Rylan smiled, and a swell of pride coursed through him. “That sounds like a Brett Rocha thing to do.”
The day passed pleasantly enough. Brett went to collect his dog and vanished into the offices for the morning. Rylan was warmly welcomed by the rest of the staff and enjoyed lunch in the dorm cafeteria with his new co-workers. Gloria met him right after lunch and they took the elevator to the second floor where she put him through two solid hours of therapy. As difficult and at times painful as it was, it felt good to be working.
After he changed back to his regular clothes from his work out gear, Rylan went back to the first floor, this time to the secondary rink. This rink was the same size, but older, being part of the original complex Brett’s parents built. He saw children and their parents begin to filter in.
Something cold and wet poked at his palm. Rylan looked down to see a large, black, slightly overweight dog wagging his tail so hard the entire back half of his body swayed back and forth.
“Hi, there,” Rylan said. He turned to find Brett right behind him.
“How’d it go so far? Sorry I couldn’t stay, but I didn’t think you’d want me hovering and I had a boat load of stuff to catch up on.” Brett reached down and patted the dog’s shoulder. “This is Row.”
Rylan rubbed the dog’s head. “He’s cute. It’s going well. Everyone seems happy to have me here.” He leaned in closer and dropped his voice. “And not because I’m sleeping with the boss.”
A chorus of voices from near the entrance shouted, “Row!” Clearly Brett’s dog was a regular. He left them and scampered along the walkway beside the rink to a group of five children Rylan guessed to be between six and eight. It didn’t take long before Row had thrown himself onto the ground and rolled onto his back. Many small hands scratched at his tummy and his tail pumped faster, which Rylan didn’t think was possible.
Brett motioned Rylan ahead of him and they followed Row. “Okay, listen up,” Brett said.
Immediately five squirming little bodies were still and all eyes were glued to Brett. “You know the rules, you don’t get to play with Row until after practice. I know I’ve been promising you an awesome new coach, well guess what? Today’s the day he’s here.” Brett sidestepped so Rylan was in front of the group now. “This is Rylan Hennessey and he’s—”
One little girl squealed and jumped up and down saying, “Oh my, oh my. I can’t believe it! You’re going to be our coach? You? Really it’s you?” Her eyes were so big Rylan thought they’d pop out of her head. She turned to a boy next to her and grabbed his arm. “Can you believe it! This is so wonderful. It’s a dream come true!”
Surprise, followed quickly by warmth spread through Rylan. He’d expected some polite ‘hellos’, maybe a question or two, not this outpouring of excitement. They, these children, were genuinely thrilled to have him coach. Knee brace, cane and all, they thought he was special and were going to teach them to improve their skills.
Brett chuckled. “This is Abby. You will always know what Abby is thinking and I think she’s a fan of yours.” He clapped his hands together once. “Okay, fun time’s over. Skates on and warm up. Mr. Hennessey can’t teach you anything if you’re all lounging around here yacking. You have a competition in less than a month, so lots of work to do.”
Rylan would have another coach helping him for the first week and he permanently had two of the older students as assistants. He watched as the group donned skates and took to the ice, stretching, and doing their warm up exercises.
After a bit of fumbling around, Rylan decided they should call him Mr. H. These children—and their parents—were serious about this sport and Rylan admired their dedication and how hard they worked. For the next couple of hours they fell and got back up, listened to his every word and asked questions about how to improve. He didn’t get on the ice, but was able to demonstrate some positioning from the sidelines while his assistants skated among the children making the necessary adjustments to their techniques and stances. Brett sat in a folding chair along the back wall, chatting with a few parents. Every time Rylan glanced at him, Brett offered a nod and warm, encouraging smile. When it came time for the children to leave Rylan bid them and their parents good-bye.
“I can’t wait until they come back tomorrow.” Rylan sat in the chair beside Brett. They were alone now.
Brett rubbed his hand along Rylan’s spine a few times and laughed. “I’m going to say it, ‘I told you so’. They’re a great group of kids. I knew you’d enjoy coaching.”
“They’re all so—exuberant. Especially Abby.”
That made Brett laugh even more. “That little girl is going to go all the way. She’ll charm the socks off the public and the Olympic committee someday. And you’re going to see she gets there.” He stood and held one hand out to Rylan. “Still up for dinner out?”
“Yeah, I am. I feel good.” Rylan took Brett’s hand and stood.
“C’mon Row, time to go home.” Brett didn’t let go of Rylan’s hand as they walked back to the house.
* * * *
Rylan sat on the bed and watched Brett finish dressing. “I need to buy other clothes. All I have is casual shirts, jeans, a pair of khakis, workout clothes, and one suit.”
Brett’s reflection in the mirror met Rylan’s gaze as he tied his tie. “There’re some decent places in Missoula. Want to head there this weekend, maybe see a movie too?”
“That would be great. I’m sorry to be a bother and can’t drive myself.”
Brett snorted a laugh. “I have news for you, your busted-up knee has nothing to do with your crappy driving skills.”
Rylan grinned and good-naturedly flipped Brett off. “Whatever.” He swung his injured leg onto the bed. “Would you help me with my shoe?” Getting footwear on his left foot was no problem, but it was difficult to get a shoe on his right foot when he couldn’t bend his knee very well.
“Sure.” Brett settled on the bed and put Rylan’s foot on his lap then held the shoe while Rylan pushed his foot into it. “Remember I told you one of my friends, Ed, is an engineer?”
“Yes.”
“Well, the club owner is always interested in adding special equipment, custom stuff for anyone with a handicap or limitations. He and Ed sort of get into their projects, anyway—”
“You think I’m crippled?” Rylan jerked his leg away and off the bed. In the next instant he doubled over, hissing and panting through the pain.
“No,” Brett snapped. “But right now I do think you’re being a jerk. You can’t use one leg well, you can’t kneel, and that leg needs support if you want kinky sex. Your situation will change eventually. There are people who want kinky sex and don’t even have all their limbs or are partially paralyzed or whatever. Don’t be an ass because people are trying to help you.”
Rylan blinked at Brett, stunned. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a few seconds. “I think I’m more tired than I realized. It’s been a long, mostly good day.”
Brett turned and left the room, returning a few minutes later with water and Rylan’s pain medication. He held them out. “You skipped your medication this afternoon I bet, too, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.” Rylan nodded. “I’m sorry. Which seems to be the only thing I say lately.” He tossed the pills into his mouth and swallowed a few gulps of water.
“Don’t worry about it,” Brett said.
“Is the food in this place good? Are you sure I’m not overdressed?”
Brett nodded. “Everyone wears normal clothes in that part of the club and yes, they have killer food.”
“God, I feel like such an ass.” Rylan asked. “Are you sure you want me to go with you?”
Brett held out his hand. “I am. And the next time you want to feel sorry for yourself, safeword first.”
Rylan took a step toward Brett when he gently pulled him in and leaned against him. “Yes, sir.” He sighed, leaned back and met Brett’s gaze. “I’m hungry.”
“Me too. Shall we?”
Ice Dragons BDSM club was nothing like Rylan expected, and Frisky Flirts was a dive in comparison. It was a tall, square building with an outdoor patio for use in the summer and a tennis court. Down a slope and behind the building was an ice rink. The drive was lighted by old fashioned street lamps and tiny, blue lights were strung around the outside of the building. The grounds were covered in snow, but Rylan saw flower beds on either side of the entrance. Leafless trees and evergreens dotted the lawn and lined the drive.
Brett gave him the rundown while removing Rylan’s coat and waiting on the coat check. “First floor is where the restaurant is. There’s some public exhibition rooms in the back half. A big party room is through there.” He put one arm around Rylan’s shoulders and steered him out of the coatroom. “Bar, only non-alcoholic beverages are served here or in the restaurant, but they have a huge selection and you can get lots of mixed drinks, just without the booze. Second floor is the main dungeon, up on the third and part of the fourth there are private rooms. I have one, it’s a corner room on the third floor. The fourth is employees only, I’ve never been up there.”
“This place is beautiful! It’s like an old-style murder mystery hotel.” Rylan stopped walking so he could look up at the muraled ceiling and paintings on the walls.
“Little unwritten rule, in the restaurant no one uses titles, so I’m just Brett until we’re in other parts of the building. Then I’m ‘sir’. However,” he dropped his voice and turned Rylan, pulling him in for a deep kiss then ran his hand down Rylan’s side and cupped his balls, giving a quick squeeze. “No one complains about a bit of subtle groping, and public displays are encouraged.”
When Brett released him, Rylan reached out fast and gripped his arm for balance and sucked in a soft breath. “I certainly won’t complain.”
Brett’s hand came to rest between Rylan’s shoulder blades as they started walking again. “We have a table near the fireplace.”
They approached a table with three people already sitting around, laughing and chatting. There was a plate of appetizers in the center of the round table, and it was clear they’d been snacking.
If Ice Dragons wasn’t what Rylan expected, Faye Greenburg certainly wasn’t. She looked to be in her mid to later forties with straight, black hair that had cream and red streaks throughout. It was striking and classy all at the same time. Her eyes were a soft, light brown, as was her skin. She had a round face and pleasant smile. Two men were either side of her, but Rylan couldn’t tell by looking at them who was the Dom and who was the third man.
One of the men stood up as they closed in on the table, the other waited a few seconds and did the same thing.
“Brett, we’ve missed you. As you can see we didn’t wait for you to start,” the first man said.
“Ha! I’d expect nothing less.” Brett shook his hand. “Faye, Ed, how are you?”
Brett introduced Rylan to Jim and Faye Greenburg, then Ed Lander. Rylan didn’t consider himself a shy person, heck he performed routinely in front of hundreds of strangers. However, every so often shyness struck inexplicably and at the most inopportune times. Maybe it was because these were Brett’s friends and he wanted them to like him, that he felt shy now.
He smiled softly and managed to get words out of his mouth. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”
There was a bit of chair shuffling to accommodate Rylan’s need to keep his right leg straight, which embarrassed Rylan. If anyone noticed they didn’t let on, and none of the others seemed to mind. Brett must’ve noticed, because as soon as they were seated he reached under the table and rubbed Rylan’s good knee then gave a gentle squeeze.
“What have I missed since I’ve been away?” Brett asked. There were condolences offered for Celia’s death and then some general chatter among Brett and the three others while Rylan listened, glancing at the menu a few times.
After drinks were brought over, cranberry juice for Rylan and iced tea for Brett, and their orders were taken, Jim gave Brett’s shoulder a shove. “So, Rylan, what did you do to finally get Mr. Lone-wolf here to settle down with one person.”
“I’m not exactly sure, to be honest,” Rylan confessed.
“Whatever your secret trick, I’m betting you’re very good for Brett,” Ed added.
Rylan glanced at Brett. “We’re good for each other.”
“That we are.” Brett agreed.
As dinner continued so did their conversation. Ed seemed to be the more boisterous and outgoing of the three. Rylan quickly learned Ed and Faye were big sports fans. There was a lively, and somewhat heated debate between them and Brett about quarterbacks for several football teams. Rylan didn’t have much to add, but thought the conversation was fun.
A DJ began playing music and a few people began drifting onto the small dance floor. As he listened to the conversation his attention drifted to the people dancing. A stab of jealousy shot through him, he’d never really be able to dance well again.
“Do you want to dance?” Brett asked.
That caught Rylan off guard. Dancing was something he accepted he’d likely have to give up. “I…uh…don’t think with this brace…”
The hurt expression Brett’s face morphed into made Rylan want to beat himself with his cane.
“You know, Ed,” Jim started, “I think we should show off your handiwork now. I’m full and don’t want dessert anyway. We can make sure it’s what Brett asked for before they break the equipment in.”
“Um, yeah, sure.” Brett stood up and put one hand on Rylan’s shoulder. “Do you mind? I’ll only be a few minutes.”
Rylan shook his head. “No, I don’t mind.”
After they were gone Faye leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. “May I make an observation?”
“Sure.”
“You don’t have to be the best all the time and you certainly don’t have to compete with Brett.”
“I don’t. I wasn’t,” Rylan said, but his voice lacked conviction.
Faye smiled. “Brett did tell you what I do for a living, right?” Rylan nodded and she continued. “So, I see things about people, even when I’m not trying. You’re just like Brett in one regard, you’re both high level, successful athletes, and no one does that without wanting to be the best. In everything. All the time.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings,” Rylan confessed.
“I know. Brett knows that too. That man loves you—”
“He’s never said that.”
Faye laughed. “If I had a dime for every man who came into my office and said, ‘I shouldn’t have to say I love you when I’m here and doing…’fill in the blank.”
Rylan burst out laughing. “I guess you’d be very rich.”
“I wouldn’t need a job, that’s for sure. Have you told him? And don’t deny it, it’s written all over your face.”
“No.”
“Rylan, he took you into his home, has made a huge effort to continue your sex life, which as you know, is very important.”
“I know,” Rylan admitted.
“Other than one sub he meets here for a few hours once or twice a week, I don’t think he’s even gone on a second date. Not while I’ve known him anyway. Trust me, no man makes that sort of effort if they don’t love someone. He’s trying. There is no pity involved. Meet him halfway and I think you’ll feel much better about yourself.” Faye sat back, looked across the room, and smiled.
Rylan saw Brett with Jim and Ed making their way back to the table.
“I think you’re going to love what Ed and Collin, he’s the owner, devised,” Brett said and sat down.
The music playing switched to something slower again. Rylan reached over and took Brett’s hand. “I didn’t expect the dancing. I was shocked, that’s all. Are you still interested?”
Brett’s face lit up with a smile that make the corners of his eyes crinkle. “Sure!” He stood up and gripped the back of Rylan’s chair, helping him scoot away from the table far enough to stand.
Once they reached the dance floor Rylan rested one hand on Brett’s shoulder. Brett held Rylan’s other hand and slipped his free arm around Rylan’s waist, nudging him closer. It was awkward at first but after a few minutes they got into a rhythm with Rylan leaning his right side against Brett for a little extra support.
They swayed in place, turning in slow circles through two songs. When the music switched to a faster beat Rylan kissed Brett’s cheek and whispered, “Thank you.” Brett nuzzled Rylan’s cheek and pulled him in tighter. Rylan took a few deep breaths and leaned his cheek against Brett’s shoulder. Faye was right, one of them had to say something. “I love you,” Rylan said softly.
Brett rubbed his hand up and down Rylan’s spine a few times. “I love you, too.”
Chapter 15
The next three weeks went much more smoothly than Brett ever dreamed they could. Rylan threw himself into coaching and his physical therapy. As knowledgeable and talented as Rylan was, Brett knew he’d be a top-notch coach. Rylan threw himself into everything related to skating, and always had. Coaching was no different. Besides, Rylan really enjoyed being around children.
Working as hard as he did seemed to ease Rylan past his mental roadblocks. They’d both been meeting with Faye professionally and, at least for Brett, she’d helped considerably. From what he could see Rylan was benefiting as well. She’d given them some good ideas and encouraged the use of their BDSM activities to help them get their lives back on track.
Once he was over his initial reaction to the specialized equipment to be used during sex, Rylan’s enthusiasm gave Brett a warm feeling in more ways than one. They both were having fun experimenting with positions and ways to use the unique BDSM chair made for Rylan. Most of the pieces created were for use at Ice Dragons, but there was a smaller, simpler chair they had at home.
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