The Magic Broom (6 page)

H
IS
editor was still in the office, fussing over some story that had to be rewritten. Cody laid out his plans, and his evil editor actually thought it was a good idea to take some time off. He must look like he needed a week off to recover.

“You will have the stories to me on time?” his editor asked.
“Stories?” Cody thought he was only writing one story.
“Yes, didn’t you get my e-mail? We’ve decided to give each sport you experienced one column instead of combining them. Derek took some great photos, and you must have plenty of material.”
Cody nodded dumbly. This was going to take more than one night to complete.
“Just finish the cross-country skiing article first. Do everything in order, except curling. Since you’ll be at the playdowns, you can include the outcome in your final story. Just e-mail me the stories as you complete them.”
Cody nodded again. “Uh, send me a schedule of stories you want, and I’ll get them done.”
His editor patted him on the shoulder, and he winced. “You’ve been a good sport, Cody. Have a great time.” His editor smiled and slid an envelope across his desk. “Derek left this for you. Look at it when you get home.”
He made it to his car before he tore open the envelope and stared at the picture of him and Shane on the ice. It was the moment when Shane was showing him how to hold the broom when calling a shot. It was gentle and sweet and made Cody’s insides turn to mush.
It didn’t matter that they hadn’t known each other long. It was the look on his face and on Shane’s in that photograph. Thinking about that silly moment made him feel warm and tingly all over, and he knew this thing between them was right. No matter how crazy it all seemed.
He grinned and raced back to his apartment to pack and write the first story. He saw Shane for ten minutes, kissed him soundly, and told him he’d be ready to go bright and early.

I
T WAS
a long fucking week. Between the writing and the games, Shane and Cody had no time alone. Shane’s family welcomed him with open arms, except for his brooding younger sister, but she was a teenager and didn’t like anyone. Shane’s mom and dad, Brenda and Nick, were incredibly helpful, answering all Cody’s questions during the games.

The boys made it through the round robin play and managed to squeak out a win in the semifinals, which put them in the championship game with the team favored to take the Olympic spot.

The game was tight, and Cody was a nervous wreck. Kira wasn’t helping matters by pacing around, muttering after every shot. The score seesawed back and forth. People in the stands offered opinions and questioned each shot every time Shane called for sweeping or when he held the boys off the rock.

During the fifth end break, Cody hung back, watching as the boys huddled together talking strategy for the second half of the game.

He wasn’t quite sure what Shane needed, so he focused on the ice where a crew was cleaning it with a giant broom. Another man came on the ice with a contraption strapped to his back. He scooted down the ice, walking backward, waving a small hose that sent water droplets onto the ice. Brenda told him they called it pebbling the ice.

“Shane wants to talk to you,” Robbie whispered. “He’s in the bathroom.”
The bathroom was probably the only place in the entire club that was quiet. Shane was leaning over the sink, breathing deeply. Cody cleared his throat, catching Shane’s attention. He immediately pushed off the sink and trapped Cody in his arms.
“You feel good,” Shane said and then kissed him on the cheek.
“You’re amazing,” Cody said.
Shane leaned into him, pressing him against the door. “After this is over, win or lose, we are going back to the hotel room,” Shane whispered against his ear. He snaked his hand down Cody’s body until he cupped his cock and squeezed. “I’m going to lock the door, shut our phones off, and make love to you for the rest of the night.”
Cody squeaked.
“I’ve got to get back on the ice,” Shane said and let go of him.
“Good luck,” Cody managed to croak out before the door shut. “Oh my God.”
How in the hell was he going to survive another five ends of curling? His cock was wide awake. There was no way he could go sit next to Brenda and pretend he was interested in the game.
“Cody,” Kira said from behind the door.
“Yeah,” he answered.
He yanked his jacket down before she opened the door. “What are you doing? They’re starting.” Her eyebrows rose and she eyed him, looking straight down to his crotch. “What did he say?”
Cody shook his head. He wasn’t going to say those words out loud. His body was already in overdrive. The look she gave him made him blush.
“C’mon, let’s go watch your lover boy close out these losers,” Kira said, and she forced him out of the bathroom. He sat down, and she returned to her pacing as the game started again.
He tried to concentrate on the game, but the spectators were starting to get to him. Everyone had an opinion on the game, on the shots being called, on the way the game was being called, and everything in between. It was driving him crazy.
He felt a gentle touch on his hand. “You’re going to rip the arm off the chair.” Brenda smiled at him, and he let out a breath of air. “It’s okay. It’s all part of the game. I’ve been to a lot of bonspiels and this is how it always is. People love to voice their opinions. Besides, Shane and the boys were not expected to make it this far. It drives the regulars crazy when things get out of balance.”
By the eighth end, Cody was sure he was going to have a nervous breakdown, and Kira was going to get billed for ruining the club’s carpet. He tried to stay focused on the game, but every time one of the skips shouted “harder,” Cody had to stare at the ceiling. It was difficult to stay focused on the present and not drift off to what was going to happen after the game in the hotel room.
“Why do they keep trying not to score?” Cody asked Nick.
“They want to keep the hammer for the tenth end,” Nick answered.
“Oh,” Cody said. He wasn’t exactly sure what that meant.
“The hammer means they have last rock,” Brenda said.
Now Cody understood the strategy. If you had the hammer, you had the last shot, and in most sports, that was a good thing.
The final shot in the tenth end was a difficult draw to the button, but doable, Brenda told him. Cody couldn’t watch. He buried his face in his hands and held his breath. The entire viewing area was quiet. Brenda stood up. Cody finally opened his eyes and saw Robbie holding his broom up in the air.
“They are calling for a measurement,” Brenda said.
“What does that mean?” Cody asked.
“No one on the ice can tell whose rock is closer to the center,” Brenda said.
A man walked out on the ice carrying a metal stick thing. He stuck it in the center of the rings and then spun the stick around. It scraped against Shane’s rock. The guy looked at something on the stick, and then pushed the stick again so it moved past the other rock. The man pushed one rock out of the circles, leaving Shane’s sitting alone.
The entire viewing area erupted. Brenda screamed and almost knocked Cody off his chair. Kira started crying and hugged him so hard he couldn’t breathe. He took this to mean Shane and the boys had won the right to go to the Olympics.
The boys were mobbed when they came off the ice. Cody hung back, leaning against the wall as Shane’s family surrounded him, and then some photographer was ushering the team back on the ice to pose for pictures.
Kira sat down next to Cody and patted his leg. “He’ll be yours pretty soon.”
Cody gave her a weak grin. Something was doing cartwheels in his stomach. He couldn’t believe he was actually nervous, but then Shane was standing in front of him and all his insecurities disappeared into those brown eyes.
People were shouting and trying to hand Shane a glass of champagne. He waved them off and squeezed Cody’s shoulder. Pete glanced at them, and Cody saw Shane give him a look, which was answered with a barely there nod from Pete.
“Let’s go,” Shane murmured. A flash of heat rushed through Cody’s body. All he could do was nod and let Shane steer him through the throngs of people. He accepted their congratulations but never let go of Cody’s shoulders until they made it to the parking lot.
They didn’t talk on the drive to the hotel. The only sounds were the purr of the engine and their breaths. Cody was almost panting by the time they pulled into the hotel parking lot. They made it to their room in record time. As soon as the door closed, Shane kissed him and walked him back until his knees hit the bed and he fell backward. The weight of Shane on top of him knocked all the breath out of his lungs.
“God, I want you,” Shane mumbled against his mouth. All Cody could do was answer with a loud moan. “I swear I’ve been hard since I met you.”
Cody squirmed and tried to get his hand between them to get some of their clothing off.
“Please, please,” he begged as he clawed at Shane’s jacket. There was way too much material separating them. Shane sat up and reached into his jacket pocket, taking out a condom and dropping it next to Cody’s head. A small tube of lube came out of the other pocket.
Cody’s eyes went wide, and he gasped. “You had that out on the ice?”
Shane grinned. “Yeah, I didn’t know if I could make it to the hotel. I wanted to be prepared. Plus it kept me grounded. I knew that win or lose you were going to be waiting for me, so I won either way.”
“Oh my God,” Cody said and arched up into Shane, feeling his hard cock through his pants. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“It’s been a long fucking two weeks, Cody,” Shane panted into the hollow of his throat.
Shane’s hands slipped under his shirt, feeling all the contours of his abdomen and chest. He circled Cody’s nipples, tweaking them until Cody was aching for more.
“I need to touch you,” Cody said.
It took a few minutes, but their jackets and shirts soon wound up in a twisted mess on the floor. They got lost in kissing each other again. Shane pulled Cody into his lap, and Cody wrapped his legs around Shane’s waist, grinding down into Shane’s hard cock.
That position only lasted for a few seconds, because the friction alone was going to make Cody come undone, and he wasn’t ready for it to end yet. He scrambled off the bed to catch his breath. Shane had other ideas and quickly unbuttoned Cody’s jeans before dumping him back on the bed. He yanked so hard on Cody’s pants his underwear came off with the jeans. Shane’s pants ended up next to Cody’s.
They’d seen each other naked in the fleeting moments of intimacy during the past week, but this was different. Cody’s whole being was laid bare before Shane. It was strange to have such a strong connection to someone he had only known two weeks.
When Shane laid his shaking hands on Cody’s skin, they both shivered. He paused, hovering over Cody and then rolled him over on his stomach. Cody thought about protesting because he wanted to see Shane’s face, but then he felt Shane licking a path down his spine, and the protest he was about to launch into turned into a muffled groan. Shane’s hands caressed Cody’s ass, kneading and finally spreading his cheeks where Cody felt warm breath over his hole. He shivered and then squeaked loudly when Shane licked him.
Cody wasn’t going to last. The whole encounter was going to be over in the first end of play. He should have stayed in the bathroom at the club and jerked off instead of watching the game. Maybe then he would have been able to keep it together. Shane licked him again, and he ground his cock into the bed, searching for any sort of friction.
“Shane. Please,” Cody whined.
Shane used his thumbs to spread Cody open and then jabbed his tongue at his hole.
“Holy fuck,” Cody grunted. He smashed his face into the pillow to muffle his screams as Shane continued the assault on his hole with his tongue. With one hand, Shane searched out the lube and condom that he’d dropped near Cody’s head. Cody nudged the packet with his elbow so it touched Shane’s outstretched fingers. His fist closed around the packet, and Cody bit his lip. He was so ready for this moment he was practically shoving his ass into Shane’s face.
He felt cool lube run down his crack, followed by a finger breaching him. After a few twists and turns, another finger joined the first one, opening him up even further. If Shane didn’t hurry up and fuck him, he was going to start begging for it.
“Are you ready for me?” Shane whispered, nibbling on his earlobe.
“I’ve been ready since I saw you,” Cody said.
Shane swallowed audibly and pulled his fingers out, sitting up. The rip of the condom packet sounded like music to Cody’s ears and made his whole body shake with anticipation. And then he felt the unmistakable hardness of Shane’s cock slipping between his cheeks. He moaned and pushed back against Shane, loving the feeling of Shane’s slick cock sliding over his hole.
He lifted his hips, and Shane slowly pushed into him, stopping every few seconds for Cody to adjust to the welcome intrusion.
“You feel so good,” Shane groaned. His hands slid up Cody’s back and into his hair, tugging Cody’s head back as he finally pushed all the way inside. They both stilled for a few moments before Shane pulled Cody up to his knees, draping himself over Cody’s back. The rhythm was slow, torturous, until Cody couldn’t take it anymore.
“Come on, baby, harder, harder,” Cody gasped, remembering all the times he had to sit and hear Shane shout those words.
“Oh God, are you sure?” Shane asked.
“You’ve been messing with my head all week, screaming ‘harder, harder’ all the time on that fucking ice. I need it.”
“Your wish is my command,” Shane whispered and wrapped his arms around Cody’s shoulders, digging his fingers into Cody’s skin. He grunted and slammed into Cody, drawing a loud moan from him. Shane switched angles and brushed over Cody’s magic spot, and the room lit up with fireworks.
“Shit, shit,” Shane panted and got up to his knees, bringing Cody with him. “I’m not going to last.”
He reached for Cody’s cock and laced his fingers with Cody’s hand, stroking and tugging until Cody couldn’t breathe anymore. He tried to hold his orgasm back, but between the stroking and the pounding of his prostate, he came with a shout, spurting all over their hands. Shane lost his rhythm and shoved into Cody one last time, howling and tipping backward, hauling Cody with him.
Cody stared up at the ceiling. “Fuck, that was magnificent.”
Shane groaned and bit him in the shoulder. “Crushing me.”
“Oh, sorry,” Cody said and rolled off him, sighing when Shane’s cock slipped free of his body.
“Give me a second,” Shane said. He climbed over Cody and disappeared into the bathroom. He was back a few seconds later with a damp washcloth. It was a sweet gesture and made Cody’s insides feel like he was riding the luge sled, flying through the air.
“Cody,” Shane whispered as he climbed back into bed. Shane slipped his arm around Cody, pulling him in for a kiss. It was tender and sweet and brought about an onslaught of emotions that made Cody want to cry and laugh at the same time.
“This has been the best two weeks of my life, and not because I’m going to the Olympics, but because I found you,” Shane sighed and shook his head. “I know it’s sappy, but it’s how I feel.”
“I feel it too,” Cody said, hiding his face in the crook of Shane’s neck.
“You’re coming with me, right?”
“Coming where?” Cody asked.
“To the Olympics. My mom is already setting everything up.”
Cody sat up and stared at Shane. “You want me to come to the Olympics? Do you mean it?”
“Absolutely. You’re my good luck charm. I need you with me.”
Cody frowned. “Is that all I am?”
“No, you’re way more than that,” Shane said. He smiled and ran his fingers through Cody’s hair. “In my mind, I’ve already won the gold medal.”
“Me too,” Cody said. “And I suck at sports.”
Shane snickered. “You wanna suck something else?” He nudged his cock against Cody’s thigh, earning a loud moan from Cody.
“I suppose taking care of all your needs is in my contract.”
“It’s such a burden to be on my team,” Shane deadpanned.
Cody poked him in the ribs. “I better be the only teammate with these perks.”
“You are the only one who rocks my world.” Shane laughed and dug his fingers into Cody’s side, making him giggle.
“Stop that, or I’ll toss your rocks out of the room,” Cody said, batting Shane’s hands away.
“It’s so sweet that you’re getting to know all the curling terms.”
“Just shut up and let me take a ride on that magic broom of yours,” Cody said as he dissolved into a fit of laughter.
Shane rolled him over and kissed him. “It’s going to be one hell of a ride, baby.”
Curling was the best sport ever.