Chapter Nine

Dan shouldn’t have worried that their first kiss would be awkward.

When Bobby knocked on his door an hour after he’d returned, messaging Rafael to make sure his roommate wasn’t going to return anytime soon, Dan felt as if he’d been pacing the entire time. Heart in his throat, he wrenched open the door. Bobby’s hair was wet, slicked back with a few strands falling into his eyes.

“Hi,” Dan said, once again feeling like a teenager.

Bobby grabbed the front of his jacket, dragging him down into a kiss. Dan moaned softly into Bobby’s mouth and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, holding him in place. Bobby smelled like soap, ice, and coffee. Their noses mashed together, and Dan found it awkward to try and kiss him properly, but he pressed Bobby against the wall. Bobby’s hands landed on Dan’s hips, twisting his fingers into the fabric of Dan’s t-shirt, and making soft noises into his mouth.

Dan’s whole body was singing with every touch, every press of Bobby’s lips to his own. Closing his eyes, Dan tilted his mouth as his fingers teased the hairs at the nape of Bobby’s neck.

Bobby pulled back a little, pressing small kisses quickly to Dan’s mouth. He blinked slowly, smiling up at Dan with a dazed look on his face. “Easy.”

“Wow,” Dan said, distracted by the redness of Bobby’s lips, the red tinge to his cheeks. Touching Bobby’s cheek, Dan leaned in, kissing the corner of Bobby’s mouth. “So that’s kissing.”

Bobby laughed gently, tightening his grip on Dan’s hips. “Not always.”

“With you,” Dan said, eyes dropping to Bobby’s lips. He wanted to kiss them again, wanted to spend the rest of the night kissing and tasting Bobby until their lips were numb. He wondered how long it would take.

There didn’t seem to be anything for Bobby to say to that, but he was still smiling, eyes wide as he regarded Dan silently. Dan didn’t know what happened now. He didn’t want Bobby to leave, but there was no way they could spend the rest of their lives in a room in Calgary. He and Bobby both had things to do.

“It would be a pity to do it all now,” Bobby said, gently pressing on Dan’s chest so that he would step back. Dan didn’t let it get to him; he was standing close enough that Bobby would want space. “Perhaps we should spread it out.”

Dan nodded dumbly, dropping his hands. “All right.”

“Hey,” Bobby said, cupping his jaw and leaning in for another kiss. When he pulled back this time, he stroked a thumb over Dan’s cheek. “I want this.”

“Kissing?” Dan still didn’t know what to do with his hands, but he felt less awkward about them, placing them on Bobby’s chest. Bobby was obviously trying to leave, and Dan didn’t want to keep him there, but he wasn’t ready for the moment to end.

“Yes, kissing,” Bobby said. He chuckled, turning his face into Dan’s neck, letting out a slow breath. It tickled but in a way that had Dan’s dick perking up. He swallowed, tried not to shift too much. Just because kissing was all right, didn’t mean there would be anything further. Bobby sighed gently. “Don’t overthink it, Dan.”

“I’m not,” Dan protested. He dropped his chin to Bobby’s shoulder. It wasn’t quite a hug, but it was a hold and a comfortable one. He liked the feel of Bobby touching him, the feel of Bobby’s breath on his skin, the thrum of Bobby’s heartbeat. “I’ve just never done this before.”

Bobby kissed Dan’s neck then pulled back, fingers slipping beneath the collar of his jacket. His eyes were dark, tongue darting out to lick his lips. “I know. Which is why we should take this slow. Do whatever you want.”

Dan frowned. “You’re allowed to want things too.”

Just because Dan had never done anything, didn’t make him the only person that mattered. When he said so, Bobby’s expression shifted into something awed and pleased.

“Daniel,” he said, breathy, and Dan was struck once again by the fact that Bobby was one of the few people to call him by his full name.

“Do you have to go?” Dan asked, wanting the answer to be no.

“I only have training tomorrow,” Bobby said, which wasn’t an answer. He shoved at Dan again, this time toward the bed, so perhaps it was. “What time is your roommate due back?”

“It’s Rafael,” Dan said, to Bobby’s laugh. “I’m sure if I text him to take a little bit longer- “

“He’ll come walking in here, just to interrupt you getting laid,” Bobby snorted. He kept walking, backing Dan up until his legs hit the bed, then shoved him down.

Dan was pliant under his hands, not knowing where Bobby was taking this, but eager to find out. His lips were tingling just at the thought of being able to kiss Bobby again. “I think he suspects something.”

Bobby snorted. “He’s not as dumb as your regular hockey player.”

“Hey,” Dan said, but he was grinning like an idiot.

Rolling his eyes, Bobby ended up sliding onto Dan’s lap, which immediately had sirens blaring in the back of Dan’s head because he was so close to Dan’s dick and this was gonna be something. “There’s nothing regular about you, Dan.”

Was that innuendo?

Dan swallowed, hardly having time to think before Bobby was tilting his head, cupping the back of Dan’s head and kissing him. God, Dan didn’t think he’d ever get used to it, the clack of teeth, the brush of Bobby’s tongue into his mouth, his heart hammering in his chest. They stayed that way, Bobby’s body pinning Dan to the bed, his hands rucking up Bobby’s shirt and jacket to touch the muscles currently rippling under the skin as he manhandled Dan’s head and neck to the right position.

When Dan’s phone started ringing, vibrating in his back pocket, he grunted, knocking his forehead into Bobby. “Sorry.”

Bobby just moved over to Dan’s neck, lifting his hips slightly so that Dan could work his phone out of his back pocket.

“’Lo?”

It took all Dan had not to groan into the phone as Bobby bit down on the juncture between his throat and jaw. There was going to be a visible bruise there tomorrow, people asking about it, and Dan felt his dick jump again. Bobby rolled his hips and God, God, Dan had to focus in on the phone.

“Dan!” It was Ian, sounding drunk and way too loud. “Rafael forgot his key card.”

“Of course, he did,” Dan said, breath hitching at the end as Bobby teased the bruise with his tongue. “God.”

“Are you in?”

Dan wanted to say no. He wanted to keep Bobby right here, never let him go, but it was getting late and they both had training the next day. “I’ll let him in.”

Dropping the phone onto the bed, Dan nudged Bobby up.

“Ian and Rafael are back.”

Bobby’s lips were swollen and slick with spit. His hands were fisted in Dan’s shirt, both rumpled and Dan knew that the instant he opened the door, anyone that saw them would know what they had been doing. Shaking off the daze, Bobby gave Dan’s chest a pat. He stole a kiss, two. “I’ll be at your game.”

Dan didn’t pout, but it was a near thing. “That’s a day away.”

“I know,” Bobby said, and Dan was content to see that he looked as put-out by it as Dan was. “I’ll kiss you if you win.”

“You’ll kiss me anyway,” Dan said, feeling brave.

Bobby didn’t refute it, but he leaned in, brushing his lips against Dan’s ear. “I didn’t say it would be on the mouth.”

Oh, fuck.

Climbing to his feet, Bobby dropped his eyes to Dan’s lap, where his dick was straining against the fabric of his jeans. “Another of those firsts.”

Dan was glad for his self-control at that the moment because it was the only thing that was keeping him from cumming in his pants. “Bobby—”

“Let Rafael in,” Bobby said, backing up to the door. He didn’t seem to want to tear his eyes away from Dan, and Dan could empathize. He didn’t want Bobby to go, chest seizing when he thought about having to wait a whole day.

With one last look, Bobby opened the door and slipped out, shutting it with a small click behind him. Dan stared down at his lap, desperate to get his hand around his dick and think about Bobby kissing him, sucking on his neck. Fuck Rafael, Dan wanted to spread out on his bed and jack off to thoughts of Bobby.

Instead, he blew out a breath, closing his eyes and rubbing a hand over his face. He needed to not be thinking about Bobby when Rafael—and probably Ian as well—made it upstairs and tried to get into the room. It was difficult; as Dan stumbled into the bathroom, clutching at the basin, he could see his neck in the mirror. He looked like he’d made out for five hours, not just twenty minutes, and he touched the bruise on his neck, awed.

His dick appreciated the reminder and Dan groaned, dropping his head forward, the shock of the cold mirror against his skin a stark reminder that he needed to get a grip. Splashing water on his face, Dan thought of his mother’s reaction to finding out what he’d just done, and it was enough to have his dick flagging. Not wanting to focus on that thought for more than he had to, Dan shut off the faucet and ran his hands through his hair, trying to make himself look less like he wanted to get fucked.

When the bang on his door finally came, Dan looked presentable enough. There was nothing to do about the bruise on his jaw, however, and he resigned himself to the comments.

Rafael was on the other side, being propped up against the wall by Ian, who looked just as unstable.

“We have training tomorrow,” Dan pointed out, refusing to help Ian manhandle Rafael toward the bed.

“I know,” Rafael said, rolling on his front, spread-eagled across the sheets. Dan hoped he didn’t suffocate in his sleep but had no intention of sorting him out. “M’gonna die.”

“Probably,” Dan said, unsympathetic.

Ian was grinning like an idiot. “Helena says hi.”

Dan shook his head. “Please leave. I’d like to get some sleep before we have to be up at ass o’clock.”

Ian was squinting at him, and Dan absolutely did not move, not wanting to draw Ian’s attention to the place he suspected had stumped a drunken Ian. Sober Ian would have spotted it immediately. “There’s something different about you.”

“Yeah, I have one more goal than you,” Dan said with a bright grin.

That had Ian’s face shifting through irritation and then exasperation. “Not for long.”

“Uh-huh,” Dan said, steering Ian out of the room. “I hope you don’t have a hangover.”

“Yes, you do,” Ian said petulantly.

“Yes, I do.” Dan grinned at him once and then shut the door in his face.

Rafael let out a loud snore and Dan thumped his head against the door. He had to stop kissing Bobby for this?