Game Changer

by Rachel Reid

“We’ll figure it out,” Kip said, still completely overwhelmed. “I can keep a secret, and it doesn’t have to be... You know, it can be casual. Whenever you have time.”

  “You deserve better than that, Kip.”

  Kip laughed, because seriously? “I can settle for you.”

  Scott grinned and kissed him. Kip kissed back with everything he had, because he was pretty sure this incredible dream man had just asked him to be his boyfriend.

  “You won’t have to settle for anything,” Scott murmured against his ear. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

  * * *

  They made it to the bedroom, but barely. Scott slammed Kip against the wall as soon as they were inside the door. They threw their shirts off, then Scott pushed up so hard against him that Kip’s feet were almost being lifted off the floor. Kip was a tall, solid guy, but Scott made him feel small. He loved how Scott could manhandle him.

  “What do you want?” he asked. “Tell me.”

  “Don’t...” Kip stammered, breathless, “don’t suppose you’d wanna switch it up?”

  “You want me to fuck you?”

  “Yeah. Would you?”

  Scott made a low growl and kissed him again. “Absolutely.”

  Kip let out a relieved little laugh. He loved fucking Scott, but he needed to be fucked into that mattress, or against this wall, as hard as he knew Scott could give it to him.

  They broke apart so they could get their pants off, then Scott pulled Kip to the bed, not roughly, but forcefully. Kip went happily, allowing himself to be shoved down onto the mattress, Scott immediately covering him. The weight of Scott’s chest pressed down on Kip, just like on the couch earlier. It was exactly what he craved.

  Scott moved his hips so the length of his huge, solid cock slid against Kip’s.

  “Please,” Kip rasped. “I want it.”

  “Roll over,” Scott ordered, sounding every bit like the respected team captain that he was. It sent a jolt of heat through Kip, and he couldn’t obey fast enough. Once he was settled, Scott started kissing down his spine.

  “You are,” Scott murmured between kisses. “Absolutely. Stunning.” He punctuated his statement by sinking his teeth into Kip’s left ass cheek, biting it playfully but possessively. Kip moaned and grabbed fistfuls of one of Scott’s pillows. He was so full of need he thought he might burst.

  Scott kept nipping at Kip’s ass, trailing down to his thighs and back up again. It felt so good, every part of Kip was tingling with anticipation. He wasn’t sure if Scott was actually going to do what his mouth was hinting at. He knew he was relatively inexperienced, and maybe it would be too much to hope for him to—

  But then Scott spread his cheeks with his strong hands, and ran his tongue down Kip’s crack, slowly.

  “Fuck,” Kip moaned. “Yes.”

  Scott lapped at the sensitive flesh around Kip’s hole, flicking the tip of his tongue over the tight opening as his hands gripped his ass. He coaxed him open with warm, wet strokes of his tongue, each one sending a delicious shiver through Kip’s body.

  God, let me stay in this moment forever.

  When Kip had relaxed enough, Scott grabbed the lube and worked a slick, strong finger inside. His hands were huge, and his fingers were so long and thick. Kip wanted as many as Scott would give him.

  Scott put a hand firmly on the middle of Kip’s back—maybe it was more for his own balance, but Kip loved it. Scott must have noticed because he pressed down a little harder and gave him a second finger. Kip gasped at the increased pressure in both places.

  “You like it, huh?” Scott rumbled.

  “Yeah,” Kip said hoarsely. “I love how big you are. Strong, fuck. Want you in me so fucking bad. Want you everywhere.”

  Scott responded by making a very manly, possessive growl and adding a third finger. Kip flinched and gasped.

  “You okay?” Scott asked, stilling his fingers. “Too much?”

  “No...no, it’s fine. It’s good. It’s so good...” Kip was going to keep babbling. His mouth always ran away from him when he was this far gone. “I’m ready,” he said. “I’m so ready for you, Scott. Please. I like it hard. Wanna feel it for days...”

  Scott pulled his fingers out, and then Kip heard the frantic crinkle of a condom wrapper being torn. He turned to look over his shoulder as best he could, and saw Scott moving his hand over his sheathed cock, slicking it with lube.

  Kip waited eagerly for the first press of Scott’s cock entering him. It had been too long since he’d been fucked, and it had been a solid week of fantasizing about exactly this moment. After a long minute of nothing happening, Kip glanced back over his shoulder. Scott was holding his hips, and was lined up, but he wasn’t moving.

  “You all right?” Kip asked.

  “Yeah,” Scott said. He was blushing. “Sorry. I just... I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You won’t.” Kip wriggled his ass playfully. “But if you don’t start fucking me, I might die, so...”

  Scott huffed out a laugh, but he still didn’t move. “I’ve only done this once before,” he confessed.

  Oh my god.

  Kip kept forgetting about Scott’s lack of experience. It just seemed so...implausible.

  “You won’t hurt me,” Kip promised. “I’ll tell you if you do. But... I like it hard. I can take it.”

  Scott bit his lip and his brow furrowed, and Kip needed him to stop thinking.

  “Trust me,” Kip said. Scott locked eyes with him and nodded.

  Finally, Kip felt the head of Scott’s cock nudge his entrance, and it was all he could do to keep from slamming himself back onto it. He waited as patiently as possible as Scott slowly pushed in.

  “God, yes,” Kip breathed. “I’ve wanted this so bad.”

  Scott was big, and Kip stretched and burned around him in the best way. When he was all the way in, he returned his hand to the middle of Kip’s back, putting weight on it. Kip moaned.

  Scott was careful for the first few thrusts. Desperate for more, Kip offered some encouragement. “So good. So fucking good, Scott. Don’t be gentle with me. You’re perfect. Come on.”

  That worked. Scott began thrusting in earnest, one hand planted on the bed to anchor him, the other splayed firmly on Kip’s shoulder blade. Kip was in heaven.

  “So strong,” he breathed. “Don’t stop. I love it.”

  “You feel incredible. Fuck.”

  Kip felt Scott everywhere—his solid thighs pressing against Kip’s legs, and his hand still firm on his back as Scott pounded him into the mattress. Kip loved how sweet and shy Scott could be, but right now he was fucking Kip like the star athlete he was. With each thrust, Kip’s whole body got jolted, and his cock rubbed against the mattress in a way that normally wouldn’t be enough, but this time...

  It’s going to work. God, I might even come first.

  “Don’t come,” Scott said, as if reading his mind. “I want to see it. Don’t come.”

  Kip moaned, loving Scott’s authoritative tone, and did his best to obey. He lifted his hips up off the bed to reduce the friction, but damn if he didn’t even need the friction, the way Scott was driving into him. It all felt too incredible.

  “Don’t know...” Kip choked out, “don’t know if I can obey that order, Hunter.”

  Scott snarled and, without warning, pulled out and flipped Kip over. He hauled Kip’s ankles up onto his shoulders and pushed back in, harder and faster than before.

  “Holy fuck!” Kip cried out. “Holy fuck!”

  “Now you can come.”

  Kip did. Not even a mattress was touching his dick now. He was just coming untouched because Scott told him to and because everything about this was so perfect and so hot. He watched, amazed, as his release splashed onto his stomach and chest.

  “Oh my god. Fuck, Kip.” Scott thrus
t into him a couple more times, then crumpled forward as he came inside him.

  When the last tremors subsided, Scott gently pulled out and fell on the bed beside Kip. He was flushed and smiling. “That was...” he started, then just shook his head and smiled wider.

  “Yeah,” Kip panted. “Unreal.”

  It was the only word he could think of. He thought he’d known how good sex could be, but he was thrilled to learn how mistaken he’d been.

  “I’ll be right back,” Scott said, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. “Don’t move.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Scott rolled off the bed and went into the bathroom, leaving Kip to grin at the ceiling and to try to commit every detail of what just happened to memory. He loved how quickly Scott had lost his inhibitions; he hadn’t held anything back as he’d used his impressive strength and stamina to fuck Kip senseless.

  This man is my boyfriend now.

  Scott returned with a damp cloth and gently cleaned Kip’s stomach. The warm fabric sliding across Kip’s skin felt wonderful. He sighed happily, and reached for Scott. “Come here.”

  Scott smiled and kissed him. “That was incredible,” he said. “You’re incredible.”

  “I’m pretty sure you were doing most of the work that time.”

  “It’s not work,” Scott said, kissing Kip on the nose, and the cheek, and the corner of his mouth. “Not work at all.”

  Kip shoved him onto his back and climbed on top of him, kissing him with all the tenderness he felt at that moment.

  They broke apart, and Scott looked up at him. He ran his fingers through Kip’s hair and studied his face, clearly wanting to say something.

  “What?” Kip asked.

  “Can I buy you a tux?”

  “Can you—”

  “You don’t have one already, right? Were you going to rent one? For the Equinox Gala?”

  “Yeah. I mean, no, I don’t own one. But you don’t—”

  “I’m going to call the Hugo Boss store tomorrow,” Scott said. “I do ads for them.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “I’ll call them. Tell them to expect you. Tell them you’re a friend. They’ll charge my account.” Scott said the words like he was telling himself more than Kip.

  “Seems a bit...generous. Isn’t it?”

  Scott stroked the backs of his fingers over Kip’s face. “It’s completely selfish, actually. I want to see you in a tux that was tailored to your gorgeous body. I might not be able to dance with you that night, but you’ll know I’ll be wishing I was.”

  Kip felt winded. Scott kissed him again and murmured, “I want you wearing the suit I bought you. And later, when we’re alone, I want to take it off you.”

  Kip sucked in a breath.

  “No,” he said, with a tremendous amount of effort.

  Scott pulled back. “No?”

  “It’s too much. And besides...won’t it look weird? If you ask the store to charge your account or whatever for some random guy’s tuxedo?”

  “I—”

  “I mean, it’s not very discreet, right?”

  Scott seemed to consider this. “They’d know, you think?”

  Kip stretched luxuriously and grinned. “Oh yes. I’m much too pretty.”

  Scott snorted. “You are.” He kissed him again. “What if you wore one of mine?”

  “Why? How many do you have?”

  “More than enough. You could take one and get it tailored.”

  Kip frowned. “But then you couldn’t wear it again.”

  “I don’t need it. I have too many.”

  Too many tuxedos was not a problem Kip had ever known someone to have. Not in his social circle, anyway.

  “Fine,” he said, with exaggerated exhaustion. “I will relieve you of one of your tuxedos. But only because I like to be helpful.”

  “Classic black?” Scott asked, stroking his thumb along Kip’s jawline. “Or maybe midnight blue?”

  “Your choice, Hunter.”

  Scott looked away and actually blushed a little. “It’s kind of hot when you call me that,” he said, “but it’s really going to fuck me up when I’m hearing it on the ice.”

  Kip laughed. “Maybe I want you thinking of me during games.”

  Scott groaned. “You ever gotten hard while wearing a jock? Not pleasant.”

  “Sounds like you have.”

  Scott pressed his lips together.

  “All right,” Kip sighed, “Scott it is.”

  Scott leaned in. “I have a feeling I’m going to be thinking about you a lot anyway.”

  He looked so happy, gazing at Kip and stroking his hair. And Kip knew he looked the same way. It had only been a few days. This thing was so intense and way beyond Kip’s wildest dreams.

  “Will you be thinking of me?” Scott asked shyly.

  Kip smiled. “Not sure I’ll be able to think of anything else, Hunter.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Three nines,” Greg Huff announced, fanning his cards out on the table. “What you got, Hunter?”

  “Fuck all,” Scott said, tossing his useless cards down.

  “Knew it,” Huff said. “You’re a terrible fucking liar, Scotty.”

  He gleefully swept up the small pile of twenties toward himself. Carter laughed and handed Scott a fresh bottle of beer. Scott took it gratefully.

  “Your deal, Bennett,” Carter said.

  The four of them were gathered in Huff’s hotel room in Philadelphia. Huff had kicked his young roommate out for a couple of hours so the four of them could enjoy an “old timers” poker game.

  “So, Carter,” Huff said, “how’s it going with Gloria Grey?”

  “It’s nice. She’s coming to New York this weekend. Gonna be at the game on Saturday...and at my apartment later that night and all day Sunday.”

  “Congratulations, man,” Eric Bennett said, “that’s great.”

  “Lucky bastard.” Huff smirked. “How about you, Hunter? You been seein’ anyone?”

  “Why would I tell you assholes?” Scott deflected.

  “Come on,” Bennett said. “We’re old and married. Give us something.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you guys.”

  “Scott here is saving himself for marriage,” Carter said, placing a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “And he’s saving marriage for after he dies.”

  The others laughed.

  “I’m just busy,” Scott argued. “You guys know that.”

  “Yeah, and we’ve got nothing but time,” Huff said. “Come on. Is there really no one? All those good looks going to waste?”

  “Can we talk about something else?”

  “He’s seeing your sister, Huff,” Bennett joked.

  “You know I only have a brother,” Huff said, “and I don’t think Howie’s his type.”

  They all laughed. Scott did too, though it was forced. It wasn’t untrue, what Huff said. Scott had met his brother before and, no, he was not Scott’s type. But that’s not why his friends were laughing. It wasn’t the idea of Scott dating Howie. It was of Scott dating any man.

  “Fuck all of you,” Scott said. Not in a serious tone. He loved these guys, really. They were just...guys.

  They went back to playing poker and Scott’s love life wasn’t mentioned again.

  Scott envied his teammates. He could only imagine what it would be like to not be burdened by his...otherness. He wished he could just magically be what people expected hockey players to be. But he considered the three men who were playing cards with him—NHL stars, all of them—and none of them quite fit the mold. Carter, most obviously, with his dark skin. Scott knew he had dealt with racist comments from players and fans his whole life. Huff was short. He was listed as five-eight, but Scott sometimes wondered if he had bee
n measured while wearing skates. And Bennett seemed more like a kindergarten teacher than a superstar goaltender. He never drank or partied, and he had an English degree.

  So maybe there was no “normal” way to be a hockey player. But that didn’t change the fact that the favored insults thrown around the ice were homophobic slurs. In the world of hockey, being gay was considered, at best, a joke, and at worst, disgusting.

  As long as Scott was careful—and he was—no one need ever know that he was different.

  Scott went back to his own room before eleven. Evenings ended early when they had a game the next day. His roommate was in bed, reading.

  Scott stretched out on his own bed and pulled out his phone. He sent Kip a message:

  I miss you.

  The reply was almost immediate.

  Kip: Already? ;)

  Scott grinned and blushed. Had it really only been that morning that he and Kip had woken up together in Scott’s apartment? The rest of the day had been a happy blur, as Scott had floated his way through a practice before boarding a plane to Philadelphia.

  Scott: Already.

  The next reply came a little slower.

  Kip: Me too.

  Scott rolled so his back was to his roommate. He knew the kid, a rookie named Gillis, wouldn’t have the nerve to ask what his captain was smiling stupidly about, but still...

  Scott wrote back. Was thinking about Friday.

  Kip: Friday?

  Scott: It’s Valentine’s Day.

  Kip: Oh!

  Scott: Will you come over that night? I want to cook you dinner.

  Kip: I’ll check my schedule.

  Scott: Oh. Ok.

  Kip: I’m free. I was kidding.

  Scott rolled his eyes. He felt like an idiot.

  Scott: Can I call you?

  Kip: Yes.

  Scott sat up and said to his roommate, “I’m going to make a phone call. Be back in a bit.”

  He walked out of the room and took the elevator to the lobby. He ducked into the little business center room, which was empty, and called Kip. He sat in one of the desk chairs and swiveled from side to side while he waited for him to answer.

  “Hi,” Kip said, after two rings.

  “Hey.”