Page 76 of Sidelined Love

“You feel good,” he whispers back before closing his eyes with a groan.

Our moans and grunts fill the room as we both approach our climaxes. The weight of what this means is heavy between us, but I can't focus on it without losing my concentration. All that matters is us right now and this is how it should be.

I feel the now familiar sensation growing and I know it's going to be over soon. “I'm close,” I warn him as I start rocking my hips faster, pushing myself down on his dick.

He smiles up at me and says, “So am I.”

The rhythm that we've set intensifies to the point where Levi throws the remote and places his hand back on my waist. Our breaths become ragged as our movements grow more desperate for a release.

I come first due to the vibrator, and I'm left in a mess with me calling his name. When Levi joins me, he grunts out a curse and follows me over the edge. I push him away a little but end up resting my forehead on his chest to catch my breath. His cock slips out of me, and I can't help but chuckle.

Levi's fingers tenderly brush strands of my slightly damp hair away from my face. I lift my head from his chest and gaze into his eyes, not sure what I'm searching for in them.

Levi's breathing slows down to match mine as his hand remains on my cheek. A soft chuckle escapes his lips, breaking the silence. “You okay?” he asks.

“Yes. I don't know what my expectations were, but this exceeded them.”

His smile widens, his thumb tracing circles on my cheek. “Good,” he whispers, leaning in to press a soft kiss against my forehead. We lay like that for a few moments before Levi gathers some strength to get up and clean both of us.

When he crawls back into bed, I see the vibrator, and I immediately recognize the shape. “Is that a white pawn? The vibrator is in the shape of a chess piece?”

Levi chuckles as he pulls me close to him. “Yes. I thought it would be cute and funny. Plus, it did the job, right?”

I can’t help but laugh out loud even though I’m exhausted. “That it did. That. It. Did.”

29

LEVI

“Jamison! Get your head in the damn game!” Coach yells from the sidelines.

I hear him loud and clear, but I can't bring myself to look over and see the disappointment on his face.

I try to focus on my job tonight, but tonight my mind and heart aren't in it. The biggest reason is because I'd caught a glimpse of my father in the stands, arms crossed, frown on his face. Of course he has no issue with coming to this game as well, even though we are playing a college that is about an hour away from Crestwood.

Looks like my attempts to ignore him have come to a head, and I imagine that when he finds me after the game, his version of hell will break loose.

The puck feels as heavy as a brick as I struggle to control it. My passes are sloppy, my shots way off target. As captain, I'm supposed to be leading this team, but tonight I'm letting everyone down.

The final buzzer sounds and I slowly skate over to the bench with my head hanging low. We lost and it is, in part, because of me.

Coach shakes his head as I sit down, exhausted and defeated. “I expected more from you tonight, Jamison. Get it together.”

His words sting, even though I know he's right. I should have played better. I should have been a better leader for this team.

It has been almost a week since I've seen Hailey, and the distance is getting to me. The reasoning behind us not seeing each other is because of our busy schedules this week, but I can't help but wonder if there might be more to this on her end. I hope I'm wrong, but this isn't an excuse for how shitty I played today.

Once I head into the locker room and hit the showers, I allow the hot water to run over my aching muscles. However, it does nothing to soothe the stress and pain that are overpowering any other emotion I could possibly have right now.

And this is all before I've spoken a single word to my father.

Everyone can sense that something is off with me today, and it's not just because of my performance in the game. They're all avoiding me, including Asher, who usually puts up with most of my shit on a regular basis. Some days I can push through and put on a good face. But others, like tonight, it all feels like too much. I'm not the perfect son or student or captain my father wants me to be. And I'm disappointing everyone—my team, my coaches, my family.

I take my time getting my things together, dreading the confrontation I know is coming. I can picture my dad waiting outside, pacing, and ready to pick apart every mistake I made on the ice tonight. He won't hold back because he doesn't care who hears him tear into me.

When I finally emerge, Frank Jamison is there as expected. He barely waits for me to take a step toward him before he snaps at me. “What the hell was that out there? Do you want to explain to me how the captain of one of the best college teams in the nation managed to cost his team the game?”

I stare at the ground, unable to meet his eyes. “I'm sorry,” I mumble. “I was off my game tonight.”

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