Matt surges forward, cock striking Nick’s prostate with perfect precision, but that’s not what tips him over, nor is it his command: when he moves, he rests his forehead against the back of Nick’s head, sliding down to press his lips to where Nick knows his name is emblazoned across his jersey. It’s reverent, and so soft in the midst of their frantic passion that it hits Nick right in the chest, and before he knows it he’s coming with a shout that’s almost a sob, collapsing into Matt’s embrace as his muscles finally give out. Matt follows quickly, rolling to the side and bringing Nick with him before he can fall into the wet spot. The action sends a burst of affection through Nick’s over-stimulated body. He curls up to Matt, half on top of him,finallylooking him in the eye. The intensity in his gaze makes Nick swallow hard.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” Matt rasps, leaning in for a kiss. One hand curls in the front of Nick’s jersey, while the other settles on his thigh, fingers tangling in the garter elastic. Breaking the kiss, Nick snorts.
“If I have to switch to sock tape because I get too horny wearing garters after this, I’m gonna be so mad.”
Matt laughs, snapping the elastic one more time, just to be a dick. “I’d say I’m sorry but that would be a lie,” he says, sounding far too smug about it. Nick bites at his shoulder in reprimand,then lets out a long, satisfied sigh, closing his eyes. They need to get cleaned up, he needs to put his gear away properly and feed the cat and lock up for the night… but right now Nick doesn’t have the energy tothink, let alone do any of that.
Instead he presses his face against Matt’s chest, eyes falling shut and body going limp, surrendering to the fuzzy haze of afterglow.
Maybe next time Matt can be the one wearing Nick’s jersey. The sight of that might just end Nick, butGod, what a way to go.
Chapter Twenty
[Video description: Inside a sold-out T-Mobile Arena, Nevada GM Tony Murphy stands behind the bench for a pre-game interview with reporter Amelie Parks. In the background, the crowd is full of all colors of the rainbow. The Dragons wear their Pride jerseys, and almost every skater has Pride tape on their sticks. Jonathan Picard has taped his entire goalie mask with rainbows. Murphy has a small rainbow hockey stick pinned to his lapel.]
“So, Tony, we can’t help but notice you’re a man down this evening,” Parks says. “Brad Burrows was not scheduled to be a healthy scratch for tonight’s game, and he skated this morning, but I don’t see him on ice. Has there been a late-stage injury to contend with?”
Murphy’s face remains impassive. “Brad Burrows chose to voice his refusal to join his teammates in upholding our commitment to inclusion within this sport, and while I respect that decision made due to his personal beliefs, it is my personal belief that if a player is not willing to dresswith his team for warm-ups, then that player does not get to participate in the game.”
Parks’s surprise is visible, and it takes her a second to collect herself. “So to clarify, you scratched Burrows from the game because he didn’t want to wear the Pride jersey?”
“That is correct,” Murphy says with a nod.
“Was this a team-wide decision or did you put the hammer down?”
“Every other member of this team is excited to be wearing these jerseys, and agreed with me and with the rest of management that Burrows does not get to pick and choose which parts of the game he participates in. There was no hammer necessary here, Amelie.” Murphy cracks a smile. “The only conflict in tonight’s locker room came from not having enough Pride tape to go around.”
Parks smiles back, turning to face the camera. “Well, there you have it folks. The Nevada Dragons, making a bold statement on Pride Night. Certainly a change of pace from what we’ve seen so far this season.”
—Pre-Game Report, Dallas @ Nevada, February 26th, 2023
When the final buzzer goes and the Nevada goal song starts playing in victory, Nick feels like a weight has just lifted off his shoulders.Thank God.They needed that win.
He joins his teammates lining up to thank Picard, the goalie’s exhilarated laugh ringing out as Sunny plants a firm kiss on the front of his rainbow-taped helmet.
“Good job, kid,” Nick says, bumping their foreheads together and nudging him towards the locker room. Picard beams at him.
“That one felt good.”
“Damn right it did.”
It’s a party in the locker room with music blaring and guys enthusing over plays made and goals scored. Nick escapes media quickly, checking his phone as he gets dressed. There’s a message from Matt, confirming they’ve got Lindsay and are headed over to the bar, where they’ve got a private room booked. It’s been a while since the whole band made it out for a game with how busy they’ve been lately, and they want to celebrate.
“You ready, Trix?” Marco asks, dabbing cologne on his neck.
“Ooh, where you boys headed?” Duke cuts in, grinning playfully. “Date night?”
Nick blushes despite himself; Duke’s more accurate that he realizes.
“The guys from Sticks were at the game tonight. We’re gonna meet them at Velvet. Linds is already there,” Marco explains casually, always coming to Nick’s rescue.
“Oh, that’s a good call. Game like this deserves a night out. Mind if we tag along?” Moose jumps in—literally, throwing an arm over Duke’s shoulders as he appears out of nowhere. With Patts out injured, the younger defenseman has taken up the role of Duke’s D-partner with much enthusiasm. “Hey, Sunny! You and Mars wanna go to Velvet with Trixy and Marcs? Meet their rockstar buddies?”
Sunny perks up across the locker room. “Hell yeah! I’ll text her. Johnny-boy, you gotta come with. I owe you a drink. Besides, you might meet some girls,” he adds with a wink towards Picard.
It’s too late for Nick to protest as half the team invite themselves along in quick succession. He sends a panicked look to Marco, who’s grinning.
“All right!” Marco shouts, shutting the team up. “If you wanna join us, that’s chill, but I’m not driving any of you fuckers home. Get Ubers or have Kat get cars, I don’t care, not my problem. We’re headed out, and we’ll see you there. Room’s booked in my name. Trix?” he adds, jerking his chin towards the door. “Let’s go. My wife’s waiting.”
