Page 60 of Scoring Zone
“Okay.” I fling my arm out, and he tucks himself into my side with his hand on my stomach. In my dreams, I’m brave enough to claim him as mine, and we take an extended vacation to Greece.
Chapter 26
Grayson
I wake up before Austin and organize his gear for him. He’ll wake up and immediately go into captain mode and make sure everyone else is all set and then scramble to get himself ready. He looks younger when he sleeps, unburdened by the demands of his career and position.
The upside of sleeping with my best friend is that I’ve memorized his routine and can do this for him. Once his bag is packed except for the essentials that he’ll need this morning, I slide back into bed with him.
Austin’s warm and I soak in his scent and the familiarity of his body. He’s too hard on himself, and he blames himself for the loss last night, which is ridiculous.
Our relationship weighs on him because it’s a secret. That’s not how he operates. He prefers being an open book. I’m not sure how I can help him or make it better. Bringing it up might add more pressure to the situation, so I’ll follow his lead and be here if he needs me.
He stirs and I kiss his shoulder. “Morning.”
“Hey.” He rolls toward me and rubs the sleep from his eyes. “You stayed.”
I chuckle. “Coach hasn’t done a bed check on you in years. I promised not to leave you.”
“I’m being weird.” His lips turn up in an attempt to smile, but it turns into a grimace.
“You’re always weird,” I say in a breathy voice in his ear, like I meant to say something sexy.
“What time is it?” he asks, and on cue his phone buzzes. “I’m not answering it.” He presses his erection against my thigh.
“If you don’t, whoever it is will worry and knock on your door.” I’d love to ignore his phone, but I know better. His team loves him and has noticed he’s not himself.
Austin grumbles and grudgingly grabs his phone. It’s a rookie texting to ask when and where the team breakfast is taking place.
“Tell him to check the itinerary.” I rest my chin on his shoulder, reading the exchange.
“That’s rude.”
Before he can stop me, I pluck his phone from his hand and speak as I type. “I’m always here to help. But you can also find that info on the itinerary in your email.” I press send and give him back his phone. “See, you’re teaching life skills.”
Austin stares at the phone as if the words will magically disappear.
“If he’s upset, I’ll tell him it was me, but I don’t think he’ll be offended,” I add, unsure what’s going on in his head.
“No, you’re right.” His confused blue eyes meet mine.
“Let me take your mind off things.” We don’t have a lot of time, but a blowjob in the shower sets him right and I savor him for hours.
Austin is on fire in the game against LA. I wouldn’t say my blowjobs deserve the credit, but they’re an excellent attitude adjustment.
He’s killing it at his job, and I should focus on mine. Lucky has a twinge in the shoulder he injured and is low-key freaking out. He rests for a shift and goes back out. Coach and I notice he’s playing tentatively.
I decide to wrap his shoulder, not because he needs it medically, but because I think it will help him mentally. On his next shift, he’s more aggressive, and I give myself another pat on the back. It’s so much easier to figure out what other people need.
Lucky passes to Austin, who shoots right through the goalie’s five-hole and scores. Lucky jumps on him, forgetting all about his shoulder pain. LA gives it their best shot, but we win and team spirit is high.
No major injuries, but lots of bumps and bruises that need to be examined and iced.
Ari Dimon, the GM, congratulates the team and asks if they want a night out in LA or to fly back as scheduled. I’m surprised when the team votes to fly home. There were tons of celebrities at the game, and some of the players received invites to exclusive parties.
I want my man behind closed doors and not worrying that his teammates in the next room can hear us. After we board the plane, he falls asleep on my shoulder.
Because of the time difference, it’s the middle of the night when we get home, and Coach tells the team they’ll have ashort afternoon skate tomorrow. Which will leave us time in the morning for each other.
