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Connor keeps his friendly gaze on me. “I think it’s nice that you’re seeing each other again. But we still have quite a few games between now and the end of November. So what’s your plan to stay on your game?”

“We text sometimes,” I say, then frown. “But he prefers to talk on the phone. Do you think it would bother him if I called him? I mean, not right now, we’re on the plane, but before games and stuff.”

Connor places his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “I don’t know him well, but my gut says it won’t bother him at all.”

A wave of relief runs through me and I let out a sigh as I feel my cheeks heat up. I can’t wait for this plane to land. As soon as we’re in our hotel, I’m calling Nikolai. I want to hear his voice.

ELEVEN

Nikolai

There is nothing better than a shower after being on a plane. I enjoy these even more than showers taken after a game or practice, mostly because I can have these in private. When I’m not showering with the rest of my teammates, I can luxuriate in the hot water. I can let it steam up the room. I can sprinkle a few drops of eucalyptus oil onto the tile and let that mingle with the humid air so I can breathe it in and clear my sinuses and lungs.

I can also take this time to get myself off while on the road.

After washing my hair, I take my time soaping up the rest of my body with one of the hotel’s plush washcloths. The fabric is soft and thick and feels amazing against my skin. As I wipe myself down, images of Ander in here with me arrive at the forefront of my mind.

But now that I’m thinking of him, I struggle to focus on what I would even want to do with him. It’s like I told Ryan. I’ve only ever lightly messed around with other men, and those encounters were few and far between. The most I ever did with any of them were hurried sessions of mutual masturbation. Only once have I ever touched another man’s dick, and that touch, while thrilling, only lasted a few seconds before he brushed my hand away and took over jacking himself off.

That was years ago, well before Sofia and I got together. And while I was dating her, like any dutiful boyfriend, I remained loyal to her, even in my fantasies. Since I wouldn’t allow myself to indulge, my fantasies have gone largely unfulfilled.

But that’s not the case now. Now I can allow myself to jerk off to the thought of Ander in the shower with me. Ander’s large, firm hand wrapped around my dick. Ander’s plump bottom lip trapped between mine while I reach down and jack him off as well.

Yes. That is what I want. That is definitely what I want. It is undeniable how good my dick feels in my hand as I quicken the pace of my fist while thinking it’s Ander doing the work. I want him to touch me. And more importantly, I want to touch him. I want to know what he looks like in the midst of intense bodily pleasure. I want to know what he feels like in my hand. I want to know if he talks nonstop through sexual encounters or if it’s the one time he slows down, catches his breath, and stops talking.

But mostly I want to know if, when I’m in his presence, I would pant out his name with a breathy moan like I’m doing right now in the shower as my release gets washed down the drain by the water falling over me.

“Fuck,” I say as I press my forehead against the tiles covering the shower wall. Despite the moist heat of the room, they’re still cool against my skin. A type of cool that grounds me back to reality. Everything I just thought about, every fantasy that played across my mind isn’t possible.

Ander and I are friends. I have only Ryan’s unproven theory that Ander is even into me. And perhaps most importantly, Ander and I play for rival teams. Us becoming close friends is strange enough.

As I shut the water off, my phone rings on the counter beside the sink. Assuming it’s Danton asking if I want him to bring me up some food from the dinner the team set up for us, I blindly answer it with a swipe of my finger while I towel off.

“Hello,” I say, bringing the phone to my ear.

“Hey, Nikolai.” Ander’s voice surprises me. “I hope you don’t mind that I’m calling. We just got to our hotel in Dallas. How was your flight to Nashville? You’re playing the matinee game tomorrow, right?”

Phew. Okay. First things first. I take a breath for both of us. Then, I attempt to answer his questions. “I do not mind. Is good to hear from you.”

“Awesome.” I can hear the smile in his voice. “But you know you don’t have to answer if I’m bothering you. I don’t want to disrupt your routine.”

“You are not bothering,” I say, leaving out the fact that, while surprised, I’m actually quite pleased to hear his voice. Even if I’m slightly embarrassed that not even five minutes ago I brought myself to orgasm to the thought of jerking off with him. “Nashville is fine. A bit boring, because yes, we play early tomorrow. Everyone is staying in tonight to rest. How is Dallas?”

“Dallas is Dallas,” Ander says. “The team wants to get barbecue tonight. I’ll probably go. I’m starving. Hey! Is it true?”

“Is what true?” I ask. It’s unpredictable how his mind works. He could literally go anywhere from here.

“Did you all destroy Ryan’s childhood home by bombarding it with pucks early one morning during the playoffs last year?”

I hold in my laugh at his question. “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“That’s what I thought,” he says with surety.

Now whether he’s sure that I’m telling the truth, or sure that I’m lying, I have no idea. Ander is incredibly hard to read. Normally, that kind of unpredictability and chaos would drive me away. But with him, I find it intriguing. I itch to understand the method to all his madness.

“Can I ask you something?” Ander asks, his voice curious.

Since when does he need my permission to ask me a question? His tendency thus far has been to rapid fire shoot them off. But since he did ask, my heart rate picks up in anticipation of what it is he wants to know. “If I said no, would it stop you?”