hand on my thigh. “Going back to what you said when you first came to the Slash, you being with the Metros now is the same newness all over again. Even though you know Sage, Remy, Morgan, Rhys, and a couple of others, it’s still a new team. A new jersey, new linemates, a new arena and practice facility.”
“New dynamics. Just when I was feeling like I’d settled into everything with the Slash.” The mug’s heat seeps into my palms. I glance down and realize I’m gripping it way too tight. “I don’t want to feel like I’m a perpetual newcomer.”
“You’re not new with us.” Bax slides closer and his arm slide from my shoulder to my chest so I’m deeper in his embrace.
“Technically, we’re still new. Two months isn’t that long.” I like the security of his hold, the sensuality of his palm against my stomach, and his breath in my ear. “But thank you. I get what you meant.”
Soren tangles our legs together. “We’re here for you and whatever you need.” His gaze finds Bax, and Bax nods against the top of my head. “I’ll be with you today, at the skate and at the game. Coach Grant said the backup is on the mend, so I think I’ll be sent down to the Slash in a few days. But as long as I’m up with the Metros, I have your back.”
“I know you do.” I twine my free hand with his.
Bax’s palm smooths over my stomach, slow and soothing in a way I didn’t know I needed. “I have band practice after work today. We’re polishing a song Layne wrote that we’re performing at Winter Fest. Then we’re playing a set at a bar in Minneapolis. It’ll be finished by the time your game ends. I can come overafter that. Give you a massage, hear all about your time rocking the purple jersey.”
“I’d like that.” I press my lips to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath them.
Soren sets his coffee aside then scoots closer, splaying his hand to rest on my hip. Each point of contact communicates that I am most definitely not on my own. “Maybe talk to Sage about how he manages his anxiety. He might have some tips to help you.”
“That’s a good idea.” He’s been open about his struggle with it, and how the housemates and Rhys’s friends help him. I’ve joined in the technique of askingwhat’s the worst that can happen, andwhat’s the best that can happen,to help break him out of a spiral.
“I know another way to alleviate anxiety.” Bax sets his mug on the nightstand, then does the same with mine. He turns and slips his other arm around me. “Wanna guess what it is?”
His cock is firm against my thigh. I rock against it, plumping up in my pants.
Soren’s heat is warm at my back, and his cock is as awake as Bax’s. We trade coffee-flavored kisses as Soren works my shirt off and Bax removes my pants. Then we’re moving together, hands on cocks, mouths on lips, necks, and chests, stroking, grinding, kissing, chasing pleasure that builds every moment.
