Page 23 of Pucking Them
My hands press harder onto the surface of the desk.
If Silas thinks that he can hurt me with his prejudiced view of that side to me, then he’s wrong. I accepted years ago that I can find pleasure in pain, but only if it brings my partner pleasure.
Noah came twice that evening under my whip.
Our scene was beautiful. Noah flew in his subspace. He was adorable, nuzzling me after as I wrapped him in a blanket and brought him back up.
It’s what he needed that night.
There is no shame in that.
“I’m the best at protecting my partners,” I growl, “and bringing them pleasure however they need it. I will alsohurt and humiliateanyone who attacks them. Who could that be in this room?”
Silas sneers, defiantly, “If I show this photograph toNoah’sparents, then his mom will disown him. I know my cousins well enough to guess what they’ll do, and I think you can too. Do you want to be responsible for that? Or will you inspire your team to win four out of the next seven games and make it to the Stanley Cup Final? Win on the ice, then no one needs find out your secrets or mine.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Rebel Arena, Freedom
D’Angelo
I throttle my stick,imagining it’s that asshole Silas’ throat.
Atlas would call itstick abuse.
He cares for his equipment with the type of obsessive love that the rest of us reserve for our cocks.
I ignore Atlas’ pointed glare, which he is shooting me across the rink.
He looks more disappointed than angry.
Yet after the meeting I’ve just had, my stick abuse is justified.
Was Silas telling the truth about how serious the crisis is? Is the team truly close to collapsing?
Does the Bay Rebels entire survival rely on our winning this season?
Silas wants to pay for my silence on his fraudulent mishandling of the Bay Rebels’ finances withhissilence on Noah’s identity.
With Noah’s life.
Because if he outs both Noah’s sexuality and dynamic, then Noah will be at risk like I was from the violence of his own family.
I shudder, remembering the smash of Bruno’s fist across my eye, cheek, and jaw. I’d dropped to the ground and curled into a ball, trying to protect my head, as the older brother who I had always trusted to protect me, instead kicked me, again and again and fucking again.
I shudder at the memory of gagging on the taste of blood that stained my teeth.
Spitting it out, and thinking,he has to stop now.
Mom and Dad will tell him to stop.
But they didn’t.
Bruno didn’t.
Thinking that he was going to kill me.
My own brother.
