Alex joined him a few minutes later, sliding into the chair beside Sasha so quietly that the defenseman almost hadn’t noticed him. Phantom. Sasha smiled at the younger man.
“Excited for five days of sun and heat?”
“Ugh.” Alex made a face. “I guess. Forecast says it’s going to be humid; I might just stick to indoors and air-conditioning as much as possible.”
Eddie’s words teased through Sasha’s mind. Dirty Para bloodsucker. Sasha had gone home after that practice, had pulled up a search window and dug into research. The Russian sites talked about how dangerous vampires were, how they seduced and murdered innocents, talked about how they were Паразло. Simply seeing the slur on the page had made Sasha sick, even though he’d heard it dozens of times; it was a common insult in Russia, hurled across locker rooms and among friends and enemies alike.
But Alex wasn’t Паразло.
The English sites had given more information: how they fed, their increased sense of smell and sight, and their allergy to sunlight.
Alex went out into the sun all the time. Not that it was often sunny in Seattle, but he’d definitely seen Alex step out into sunlight without immediately beginning to burn.
Then why is he the only person on the team who does not want to go to Georgia and Florida?
Alex laughed suddenly, pulling Sasha out of his contemplations. “Did your rookie have too much sugar before you drove here?”
Sasha followed his gaze to where Volkov was practically bouncing off the walls. “Nah, he’s been like this for days. Has good friend playing for Atlanta, excited to see him.”
“Oh yeah, the kid he was drafted after? I remember reading about them: they met at the draft and became best friends overnight even though everyone expected them to be bitter rivals.”
“Yes, that’s him.”
Alex nodded and fell silent again, fiddling with untangling his headphones. Sasha watched him for a moment. It was tempting to file away Ed’s accusations, his own research, and ignore it all. His friend was jealous, angry, and he was definitely drinking more than he should be. It felt safe to say that Ed was wrong—or at least he hadn’t seen whatever he thought he’d seen.
Or, another part of Sasha’s mind added, you could just ask Alex if it’s true.
Alex finished sorting out his headphones, then turned to look at Sasha. When he noticed the other man watching him, his entire face lit up in happiness.
Yes, I could ask him. Clear this up now, so I don’t worry about it for the rest of the trip.
“Alex,” Sasha began.
The intercom dinged, and a voice announced that it was time for their flight to board. Alex was on his feet in a second, tucking his phone away and offering a hand to help Sasha up.
“I promised to sit with Shawn on the flight. We’re going to watch a movie on his tablet. But”—he lowered his voice, grinning wickedly—“maybe you can come by my room later?”
Or maybe I could ignore it. Just for now.
He returned the grin and pressed his fingers to Alex’s hip out of sight where none of their teammates could see. He slid the hem of Alex’s shirt up until he found warm skin. “Yes, I’ll see you tonight.”
Atlanta Forecast—March 19
High: 77°F (25°C)
Low: 57°F (14°C)
Sunny
0% Chance of Rain
BEING IN Atlanta sucked.
It wasn’t too hot, thankfully, but it was sunny. Their plane landed midafternoon, and Alex could feel the strength of the sun beating down on him every time he had to walk outside. He kept his hoodie on and his hat pulled over the top of his ears and low over his forehead.
Thankfully, there were good things about Atlanta too. Like Sasha, who tapped on Alex’s door the second the team got back from dinner that night.
“You know,” Alex said, leaning a shoulder against the doorway and peering down the hall to make sure they were alone, “the last time we had sex before a game, you ended up getting into a fight.” And I got pulled from the game because your blood was all over the ice and I couldn’t focus. “Maybe we shouldn’t risk it.”
Sasha frowned, but there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “One bad game for us both. Not proof that sex before games is cursed. We should try again, yes? To be certain.”
Alex feigned a thoughtful look. “Well, I guess we could test it out one more time. For science.”
With a growl, Sasha pushed into the room. Alex laughed as he was scooped up and then promptly deposited on the bed as the door fell shut behind Sasha. He bounced back against the mattress, propping himself up to watch as Sasha stripped off his shirt, tugging it up over his head to show off the long, muscled line of his torso.
“You just going to look?” Sasha’s hand hovered over the button on his jeans as he watched Alex with one eyebrow raised.
Alex crossed his legs before him, falling back against the pillows. “I wouldn’t want to get distracted from the show.”
A slow, wicked grin curled across Sasha’s lips. “You want a show?” He flicked the button of his jeans open, then dusted his hands down his hips, taking a step closer to the bed. “Or you want to get off?”
Alex licked his lips, gaze flicking down to the bulge that was tenting Sasha’s pants. “Who says I can’t have both?”
Sasha was elegance and brutal strength on the ice, and that carried over to the bedroom. It wasn’t a striptease, but there was clear intent in each of Sasha’s motions. He took his time unzipping his pants, hooking his thumbs in the waistband to lower them down over his hips, slowly revealing his ass and powerful thighs.
Hockey asses were a definite thing, and Alex had seen some pretty incredible ones over the years, but the thick, corded muscle that ran up Sasha’s quads and glutes were in a category all by themselves.
As was his cock, heavy and already damp at the tip, soaking through Sasha’s boxers.
Now Sasha definitely was teasing, because instead of stripping off the final piece of clothing, he brought one hand up to cup his balls and run a fist over his cloth-enclosed cock, letting his head fall back as a soft groan escaped him. It was more than Alex could handle; he wanted Sasha and skin and his hands running over Sasha’s body.
With a curse, he pushed up from the pillows, shed his own T-shirt, and flung it across the room before scrambling down the bed.
“Impatient.” Sasha laughed, but his voice was strained with want and he opened his arms to wrap them around Alex as soon as he was standing.
And finally—finally they were kissing, tongues tangling together, Sasha pulling Alex close and licking into his mouth. Alex relaxed into Sasha’s strong arms, tilting his head back and welcoming the onslaught.
He was distantly aware of hands skirting down the sensitive skin over his ribs and sides, and then fingers were tugging at the drawstring of his sweats, Sasha nipping at his lip in frustration while he tried to get the offending clothing undone.
He groaned in triumph when the sweatpants finally came loose and puddled to the floor at Alex’s feet—
And cursed, eyes going dark as he realized that Alex wasn’t wearing any underwear.
Alex smirked, moving back just enough that Sasha could look his fill.
“Fuck,” Sasha said reverently.
“Not tonight unfortunately,” Alex replied, “but if you wanna get naked, I’m sure there are plenty of other things we can do.”
He’d planned for this, so while Sasha was still dumbstruck and staring at Alex’s body, Alex turned around and bent over to grab something from his suitcase.
Sasha cursed again, this time accompanied by the rustle of clothing being discarded. Alex grabbed the items he was looking for, then paused to close this eyes and inhale as Sasha’s scent grew thicker. It was only a split second later that the man himself appeared, running his large hands over Alex’s back, tucking his hard, thick cock against the crack of Alex’s ass.
“Could take you like this.” Sasha’s voice had dropped, an
d it rumbled through Alex as he spoke.
It was tempting. Alex was flexible enough to do it, to brace himself with one hand on the top of his suitcase, another braced against the wall, and let Sasha fuck him like this, nearly bent in half. And Sasha would be strong enough to hold him up, one arm wrapped around Alex’s waist as he fucked into him, hard enough that Alex would be feeling it the next day.
But that was the exact reason it had to remain a temptation and nothing more. “Game tomorrow.” Alex straightened, shivering as Sasha used that same strength to lift him up and tug him backward until Alex’s back rested against Sasha’s broad chest, and Sasha’s chin was hooked over his shoulder so he could press heated kisses to Alex’s jaw.
“Fuck hockey,” Sasha growled. “Would rather fuck you.” But he sighed and stepped away, moving toward the bed and pulling Alex with him.
“I’ve got something almost as good,” Alex promised.
He let Sasha tug him onto the mattress, position him so Alex was lying on top of the big defenseman, their cocks bumping together and leaving sticky traces of precum on the other’s hip and stomach.
“This is good,” Sasha groaned.
Alex held up the item in his hand. “Yeah, but this will be better. I promise.”
Sasha’s eyes were already so dark that the icy blue irises were barely visible. Now his lips parted, and his skin flushed with arousal as he took the bottle of lube from Alex’s hand and turned it over. “But the game tomorrow?”
“There are other ways to fuck.” Alex took the lube back, flipped the cap with one hand, and poured a generous dollop over his fingers.
He lowered his hand, watching Sasha track the motion with the same intensity he used to track the puck on the ice, only to have those brilliant blue eyes flutter shut when Alex wrapped his hand around Sasha’s cock, lube making the glide perfectly smooth. He didn’t tighten his grip, only coated Sasha’s shaft, making sure he was slick.
“Alex, милый, please.”
Alex leaned forward to kiss him, smirking against Sasha’s lips when he pulled his hand away and got a desperate moan in return. “Trust me, babe.” He whispered the words against Sasha’s mouth. “I’ve got you tonight.”
There were tiny beads of sweat forming along Sasha’s hairline, and his eyes were damp with need when he flicked them back open.
“Gonna follow my play, Petrov?”
Groaning, Sasha licked his lips. “Yes, tonight you’re Captain. Just do something, please.”
Alex kissed him once more, hard and fast, then grabbed the lube and poured more onto his already-wet hand.
Sasha didn’t complain when he pulled away this time, but he made a little sound, like he was trying not to whine at the loss. Alex took a second to run his gaze over Sasha’s body from head to toe, appreciating the way his muscles quivered and the flush that ran down his neck and chest, the way his skin looked tan and smooth against the plain white sheets of the bed.
Then he turned around, repeating the position he’d been in before when they’d been standing over his suitcase. He rolled on his side, tucking his back up against Sasha’s chest, and grinned when Sasha’s arm immediately wrapped around his stomach.
“Like this,” Alex said.
He reached between his legs, coating his thighs with lube, then reached behind him to find Sasha’s hard, hot dick and guide it between his legs.
A rush of breath escaped Sasha as he realized what was going on, the hot air hitting the back of Alex’s neck and sending a shiver down his spine.
“Yes, like this,” Sasha agreed. Then he moaned, hitched Alex up against him, and thrust his hips forward.
Yes. This was perfect. At this angle, Sasha’s hard shaft rubbed over Alex’s perineum and teased at his hole with every thrust, and the head of his cock nudged over Alex’s balls. Alex squeezed his thighs together tighter and felt more than heard Sasha’s breath hitch in response.
Everything was hot and slick and wet, and the friction was absolutely delicious. Alex let his head fall back against Sasha’s shoulder, sinking into the embrace and the overwhelming sensations.
His own arousal was pressed up against his stomach. Sasha grunted, shifting his arm and pulling Alex closer, then worked one hand around Alex’s neglected cock, stroking it in time to his own thrusts.
“Sasha.” Alex was getting close and knew this wasn’t going to take much longer. He could feel the way Sasha’s breathing had picked up behind him, how his body was straining, and knew Sasha wouldn’t last much longer either.
He clenched his thighs tighter, reveling in the drag of Sasha’s cock against his ass. Sasha’s dick hit Alex’s balls with every jerk forward, and his hand sped up on Alex’s cock.
Alex’s orgasm was almost a surprise, sweeping over him in a tidal wave of pleasure. Behind him, Sasha dug his teeth into the meat of Alex’s shoulder, muffling his own groans into the skin there as he thrust forward once, twice, the sensation almost too much against Alex’s sensitive body before he was coming as well, spilling hot cum between Alex’s thighs.
Sasha wrapped around him like a heavy blanket, nuzzling his face into Alex’s neck and pressing tiny, sleepy kisses into the skin as he wrapped Alex tight.
Alex let his body sink into the heat and muscles, breathing in Sasha’s rich scent with every inhalation. He tilted his head to the side to give Sasha better access, enjoying the feel of silky lips over his pulse.
After a minute, Sasha grunted and rolled over. Alex made a sad noise as the heat along his back vanished, turning his head as Sasha stretched and walked into the bathroom. He could see Sasha through the open door, like a Greek statue backlit by the bathroom light as he grabbed a washcloth off the counter and turned the water on to get it warm.
When he returned to the bed, it was to clean himself and Alex up. He wiped the lube and cum from between Alex’s legs gently, though Alex couldn’t help but shudder at the feel of the coarse fabric against his oversensitive skin.
Then Sasha threw the cloth across the room, climbed back on the bed to cover Alex up once more, and spooned around him. The room was cool from the air conditioner blowing across the bed, but Alex felt warm and sated in Sasha’s arms. He started to doze off like that, safe in Sasha’s arms and content as the lingering pleasure of his orgasm seeped through his body.
Sasha took a deep breath, held it, and let it out slowly. Alex could feel the warm breath on his neck, and the expansion-contraction of his chest against his back.
“Whatcha thinking about?” he asked drowsily.
Gentle fingers teased up and down Alex’s side, tracing a path from his ribs to his hip and back up again.
“If I ask you a question, will you answer it honestly?”
Alex stirred, rolling over just enough to peer over his shoulder. Sasha looked awake and troubled. “Yeah, babe. Of course.”
Another slow, deliberate inhale, then the caress stopped, replaced by a firm hand against Alex’s hip. “Alex,” Sasha asked, “are you a vampire?”
ALEX FROZE in his arms.
It wasn’t just that he held his breath and went still; his skin went ice cold beneath Sasha’s hand, and a full-body shudder ran through him.
“Alex.” Sasha whispered the name.
“How did you find out?”
Alex’s words were barely audible, even though only inches separated them. He sounded afraid. No, not merely afraid. He is terrified.
It was all the confirmation Sasha needed. All of the air in his lungs fled in a whoosh, and he rolled onto his back, stunned.
“So it’s true, then.” Sasha stared up at the ceiling. “Okay.”
A flurry of movement from beside him alerted Sasha that something was wrong. Alex scrambled from the bed, limbs flailing as he untangled himself from the sheets and got to his feet.
“Alex, calm down.”
The words had no effect. Alex moved away from the bed as quickly as he could, putting distance between himself and Sasha.
“I—you—” Pan
ic was obvious on the goalie’s face, in every movement he made. He tripped over something on the ground, and then he was pulling on his pants with shaking fingers. In the dim light of the room, he looked impossibly frail… inhuman, almost. Pale skin stretched for miles, and brown eyes caught the light of the lamp and flashed every time he glanced at Sasha.
“It’s okay, солнышко. Let me talk.”
Alex shook his head once, hard. “How did you figure it out?” Every word was brittle. “Are you going to tell anyone?”
Sasha sat up. “No. Of course not.”
“You can’t—the GMs, if they find out….” His voice broke, and Alex hunched in on himself. “I just want to play hockey. You can’t tell anybody. Please.”
“Alex, listen. We won’t—”
Alex cut him off, any last trace of color vanishing from his face. “We? Someone else knows?”
Sasha felt like he was trying to grasp at water that kept slipping from his fingers. “No!” He swallowed, then backtracked. “I mean, just Eddie. That’s it.”
“Eduard Despres. The alcoholic goalie who wants me gone.” If he’d been terrified before, now Sasha was seeing what Alex looked like when he was petrified. “You told Eduard Despres that I’m a—a—a vampire?”
Alex didn’t give him a chance to answer the question before he was pulling his sweatshirt on in a flurry of movement and rushing toward the door.
“Wait,” Sasha tried. “I can explain.”
“Don’t—” He cut himself off, wide eyes looking everywhere except at the bed where Sasha still sat. “I knew this would happen. I—I thought I was being paranoid, but I knew—” He froze, a deer in headlights, looking so frail that Sasha thought he might shatter into a million pieces if he even tried to draw a breath.
“This is why I couldn’t tell you,” Alex said. Fear vanished behind a wall of ice as Sasha watched, Alex catching his breath and visibly building a barrier between them. “I was so afraid that if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret. And—I guess I was right.” He laughed, but there was nothing funny in the sound.
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