Pucking Road Trip (Bay Rebels #3)

Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Park, Kern County

S hay

I glance out of the parked window of our motorhome at the farm.

Ducks waddle through the barns and groves of trees.

Eden’s definitely going to get out and pet those ducks.

It’s bloody weird how peaceful it is here. It’s jarring after the noise and commotion that followed one of the worst games of my life yesterday.

We’ve stopped for lunch on the way to Los Angeles and our next game tomorrow.

I grimace, stretching my legs up onto the plush silver couch and massaging my calves.

Everything fucking hurts.

My muscles are so sore, I feel that I’ve been used as a punching bag.

In the game against the Sharks, I pretty much was.

Although, if we’d won, it would have been worth it for the tender way that Robyn stripped me in our hotel room and then rubbed arnica cream into the bruises on my hip and shoulder.

I tried to convince Robyn that there were bruises on my balls.

I failed.

Sunlight streams through the RV’s window, making the silver accents gleam against the wood.

I’m dressed in casual jeans and red t-shirt. My feet are bare. It’s the only reason that I’m allowed to put my feet up onto the couch.

D’Angelo has a lot of strict rules like not putting booted feet on the furniture.

He’d have hated how I lived at college .

I’m going to keep quiet about the way I’d wear whatever I picked up off the floor, used an old pizza box as a plate, and had a work desk that could be described as controlled chaos .

Robyn and I have a lot in common that way.

Robyn and D’Angelo sit on stools on one side of the table, which is behind the curved couch. The table’s blue cover is almost hidden by piles of sandwiches, salads, and an array of cream cakes.

Trust my brother to be able to create a feast even in this small space.

The table is also covered by a mountain of papers, displaying hockey strategy and plays.

Coach gave them to D’Angelo last night or more like, threw them in his face, insisting that he study them before the next game.

I waited outside the locker room, when the rest of the team had left, listening to coach yelling at D’Angelo.

Coach busted D’Angelo’s balls for over an hour.

I shook, as I heard how coach threatened to take D’Angelo off the ice and even take away his captaincy, if he turned up to a game so distracted again.

Yet D’Angelo is suffering because of coach.

I know what it’s like to be triggered just before a game.

It happened to me with a flashback of Blythe refusing to respect my safe word.

I tried to support D’Angelo like he helped me, but the Sharks were a good enough team to work out that tactic and block me.

I pressed my face against the door, desperate to support D’Angelo but unable to.

“Are you drinking again?” Coach barked, furious.

I flinched.

That was low.

There was a long silence.

“Think what you want,” D’Angelo replied.

His voice sounded level, but I could hear the strain beneath it.

“I think that you fucked up the game.”

“I know, coach. I’m owning it.”

“The rest of the team stepped up. They damn well carried your ass, but at this level, that’s not going to be enough. This season means everything for Bay Rebels. Both our legacies. But how you acted on the ice tonight makes me think that you’ve slipped back to acting the playboy who only cares about himself. I thought that you’d changed.”

Now, D’Angelo’s voice wavered. “Perhaps, I can’t change.”

Now, my gaze slides to Robyn, who looks as beautiful as she always does in a cotton green dress. She’s a little too flushed still.

She seems a lot better than she did.

She gave us a bloody scare.

How can you make sure someone is never ill?

I wish that you could guard against that. But then, I also haven’t been able to stop Eden being hurt.

I glance uneasily at Eden’s arm, which rests in his sling.

Eden’s standing in the gleaming kitchenette in leather trousers and gray hoodie, stirring a bowl of steaming chicken soup.

He carries the soup to the table, placing it in front of Robyn. “Eat.”

“I’m starting to see the upside of being sick,” Robyn says. “I get pampered.”

I narrow my eyes. “We can fuss over you all the time. No wishing yourself sick, love. It may cancel out our wishes for you to be well.”

Robyn nods, picking up her spoon.

Eden sits on the stool next to her. In the small space, their thighs touch. He leans over and blows on the soup to cool it for her.

Their gazes meet.

She smiles, as she starts to eat.

I glance at D’Angelo, who is too intent on his homework from coach to eat lunch.

I’ve never seen D’Angelo so disheveled before. I’d find it sexy, if I didn’t know that it was because he was distressed and refusing to speak about it.

He’s not wearing his suit jacket or tie. And his shirt is creased.

For D’Angelo that’s practically being a hot mess.

I push myself up from the couch and wander to join them at the table.

I press a kiss to the warm top of Robyn’s head as I pass, then I rest my hand on D’Angelo’s tense shoulder.

“How about a sandwich? Or an apple?” I offer.

D’Angelo shakes his head.

I catch Eden’s eye.

He’s watching us both intently. Why does he look guilty?

“Starving yourself won’t help anyone.” I wrap my arms around D’Angelo’s neck, resting my head against his check.

“I’m busy,” D’Angelo replies, curtly.

“Colton caught me in the corridor, while I was waiting for you. He was bloody furious about the game. He chewed out my ass.”

“He did what?” D’Angelo snarls.

A laugh bubbles up in my throat. “Calm down, possessive bear. It’s not as sexy as I made it sound. You’re the only one who eats out my ass.”

I never thought that something like that could make me see stars.

I’m an astrophysicist but I’m learning all sorts of new kinky things, since coming to America.

“Neither of you should have been chewed out .” Robyn slams down her spoon. “Dad had no right to yell at you. Why don’t we tell him…?”

“We can’t.” D’Angelo finally looks up from his mountain of papers. “Gibbs made that clear. What was the point of me facing the worst…something that I’ve been avoiding for a long time…if we back out now?”

“Because Gibbs is getting what he wants,” Robyn replies. “He’s traumatizing you. How could you have been expected to play well after that? He’s ruining this season.”

When D’Angelo flushes, I kiss his cheek, before straightening.

I run my fingers through his hair to tidy it into the style that he loves.

“He’s not,” I reply, firmly. “Gibbs fucked up a single game. But our captain is bloody fantastic. The whole team is dedicated. We could have lost by a large margin but we didn’t. We simply take it as a lesson learned and then we win one of the other games. We can do it.”

I hope D’Angelo knows that I’m talking to him.

I smooth down his shirt for him.

D’Angelo straightens his shoulders. His eyes blaze.

That’s the D’Angelo I know and would give my last fucking breath for.

“We can.” D’Angelo sweeps the papers off the table. “And we do it my way.”

“Rebel against the system.” I kick the papers for good measure.

Then I stumble, as D’Angelo turns and grabs me by the arm.

His expression is darkly dangerous.

He raises what I call his dom-brow . “And I’m starting by relaxing us both. Why don’t you crawl under the table and keep that busy mouth of yours quiet, and at the same time, keep my cock warm?”

I stare at him in shock.

Then a slow smile spreads across my face.

It’ll settle the nerves vibrating through me, the exhaustion and aches from the games, and the echo of Colton and coach’s insults that are ricocheting through my mind.

How does D’Angelo know what I need before I voice it?

I need D’Angelo’s cock in my mouth.

Although, I think that he needs this as much as I do.

Robyn catches my eye with a smirk.

Her cheeks are pink.

She’s excited to watch this.

I smirk back, allowing my gaze to become heated for her sake, before I drop to my knees and crawl underneath the table between D’Angelo’s thighs.

It’s cramped underneath here and dark.

D’Angelo spreads his legs to give me room.

Then I hear him reach for an apple and take a crisp bite, ignoring me.

I smile, relieved that this has got D’Angelo eating.

Already feeling relaxed, I reach forward and undo his suit trousers. I reach into his underwear and pull out his dick.

I stroke it reverentially for a moment.

I’m beginning to fucking love this dick.

It’s large and starting to harden.

But this isn’t about making D’Angelo come.

At the moment, he seems more concerned about devouring his apple.

I shuffle forward, unable to resist kissing the head of D’Angelo’s cock.

D’Angelo stiffens.

Finally, I take the cock in my mouth, stretching my lips around it.

Then I place my hands on my lap.

Saliva is already building in my mouth. I work my tongue around, trying to find a way to accommodate D’Angelo’s dick.

D’Angelo rests his hand on my head, stroking my hair. “Only soft sucking. No licking. And don’t speak. Your only job is to warm my cock like the toy you are.”

His words make my own cock harden but also help to calm my racing thoughts.

This isn’t a BJ.

I don’t need to do anything.

D’Angelo’s not even fully hard.

“I’ve been looking through the press response to the game throughout the journey,” Robyn says like I’m not underneath the table. It does something to me that she’s talking about business, while I’m being used. I fall further into my headspace. “It’s negative but also, confused. No one knows what to make of such a bad performance, when within it, there was still good gameplay. We can turn this around.”

“Statistically, that should have been the easiest game to win,” D’Angelo replies, evenly. You’d never guess that I was between his thighs, even if his cock twitches. I know that this is helping him as much as it’s helping me. “Almost no away team wins the middle game and even less win a final game against the Ducks.”

“With optimism like that, why I am worried?” Robyn teases. “Sure, they’re tougher games. But we know Gibbs better now. Even if he tries to fuck with us before them, then we’ll be better prepared. We only need to win one of these games to save our head from the chopping block. Plus, I have some ideas to keep the fans on board.”

“I have the photographs,” Eden points out.

“Look, they’re going viral.” Robyn passes something to D’Angelo above me. “Bay Rebels has dedicated superfans now. You do. Support like that, which is based on authenticity, can’t be bought. So, you can have an off day. You’re not robots. You’re human.”

I’m only half listening.

My main focus is on the heat, feel, and weight of D’Angelo’s gorgeous cock in my mouth.

My whole world is narrowed to serving D’Angelo.

To being his good boy.

D’Angelo reaches down, tracing with his thumb over where my lips are stretched around his cock.

When I whine, he taps me sharply on the head.

I settle down again, and he pets me.

My shoulders relax. I struggle not to move.

I fall fast into a blissful, meditative space.

I breathe through my nose, allowing myself to feel safe, fuzzy, and calm.

Even when I hear Robyn mention my name, I don’t move. D’Angelo rewards me by caressing behind my ear. My eyelashes flutter in pleasure.

“I’ve created a headline on Shay’s page and his social media that the fans like,” Robyn declares. “ A day without Shay is a day without sunshine .”

“It’s true,” Eden says.

“It is.” D’Angelo’s voice is soft. His cock twitches. “But I can’t ignore the question that’s more important than the press reaction or coach kicking my ass. How did Gibbs know my pain point? How did he know what would trigger me?”

There’s a long silence.

I freeze. My eyes snap wide open.

“We figured out that he must have used a Trojan horse virus that would then have given him access to our computers and phones,” Robyn finally replies. “Unfortunately, this means that he’ll have access to any files stored on them, including things sent to you like past records and therapy notes that have been shared with you.”

Paling, I violently pull off D’Angelo’s cock. “Bloody hell.”

Someone has every sext, private text to Eden, and my most private emails and notes from my therapist…?

I’m going to hurl.

I’m breathing too fast. My heart’s pounding.

My eyes are burning.

I never even wanted to talk about…those things.

I hate therapy.

But now a bastard who’s trying to wreck us has access to my most intimate and private secrets.

My skin crawls.

He’ll know what trash I am. What’s been done to Eden and me.

Where we come from.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I’m shocked out of my thoughts by D’Angelo threading his fingers through my hair, as if he can sense my horror, and guiding me back to his cock.

He’s calm but firm.

It’s reassuring.

“Be my good boy and get back to your job. Open your mouth,” D’Angelo commands.

It’s easy to follow orders and not need to think right now.

I can process my panic later.

I open my mouth, allowing D’Angelo to feed his cock into my mouth, where it lies on my tongue.

I don’t move, simply letting my mouth be used like I’m an object. It helps me to calm again.

“Who would let a virus like that onto our system, principessa?” D’Angelo demands. “You’d need to be dumb enough to—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Robyn says, hurriedly. “The important thing is that we work out a way to beat—"

“I did it,” Eden blurts. “I resign.”

Shit.

I ball my hands into fists on my lap.

My twin can’t resign. This job is all he has. He needs it.

Without it, we won’t be able to remain together.

Without it, Eden won’t be able to attend my games.

Without it, my brother won’t have any money. It means the world to him to be independent and to be able to send money back to Mom and Dad.

Without it, he’ll probably need to return to England.

That’d kill us both.

I slap D’Angelo’s thigh.

I’m not allowed to talk but I think he gets the message.

Immediately, D’Angelo responds by dropping his hand to my hair, tugging on it painfully hard.

Worth it.

“I don’t accept your resignation,” D’Angelo drawls. “Who else would understand my filing system? Color code my scheduling? Pack those delicious BLT sandwiches for me?”

“You don’t…?” Eden sounds unsure and like he’s struggling to get out his words. I remember a time when he could only speak a single word at a time, and we celebrated with cake, when he managed two. “You’re not…?”

“What I am, is signing you up for an online IT course. Let’s call it staff development. Would you prefer that to an in person group course?”

“Yes, Jude.” Eden sounds so bloody relieved that my chest tightens.

I adore that I’ve found a lover who understands my twin.

One who includes him in our family, taking the time to think about what he needs without making it a big deal.

D’Angelo could have blamed Eden for this but then, that would have made him a hypocrite.

Everybody’s human, right?

And this bloody fantastic human is getting a reward.

I don’t care if he punishes me for disobeying, I suck D’Angelo’s cock to show my gratitude.

D’Angelo hisses a sharp breath.

His dick hardens satisfyingly fast in my mouth.

“Behave.” D’Angelo gives my hair another warning tug.

“So, Gibbs has all the dirt that he could possibly want on us,” D’Angelo says. “You do realize that means he’ll have worked out about our relationship, Shay’s sexuality, everything .”

I’m glad that I have D’Angelo’s cock in my mouth or else, I’d be struggling to hold back my cussing.

Eden doesn’t.

“Fuck,” he snarls.

He sounds like he’s about to rip someone’s head off.

Gibb’s.

“Then why isn’t he using those secrets?” Robyn’s voice sounds small and fearful. It makes my soul ache. “He could ruin our lives. Tear down everything that we care about and have built.”

“Except, this is about hockey.” Eden stands up. I hear his footfalls, as he prowls to the window. “Gibbs doesn’t care about the other shit. He’s obsessed with bringing down coach.”

“So, he’s only using what he can to bring you down on the ice?” Robyn asks.

“This has to be about more than what happened in that one incident.” D’Angelo tightens his hold on my hair. “This level of planning and hate is personal. Gibbs didn’t act, until your dad challenged him by becoming a coach. In fact, when he turned up in the news again. Perhaps, coach’s success started to piss off Gibbs and opened old wounds. Maybe this road trip simply gave him the opportunity to humiliate coach. And he took it.”

“What old wounds?”

“That’s what we need to find out. Don’t we all have them? Isn’t that’s what he’s proving with these dares?”

Unexpectedly, my phone vibrates with a text in my pocket.

I ignore it.

Until my phone vibrates again.

D’Angelo yanks on my hair. “That could be coach. You know what a hard-ass he becomes, if you don’t answer him. You can stop being my cock warmer. Apart from one act of rebellion, you’ve done an excellent job, cucciolo.”

I glow at his praise.

And I don’t regret my rebellion.

D’Angelo lets go of my hair with a final stroke, before I reluctantly let go of his cock. I place a final cheeky kiss to the head of his dick that makes his breath hitch, then I crawl out from beneath the table.

I blink in the light, as my eyes adjust.

“Hey.” Robyn smiles down at me.

It feels weird to be acknowledged.

“Hey,” I reply. “A day without Shay is a day without sunshine…?”

“It’s cold and dark, when I don’t see you.”

I grin widely.

I sit cross-legged on the floor next to Robyn. “I thought that you liked gazing at the stars at night with me, love.”

Robyn’s smile becomes softer. “Only because I have the sun with me, even then.”

Warmth fills me.

I lean forward and rest my head on her lap. “I feel happy and fuzzy, love, but now I have to open a mean text from your dad.”

“The life of a pro hockey player, huh? I bet the fans will never guess the truth.”

My phone vibrates again. “Cock warming followed by chewing out via text: The secret life of a player.”

When my phone vibrates yet again (just how impatient is coach?), I wriggle my hand into my pocket and pull it out.

When I turn it on, however, I stare in shock at the screen.

My pulse roars in my ears.

The texts aren’t from coach.

UNKNOWN NUMBER (12:42): Truth or dare.

I swallow. My mouth is suddenly dry.

I force myself to look at the next one.

I don’t want to but I don’t have a choice.

Shit, is this how D’Angelo felt?

I understand now.

It’s so much more violating when it’s on your own phone.

When Gibbs is talking to you.

I love horror movies. I don’t scare easily. I thought that I was desensitized.

But living through one feels bloody different.

UNKNOWN NUMBER (12:43): Don’t ignore me.

I force myself to read the next ones, two in a row.

I think the others are calling to me, worried about how ashen I’ve become.

I can’t answer them.

I’m glued to the screen and Gibbs’ texts.

I know that it’s him.

And I know that he’s going to mindfuck me next in the same way that he did D’Angelo.

He said three dares.

Yet at the same time, I’m glad that D’Angelo isn’t the target. Whatever this is, then I’ll take it to protect my boyfriend.

I spent two weeks wishing that I could take Eden’s place, when we were locked up as kids.

I’d do anything to take on the pain for the people I love to make up for that time.

I know D’Angelo will hate that. But he’ll have to suck it up.

Sometimes, people can save him too.

UNKNOWN NUMBER (12:45): McKenna’s rising star. D’Angelo’s mentee. Bay Rebel’s top scorer…

I take a deep breath, before I read the final text.

UNKNOWN NUMBER (12:46): I’m sending you a location. Be there within three hours. Dare: Remain inside the haunted house alone for one hour.