Suckerpunch

  Being a gay Para rookie goalie, he mentally corrected. But that was another matter entirely.

  “You’re—” Sasha was leaning forward now, eyes wide.

  “Gay, yeah.” Alex shrugged. “Heather is just a good friend.”

  “Oh.”

  Alex rocked back on his feet, tucking his hands into his pockets and waiting. Sasha appeared to be processing what Alex had told him, and he looked like he was going to need a minute.

  “So,” Sasha began, then stopped.

  Alex laughed. “So, what I’m saying is, if you want to try that kissing thing again….”

  Now it was his turn not to finish a sentence, because Sasha was on his feet and closing the space between them in the blink of an eye. One second he was sitting; the next he was inches from Alex, pressing against his front and walking him backward until Alex hit the wall.

  Yes, Alex thought as Sasha eliminated any remaining distance between them and kissed him.

  Sasha kissed like he played—skilled, confident, and a little vicious. He covered Alex’s body until his front was nothing but heat and his back was flat against the cool wall, nipped at Alex’s bottom lip hard enough to sting before running his tongue over the spot in apology.

  “You know,” Alex said, panting around the words as Sasha’s mouth moved down to his jaw, his neck, “I’ve been kinda crazy about you since the moment we met. Even when I thought you hated me.”

  Sasha pulled away. His pupils were blown, the blue only a thin circle around the outside. “What? You hated me from the start, were so cold to me before we were even introduced.”

  “Huh?” Alex blinked.

  “Never mind.” Sasha shook his head. “More important things now. Stop talking.”

  “Sasha,” Alex said, but was cut off by Sasha’s mouth covering his own again.

  Then Sasha’s lips were gone, and the rest of Sasha, because he was—

  “Oh fuck.”

  Sasha looked up at him from where he’d dropped to his knees, a wicked grin crossing his face. “Been thinking about this for a long time.”

  Alex was glad there was a wall behind him, because he wasn’t sure his legs could completely support him anymore. Sasha’s fingers brushed down his stomach, hovered over his waistband for a second before easily undoing Alex’s belt.

  “You teased me that night in the hotel room.” Apparently Sasha was a talker.

  Alex groaned, let his head fall back to thump against the wall as the lightly accented words washed over him.

  “When you got undressed in front of me. Я так хочу тебя, tried not to look.”

  “I wanted you to look,” Alex gasped.

  Sasha flicked open the button of his pants, tugged the zipper down so slowly that Alex could feel every click of the teeth.

  “Looking now,” Sasha said.

  Alex forced his eyes open and gazed down. Sasha stared back up at him with an intensity that rocked him to his core.

  “Please, Sasha.” He was hard, aching, and Sasha hadn’t even touched him yet, cock straining against his briefs as Sasha inched his slacks down.

  Sasha leaned forward, still not breaking eye contact, and pressed his lips to the fabric-covered bulge.

  “You locked the door?” Sasha spoke the words against Alex’s cock, breath hot even through the cotton.

  “Yes,” Alex sobbed.

  “Good.”

  Then Sasha’s fingers slipped beneath the waistband of Alex’s briefs and slid them down, torturously slow, until Alex’s cock was exposed to the air and he was trembling with need.

  The first brush of Sasha’s lips to his cock was almost too much. Alex inhaled sharply, clawing his fingers into the wall to try to find something to hold on to.

  Sasha huffed out a laugh, hot and wet against Alex’s cock. “Here.” His voice was already rough with want, and he took Alex’s hand and moved it to his own hair, eyes fluttering shut when Alex dug his fingers into the short strands. “Yeah, like that.”

  And then he closed the distance between them, wrapping his lips around Alex’s dick and sucking hard.

  “Holy fuck, Sasha.” Alex’s hips moved forward on their own, and only Sasha’s quick reaction stopped him from choking as he slid one arm across Alex’s hips and pinned him to the wall. The other hand wrapped around the base of Alex’s dick, his mouth sliding down to meet the fingers.

  Alex spared a moment to wish that he’d sat down in one of the chairs, because his knees were going weak and the wall wasn’t going to be enough to keep him upright for much longer.

  Not that he was going to last much longer, he thought, and then his mind went blissfully blank, pleasure flooding through him as Sasha bobbed his head and sucked harder. He was aware that he was tugging Sasha’s hair and tried to loosen his fingers.

  “Sasha, Sasha, please, more.” His own voice sounded alien to his ears, high and desperate, the words interspersed with moans.

  Sasha gave him more. He swallowed Alex down until his nose pressed against Alex’s pubic hair, holding himself there while Alex choked out a garbled curse, before moving back to catch his breath. At some point Alex had closed his eyes, and he forced them open again to see Sasha pulling back to suck on the head of his dick, watching Alex through his lashes.

  The sight before him stole his breath away: Sasha, on his knees, lips swollen and red, skin flushed all the way down his neck to disappear into his shirt. Alex’s hand moved without conscious thought, brushing down from Sasha’s hair to his jaw, thumb tracing along Sasha’s lips where they were gently sucking Alex’s length. A hint of tongue darted out to meet him, and Alex groaned.

  Then Sasha’s mouth was gone, and his hand was back, jacking Alex slowly while he licked his lips for real. Alex made a noise that he’d deny later, a high-pitched whine.

  “I’m a hockey player,” Sasha said. “You can pull my hair harder, you know. I don’t mind a little pain.”

  Oh fuck.

  “Also,” Sasha said, and his voice was hoarse—because he was just swallowing my dick, oh my god—“you can come in my mouth.”

  Alex almost came right then and there from the words alone. “Sasha, god, you’re going to be the death of me.”

  Sasha’s grin was filthy.

  And then both of Sasha’s hands were pinning Alex’s hips to the wall, and his mouth was on Alex’s cock again. He went down, down until Alex’s cock bumped the back of his throat, swallowing around the length.

  Alex stared down at him, arrested by the sight. Sasha’s lips were stretched wide around him, and his blue eyes were almost completely hidden by his pupils as he stared up at Alex. It was filthy and gorgeous, and Alex couldn’t do anything but moan and chant his name, twisting his fingers in Sasha’s hair and pulling hard.

  Sasha groaned, eyes falling closed with his own obvious pleasure.

  Heat started to build, flames licking up Alex’s spine. “Sasha, Sasha, please,” he managed. Everything was wet heat and perfect pressure, and the scent of sex and Sasha rising between them, filling the air until Alex felt it coating his lungs and his tongue.

  And then the fire overtook him, magnesium-white passion racing through his body. Alex’s back arched off the wall, eyes falling shut, and he was distantly aware that he was moaning—too loud, too loud, someone’s going to hear—but he couldn’t help himself.

  Sasha moved his head back, just enough to catch Alex’s release as he came, swallowing it down neatly.

  Alex slumped back against the wall, sated and worn-out, and was embarrassed to feel his fangs starting to descend. He pressed his lips closed as he sank to the floor, letting Sasha catch him, and tried to wrangle control back over his own body.

  Emma (@Cascadiac)

  Following the #ScadesAndSkates tag obsessively. Wilson, Thompson, and Cartier just got auctioned off… for charity! Haven’t seen any pics of Fanning lately, but his girlfriend is in a few and she’s so gorgeous.

  Mrs. Merkley… a girl can dream! (@MerkleyFan96)

&n
bsp; @Cascadiac: I’m here! I don’t see Fanning anywhere right now, but if I find him, I’ll try to get a pic.

  Emma (@Cascadiac)

  @MerkleyFan96: bless you. Also I’m so jealous that you got to go!

  SASHA WRAPPED an arm around Alex’s waist, catching him as he fell back against the wall and eased him down to the floor.

  It was pretty obvious that they wouldn’t be going back to the event anytime soon. Alex looked completely fucked out, hair a mess and eyes heavy with contentment. Sasha leaned forward to kiss him, but Alex kept his mouth closed as he returned it gently.

  Some men didn’t like the taste of cum when they kissed. Sasha moved to press his lips to Alex’s neck and collarbone instead, and Alex tilted his head back lazily to allow him.

  “You okay, солнышко?”

  Alex hummed, smiling sleepily.

  Sasha was still hard, but it felt almost insignificant. Right now he was cradling Alex to his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath his lips, and that seemed far more important.

  “Gimme a minute,” Alex whispered, “and I’ll return the favor.”

  This time when Sasha leaned up to kiss him, Alex returned it eagerly.

  “It’s fine. We should head back soon.”

  “Then after the party ends.” Alex was apparently finding his second wave of energy, gradually perking back up. “Come home with me tonight.”

  Sasha kissed him again, then pulled away reluctantly. “You have a roommate.”

  “So do you,” Alex pointed out. “But seeing as how mine has been betting on us to fuck since January, I think he can find somewhere else to sleep tonight.”

  Sasha felt a moment of panic at that revelation, but Alex seemed so calm about it. Plus, he trusted Carts and knew his D partner wouldn’t do anything to hurt either of them. “He was betting?”

  “Apparently.”

  Sasha laughed softly. “In that case….”

  Alex grinned. “Exactly.” The grin faded, and he leaned forward for one last kiss. “But you’re right. We should get back before anyone notices we’re gone.”

  Between the two of them, they managed to get Alex from “clearly well fucked” to “only a little rumpled” in a few minutes.

  Sasha stopped him at the door, before Alex could leave the room. Alex stared up at him, eyes heated.

  “Thank you.” Sasha bent down to kiss Alex quickly.

  Alex had no interest in quickly, though. He went up on his toes, deepening the kiss, one arm wrapped around Sasha’s neck. “Pretty sure I should be the one thanking you,” he said, pulling back only an inch to speak the words against Sasha’s lips.

  Sasha smiled. “Maybe I’m thanking you for later tonight.”

  “Oh, in that case…,” Alex said and kissed him again. “I’ll get out of here as soon as I can. See you soon?”

  “Not soon enough.”

  With one last check to make sure they both looked okay, they left the room. Sasha gave him a once-over before they got back to the party, heavy with promise, and Alex returned it with a grin before vanishing to find Shawn.

  Soon, Sasha told himself. He’d have Alex back in his arms soon.

  Chapter Twenty

  ALEX GOT his first hint that something was wrong two days later.

  Heather had given Alex a mock-scandalous look when he’d emerged from the back hallways with Sasha in tow, then winked and made excuses to leave soon after. But that meant they hadn’t had a chance to talk, and he had no doubt that she was going to be eager to hear all about it. That’s what I get for making friends with a succubus.

  So Alex drove out to Heather’s condo on Monday evening, parking in the guest spot as he usually did and waving to her doorman as he headed up the elevator.

  Heather opened the door before he could even knock.

  “God, I could taste you as soon as you got off the elevator.” She yanked him inside, looking delighted. “Finally. The unrequited pining was getting a little stale.”

  Alex laughed. “I guess I don’t have to give my we-need-to-end-our-fake-relationship talk, then.”

  “Mmh, no.” She licked her lips. “Shame, I was enjoying our little dinner dates. But I suppose the gossip rags will enjoy talking about our angst-ridden breakup instead.”

  “I’ll be sure to look properly depressed in my next few postgame interviews,” Alex confirmed. “But in all seriousness, I’d like to keep the feeding arrangement going. Sasha knows we’re friends, and the media will have a field day trying to figure out what’s going on.”

  Heather hesitated. “Are you not—you’re not going to feed off your Sasha?”

  Alex blushed. “He’s not my Sasha. We’ve spent one night together. And he doesn’t know about the, y’know.” He gestured to his mouth, where his fangs were already peeking out in anticipation of a meal.

  “Oh.” Heather seemed flustered, but she shook it off quickly. “Of course, then. I’d be happy to.” Now the amused grin returned. “Like I said, the pining was getting old, and this happy, sated version is much more appetizing.”

  After two months, feeding from Heather was an easy routine. She pulled her hair up in a messy bun, flipped the TV off, and pulled her legs up to sit comfortably on the couch. Alex joined her, taking off his jacket and shoes so he’d be comfortable.

  And then he leaned in, inhaling Heather’s familiar scent of spices.

  That was when he first realized something wasn’t right; Heather smelled the same, sweet and dark and a little floral, but the smell made Alex want to recoil in distaste.

  Strange, her scent has never bothered me before. He exhaled, forcing himself to focus on the vein right beneath the surface of her skin.

  Biting into Heather was just like biting into any other meal. When Alex was younger, he’d struggled with the concept of feeding on blood, wishing desperately to be more human, more “normal.” But now in his twenties, he’d come to accept that blood was sustenance exactly like any other nutrition his body needed. It helped that Heather tasted delicious, her Para ancestry giving her blood an extra boldness.

  But once again, something wasn’t right. Alex swallowed, but the blood didn’t taste the way it normally did.

  No, he realized. It tastes fine… it’s just not filling me up.

  He tried to drink more, but soon Heather was gripping his shoulder and saying his name. “That’s enough, Alex.”

  Alex pulled back, sealing the bite marks as he usually did. He’d drunk his fill—more than, if he was being honest. But he didn’t feel satisfied like he normally did. And Heather might be Para, but even she had her limits.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  “It’s fine.” Heather was watching him, a little concerned. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, fine.” Alex shrugged.

  “If you need more,” Heather started to say.

  Alex shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I have to get going soon, anyways. We play tomorrow, first in a back-to-back. I was probably busy thinking about that and lost track of how much I was taking.”

  Heather laughed. “Sure, because the game is what you’re thinking about right now.”

  Alex hadn’t been thinking about Sasha, but Heather’s grin brought his mind right back to the defenseman and the night they’d shared after ’Scades & Skates.

  He could still feel Sasha, if he focused: his mouth around Alex’s cock in the back room of the party, and later that night Sasha spread out on Alex’s bed, and Alex returning the favor. He hadn’t been able to go down as far as Sasha had, but the other man hadn’t seemed to mind, if his energetic shouts and moans were anything to go on. It had been a very, very good thing that he’d made Shawn crash elsewhere that night.

  “Oh,” Heather said, her eyes darkening. “My turn to feed, then.”

  Alex laughed and let the strangeness from his own feeding slip away. Heather was fine, and so was he. Better than fine, to be honest, because now he had Sasha. Finally.

  And tomorrow night he’d get Sasha again, in the pri
vacy of a hotel room.

  He couldn’t wait.

  Seattle Cascades (@CascadesNHL)

  You want a rivalry rematch? We’ll give you a rivalry rematch. Your Cascades are taking on Vancouver in a home-and-home series. Two games, two teams, two cities, two days. Are you ready? #TealAndWhite https://t.co/xBeehEGuIf

  Emma (@Cascadiac)

  LET’S GO CASCADES! I have a car, a passport, and tickets for both games. Ready to see my boys destroy Vancouver!

  Akseli Mäkelä (@AkseliMakela38)

  Hyvää huomenta! Good morning! We are all excited to play Vancouver again, and this time we will emerge victorious! #GoCascades

  THE HOME-AND-HOME was going to be one of the biggest matchups of the season, and the Cascades locker room was fired up when Alex walked in on Tuesday afternoon. He returned a few high-fives and fist bumps, rolled his eyes with Shawn over Akseli’s god-awful Finnish music, and took his time getting into his base layers.

  “Hey.”

  Alex glanced up from where he was stretching on the floor, to see a pair of smiling blue eyes staring down at him.

  “Hey, yourself.”

  Sasha lowered himself to the ground, stretching his legs out in front of himself. “You’re starting tonight?”

  Alex shook his head. “Tomorrow. Matty and I did rock-paper-scissors for who would get the home game. He won.” Well, Coach Rico had asked them if either had a preference, and Alex had noticed the exhaustion in Hertzog’s frame when he’d shaken his head. At thirty-four years old, Matthias wasn’t prepared to play as many games as he had this season, and it was showing in his performance. Coach had noticed as well; Alex was getting more and more starts as the end of the season loomed. So he’d offered the home game to his fellow goalie, knowing the screaming crowd would help energize him.