Page 61 of Man Advantage

Ford would be asleep when Cole got in. Charlotte was at Nadine’s until Thursday, which meant Cole could walk through the bedroom door and climb into his own side without checking the hall. He wanted Ford warm and half awake under him. He wanted to put his mouth against the back of Ford’s neck and hear the low sound he made before he opened his eyes.

He texted Ford before the plane left. He would still have the drive north after they landed, but he could be home before Ford woke if the roads stayed clear.

Coming back tonight. Their injured guy cleared.

Ford answered before Cole had to put his phone away.

Proud of you.

How late?

After midnight. Don’t wait up.

Wasn’t planning to

Cole stared at the answer, disappointment hitting before another message appeared.

Planning to wait in bed

Heat climbed the back of Cole’s neck. The flight attendant paused beside his row and reminded him to switch his phone to Airplane Mode.

Charlotte’s at Nadine’s?

Until Thursday

Come straight upstairs

Cole switched off the screen before the flight attendant could remind him again. He spent takeoff thinking about Ford waiting for him in bed—and how little sleeping either of them was going to do once he got home.

TWENTY

Headlights swept across Ford’s ceiling, and every muscle in his body pulled tight before the truck had finished turning into the drive. He shoved the blankets down, immediately dragged them back over his bare legs, and listened to Cole unlock the front door beneath him.

The lock caught once. Cole swore under his breath, then tried again.

Ford smiled despite himself. Three games in the NHL, and the man still couldn’t get that key to turn on the first try.

Footsteps crossed the first floor. A bag hit the bottom stair. Cole came up fast enough that Ford heard him catch the banister when he took the corner.

He filled the bedroom doorway a second later, coat open and hair flattened from the drive. His gaze found Ford above the blankets and stayed there.

“You took your time,” Ford said.

Cole shut the door behind him. “I didn’t realize I was supposed to race home.”

“I thought that was a given.”

The exhaustion disappeared from Cole’s face. He crossed the room, and Ford barely had time to sit up before Cole caught the back of his neck and kissed him.

There was nothing careful about it. Cole’s mouth opened over his, cold from outside and hungry enough that Ford felt the first drag of his tongue everywhere. Ford got a fistful of his shirt and pulled until Cole climbed onto the mattress with one knee between Ford’s legs.

“Miss me?” Ford asked against his mouth.

Cole kissed him harder.

Ford laughed, but the sound broke when Cole’s weight came down over him. The pressure was exactly what he’d wanted—Cole solid and warm between his legs, his stubble scraping Ford’s jaw while his mouth worked lower. Cole slid a hand beneath the blankets and went still when he found bare skin instead of shorts.

His palm moved over Ford’s stomach, then lower. Ford spread his legs and let Cole discover the rest of what he’d been waiting for: naked, hard, and already wet at the tip. Cole closed his hand around him and groaned against Ford’s throat.