Face Offs & Cheap Shots (CU Hockey Book 2)

The tap on my door comes way earlier than I’m expecting. It could literally be anyone at this time, but I know his knock. Slightly impatient and full of life.

I’m smiling before I even reach the door.

He’s changed since practice, and he looks good. Really good.

With a quick glance down the hall, I grab his shirt and tug him inside, but before I can push him against the wall and kiss him stupid, Beck steps out of my reach. He’s not meeting my eyes, and I’m suddenly really worried he’s here for a reason other than making out. He shifts further away.

Uh-oh.

Is he done here already?

I straighten up and do my best to hide the sudden panic. It might have been Beck’s idea to continue this, but I definitely haven’t been complaining. Every night he sneaks down here, it just makes me want more.

“So this is outside our usual schedule,” I say carefully.

Beck forces a little laugh. “Ah, yeah. I thought I’d catch you before dinner, see if you were hungry maybe?” He’s still acting weird, but at least it doesn’t seem like he’s here to end things.

“I could eat.”

“You could?”

I stare at him for a minute, not sure if he’s dicking around. “Why are you being weird?”

“I’m …” I can tell he’s about to deny it when he relaxes. “My sister maybe guessed about us.”

“Guessed?”

“Apparently your little display of jealousy didn’t go unnoticed. And neither did my sneaking out. Are you mad?”

Am I? I feel like I should be. Beck’s certainly expecting me to be. “Can’t be helped.”

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Jacobs?”

I hold back my laugh and tug him in close again. “Who are you? You’ve been here a few minutes now and we haven’t even kissed yet.”

“You want to kiss me?”

I don’t answer him. Instead I press my lips to his and lean into the feel of his body against mine.

“Dinner?” he asks against my mouth.

“Sure, let me get my keys.”

“And maybe change your shirt?”

It’s such a weird request that I stare at him a moment. At his tight jeans and button-up shirt, and …

I swallow hard. Is this a date?

Nerves explode in my gut as I force my feet toward the closet and pull my T-shirt over my head. I don’t have many options, so I pull the first navy button-up I see from the hanger and shrug into it, while keeping my back turned firmly toward Beck.

Maybe I’m reading this wrong. That would be the most obvious option. So why can’t I bring myself to make some kind of joke while I clear up whatever is happening here? I check my hair in the small mirror. The close-shaved sides have started to grow out, but at least the length on top is sitting right.

“Okay, let’s go.”

I follow Beck to his car, and thankfully we don’t see anyone we know. If one of our teammates saw us right now, I have no idea how I’d explain us together, let alone dressed nice and headed off campus.

I could imagine Cohen and Rossi assuming we were headed to a club and asking to come along.

“How does Italian sound?” Beck asks as he backs out of the parking spot.

“Delicious.” My smiles are coming easier now, and I’m letting them happen more than I ever have around him. I guess that’s what orgasms do to a guy. “Know a place?”

“Yeah, it looks like a bit of a shithole, but the food’s good.”

It goes silent after that. And instead of the stifling awkwardness I’m expecting, it’s kinda chill. Relaxing. I glance over at where he’s driving and wonder what would happen if I reached for his thigh. Is that too much? I mean, if this is a date, then it would be expected. But if it really is two teammates who get each other off, then it could be crossing a line.

We pull up at the restaurant, and Beck’s right, it’s a shithole. All yellow brick and checkered red-and-white awnings. Inside, the lights are dim, covering everything in a dark yellow glow. The wood tables are chipped, and none of the chairs match.

A sweet older woman leads us to a booth, and the restaurant is packed. There’s only a couple of free tables. I wait for her to drop off the menus, take our drink orders, and leave before I lean across to Beck.

“It’s possible I’m gonna sound like a dick here, but this doesn’t seem like your kind of place.”

He takes a moment to look around. “I came in here drunk one night and orgasmed over the food. Then I assumed it was so good because by that point everything tastes good. But I came back and now …” He shrugs. “I like it here.”

“It has a weird charm to it.”

“No need to start being nice now.”

“No, really. It’s not every night I get to eat dinner surrounded by people with jaundice.”

Beck laughs. “Yeah, the lighting does make everyone look sick.”

“Except you.”

“What?” His blue eyes are bright.

I consider whether I should say what I’m about to or not. Fuck it. “You always look good.”

“Oh really?”

“And you know it.”

“Doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it again.”

“Then you should have recorded me.” I pretend to look over the menu, but I’m pretty sure I’ll order the carbonara and be done with it. I’m way too aware of him to concentrate.

The woman comes back with our sodas and takes our orders.

When she leaves again, Beck kicks my foot. “Hey, Topher?”

“Yes, Teddy?”

“You know that I meant for this to be a date, right?” And holy shit, I’ve never seen Beck look as uncertain as he does tonight. The big eyes, the creased forehead—where is the confident guy I’m so used to bantering with? And while I have no idea what he means by asking me on a date, or being nervous, I do know that I like it.

“Then what are you doing over there?”

He swiftly slides out of his side and into mine, and by the time Beck is beside me, he’s back to being the guy I know. His full smile is on display as he plants his elbow on the table and angles his body toward me. “You knew this was a date.”

“I suspected.”

“And you came anyway.”

I think it over. “I guess I did.” I expect him to call me out on what that means, to push and tease, but instead, he lets it go completely.

“You want to know the real reason I like this place?” he asks.

“Sure.”

Beck looks down as he traces one of the gauges in the table. “It reminds me of what people say a home is supposed to be. The first time I walked in here I … felt warm inside.” He groans. “Geez, that’s lame.”

“It’s not lame.”

“It’s not a feeling I get a lot.”

I’m nervous as I lean forward. I have no idea what the people around us would think if they knew we were on a date, or if they notice I’m about to kiss him. I have no idea if someone is gonna cause a scene because of what I’m about to do. All I know is that Beck let me in, and I saw probably the most genuine side of him I’ve ever seen. And apparently when Beck is down, I have an overwhelming urge to boost him back up again.

I touch my lips to his. It’s fast, and not at all what I crave, but I hope he knows what I’m trying to make it mean. Which is stupid, because I don’t even really know.

I straighten up and move a bit closer. “You know sometimes I forget that just because you have money and you seem happy all the time, it doesn’t mean you don’t have things that get to you.”

“I have enough of those things to keep a psychologist in business for years.” And despite his words, he’s smiling as he wraps his leg around mine under the table.

“Wanna tell me any of it?”

“Are you going to use it against me?”

I give him a dry look. “Maybe when this is over, we go back to antagonizing each other, who knows? But I think we’re way past the high school bullshit, don’t you?”

“It only took us three years.”

“And multiple orgasms.”

He laughs. “And hopefully many more.” He lifts his drink like a toast, and I knock my glass against his.

“Many, many more.”

We take a drink, and as I lean back against the booth, I give in to my urge from earlier and set my hand on his thigh. We’re far enough away from campus that I don’t have to worry about being seen. No one’s bothering us even though we’re not being subtle about being here together. Some of my tension eases.

“So what are your plans after we graduate?” I ask.

“You’re full of questions tonight, aren’t you?”

“And you’re full of diversion tactics.”

His lips twitch. I want to kiss him again. “I think I’ve talked about myself enough.”

“You’ve told me one thing.”

“It’s more than I was planning.”

“Beck …”

“Look, my future is pretty much set, that’s why I don’t talk about it. All it does is depress me, and I prefer to focus on the fun things.”

“I’m guessing that future doesn’t include hockey.”

“No.” He hesitates. “I know for you and Grant hockey means a lot, but I can’t think that way.”

“So you dick around?”

“Exactly.” Beck’s voice dips a little lower. “There’s no point taking things seriously and getting attached when I know in a year, I’ll have to give it all up anyway.”

I shake my head. “I don’t understand.”

His hand briefly squeezes mine. “Does your family expect you to take over the farm one day?”

I frown at the sudden subject change, but I let it happen. I want to see where he’s going with this. “To them, it would probably be ideal. It’s expected one of us will, but luckily, I have three younger brothers and Tony already works on the farm full-time. He didn’t even apply to college. He’s been learning the management side of things since he left high school.”

“Now imagine you had no brothers.”

It becomes clear really fast what he’s getting at. “Okay, yeah. If I had no brothers, I’d feel obligated to take over. That farm has been in our family for generations. I wouldn’t be able to sell it.”

“Now imagine the farm is the business world, and you’re looking at my future. My father never even asked if I wanted it, you know? It’s expected. And it sucks.”

“What about Baby?”

“She is lacking the very thing every businessman needs according to our father.”

“Business sense?”

Beck scoffs. “A penis. She’s ten times smarter than I am, but he doesn’t want to hear it.”

“That’s …”

“You’re allowed to say it. It’s toxic masculinity at its finest. Women can’t be CEOs. They can’t be anything but pretty housewives.”

Our dinner comes out, and we have to separate briefly to eat, but we don’t stop talking. It’s surprisingly easy when we’re not at each other’s throats … or filling each other’s throats.

Beck seems determined to drive the conversation away from his home life, but I manage to get little pieces out of him.

It sucks that after this year, hockey’s over for him. And it’s not that he doesn’t have the talent because I know Coach has spoken to him about scouts.

I do understand obligation though. Hockey ends for me because I’m too financially and family motivated to go for it. Schlepping it out for a few years on an AHL team trying to make it to the big show, abandoning the family farm completely, it doesn’t sit right with me. I might not want to be a full-time farmer, but I still want to help. With labor and with money.

For Beck, I can hear the pain when he talks about this being his final season, and I’m insanely curious to know why he doesn’t go for it. He’s never had a problem doing whatever he wants before.

It’s dark by the time we finally leave, and I grab his hand for the short walk from the doors to his car.

He doesn’t mention it, and neither do I.

My dick starts getting interested on the drive back as I watch his large hand change gears, and his strong thighs flex with every movement. I can’t wait until we’re in my room so I can strip him naked and feel those muscles under me. And yet, I’m kinda nervous too. I’m not used to so many conflicting emotions.

I mean, it’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked before.

But I dunno, with one dinner, something’s changed.

Once he’s parked, we jump out and set a fast pace back to our dorms. My cock is aching.

We pass a few people in the foyer of the dorm, but thankfully the elevator is empty. As soon as the doors close, Beck pulls me in and kisses me slow and deep.

I moan, and my hands find his ass. Maybe tonight I’ll have the balls to bring up fucking him again.

The elevator stops, and we quickly part from each other, but my hall is clear. I step out, then slow when I realize he hasn’t followed me. He’s still inside, hand stopping the doors from closing.

“Are you coming?”

“Nope.”

My eyes almost jump out of my head. “Wait, what?”

He has the balls to smile at me. “Sorry, Topher. I don’t put out on first dates.”

“Are you shitting me right now?”

“Not one bit.”

My head drops back on a groan, and I cup my erection. “So what am I meant to do with this?”

“Not really my problem.”

I check back over my shoulder before stalking closer. “And does this sudden modesty extend to second dates?”

“I guess you’ll have to take me on one to find out.”

Even knowing I don’t get to touch him tonight, I can’t help smiling at that.

A second date.

With Beck.

Damn how things have changed.

I cup his strong jaw and steal one last kiss.

“Someone’s getting brave,” he says.

Or maybe he’s getting way too addictive.

“Careful. You’re giving off the impression you might like me a teeny tiny bit.”

I smile against his mouth. “Ridiculous.”

“Completely crazy.”

I kiss him again before pulling myself away. Before the elevator doors can close again, I throw back over my shoulder, “I think I like you a little bit more than that.”