He wasn’t quite ready to give that emotion a name, but it felt good all the same.
Eliot reached out, settling his hands on Danny’s hips, hitching up the hem of his shirt with his thumb to brush the soft skin of his belly. Danny’s hair was still damp, his skin still warm from his post-game shower, and Eliot had never been more attracted to him.
He leaned in and brushed his nose against Danny’s, pecking him on the lips with a giggle. Danny wouldn’t want to get caught in the middle of a makeout session if someone else on his team came past, but Eliot couldn’t help craving a little contact.
“Can’t wait to get you home,” he murmured in Danny’s ear before pulling back. He could last until then. Anticipation would make it all the better.
Danny’s face flushed darkly, but he was smiling. He was stunning.
How he didn’t have people constantly falling all over him was a mystery.
Danny hesitated for a moment, but then took Eliot’s hand. He didn’t seem like the kind of man who held hands often, but then, he’d never had the chance.
“Does that mean you’re staying over?” he asked shyly, tugging Eliot toward the exit.
“As long as I’m invited,” Eliot said, squeezing Danny’s fingers.
“You’re definitely invited.”
“Good, because watching you play was really hot,” Eliot admitted. He suspected Danny would want to hear that.
“Yeah?” Danny asked, getting out his car keys. He obviously wasn’t suffering too much tonight, which was a good sign. The pain seemed to come and go in cycles, which, as far as Eliot knew, was how pain worked.
He doubted Danny was in no pain, but he’d probably learned to deal with a base level by now.
“You should know I’m exhausted,” Danny said sheepishly.
“All the more reason to get you into bed as quickly as possible.” Eliot grinned. “I’ll be gentle with you.”
“Sounds good,” Danny mumbled, letting go of Eliot’s hand as they approached his car. Eliot missed the contact, but he knew he’d get more of it soon.
“It will be,” Eliot said. “You’ve earned it.”
Danny laughed softly, then took the car keys out of his pocket. “You wanna drive?”
Eliot’s heart sank. “Is your knee hurting you?”
“Kinda,” Danny admitted, clearly ashamed. Eliot made a soft, sad noise, and took the keys from him.
Rather than let Danny dwell on the pain, he darted in, kissing him hard and pressing him up against the car, leaning his entire weight into him to hold him in place. Heat sparked in Eliot’s stomach, all his senses lighting up in anticipation.
The kiss only lasted a handful of heartbeats, but it still left Eliot’s head spinning. He was never going to get tired of kissing Danny, not if it was always like this.
“Let’s get you home,” Eliot said softly, brushing his nose against Danny’s.
He hated to think of him in pain.
That was how Eliot knew he was in way deeper than he should have been with Danny. All he wanted in life, right now, was to be near him as often as possible. When they were apart, even if it was only for the space of a hockey game, he couldn’t stop thinking about when he’d get to touch him again.
Not necessarily for sex, just to be close enough to him to reach out and prove to himself that Danny was still there.
It should have been terrifying. Eliot had never felt like this before about anyone.
It wasn’t, though. If anything, it was comforting. He was so sure about Danny. So positive that this was the real thing, that it wasn’t just a combination of lust and loneliness. That he wasn’t taking advantage, or being taken advantage of.
Eliot was in love.
Not only was he in love, but he was okay with it. He knew Danny wasn’t ready to hear it yet, but he could wait. He could wait as long as it took.
“You just wanna get me naked,” Danny said.
Eliot smirked. “Always.”
He could wait. He could wait for as long as Danny needed him to.
