Page 73 of First Puck

Like my feelings were there to be played with, even though he had no idea what I’d gone through for years.

And, in those two seconds it took for my anger to flare, I noticed he was wearing my hockey shirt. My number was printed on the arm he stroked with.

“What the hell are you thinking?” I snapped at him. “Are you even thinking anymore!?”

Yet I was the one thinking about how to steal back my shirt and tuck it under my pillow so I could keep the smell of him jerking off to me.

“Well, yeah, obviously. I’m thinking you’re the only one I want to rescue me.”

“I thought you were dying, Brad!” I shouted as I stepped closer to him. “I thought you were hurt, or sick, or that something had happened.”

“Something has happened, dude.” His eyes dropped to his cock before his lips quirked. “And it’s all because of you.”

I drew in a furious breath to keep myself calm, even though my nails dug hard enough into my palms to sting.

“Brad,” I said, trying to rein myself back in. “I thought I made it clear I was going to see Lance.”

That was something else Lance kept insisting on—tell the truth, but let the other person draw their own conclusions. It was dirty and cheap, but it was better than lying to Brad.

That was before Brad pulled this kind of stunt.

“And what about now?” he groaned as he dragged his hand to his tip, rubbing his thumb over his slit, captivating me with the way his pre-cum layered over his smooth cockhead. “Don’t you want to stay after seeing this?”

I clenched my jaw, determined not to get pulled into whatever he was doing. I had spent so long resisting the urge to confess that I could still do it, even like this.

“Come on, Alex.” The bed creaked as he pushed himself up, his knees hooking over the edge of the thin mattress. “Be honest.If you’re here drooling over my cock, then Lance isn’t exactly boyfriend material, is he?”

“And you are!?” I snapped, another shot of pain hitting me straight in the heart. “Are you really suggesting I’d prefer this over Lance?” I threw my hand at him. As if I wasn’t dying to give up any shred of dignity I had and drop to the floor so I could taste him.

“Basically. I mean, who could resist this package?” He smirked as he squeezed his cock, his dimple grabbing me again.

I swallowed down my need as I turned away, staring at the dull blue paint of the hotel walls. It had really come, the moment where Brad was offering himself to me on a plate, and I was still too scared to say yes.

But was I ever going to say yes at this rate? Or was I going to carry on hiding forever, only popping my head up when people like Lance called me out?

“If I’m so hot that you’d rather stay with me, then you know Lance isn’t really giving you what you want.”

I squeezed my eyes closed. Part of me didn’t understand why I was so tired when nothing had really happened with Brad. But I knew it was because I kept hiding, even though we’d come this far.

It was more stressful being on the cusp than finding a real answer for what this was.

Lance was my last excuse, the one thing I could use to hold myself back.

I ran my tongue over my teeth as I slowly inhaled. I couldn’t say it to him when he wouldn’t stop stroking his cock.

“I’m not with Lance,” I said. The bed creaked as Brad shifted, sitting farther up on the bed. “Lance isn’t my boyfriend, we’re not dating; we’re not even interested in each other or anything like that. He has someone else he likes.”

There was a beat of silence as I looked at him spread out in front of me. His confident smile slipped, and I instinctively knew he was going to say something stupid.

“Seriously? You mean, he was just stringing you along?”

“No, it wasn’t like that…” I trailed off, searching for the best way to explain how I was lying to him because he was too dense to realize I loved him, and I was too scared to tell him—and this was the result.

I watched him, hoping for some kind of shock or surprise, praying the confession would change something…anything…

“Wow,” he replied, his brows shooting up. “It seems like you’re the one with the emergency.”

I stilled, my anger shaking me, trying to grab control of the fire of fury which he’d suddenly ignited. It sat in me, like a bomb waiting to release itself. All he had to do was say one more word and it would explode.

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