Page 149 of Edging Coach
Uh-huh. So what are you going to do with me?
Guess you’ll find out, won’t you?
Then I pocketed my phone, smiled to mself, and walked faster toward our hotel.
CHAPTER 41
JACK
There really was something to be said for a good lay.
There was, it turned out, even more to be said for settling into bed with the man I’d have moved heaven and earth for.
The day had been a roller coaster. Now we were here, naked and warm and satisfied. There weren’t any welts on my skin or bruises glowing to life; neither of us had felt up to a scene tonight. After the day we’d had, especially the day and eveninghe’dhad, I was honestly surprised either of us had enough energy to have sex. Once the clothes had started coming off, though, it hadn’t been difficult to find a second wind.
As I basked in the afterglow with my head on Devon’s chest and his arm around my shoulders, some small part of me thought I was being stupid. I’d given up my career for him. Let the media have a field day with my reputation for him.
Only a small part of me, though. No, we hadn’t been seeing each other long, but I knew to my core this thing we had was worth fighting for. It was worth whatever sacrifice came along. And now we didn’t have to hide. There was nomore fear of being outed. No more internal tug-of-war between “I can’t have him” and “I can’t stop wanting him.”
We were out, and we were together, and for the first time since Devon walked into the Abbotsford Grizzlies’ locker room, I could breathe.
It was admittedly a little weird to not feel the need to get to practice or a game or a team meeting. I did need to hit the gym, but not to keep myself in hockey condition; I just had to stay fit enough to keep some of my old injuries and chronic issues under control. No road trips were looming. There was no“I can chill for a couple of weeks, but better not get too relaxed or ramping up for next season will suck.”
For the first time in my life, hockey wasn’t looming over my head. I could just… be.
And I could be with Devon.
“Still awake?” he asked, stroking my hair.
“Yeah.” I shifted onto my elbow so I could look at him, and when I smiled, he returned it. I leaned in and kissed him softly, letting it linger just because I could. Then he slid his hand up into my hair, and… well, I was even less motivated to pull away, so I didn’t.
God, this was perfect. There’d been so many ways this could’ve gotten catastrophically messy, especially once Hairs had started threatening Devon, but we’d landed here. Devon’s career would be unscathed, though reporters would probably still mention this “scandal” and our relationship every time he was featured. I knew that from experience; theystillnever missed a chance to call me the first out gay player in the League, even when the article was about my backhand or my stats.
This—everything about it—was the best-case scenario, and I’d never been more grateful for anything in my life.
When we eventually came up for air, I caressed his cheek and just gazed at him. How did I get so lucky?
Devon chuckled. I thought I’d kept that thought to myself, but apparently I’d said it out loud, because he murmured, “You had an anonymous hookup the night before you started your new job?”
I laughed. “Yeah. Guilty. No regrets, though.”
His smile was so soft and sweet. “Yeah. Same.” He quirked his lips. “Kind of wish I’d ‘accidentally’ put Hairs into the boards or something, though.”’
“You and me both,” I muttered.
“And Emil is going to deal with him? You’re sure?”
Nodding, I settled back onto the pillow next to his. As he turned onto his side and draped an arm over me, I said, “If it was just our word against his, there might not have been much he could do. But with Lous as a witness corroborating everything you said…” I nodded again, more emphatically this time. “He’s done.”
Devon exhaled, some tension melting out of his neck and shoulders. “Good. I feel like something like this would’ve been shoved under the carpet a few years ago.”
“It would have. Guaranteed.”
His brow pinched. “Did anyone ever do that to you? Threaten you or…?”
“Obliquely. I kind of expected it when I came out. The dickheads who say if a gay guy comes into their locker room, they’ll kick his ass.” I rolled my eyes. “There were three of those on my team, but the leadership and coaches had my back. It was still scary there for a while, though.”
“I bet. Is it true you had to have security in your own locker room?”
