Rookie Move (Indianapolis Eagles Series Book 9)
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I can’t help myself from snapping a few pictures of my TV screen, posting them to my Instagram story, and tagging him so he can look at them later. It's less than five minutes into the game when the Eagles kick off the scoring. I jump to my feet, cheering loud enough I’m sure people can hear me from down the hall, and I don’t give a shit. Dylan got the assist on the goal, and the celebration circle around him is incredible; you’d have thought he got the goal himself the way the guys are crowded around him.
The excitement doesn’t end in the first period. The Eagles continue to kick ass the entire game, winning easily five to one.
“Dylan!” I practically scream his name when our video call connects. “That was an ah-maze-ing,” I sing-song the word amazing in my excitement, “game! Tell me everything!” I practically bounce in place on my bed where I’m hanging out studying. I knew it would take him a while after the game to be able to call me. Between possibly having to talk to the press, then showering, checking in with trainers, if needed, sometimes coaches want to give after game speeches, it can be ninety minutes sometimes before players can be ready to go after a game, longer if they really need any medical attention.
“It was so surreal, Hales. I can’t even describe what it was like to be lined up on that blue line for the anthem,” he tells me, the smile still filling his face and showing just how on top of cloud nine he is right now. My heart clenches at the thought that I’m not there witnessing this moment in person. While I’m glad I could watch the game on TV, it isn’t the same. I didn’t get to give him a good luck kiss. I didn’t get to run and jump into his sweat-soaked arms when the game ended, and he was headed to the locker room. I don’t get to rub his tired and sore muscles while lying in bed together tonight.
“You looked so focused every time you were on camera. And I caught your I love you just before the puck dropped,” I tell him.
“I think when we scored that first goal, the last bit of nerves finally shook out. I swear, Hales, the goal horn here was louder than I’ve ever experienced. The atmosphere was different. It almost crackled with how much the fans get into it here. They really do love this team,” he tells me.
“That’s great! How was dinner with your parents?” I ask, knowing that they would go out after the game for a late bite to eat.
“Good. They were excited to be there. The team owners invited them to watch the game from the family suite, and Mom gushed over how nice everyone was. I guess she had the best time playing with some of the guys' kids. Lots of younger kids amongst the guys on the team.”
“Aww, I bet she just loved that. Are they staying at the same hotel as you?” I ask.
“Yep, just a few doors down, actually.”
“That’s convenient.”
“It is, and I’m glad that we’re here for the next week, so I’ll get to see them for a little bit since they’re sticking around for the week. Figured they might as well get a little vacation out of the trip, plus, there are three games here while they’re in town, so they’ll hopefully get to see me play in all of them.”
“That’s so great. I hope you enjoy your time with them.”
“You know I will,” he tells me, and I can’t help being a little—hell, who am I kidding, a lot—jealous of his parents’ ability to drop everything and fly to Indianapolis for the week to be with him. I’d do anything right now to do the same, but damn, school responsibilities are in the way. Sometimes I hate the fact I have such high aspirations in life and that they cause this distance between us. “How’d the test go today?” he asks, pulling me from my internal pity-party.
“I got one hundred!” I tell him, cracking a huge smile at my accomplishment.
“That’s great, babe! I knew you were going to kick ass.” He’s my biggest supporter, always encouraging me when I need it the most.
“My professor was pretty impressed, which is a good thing because I plan to ask her for a letter of recommendation for a summer program that is all online.”
“I’m sure she’d give you one, no problem,” he assures me.
“Maybe. I know applying to a program for this summer is a little early; I think most students are between their junior and senior years, not sophomore and junior years, so it might not even come to be anything.”
“No negative thoughts now, babe. If it is something you put your mind to, you’ll kick that door down and show them the badass you are.” There he goes again with his number one cheerleader spot. “I miss you,” he says, pulling my attention fully back to his.
“Not as much as I miss you,” I tell him as I quickly wipe at the tear trying to escape down my cheek. I know it pains him when I cry, but sometimes I just can’t help it.
“Fuck, don’t cry, babe.” He groans. “I know something that will get you in a better mood.” He grins a devilish smirk, his eyebrows bouncing as he moves around in his hotel room.
“What’s that?” I ask, sucking my bottom lip between my teeth, nibbling on it as I wait for him to tell him his grand plan, and knowing exactly where he’s going with this conversation.
“I think we both need to strip. We can’t be sad if we’re naked together. Then, I want to watch you come while I stroke myself off.”
“You’re so dirty, and I love it,” I tell him. “Call me back from your computer, and I’ll answer on mine. That way, we’re hands-free.”
“See, you’re a genius,” he says just before the call goes dead, only for my computer and phone to start ringing again with the FaceTime call. I quickly answer it on my laptop as I toss my phone aside. “Now, this is so much better,” he tells me, standing next to his bed as he starts to unbutton his dress shirt. He’d already lost the tie but hadn’t shucked the rest of his suit yet. Not that I’m complaining. If there's one part of the professional athlete job title he has going in, it's how well he fills out that suit he’s required to wear to and from all games. Hours upon hours spent on the ice and in the weight room has made his body into a work of art, one that I love getting lost in whenever I can.
I must moan as his torso is exposed as he gives me another devilish smirk as he pulls his arms from the sleeves, then tosses the shirt out of the camera’s view, most likely on a chair I can’t see off-camera. “Don’t just sit there; I want to see that perfect body of yours,” he tells me.
I do as instructed, pushing up onto my knees on the bed and pulling my shirt—one with his name on my back—over my head, tossing it aside as I reach behind me and unclip my bra. I’m thankful in times like this, I have a single dorm room. I don’t have to worry that a roommate will walk in, interrupting our little sexy time session. My bra follows the same path my shirt did just a moment before.
“You were already without pants the entire time?” He groans when he realizes I’m down to just my panties already.
“You know it. I’m not going to be lazy in bed studying and have pants on,” I deadpan.
“You should have told me earlier.” He smirks. “I would have suggested we get naked right away,” he muses.
“And I knew that if we’d gone straight to sexy times, I would have missed out on hearing all about your game, and I wanted to hear about it,” I remind him.
“I know,” he says, shucking his slacks. I can see the bulge of his hard cock in his boxer briefs before he slides them down his hips. His cock springs free, smacking against his lower abdomen. God, what I wouldn’t do to be there with him right now. I’d slide my tongue up the underside of his cock before swirling it around the sensitive tip and then sucking it deep in my mouth. I’d play with his balls, tugging slightly as I suck him like my own personal lollipop. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” he says huskily, and I watch as his fingers wrap around his shaft.
He starts to slide his hand up and down his shaft, starting slowly, at first. He stops and reaches for something, producing a small bottle of some lube or lotion. I watch as he squirts some onto his palm, returning his hand to his cock as he slides his fist up and down the length of his shaft.
“You still haven’t told me what’s going through that dirty mind of yours. Tell me what we’d be doing right now if we were in the same room,” he demands, and I go into detail about how I’d be sucking his cock right now. How I’d bring him to the edge and then back off, knowing that he’d prefer to be fucking me when he came versus coming during a blow job.
“Fuck, babe,” he groans as I click on my vibrator. I angle my computer screen so he can see more of my body. I know what he likes after all of these years and the many times we’ve done this. “I’m so close. Pinch your nipples for me,” he instructs, and I do as he asks. “Yes, Hales,” he pants, and I increase the intensity on the vibrator, angling it just how I need it to make me fall over the edge.
“Dyl!” I call out as I do just that. I watch as he increases his strokes, releasing on his stomach as he makes himself come.
I shut off my vibrator, tossing it aside as I relax for a few quiet moments as the happy release hormones and endorphins flood my bloodstream. I can’t help but smile as I take in Dylan’s body filling my computer screen. “Looks like someone made a mess there,” I tease him.
“It was well worth it.” He smirks. I watch as he reaches for something, dragging a towel into the frame of the camera. I watch as he wipes his abs off, removing the evidence of his release. Watching him wipe down his abs has me drooling to run my tongue along those same ridges. All I can think of is the countdown until we’re together again in a few weeks. I’d better start stretching now; otherwise, I might not be able to walk for the first week we’re back together.
“It sure was,” I agree with him.
“Hales, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you this earlier,” he says, smacking his forehead.
“What?” I ask, perking up at the excitement in his voice.
“My new captain, Mark, he introduced me to Johnathan Camps! He stopped by to wish the guys luck tonight, and Mark wanted me to meet him. Can you believe that?” he asks, practically bouncing on his bed. “He even gave me his number and said if I wanted a mentor, he’s just a call away. I almost had to pinch myself, Hales. Like, is this really my life right now? My idol growing up now has my number programmed into his phone, and I have his.”
“That’s so awesome! The Eagles sure do sound like one big family,” I tell him. Sometimes you’ll find some tight-knit groups within any organization, but I’ve always heard that the entire team there, along with their wives and girlfriends, are basically one huge family.
“He asked me about my face-offs and offered to help me with them.”
“That’s cool. Are you going to take him up on that offer?” I ask.
“I’d be a fool not to,” he tells me.
“That’s probably a good assumption.” I laugh. I’m starting to get cold since I am still lying here naked with no covers on. “I think I’m going to let you go; I need to take a hot shower so I can warm-up, and then I’m going to call it a night. I’ve got an early and busy day tomorrow.”
“I need to do the same. I’ve got practice in the morning tomorrow. Love you, babe,” he says, blowing me a kiss before flashing me the sign. I return the gesture before the screen goes black and the call ends.
Chapter Three
Dylan
“Soupy!” Johnathan Camps, “JC,” calls out as he enters the locker room. I stand, accepting his outstretched hand in a greeting. “How’s it going? You looked a little off out there tonight.”
“I was just off my game,” I tell him honestly, not really knowing why. It just wasn’t my night, I guess.
“We all have nights like that; try not to let it get to you and affect your game going forward,” he says, patting me on the shoulder.
“Thanks,” I reply, sitting back in my locker. I still have my breezers, socks, and shin guards on, only having had the chance to strip my jersey, chest plate, and elbow pads off so far. “I don’t know if it was because I couldn’t get to sleep when I tried to this afternoon or the demand on my body lately. Guys weren’t joking when they said you work the hardest you’ll ever work when you make it to this level.”
“No shit, kid. Most people think that the battle is making your way up the ranks and to the top league, but really, all of that was just a stepping stone to get to the top. Once here, you have to work even harder to stay here. There is always someone younger, faster, bigger chomping at the bit to take you down a peg and take your roster spot. You can’t ever get too comfortable in your spot; it can be gone in a flash,” JC tells me, and I can’t help but think of his own situation. He was sitting in this very locker room just last season, dressed for each and every game, and now he’s retired after suffering a head injury in a game. Although it wasn’t career-ending itself, it was the straw to break the camel’s back, so to speak.
“Any advice on how to get ahead of the feeling like I’m hanging on by a thread?” I ask.
“Keep your head in the game. No distractions. Make sure you’re eating healthy and getting proper sleep. I know you’ve been here now for a couple of weeks. Have you moved out of the hotel yet?”
“No, I’m still there, and I think that might also have something to do with my state. I can’t cook for myself, and the hotel’s restaurant and room service is getting old.”
“Let me make some calls, but getting yourself out of there and into an apartment should be high on your list. I know you guys head out on a trip tomorrow, so maybe I can work some magic while you’re gone to get you something for when you come back.”
“That’d be great. I asked Coach before the game tonight if he thought my assignment here would be permanent, or at least long enough that I should start looking for a permanent place, and he said he thought it would be a good idea for me to do.”
“All right, I’ll make some calls tomorrow and let you know what I find out.”
“Thanks, man,” I tell him, giving him a handshake. JC leaves me be, heading over to talk to a few of the other guys. I strip out of the rest of my gear, hanging it on the hooks in my locker before I grab my shower kit and head for the showers.
Hales: Call me when you can. Love and miss you. {kissy face}
Hales: I hope everything is okay. Are you feeling ok? Worried about you. Call me. Even if it's super late.
I read over Hailey’s texts. I didn’t get the chance to check my phone until I was back at my hotel, and feel like shit because of it.
“Hey, babe. Sorry I didn’t call until now,” I say in lieu of a greeting when the video call connects.
“Are you okay?” she asks, and I can tell her eyes scan every inch of me that she can see.
“Just exhausted,” I tell her just as a yawn hits me.
“It’s late there, yes?” she asks, looking at what I’m assuming is her clock.
“Yep, almost one.”
“What time do you leave tomorrow?”
“I have to be at the airport by ten-thirty,” I tell her. “Thankfully, since it’s a private jet, we don’t have to be there two hours early.”
“That’s nice. Are you excited about your first NHL road trip?” she asks, tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear. What I wouldn’t give to be running my fingers through those strands right now. We’ve been apart now since late August, and I miss her like crazy.
“Of course, not that it's much different than any other road trip I’ve gone on.”
“I know, but I just wasn’t sure if it felt any differently because of the bigger stage.”
“I’ve gotten used to the larger and louder crowds. But I’m sure it will be weird playing in some of the arenas and against even more guys I’ve grown up idolizing.”
“You’ll do great; I have faith in you, babe.” She winks at me through the camera.
“And to think, it won’t be lon
g after I get back from this road trip that you’ll be here. I hope to be in an apartment by then.”
“I’m so ready to squeeze you.”
“Is that all?” I ask, raising a brow at her in question.
“I mean, don’t be surprised if I strip you naked two seconds after we get inside.” She chuckles, and my cock swells to life.
“On that note, I should probably get to sleep, so I don’t miss the flight in a few hours.”
“Travel safe and let me know when you make it. Try not to focus on tonight’s game; put all your energy into the next one. I know you’ll do great, Dylan. You’ve made it this far already; you have what it takes to stay. You just have to get out of your own way sometimes and not sabotage yourself in the process.”
“I know,” I say, covering another yawn. “Tomorrow is a new day and all that jazz.”
“Damn straight. Okay, go to sleep. I love you, and I’ll talk to you sometime tomorrow—er later today.” She chuckles.
“Love you, too, babe. Night,” I say, flashing our sign before hitting the end button. I plug my phone in, hit up the bathroom to brush my teeth, and get ready for bed. The moment my head hits the pillow and the bedside lamp is out, I crash.
JC: Good news, there is a one-bedroom apartment available in my building. The manager said it is ready ASAP.
Dylan: I’ll take it. Does it come furnished?
JC: No, but we can get you all set up. I can give the manager your number if you want to talk to her directly.
Dylan: That’d be great. Thanks, man.
JC: Anytime. How’s the road trip treating you? You played well last night.