Page 63 of Edging Coach
I’d left Abbotsford in darkness this morning, wanting to get here during daylight. A trip worth making, if only for this view.
Jack returned from the room to the right. “Primary bedroom.”
I chuckled to myself. He assumed we’d be sharing. If I relegated him to sleeping in the bathtub, then he’d totally do it.
That wouldn’t be necessary, of course. I wanted him in my bed. As long as he was agood boy,that was a privilege I’d happily bestow upon him. If it happened to make me feel satisfied as well? Just a bonus.
I sniffed the air.
“Lasagna.” He gestured to the kitchen—which was on the back wall of the huge room. “I…was optimistic. We have several prepared meals that just need to be heated. As well as plenty of ingredients if we want to cook for ourselves. There’s a restaurant in town that’s open. This being the offseason, hardly anyone is here. We wouldn’t—” He swallowed. “We won’t be recognized.”
He was likely right. Even a once-high-profile hockey player like him wouldn’t turn many heads. If he’d been a prominent Canadian player, yes. But an American who hadn’t been a generational talent? Less likely. We’d be two men just having dinner over six hours away fromhome. And we could call Abbotsfordhome. Jack had moved into a three-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow. I was in a one-bedroom condo in the U-District, just a stone’s throw away from the rink.
Lucked out on that one.
I arched an eyebrow. “Good boys get rewarded. If you wantto go out—and you’ve been a really good boy—then I think that can be arranged.”
His eyes shone with obvious pleasure.
My stomach rumbled. “Food, and we’ll talk.”
He nodded. “I’ll pull it out of the oven. While it cools, I can give you the tour.”
The actual tour took about five minutes.
Primary bedroom with a stunning view of the ocean. An attached bathroom with a huge shower and a bathtub that could fit two massive men easily, which meant narrower guys like us would haveplentyof room.
I made a note of that.
Upstairs, there were two bedrooms that faced a wooded area.
I might’ve checked the price for cabins in Tofino. A week? Even off-season, this was costing Jack a fortune. Peak summer season would be ridiculous. Yet part of me wondered about coming here in July. After hockey season was over. Where we could sit on the sand, swim in the surf, and enjoy the sun.
The meteorologist predicted four days of rain and chilly temperatures. One day of sun was forecasted. If I’d learned anything about Canadian weather, though, it was that predictions were just that—educated guesses.
“Sir?” Jack swept his arm back toward the stairs.
I had been staring at the second bathroom for an excessively long time. “Just checking everything out. The things I can do to you in this shower.” I headed back toward the main living space. “How’s your knee?”
“Fine.” He headed toward the cooling lasagna. “I barely feel it?—”
“Barely feel it and fine are two different things. I need to know your physical limitations. Don’t worry about being toohonest—I can work with whatever you give me. But you have to be honest?—”
“No bondage.” Without meeting my gaze, he cut two slices of lasagna and put them on plates. He handed one to me, not meeting my gaze.
“Look at me.” I commanded with a bite.
His gaze snapped to mine.
“You’ve said that was a limit before, and I’ll absolutely respect it. You don’t need to be embarrassed or worry about my feelings. Not all bottoms like to be tied up. Sometimes the fun is forcing someone to stand still when they don’t have restraints. All kinds of chaos can ensue.”
He blinked. “Okay.”
“We need to talk about this. Not tonight…but eventually you need to let me know what happened. Because clearly something did. I’m not a psychologist—but even I can see the damage it’s caused.” I held up my plate. “Good job setting the table.”
His cheeks pinkened. With pleasure at being praised? I was always liberal with my praise. And he had a praise kink. So we’d work with this. He gestured toward the table.
I went first and sat in the chair that faced the outside. Night would soon be upon us, and I wanted to enjoy the view as much as I could before darkness shrouded us. I used the knife and fork he’d set out—along with a silver-colored cloth napkin.
