All his life Jochen has had one dream and one
dream only—to become a professional hockey
player. Now after years of hard work, he’s
approaching his goal. Well…maybe a better term
would be almost there since he’s playing for a
minor league team and is barely making a livable
wage. Still, he’s not complaining since he feels like
it will only be a matter of time before he’s called
up to the NHL. He just needs to make sure that he
doesn’t allow any distractions to get into his way.
Then a huge distraction plows into his life
when Jochen is hired to help at a summer youth
clinic. There he meets Rebel, a very sexy, cute and
tempting goalie. The problem is both of them are
deep in the closet. They both fear that coming out
could hurt their careers. Besides, all they’re doing
is having a little fun on the side and they don’t feel
like it’s anybody’s business. Then just as they least
expect it, their secret comes out in the most
explosive way possible, forcing Jochen to admit
just how much Rebel means to him. Will their love
be able to survive the fallout, or will they lose
everything they ever wanted?
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright
infringement, including infringement without
monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is
punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a
fine of $250,000.
Please purchase only authorized electronic editions,
and do not participate in or encourage the electronic
piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the
author’s rights is appreciated.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
places, and incidents either are products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance
to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.
Blind Pass
Copyright © 2011 Stephani Hecht
ISBN: 978-1-55487-917-5
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the
reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in
part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other
means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden
without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by eXtasy Books
Look for us online at:
www.eXtasybooks.com
Blind Pass
Blue Line Hockey 4
By
Stephani Hecht
Dedication
To Chris and Jase—thanks for all the uplifting
emails. You guys rock!
Chapter One
a few months ago, Jochen never dreamed
Just
that he’d be spending his summer at the hockey
rink, much less in Canada. Yet there his sorry ass
was, driving down the streets of Sarnia, getting
ready to spend the next two months coaching a
bunch of underage goalies.
Goalies! Who would have thunk it? He was a
forward, always had been. Not even as a kid had
he stepped between the pipes and defended the
net. Now they expected him to coach a bunch of
waddlers. If that didn’t spell out strange, he didn’t
know what did.
Yet, strange or not, he’d gladly taken the job
when all his other prospects dried out and he
found himself facing a mountain of bills with no
way to pay them. So that was how he found
himself in this current bizzaro world.
The overly cheerful voice on his GPS chirped to
alert him that he’d arrived at his destination, so he
turned into the drive of a house in one of the most
upscale subdivisions he’d ever seen. Turning off
1
Stephani Hecht
the engine, he got out of his car and stared up at
the place he’d be staying for the duration of the
summer.
All in all, it was a pretty nice house. Actually,
mansion would be a better word. While the place
didn’t sport a circular dive, fountain or stone lions,
it stood several stories tall and probably had more
bathrooms in it than Joe Louis Arena. The
matching set of red sports cars parked out front
looked pretty classy, too.
Jochen opened the trunk of his much older and
cheaper Cavalier, then hoisted his large duffle bag
over his shoulder. After he slammed the lid closed
and made sure his doors were locked, he paused
for a moment to drink in the opulent image in
front of him.
Someday I’ll have a life like this. I just need to keep
focused and don’t give up.
Granted, the owner, Robby Anderson, hadn’t
made all of his fortune by playing hockey, but it’d
given him a good financial nudge in the right
direction. Robby had wisely invested the money
he made from playing and his numerous
endorsements. After he retired from the NHL,
he’d taken that profit and invested it further, this
time by starting up a goalie school.
While many had questioned his wisdom, in the
end, Robby had the last laugh. Not only had he
made a small fortune, but his goalie clinics were
2
Blind Pass
considered amongst the best in the country. Kids
from all over attended and he had a long waiting
list.
While Jochen wasn’t a goalie, he’d been hired
on as a shooter. In other words, a glorified puckshooting machine, whose job it was to fire pucks
at the kids, so they could practice their skills.
While it wasn’t exactly the most glamorous of
jobs, Jochen knew he couldn’t complain. Since he
played for the minors, he didn’t pull in a big check
and he needed every dime that came his way.
Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. After all, some of
Jochen’s best memories from childhood were of
the numerous summer hockey clinics he took. So
he should be happy to be back and coaching in
one. For the most part, he was. It’s just that a part
of him dreaded having to face the questions and
the judgmental looks that were sure to follow.
What team do you play for?
The Vapors? Aren’t they a minor league team?
What happened? I thought the Wings drafted you in
the first round? What was that? Two years ago?
God knows he’d asked himself those very same
questions hundreds of times since he started to
play professional hockey. After all, back home,
he’d been considered a hero, a superstar, the one
who would finally put their small, farm town on
the map.
Instead, he’d been nothing but a failure. Well,
3
Stephani Hecht
only a partial failure, since he technically did play
for the pros, but he still hadn’t made it as far as
they’d all predicted. Jochen Mueller, the one who
was destined to be the next Wayne Gretsky, to be
better than Crosby, Lidstrom or Zetterberg. In the
end, he’d wound up relegated to a farm team and
making scale pay.
Jochen took a deep breath before he forced
himself to walk up the steps and knock on the
massive double doors. He almost expected a
butler to answer it, so when a stunning redheaded
woman opened the door, Jochen felt momentary
taken aback. He recovered quickly and plastered a
smile on his face.
“Hi, I’m here for the clinic.”
She beamed back, showing off a set of teeth that
only the best money could buy. “You must be
Jochen. I recognize you from your team photo.”
“I don’t remember sending in a picture with my
résumé.”
“You didn’t. It was on the team website.”
“Huh, I didn’t know the Vapors had even gone
that high tech,” he half-teased.
While the Vapors weren’t as tight-fisted as
some of the other farm teams, they didn’t exactly
go out of their way to spend money either.
“Come on in and I’ll show you around.”
She stepped to the side to make room for him to
enter the large foyer. He let out a low whistle and
4
Blind Pass
immediately cringed, worried the vocal effects
made him come off like some country bumpkin.
“I’m Ashley, Robby’s wife,” she said.
He shifted his bag so they could shake hands.
“We talked a few times on the phone. It’s nice to
finally meet you in person.”
“Yes, I remember. You were the one who
always had all the noise in the background.”
A heat came over his face. “Sorry about that. I
live with my cousin and he likes to think he can
make a second career with his guitar playing.
Lucky for him his slapshot is much better than his
Stairway to Heaven.”
She laughed. “That’s right. He plays for the
Vapors, too. Why didn’t he come work for us this
summer?”
“He has this same sports camp that he’s been
coaching at for a couple years now.”
Jochen purposely left off that Aldrich refused to
work for anybody else because he had a major
crush on the director. His cousin was deep in the
closet and Jochen had no plans on outing him. Not
when Jochen knew from his own personal
experience how scary that place could be.
She led him downstairs to the lower floor,
which had been converted to a dormitory of sorts.
He hated to admit, even to himself, that while they
were small, the rooms were a huge step-up from
his apartment. His place was so bad that even
5
Stephani Hecht
most self-respecting cockroaches refused to live
there. The other day he’d come out of the shower
and found himself face-to-whiskered-face with a
rat. The thing had been so frigging large that
Jochen retreated and left the rat to do his worst.
She paused at one of the rooms. “This is where
you’ll be staying. You’ll have a bunk mate, but
don’t worry, it’ll be one of the other instructors.”
He peered in, noting how this room seemed
slightly larger than the others. Two twin beds took
up the center of the room. Not exactly comfy
sleeping for a full grown man, but at least there
was a full-sized TV mounted to the wall. Plus,
there was a small private bathroom off to the side.
He dropped off his bag and followed her as she
gave him the rest of the tour. In addition to a huge
kitchen, the house had a gym with state of the art
equipment, an indoor Olympic-sized pool and a
basketball court. Once they were finished, she
took him back to the kitchen and grabbed him a
cola.
“When do the students get here?” he asked as
he took the drink.
“Tomorrow. The rest of the instructors are
supposed to arrive today.”
“How many coaches will there be?”
“Counting you, ten. Eight goalies, plus two
shooters.”
He smiled. “It’s funny to hear myself being
6
Blind Pass
referred to as a shooter.”
She studied him for a moment. “So, what made
you pick this place? Not many forwards agree to
come to a goalie clinic.”
He shrugged. “I need some help with my
scoring and I figured the best way to learn how to
beat goalies is by going straight to the source.”
“Ah, very sneaky. Some would say devious.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “I think I’m going
to like you.”
“You should see me play poker. I’m downright
malicious. But before you think too highly of my
Dr. Evil skills, you should know I also did it for
the money.”
“Yeah, the minors don’t pay very well. I
remember that from way back when Robby
played for them.”
It heartened Jochen some to hear that Robby
had once been in his position. Maybe that proved
Jochen wasn’t such a loser after all. He smiled,
suddenly glad that he’d chosen to come to the
camp.
The doorbell rang. She gave his hand a pat. “I
have to go get that. If you want, you can go
downstairs and get settled in. Dinner is at six and
there’s a staff meeting right after.”
“Thanks,” he said, but he was talking to air
since she’d already rushed from the room.
Jochen went down to his room and began
7
Stephani Hecht
unpacking his bag. Since there was only one
dresser, he made sure to leave half the drawers
empty. He did the same with the closet. Once he
finished unpacking, he grabbed his cell and called
his cousin.
“Hey, I made it,” Jochen said as soon as Aldrich
picked up.
“Cool, what’s it like there?”
Jochen cast his gaze around the room. Even
though small, the furniture and décor screamed
wealth. “Just like we’d imagined it would.”
Like Jochen, Aldrich played hockey and, also
like Jochen, Aldrich had been relegated to a farm
team. Their shared frustration brought them closer
than ever, even more so since they’d recently
moved in together to save on rent.
Aldrich let out a low whistle. “Wow, maybe I
should have applied there, too. It sounds way
better than where they have me bunking.”
“Where’s that?”
“A small room overlooking the rink.”
“Oh, is it cold in there?”
“No, ironically enough, it’s hotter than the
armpit of hell. It smells that way, too.”
“I’m not going to get totally excited until I see
who my roommate is. Knowing the way my luck
has been running lately, it’ll be somebody from
the Cougars.”
The Cougars were the most hated team in their
8
Blind Pass
league. Notorious for playing dirty, they’d been
known to send members of the opposing team to
the hospital.
“It’ll probably be some rookie or kid fresh from
high school.”
“God, you make me sound so old. I’m only
twenty-three,” Jochen reminded him.
“You are old. Twenty-three is practically
middle-aged when it comes to professional
sports.”
“I think you’re exaggerating that one just a bit.
Some players stay in the NHL until their thirties.”
“Yeah, but more of them are wallowing in our
league.”
Jochen rolled his eyes, now his cousin was
exaggerating more than just a bit, he’d gone into
full-blown drama king mode. Something Aldrich
had perfected to a fine art. There was a reason
why the whole family cringed whenever he
showed up to a holiday dinner. They were all still
talking about the time Aldrich threw the turkey,
still full of stuffing, at his father.
“Stop whining, it could be a lot worse,” Jochen
said.
“Oh really? And just how could it be any
badder than it already is?”
Jochen didn’t bother correcting Aldrich’s
grammar, having long decided that was just a lost
cause. Instead, he thought back to his team’s
9
Stephani Hecht
dingy, smelly locker room, the bus that reeked of
diesel fumes, their handful of fans and the fact
their own paper called them the most mediocre
team in Lansing history. While they weren’t as
bad as some of the teams, they still lost as many
games as they won. So most people’s reaction
whenever the Vapors were mentioned was a great
big meh.
He knew he still had to scramble for some
answer though or Aldrich would never shut his
yap.
“We’re not on the Cougars. That would be
really bad,” Jochen finally said. There was silence
on the other end as Aldrich appeared to be
mulling that one over.
“I guess you have a point,” Aldrich eventually
conceded.
“Damn, you’re actually admitting that I’m right
for once? I think I may need to call the paper
because this is such an earthshaking event! The
Apocalypse may be coming.”
“Now who’s over exaggerating?”
Jochen wasn’t ready to let it go though. “I’m
serious. I may have to even bring Anderson
Cooper in on this. Which really won’t be too much
of a big deal, because we know how you’ve
always had such the crush on him.”
“You really can be an asshole sometimes.”
“Just think about it, you’ll finally be able to
10
Blind Pass
meet your silver fox in real life.”
“I’m going to hang up on your ass,” Aldrich
threatened.
Jochen laughed, it wasn’t very often he
managed to get the upper hand on his quickwitted cousin. A noise at the door alerted him that
his roommate had arrived. Still smiling, Jochen
turned to see what he looked like.
The man…or better yet kid since he couldn’t be
a day over nineteen, had to be one of the hottest
guys Jochen ever met. With short blond hair that
hung stylishly over deep green eyes and a thin
build, he had a sweet sensuality about him that
sent a hum of excitement over Jochen’s body. The
fact that his new roomie wore jeans so tight they
looked nearly painted on, made the view all the
better. His equally tight Team Canada shirt served
to make the image in front of him sheer perfection.
Something niggled at the back of Jochen’s
mind. He knew he’d seen the guy somewhere
before, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it.
Then the realization came to him so quick that he
nearly staggered back a couple of steps.
“Ah, hell,” he said into the phone, not caring
that his roommate could hear.
“What?” Aldrich asked.
“I was right. My roommate is a fucking
Cougar.”
11
Stephani Hecht
Chapter Two
R
ebel’s first thought when he saw his new
roomie was, Sweet Mother Oprah, how in the
hell did I get so lucky? This guy is hot. Then he heard
the man’s disgust upon recognizing Rebel and
Rebel’s next thought was, Great, I haven’t even
spoken a word and the jerk has already judged me. This
is going to be a greeeeat summer—cue sarcasm.
“I usually go by Rebel, thanks,” he drawled as
he tossed his bag on the empty bed.
Going by the clothes and equipment scattered
on the other mattress, it’d already been claimed by
his rude roommate. Which just suited Rebel fine
since he preferred sleeping close to the door. A
habit that may now come in handy since Rebel
realized he’d be staying in a very hostile
environment.
Rudeness glared at him before speaking into his
phone. “I’ll call you back later.”
He disconnected the call before tossing the
device on the bed with the rest of his mess. The
12
Blind Pass
entire time he continued to stare at Rebel, almost
as if he were expecting a blitz attack at any
moment. Which just shocked the snot out of Rebel
since he’d never been considered close to
threatening by anyone else. Even his mother’s toy
poodle bullied him around, which said a lot since
Eden had no teeth and weighed around six
pounds.
To make things even suckier, Rude just
happened to be one of the best looking things
Rebel ever came across. Lean, but with just the
right amount of muscles, he also possessed a face
to pant over. A thin nose paired with highly
arched cheekbones and full lips made for a perfect
profile. Add in the short dark hair and sharp, blue
eyes and he could have been a model if not for the
scowl on his mug.
“Aren’t you going to tell me your name?” Rebel
challenged, with a slight tilt of his head.
The man pressed his lips together and, for a
moment, Rebel thought he’d be denied even that
simple courtesy. Finally, the guy said, “I’m
Jochen.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Actually we’ve met before.”
The steely glint in Jochen’s eyes should have
warned Rebel to shut up, but then again he’d
never been good at taking a hint. “Really? When
was that?”
13
Stephani Hecht
Because, believe me. There is no way in hell I could
ever forget running into a wet dream like you.
“It was during the last game we played against
your team,” Jochen snapped.
Oh, oh! This isn’t going to be good.
Rebel still pasted on his best innocent
expression. “Really? What team are you on?”
“The Vapors.”
Fuckity! Fuckity! Fuck! See, I knew it wouldn’t have
been a pleasant exchange. Then again, are they ever in
hockey?
“You’re last name is Wolf, isn’t it?” Rebel
asked, his stomach sinking in dread.
He could still visualize that last name, the
yellow print stark on the black jersey. With good
cause, too, since the body wearing it had spent the
better part of the game parked in front of Rebel’s
crease. So Rebel did what any other good goalie
would—he wacked the hell out of the offender’s
ankles and calves.
“Yeah, and thanks to your stick, I still have a
few bruises.”
“I was just doing my job.” Rebel gave a nervous
laugh. “Besides, whatever happened to what
happens on the ice, stays on the ice?”
Going by the filthy look Jochen shot, the guy
didn’t share that view of hockey etiquette.
“I guess I shouldn’t expect any better from a
Cougar.”
14
Blind Pass
“Hey, that’s not cool. I was traded to their team
right at the deadline, so it’s not like I’m lifelong
buddies with any of them. Half of them don’t even
know my name. They just call me The Goalie or
Five Hole. Which is totally unfair since I have a .920
percent save average.”
In fact, Rebel detested his teammates. More so,
he feared them because he full-well knew that if
they found out he was gay they would make his
life a living hell. He didn’t dare share that info
with Jochen though. The trick to being in the closet
was to never reveal exactly who you were. Rebel
guarded his secret so zealously that he didn’t even
dare venture to a gay bar, not even the ones
several miles out of town. Sure it made for some
lonely nights and a hell of a lot of frustration, but
it still beat the alternative.
“Yet, even with that wonderful save average,
you still managed to lose in the first round of the
playoffs,” Jochen said with a tight smirk.
That offense hurt so bad, Rebel almost let out
an unmanly gasp of outrage. “Again, not cool.
Like it was my fault my defense didn’t do their
damn job.”
“That’s the same excuse every hack goalie
makes.”
Rebel wondered how in the hell he could have
thought the asshat in front of him was hot. Jochen
had to be the biggest jerk Rebel ever met and that
15
Stephani Hecht
said a lot, considering who his teammates were.
“At least we easily made it to the playoffs, instead
of by the skin of our asses like some other teams.”
Going by the way Jochen’s nostrils flared, Rebel
knew he hit a sore spot. It felt so damn good to get
some payback, Rebel almost did the frigging
happy dance. Before he could get another dig in,
Ashley came into the room.
“Rebel, I didn’t know you were here,” she
exclaimed, a huge smile on her face.
She threw her arms around Rebel in a tight hug
that he gladly returned. He’d been coming to
Robby’s camps for years before he’d graduated to
the role of instructor and had grown close to the
couple over that time. So much so that Rebel often
looked at them as a second set of parents.
“Yeah, I just let myself in. I hope you don’t
mind,” he said as they pulled apart.
“Why would I? You’re like family to us. Even if
you did leave our wonderful country to go live
with the savages,” she teased.
He gave a mock shudder. “Hey, it’s not any
easier for me to have to live in the States. Thanks
for all the care packages you sent. Do you know
how hard it is to find ketchup flavored chips in
Michigan?”
From the corner of his eye, he could make out
the look of confusion on Jochen’s face.
Ashley must have noticed, too, because she
16
Blind Pass
explained, “We’ve known Rebel since he was so
tiny he could barely stand in his goalie pads. I
could tell you some really funny stories about
him. You wouldn’t believe some of the things he’s
done.”
Oh boy, that kind of comment never led to any
good.
“I’m sure Jochen doesn’t want to hear that kind
of thing,” Rebel rushed out, hoping to head off
disaster.
Unfortunately for him, it was already too late.
The cow had gotten out of the barn door. The
worms had left their can and just about every
other clichéd metaphor. Jochen’s lips, which Rebel
had once considered sexy, curled up into a wicked
grin.
“Oh, I don’t think they would bore me at all. In
fact, I would love to hear every last one.”
Rebel made a mental note to find a nice, big roll
of duct tape, so he could muffle Ashley’s yap.
While he loved her more than anything, her big
mouth was going to be his undoing. Rebel flashed
her a dirty look and she had the utter gall to wink
back at him. She even grinned at him while doing
it. Rebel decided that next Christmas she wouldn’t
be getting more jewelry or perfume from him. It
would only be savings bonds or socks from him
for now on.
“Ashley doesn’t have time for stories,” Rebel bit
17
Stephani Hecht
out between clenched teeth.
“I don’t?” she asked as she innocently batted
her eyelashes.
“No, because it’s time for dinner and then the
staff meeting.”
Even though nobody had told Rebel the
schedule, he already knew how things would run.
One thing that never changed about Robby was
that he…never changed. He ran the camp the
same exact way he had ten years ago. The only
variation being a few staff members here and
there. Although to be totally fair, Robby did make
sure to keep all his training equipment and
techniques up-to-date.
Ashley, AKA the little traitor, exchanged looks
with Jochen. “Fine, I have the whole summer to
tell him all about you.”
If Rebel didn’t know better, he would have
sworn that Ashley was playing Cupid, in her own
bent way. That was impossible, for two reasons.
Number one, she had no clue that Rebel was gay
and, secondly, even if she did, Jochen was straight.
Or was he? Because for one brief moment when
they’d first met, right before Jochen had pegged
him as a Cougar, Rebel could have sworn he saw a
flare of interest in the other man’s eyes.
Rebel quickly flicked those thoughts aside.
Even if Jochen was gay and the attraction mutual,
they couldn’t act on their feelings. While there
18
Blind Pass
may be a few openly gay players in their league
that still didn’t mean it was safe to break out the
rainbow flags. Most teams, Rebel’s in particular,
were far from tolerant.
Ashley wrinkled her nose. “You can be such a
killjoy sometimes. Fine, let’s go upstairs and get
some dinner.”
They went up to the formal dining area. It
would be the last time they’d be afforded the
luxury of eating in that room and it would also be
the only time they’d be able to relax. By breakfast,
the kids would be arriving and then it wouldn’t let
up until the end of summer.
Robby was already there with a half dozen
other staff members, all of whom worked there the
previous summer, making Jochen the only new
hire. Rebel said hello to them before going over to
shake Robby’s hand.
Even though he was in his fifties, Robby could
have easily passed for much younger. His closely
cropped dark hair held only a hint of gray and his
tanned skin carried few wrinkles, although there
were a few laugh lines framing his dark eyes.
“It’s good to see you again,” Robby said.
Rebel valued those words because he knew his
mentor truly meant them. Rebel basked under
Robby’s welcome, at the same time, taking
comfort in being back in a familiar environment.
After some of the hostility he’d faced in the
19
Stephani Hecht
previous months, it felt damn good to be in a safe
place again.
“It’s great to be back,” Rebel replied a bit
gruffly.
To hide all the emotions that were no doubt on
his face, Rebel sank into one of the empty chairs
and busied himself by filling his plate. Since he
sucked at cooking, he mostly lived on takeout and
frozen meals, so the prospect of having some real
food made his stomach growl.
It wasn’t even anything fancy, just baked
chicken, but to him it seemed like a gourmet meal.
So he dug in and concentrated on his food while
Robby introduced Jochen to the rest of the staff.
The other instructors were just a bit older than
he and Jochen and were made up of players from
both the NHL and various farm teams. Many of
them had taught Rebel when he’d been a kid and
they still often served as mentors to him.
After dinner, they went into the conference
room so they could go over the schedules and drill
rotations. They all took a seat at the round
conference table, Rebel somehow ending up next
to Jochen. Which proved to be a problem from
second one. Rebel knew that he should be paying
attention like the rest of the instructors, but the
entire time he kept having the insane urge to
glance over at Jochen.
Damn! Rebel must have taken too many pucks
20
Blind Pass
to the head or something. How else could he
explain away the irrational attraction he held for
somebody who obviously hated him? Jochen
couldn’t have made his feelings more clear had he
gotten a full-page ad in Hockey Weekly.
That still didn’t stop Rebel from noticing how
sweet Jochen’s lips looked. Or the way one lock of
hair always fell over his forehead when he bent
over to write down notes. Or even how he had the
habit of wrinkling his nose, just a tiny bit,
whenever something confused him.
Then Jochen had to go and do something that
blew away all of Rebel’s efforts to concentrate on
the meeting. It wasn’t much really, just the tiniest
of movements. But it still set Rebel’s body on fire.
Jochen licked his lips. The movement was so
fleeting, that had he not been already staring like
some kind of stalker, Rebel would have missed it.
Yet, the instant that pink tongue made a pass over
those full lips, Rebel’s cock began to swell.
Damn it, now was not the time for Rebel to be
springing a woody! Yet there it was, pressing
against his jeans for all the world to see. A heat
covered his face as he tried to subtly shift in his
seat to relieve some of the pressure.
In the meantime, Robby continued to drone on,
his words lost in the rush of blood flowing in
Rebel’s ears. Even though he’d heard the speech a
dozen times over, Rebel still felt a dash of guilt
21
Stephani Hecht
over not paying attention to his mentor. It couldn’t
be helped though. Like any other able bodied
nineteen year old, Rebel was a slave to his
hormones and they all seemed to be chanting
Jochen! Jochen! Jochen!
Worried that somebody may be noticing his
predicament, he darted a quick look around the
room. The problem being his gaze immediately
landed and locked once more on Jochen. Unlike
Rebel, Jochen didn’t seem to be having any
problems concentrating on the lecture, his
attention focused entirely on Robby. Which
probably should be counted as a blessing,
otherwise he may have noticed the panting,
salivating roommate to his right.
Rebel tore his gaze away from his newest
favorite piece of eye candy and told himself to
calm the frick down. He tried everything. He even
thought about things like the Golden Girls and
Nancy Grace’s pantsuits. It almost worked, too.
That was until he darted another glance at Jochen,
only to find that…aw, geez…it got even worse. Or
better depending on whose opinion one asked.
Jochen must be a nervous chewer because he
had his pencil up to his mouth and his teeth were
at work. It wasn’t anything overt or gross, just soft
little nibbles and sucks that had Rebel’s cock
aching with jealousy.
Muttering a curse, Rebel jerked his head in the
22
Blind Pass
other direction, only to find himself trapped in
Ashley’s knowing stare. Rebel froze, horror
flooding him. The new emotion mixed in with the
already painfully present arousal, making for a
combination that wasn’t nearly as fun as it
sounded.
Part of him wanted to curl into a ball of
embarrassment. Another part of him wanted to
launch himself at Jochen and rub against every
available space on the man. Yet another sliver of
Rebel yearned to run from the room and hide
forever.
It’s okay, baby, Ashley mouthed before giving
him a gentle smile.
Rebel let out a pent up breath. At the same
time, he couldn’t help but wonder just how much
Ashley knew. He thought back, frantically trying
to come up with something he may have done in
the past that would have given him away. Aside
from his recent Jochen stare-fest, he came up
empty.
The meeting ended and everybody filed out.
Rebel stayed put, both because his mind
continued to whirl with all the recent
developments and because Mini-Rebel still hadn’t
gone into an at-ease position.
Ashley came over and took the seat next to him.
Rebel kept his gaze directed at his empty notepad.
He knew it wasn’t the most manly position to
23
Stephani Hecht
take, but he didn’t dare look up, too fearful of
what her expression might be. Would there be
disgust in her eyes? Disdain? Condemnation?
Disappointment? Each and every one of them
would feel like a blow to his gut because he loved
Ashley like a second mom.
“Rebel, look at me,” Ashley quietly
commanded.
It took every bit of nerve Rebel possessed to
obey. He lifted his head up and forced himself to
meet her gaze. To his horror, his bottom lip even
trembled a bit.
Please. Please. Please, don’t hate me. I can’t help it.
It’s just how I am.
Tears sprang to Ashley’s eyes, but the
judgmental expressions he expected to be there
were absent. The only things he found were
understanding and love. She reached out and
cupped his cheek.
“Have you told anybody?” she asked.
Instead of answering her directly, Rebel found
himself voicing his own question, “Did you guys
hear that I was traded to a new team?”
“Yes, Robby wasn’t too happy. He doesn’t think
the Cougars are a good fit for you.”
“Right before I went to their team, there was
this forward who played for them, a guy named
Sergei. Although, I don’t know him personally, he
seems like a nice enough guy, plus he’s a terrific
24
Blind Pass
player. That didn’t matter to the Cougars though.
They hated him before he even stepped one skate
into their locker room. You want to know why?”
“Because he’s gay,” her voice cracked a bit.
Rebel nodded. “They made his life a personal
hell. Even though he doesn’t play for them
anymore, they still love to talk about some of the
things they used to do to him. How they’d punch
him or shove him around. One of them even
knocked him to ground and pissed on him.”
“Didn’t anybody do anything to stop it?”
“A few times the incidents were reported. In
every single one of them, it was made to look like
Sergei was the instigator. That he started it and
was the cause of all the problems. It stayed that
way until they finally traded him to another
team.”
She reached down and grabbed his hand. It was
only then that he noticed how much his fingers
were trembling.
“But now he seems to be really happy. He’s
even in a relationship with one of his new
teammates,” Ashley pointed out.
“Yeah, and what if he hadn’t gotten moved to
another team? Just because you put in a request to
be traded, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.”
“Like, say if somebody was a goalie with a
great save record?” she finished, understanding
dawning on her face.
25
Stephani Hecht
“Exactly.”
It didn’t pass Rebel’s notice that he hadn’t
spoken the words I’m gay yet. He continued to
dance around them, just like he always had. He
knew that made him a damn coward and he hated
himself for it. God, what he’d give to be brave like
Sergei and his boyfriend. It would be so nice to
once…just once, be able to go through life
comfortable in his own skin. Instead, he continued
to fake it and pretend to be something he never
would be.
Ashley let out a choked sob before she threw
her arms around him. He sank into her, taking
what meager comfort he could get from her
embrace. As he closed his eyes, he wished, not for
the first time, that he’d never became a
professional hockey player. Because maybe then
life would be a bit easier.
26
Blind Pass
Chapter Three
yawned and reached for his mug of
Jochen
coffee. Even though it was only seven in the
morning, the camp bustled with activity as the
first round of students arrived. They ranged in age
from ten to seventeen and every damn last one
was way too chipper given the early hour.
He sat behind a table, his main duty at the
moment was registering the kids as they arrived.
Rebel sat next to him, but they didn’t speak. It’d
been that way since the staff meeting the previous
night and the silence was beginning to grate on
Jochen. He hadn’t thought it possible, but he
almost missed the smartass comments the goalie
seemed so fond of dishing out.
To make things even worse, Jochen hadn’t been
able to sleep the previous night. One look at Rebel
dressed in jammies had seen to that. Although, to
be fair, most people wouldn’t call a pair of light
sweat pants and no top jammies. Jochen caught one
glimpse of the goalie’s toned chest and tight abs
27
Stephani Hecht
and he’d been a goner. It didn’t help matters any
that the pants had hung low on Rebel’s waist
either. All night Jochen’s brain had been
bombarded with various fantasies, all of them
involving a very naked and willing Rebel.
Going by the mutters and thrashing that
sounded from the other side of the room, Rebel
hadn’t gotten much more shut eye than he did.
Jochen felt pretty certain it wasn’t for the same
reason. He’d probably just been crabby because
the day passed without him getting a chance to
slash Jochen’s ankles again.
“I’m going to get a refill. Do you want some?”
Rebel’s voice cut into Jochen’s thoughts.
Jochen jumped, almost spilling his nearly
empty cup. “Huh?”
He cringed as soon as the single syllable word
passed his lips. It made him sound like some
intellectually challenged jock. The really bad ones
who didn’t even know left from right or how to tie
their skates. He waited for Rebel to make some
comment on it, but the goalie just smiled at him.
“I’m getting a refill on coffee. Do you want
some?” Rebel reiterated.
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“Two creams and sugars, right?”
It shocked Jochen that Rebel knew how he took
his coffee. After the reception he’d given Rebel, it
was amazing the guy cared at all, let alone enough
28
Blind Pass
to notice something little like that.
“Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”
Rebel took the cups and started to go over to
the large pot set up on the counter. He made it
halfway across the room before a loud squeal of
excitement sounded.
“Rebel! You’re here again!”
A redheaded boy, who appeared to be around
eleven raced across the room to stand in front of
his apparent idol. Rebel smiled at the kid.
It struck Jochen that it was the first genuine grin
he’d seen on his roommate’s face. In the short time
they’d known each other, all Jochen ever saw were
tight smirks or fake, bright numbers. Damn, if the
sight of Rebel’s dimples didn’t do weird things to
Jochen’s insides.
“Hey, Terry, how was the season?” Rebel
asked.
Terry beamed like he’d just been given the best
gift ever. “I got three shutouts.”
“Wow, that’s great. Was that for the Flint team
you were playing for?”
The boy’s face fell. “No, I didn’t make that team
this year, so I just played house.”
Jochen’s heart went out for the kid. He recalled
all his own past hurts when he’d been cut from
teams. Growing up, there’d been many times
when he hadn’t garnered a spot on an elusive
travel team. It wasn’t until he was older that he’d
29
Stephani Hecht
finally grown into a dominant player. He wanted
to go over and find some way to comfort Terry,
but Rebel beat him to it.
“Hey, there is nothing just about house leagues.
That’s all I played in until I got to high school,”
Rebel said.
“Really?” Terry asked hopefully.
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“No.”
“So, you have no choice but to believe me when
I tell you I was a mess of a player when I was your
age. I couldn’t stop a beach ball if my life
depended on it.”
“Are you sure you’re not saying that just to
make me feel better?”
“I’m positive Coach Robby still has some of my
old drill videos around here someplace. We could
dig them up so I could prove it to you.”
Terry laughed. “Nah, I’ll let you keep some of
your pride.”
“Thanks, now go over to Jochen and get
registered.”
Terry glanced over at the table. “Hey, isn’t that
the guy who plays for the Vapors?”
“Yeah,” Rebel confirmed.
Jochen started to wave until Terry delivered his
next zinger, “Oh, he’s just a forward. What
happened? Did their goalie refuse to come?”
Rebel coughed in an unsuccessful attempt to
30
Blind Pass
hide his laughter before he gave Terry a playful
cuff on the back of the head. “Go on. You know
they always bring in a few shooters for you guys
to practice on.”
Terry chuckled before he tripped over to the
table. As soon as that kid left Rebel, another took
his place. Soon a small crowd surrounded the
goalie, making it apparent the guy was popular
with the campers.
A stab of guilt hit Jochen as he watched the way
the kids looked up to Rebel, all of them wearing
expressions of adoration. Maybe he’d been too
quick in his judgment of his new roommate. After
all, if kids liked him, how bad could the guy be?
He must have some redeeming quality, otherwise
he wouldn’t be so popular. Plus the way he’d
handled Terry spoke of a soft heart that was
capable of empathy. Something none of the other
Cougars possessed.
“Crap, I think I owe him an apology,” Jochen
muttered.
Vowing that he would take care of that as soon
as possible, Jochen busied himself in registering
the kids. After a few minutes, Rebel came over
and rejoined him. He even remembered to bring
the coffee. Before long, they settled into a system
and managed to get all the campers’ information
recorded without incident.
Afterward, Jochen and Rebel went to the
31
Stephani Hecht
kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat while the
campers settled into their dorms. Rebel went to
the refrigerator and began to rummage around,
looking quite comfortable at making himself at
home.
“So, just how many years have you been
coming here?” Jochen asked.
“Ever since I was ten. I haven’t missed a
summer yet.”
Rebel began to take lunchmeat and other
fixings from the fridge. While it was still a bit early
for lunch, Jochen didn’t complain. He expected the
first day to be hectic, so he didn’t anticipate being
able to sit down for a real meal anytime soon.
“You never missed a year in all that time?”
Jochen asked as he opened the bread and pulled
out some slices.
“Nope. As soon as I turned eighteen, Robby
hired me on as an instructor.”
“Your girlfriend doesn’t mind you being away
the whole summer?”
Okay, so maybe Jochen was fishing a little. It’s
not like he could do anything with the information
he dug up either. Even if Rebel was single, that
still didn’t change the fact that he was straight.
“I don’t have a girlfriend or a wife.”
Despite himself, Jochen couldn’t help but feel a
small thrill go through him at those words. So
much so, that he decided to share, too, “Me either.
32
Blind Pass
I’m hopelessly alone. Well, except for Bangles.
And even he’s a cat, so most days he’s just
indifferent toward me.”
Rebel smiled as he began slapping together a
sandwich. “Who’s taking care of your cat while
you’re gone?”
“My buddy, Sergei.”
Rebel paused, his eyes widening slightly. “As
in, Sergei from the Hawks.”
Jochen tensed, waiting for a slur or some other
insult to come flying his way. It was no secret that
many players had an issue with Sergei’s sexuality.
“Yeah, you got a problem with him?”
“No, not at all. I know he probably isn’t my
biggest fan though. The Cougars don’t exactly
have the best history with him.”
It wasn’t lost on Jochen that Rebel said the
Cougars as opposed to my team.
“Do you even like playing for them?” he asked.
Rebel pressed his lips together, as if searching
for the best way to word his answer. He finally
said, “I wouldn’t be upset if they traded me.”
“Don’t you get along with them?”
“Let’s just say that we’re not exactly best
buddies.”
“I would think they’d be happy to have you for
a goalie.”
“Yeah, especially since their last goaltender had
the nasty habit of ending up in jail on game days,”
33
Stephani Hecht
Rebel replied with a tight smile.
“Well that and because you’re great in net.”
Rebel tilted his head to the side. “Did you just
compliment me?”
“I just pointed out a fact that you are already
fully aware of. All you have to do is look at your
stats to get that information.”
“The Cougars don’t care about that kind of
stuff. At least not as much as they should. They’re
more concerned with other things, like who has
the most penalty minutes and junk.”
Jochen realized once again how he’d made a
huge mistake in lumping Rebel in the same
category as those other jerks. It made him feel
about ten inches tall, too.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted.
“What for?” Rebel shrugged. “You weren’t the
one who put me on that team.”
“No, but I just assumed that you were a goon,
too. I should have known the instant you could
form three word sentences that you were nothing
like the rest of them.”
“That’s okay. We’ll call it even for the bruises I
left you with.”
Then Rebel gave him that sweet grin and
Jochen knew he was lost. Damn, this was going to
be the best and worst summer of his life. For while
Jochen got to spend the next couple of months
being around the cute guy, it was strictly a look34
Blind Pass
but-don’t-touch situation.
“I have a question for you,” Rebel said.
“I’m almost afraid to ask what it is.”
“Why did you decide to work here? Not many
regular players pick to spend their summers
surrounded by a bunch of goalies.”
In truth, Jochen had done it for a few reasons.
In addition to the ones he’d listed to Ashley the
day before, he was now willing to admit to
himself that it’d also been to nurse his bruised
heart. In the beginning of his and Sergei’s
friendship, they’d flirted with hooking up. In the
end, Jochen chickened out for fear of being outed.
His hesitation had caused him to lose any chance
of ever having Sergei romantically. Sergei fell in
love with the captain of his team and they were
now in a very public and very happy relationship.
Whereas all Jochen had was his loneliness and
Bangles.
Since he couldn’t very well tell that to Rebel,
Jochen just went with his usual excuse. “I needed
the additional income. You know how much the
pay sucks in our league.”
“Do I ever. They could give me my paycheck
via way of penny rolls if they wanted to,” Rebel
snorted.
“Actually, since we made it to the playoffs, we
got a bonus. So, I get rolls of dimes now.”
“Show off! We made it, too, and they still refuse
35
Stephani Hecht
to give us anything extra. Next, you’ll be tooling
around in a car that’s only five years old, instead
of fifteen.”
“Yes, and wearing underwear that’s not labeled
irregular.”
Rebel laughed. “I just gave it up and started
going commando.”
The thought of Rebel being bare under the tight
jeans he wore nearly made Jochen moan. Even
though he tried to fight it, an image popped into
his head. One that featured him dropping to his
knees right then and there and, at the same time,
reaching for Rebel’s fly. Jochen could almost hear
the rasping of the zipper being lowered, so he
could see for himself if there was any truth behind
Rebel’s claims. Right before he parted his lips, so
he could taste the goalie’s cock.
Jochen had the sudden urge to go over to the
fridge and bang his head against it until he
knocked some frigging sense into his brain. The
last thing he should be doing is lusting after
another hockey player. Especially one who was
going to be his roommate for the next couple of
months. Jochen worked too hard to keep his secret
this long, only to have his errant dick blow it for
him just because of a hot ass and cute dimples.
“All joking aside, I think you’re going to like it
here,” Rebel said.
“I already do.”
36
Blind Pass
Jochen’s dick jerked, almost as if offering its
agreement.
Rebel gave a soft chuckle. “Even if you’re stuck
with a fucking Cougar as your roomie?”
Regret slammed into Jochen. “I’m really sorry
about that. I should have never judged you based
on what team you play for. Besides, like I said
before, you’re nothing like those guys.”
Rebel picked up a can of Coke, started to open it
and then paused, his lips turning down into a
frown. “I never wanted to be on that team. In fact,
I even tried to fight it, but it’s not like they give us
much choice in those matters.”
“Have you been able to get friendly with any of
them now that you’ve had a chance to get to know
them better?”
Jochen hoped that maybe because Rebel wasn’t
gay that things were better for him. That perhaps
he’d managed to fit in somehow, even though
Jochen now realized that Rebel was the complete
opposite of those losers. All those hopes were
dashed when a brief flicker of hurt passed over
Rebel’s eyes.
“It’s no big deal. I’m there to play hockey, not
make lifelong friends,” Rebel replied gruffly.
Recalling some of the horrible experiences
Sergei shared with him, Jochen became concerned
for Rebel. “Have they ever hurt you?”
Rebel shrugged. “Just some of your everyday
37
Stephani Hecht
locker room hazing. No biggie.”
Going by the tense way Rebel held himself, it
actually was a really big deal. A wave of
protectiveness rushed over Jochen and he felt the
sudden urge to punch out the entire Cougar
roster. Minus Rebel, of course.
“There’s a difference between harassment and
some fun ribbing,” Jochen pointed out.
Rebel let out a sigh. “It’s not that bad. Certainly
not anything even close to what they used to do to
Sergei.”
“What they did to him was criminal, so I would
hardly consider that the bar you should use for
comparison.”
For a second he thought Rebel would argue that
one, in the end the goalie set down his drink and
rocked on his feet for a few moments before
continuing on in a calm tone.
“I knew before I even went there it would be
hard. I’m small, blond and shy. All of the things
guys like that hate. My own brothers used to tease
me about the way I am.”
“Let me guess, you were the youngest?”
“Yeah, I have three older brothers. While
they’re usually pretty overprotective of me, at
times they could be jerks, too.”
“But nothing like the Cougars.” It came out as a
statement rather than a question, because Jochen
felt pretty certain that Rebel’s brothers could never
38
Blind Pass
be that cruel. Or at least he hoped not. He couldn’t
imagine having to grow up in an environment that
hostile.
“No, my brothers could never be like that. In
fact, if they knew how the Cougars were treating
me, they’d…” Rebel bit his bottom lip and gave a
slight shake of his head.
“They’d be pissed and want to do something
about it?” Jochen finished for him.
Rebel didn’t reply. He just averted his gaze as
he continued to gnaw on his bottom lip. He
worked the piece of flesh so hard, Jochen worried
he’d make the thing bleed. Even though he knew
it wasn’t the wisest thing to do, Jochen reached
out and gently used his thumb to nudge Rebel’s
chin down.
It worked. Rebel parted his mouth, his lower lip
springing free. Jochen’s breath caught as he found
himself mesmerized by the temptation so close to
him. All he’d have to do is lower his head a few
inches and he could find out if Rebel tasted as
good as he looked.
The craziest part of the whole thing was that
Rebel didn’t appear to have any intentions of
pulling back. If anything, he seemed to be swaying
in a bit. As if he wanted the contact just as badly
as Jochen did.
“Yeah, they wouldn’t want me to go through all
that,” Rebel whispered.
39
Stephani Hecht
Jochen frowned in confusion. The past few
moments of lust having made his brain mush.
“Huh?”
“My brothers. They wouldn’t want me
miserable.”
It wasn’t lost on Jochen that he hadn’t moved
his fingers. They were still cupping Rebel’s chin. It
felt damn good, too. The heat of the man’s flesh
called to Jochen, almost as if begging for him to
slowly explore every decadent inch of Rebel’s
body.
The one sane brain cell left in his head
screamed at Jochen to pull away, that this was no
way to guard his secret and that if he didn’t knock
it off, Rebel would probably get pissed. Hell, the
guy could strike out at any moment.
Yet, Rebel did none of those things. No, he did
the last thing Jochen was prepared for. With a soft
groan, Rebel ran his tongue over his lips. As if he
was preparing them for some really good action.
A loud burst of conversation sounded from the
other side of the door, snapping the mood. They
jumped apart from each other and retreated to
opposite sides of the kitchen island.
A tense silence descended between them,
before Rebel cleared his throat. “I better get going.
I promised Robby I would help run movie night
for some of the younger campers.”
Jochen grunted in reply, but it was lost since
40
Blind Pass
Rebel already retreated. He moved so fast that he
almost left a vapor trail in his wake. Jochen
remained in place, his brain still trying to sort
through everything that’d happened.
Funny how a short ten minutes could change
everything. Just a day ago, Jochen had been
prepared to spend the whole summer hating his
roommate. Now, not only did Jochen actually
sympathize the guy, but he’d been two seconds
away from kissing him.
One thing was for certain, the attraction did go
both ways. There was no mistaking the arousal in
Rebel’s eyes. The only question that remained was
if Jochen planned on doing anything about it.
41
Stephani Hecht
Chapter Four
R
ebel decided that it was all Jochen’s fault.
The morning had been nothing but one
colossal fuck up after another. From Rebel almost
missing the bus, to him skating like crap. He even
tripped and fell on his ass while demonstrating a
drill. Something he never did, although it’d
entertained the hell out of the campers. They were
still laughing about it an hour later.
Damn Jochen.
If it hadn’t been for him, then Rebel wouldn’t
have spent yet another sleepless night tossing
around in his tiny twin bed. Every time Rebel
closed his eyes and tried to drift off, the image of
Jochen in the kitchen popped into his head. All
Rebel had to do was think about the way Jochen’s
eyes had darkened with passion, or the way his
cheeks grew flushed and Rebel instantly went
from sleepy to wide awake and horny.
It’s not like Rebel could have gone to the
bathroom to relieve himself either. While he and
42
Blind Pass
Jochen did have a private bathroom, the door was
so thin that every single sound carried through. So
if Rebel decided to indulge, it would be with the
risk of Jochen overhearing. Since things were
already awkward between them as it was, Rebel
didn’t want to add to it.
He skated over to the boards and grabbed a
water bottle. Behind him, his small group of
minions continued to work on their drill. His was
only one of eight groups currently on the ice. All
of them were working on a different lesson. They
shifted every twenty minutes and Rebel knew the
whistle would be sounding soon. That would
mean a new group would be coming his way, so
he’d have to do his demonstration once more. He
only hoped he managed to stay upright this time.
Robby skated up and grabbed the water bottle
once Rebel finished.
“You feeling okay?” Robby asked.
“Sure, I’m just not used to getting up so early.”
It was a bullshit answer and they both knew it.
Part of playing hockey was dragging your ass to
the rink at ungodly hours. Robby didn’t call him
out on it though.
“What do you think of the new guy?” Robby
nodded in Jochen’s direction.
Rebel’s heart thumped with nerves. Had Ashley
mentioned something to Robby? The water Rebel
just drank seemed to gurgle in his stomach as he
43
Stephani Hecht
studied his mentor for a clue that would tell him
what the man was thinking.
“Jochen is doing great with the kids,” Rebel
replied carefully.
He was, too. He took the campers through their
drills with both patience and an efficiency that
impressed Rebel. Already several kids had taken a
liking to him. Which was remarkable, considering
the fact he was a forward.
They both looked over to the far corner, where
Jochen was practicing a break away drill. He wore
a dark red jersey that set off his dark hair
perfectly. Well, it would have if Jochen hadn’t
been forced to wear a hockey helmet. But even
with that piece of red plastic blocking the view,
Rebel had to admit that Jochen looked damn good.
Robby nodded. “I think he’ll make a good
addition. Even if he is American.”
They both shared a mock, teasing shudder. Like
Robby, Rebel had been born and raised in Sarnia.
Although Rebel didn’t speak with a heavy
Canadian accent like Robby did. Or at least he
didn’t think so. It’d been a while since he’d been
teased about having an inflection to his tone,
something the Americans loved to do to their
Canadian colleagues.
The rivalry between the American and
Canadian players was playful and light and
carried over into the camp, the players and
44
Blind Pass
instructors all getting involved. One of Robby’s
favorite activities was to divide the campers
according to nationality and then have them skate
relays. It was a game all the kids looked forward
to.
When Robby changed the subject to scheduling
and dry land training instead of continuing to
focus on Jochen, Rebel let out a sigh of relief.
Ashley must have kept his secret for him. Rebel
made a mental note to give her a great, big hug the
next time he saw her.
Robby blew the whistle, but instead of having
the kids shift to a different station, he waved them
all in. Rebel followed and hung out on the fringes
of the group. Jochen skated up next to him and
they both waited to hear what their next
instructions would be.
“Since we all worked so hard this morning,
how about a little fun?” Robby asked the group.
When a chorus of cheers were his answer, he
continued, “Let’s do a shootout, US against
Canada.”
This announcement brought on a louder round
of applause. Robby turned and grinned at Jochen
and Rebel. “Okay, let’s see it.”
Jochen pointed to his own chest. “You want us
to compete?”
“Yup!”
Already the campers were separating
45
Stephani Hecht
themselves into two cheering sections. Knowing it
would be useless to protest, Rebel skated over to
the boards and grabbed his helmet, he put it on
before skating over to the net.
Jochen shrugged before he skated over to center
ice. Robby tossed down a few pucks. “Okay, guys,
we’ll do best of three.”
Rebel nodded his agreement as he shuffled
back and forth a few times to get himself centered
in net. He then nodded that he was ready. Jochen
grinned in return. Heart racing, Rebel relished in
the familiar rush that went through him whenever
he faced a shooter.
The whistle sounded and Rebel skated out to
challenge Jochen. This could prove to be interesting.
The first thing Rebel noted was how well the
forward puck handled, he maneuvered the thing
over the ice, almost as if it were an extension of his
hands. The second thing Rebel noticed was that
Jochen moved fast. Really, really fast.
Good thing for Rebel, he was just as quick. He
matched Jochen’s advance, making sure to angle
his body just the right way so the least amount of
net remained opened. Then just as he sensed that
Jochen was ready to shoot, Rebel dropped into a
neat butterfly.
Unfortunately, Jochen must have anticipated
that move because he shot the puck high and to
the right. Even though Rebel arched back and
46
Blind Pass
tried to catch the puck, he missed and it sailed into
the net.
The American kids let out loud whoops as they
slapped the blades of their sticks on the ice.
Jochen skated by, a cocky grin on his face.
“That’s one.”
“Just one, we have two more to go,” Rebel
pointed out as he got back to his feet.
“I’ll get those in, too,” Jochen sang as he skated
back to center ice.
Rebel flashed a rude gesture that got totally lost
in translation since he had on his glove and
blocker. It still got him some reaction when the
kids began to laugh. Rebel shook off the last goal
and got himself centered in the net again.
The whistle rang out a second time. Even
though Rebel hadn’t though it possible, this time
Jochen skated in even faster. The little wienie had
the gall to smile the entire time in, too. Jochen was
in for a shock because this time, Rebel had a better
read on the forward’s body language. So when he
shot to the left, Rebel was ready.
Rebel dove to the side, his blocker shooting out.
He was rewarded with the satisfying thump of
rubber hitting leather, the sound letting him know
he’d prevented the goal. The puck shot off to the
corner of the ice, safely out of play.
The Canadian players let out a loud cheer, the
noise drowning out Jochen’s muttered curse.
47
Stephani Hecht
Rebel chuckled before tossing out his own cocky
grin. “That makes it one-to-one.”
“I can keep count,” Jochen retorted, although
his smile took the edge off his comment.
“Good, because then you’ll be able to tell when
I finally beat your ass.”
“Just because you stopped one doesn’t mean
you’ve won this match.”
“That’s the sad thing about forwards. They just
never know when it’s time to give up.”
Jochen laughed as he took his place back at
center ice.
Rebel crouched in his best goalie position and
got ready. Sexy or not, there was no way in hell he
was letting that third shot in. It was a matter of
national pride after all.
It seemed Jochen felt the same way because he
barreled in as if the entire Cougar’s defensive line
was nipping at his ass. Rebel scrambled to get out
to challenge in time, his delay making it so the
space between them was much closer than he was
used to.
The closed quarters must have thrown Jochen
off, too, because he tripped. Rebel let out a grunt
of surprise as Jochen slammed into him, the force
of the fall carrying them both back. They hit the
ice hard, Jochen landing on top of him. They slid
several feet, only stopping when their bodies
slammed into the net.
48
Blind Pass
The kids from both sides burst out laughing,
Robby even joining in. After a moment of
groaning in pain, Rebel started to chuckle as well.
Jochen remained sprawled out on top of him. A
situation Rebel would have normally welcomed
had it not been for the several pounds of
equipment separating them.
Jochen grinned down at Rebel. “I won.”
“How do you figure? We both wiped out.”
Jochen jerked his head in the direction of the
net. Rebel craned his neck to see what he was
gesturing at. A groan slipped past Rebel’s lips
when he saw the puck resting past the red line.
“That doesn’t count. The net was knocked off,
so the play was dead,” Rebel protested, painfully
aware Jochen hadn’t moved off him yet.
“The puck crossed the line first.”
“How could you have even seen that? We were
both horizontal at the time?”
Jochen cocked a brow and for one irrational
second, Rebel could have sworn he saw a wicked
gleam come into the man’s eyes. Shocked, Rebel
did something he never did—he sputtered in
outrage.
“You are such a cheater,” Rebel accused, even
as he held back his laughter.
“And you’re just saying that because you’re a
sore loser.”
Rebel lifted his blocker and thunked Jochen’s
49
Stephani Hecht
helmet. “That’s because I didn’t lose at all. I’m a
winner all the way.”
Jochen snorted. “Did you get that last line from
a cheesy car commercial or something?”
“Nope, some self-help guru’s infomercial.”
He shoved at Jochen and the guy finally got the
hint and rolled off him. They both staggered to
their feet just as Robby skated up.
“So, did the goal count or not?” Rebel
demanded.
“I’ve decided to call it a draw,” Robby said, the
words coming out in gasps because he was still
laughing.
Jochen narrowed his eyes. “There’s no such
thing as a draw in hockey.”
“My camp, my rules.”
Rebel shrugged. “I guess we can’t argue with
logic like that.”
The kids all came up and circled them. The
chatter became so loud that Rebel gave up all
pretense of trying to have a conversation. He just
nodded and smiled at what he hoped were the
right times.
The entire time, he couldn’t help but notice how
close Jochen stood, their bodies practically
brushing against one another. Rebel relished the
contact, however minimal it may be, for he knew
that at any moment they could revert back to their
former cold relationship.
50
Blind Pass
Once everybody calmed down, Robby ushered
the kids and other instructors off the ice for lunch.
Rebel and Jochen watched them leave. Once they
were alone again, Jochen asked, “So, what’s next
on the schedule?”
“You and I are assigned to clean up duty.”
Jochen wrinkled his nose. “That sucks.”
“Not really, because we get to relax and eat
while the kids are doing their dryland training.”
“That would be great. I’m tired.”
“Yeah, I noticed you haven’t been sleeping
well.”
A flush came over Rebel’s cheeks as he realized
just how telling his comment could be. He tensed,
waiting for Jochen to call him out on it, but the
forward just lowered his gaze, suddenly acting as
if the ice were the most interesting thing in the
world.
“I guess I’m just having trouble adjusting to a
new bed,” Jochen finally mumbled.
“I can understand that. Your bed at home is
probably much better.”
“Actually, I sleep on a second hand futon.”
Rebel nodded in understanding. His own
makeshift apartment wasn’t well furnished either.
“I get that. The only reason I have something
halfway decent is because I live with my oldest
brother. I rent the basement from him and his
wife. I’m just lucky that they moved to Michigan,
51
Stephani Hecht
too, or else I would be living some place much
worse.”
“You really live in your married brother’s
basement?”
“Yeah, I guess that makes me pretty lame. It’s
really no better than still living with my parents.”
“No, I don’t think any less of you.”
“I’m saving up for my own place. It’s just
taking me a little longer than I expected. I was
going to rent an apartment close to my rink, but
when my brother found out what neighborhood it
was in, he freaked. Plus, my family has always
been a little on the strict side, so they seem to
think they still need to look out for me, even
though I’m nineteen.”
Jochen smiled, but it was a gentle number, with
no condescending tone to it. “You weren’t kidding
when you said they’re protective.”
It gave Rebel a measure of relief to see that
Jochen didn’t think any less of him. If anything, he
seemed to admire the relationship Rebel had with
his family.
“Yeah, the thing is it’s not just because they’re
older because I know I’d do the same for them. It’s
just how my family works. I just wish they didn’t
think they needed to dictate every aspect of my
personal life.”
“I understand. Mine is the same way. Not a
week goes by that my mother or sister doesn’t
52
Blind Pass
drop by a home cooked meal for me and Aldrich.”
They skated around and began to stack the
cones dividing the different stations.
“You have a sister?” Rebel asked.
“Her name is Brigitte.”
“Ah, I should have known it would be a
German name.”
Jochen knelt down and began to scoop up the
pucks, tossing them into a bucket. “My family is
kind of old fashioned that way. Plus, it makes my
great-grandpa happy.”
“Is he from that country?”
“Yeah, he immigrated right before the Second
World War began, so it wasn’t easy for him when
he first came to America. Given what was going
on at the time, most people didn’t like German
immigrants.”
Rebel knelt down to help him gather the pucks.
“God, that must have sucked.”
“From what I hear, it did. The really ironic
thing was he joined and fought for the US army,
too. But he still faced all kinds of discrimination.”
“I don’t get why people have to be so hateful.”
“You know how it is, some people just can’t be
happy until their holding others down. If it’s not
because of the country they came from, it’s for
something else. Take Sergei, for example. The
Cougars didn’t care that he was a great skater,
they hated him simply because of who he is,”
53
Stephani Hecht
Jochen declared with a savageness that surprised
Rebel.
They both reached for a puck at the same time,
their fingers brushing together. They froze, neither
of them moving, their gazes locked onto their
joined hands. Rebel sucked in a breath as his heart
raced in anticipation.
“How about you?” Rebel asked, his voice a
mere whisper.
“What about me?”
“Would you be able to face the same kind of
hatred Sergei has?”
Rebel tensed as he waited for the answer
because he already knew what his reply would be.
At that moment, he’d face just about anything to
have just one night with Jochen.
He knew it was stupid. He knew it was
irrational. He knew it could be career suicide. And
all for some guy that he’d basically known for one
day. Yet Rebel couldn’t deny the emotions
swirling around in his chest.
He wanted Jochen—consequences be damned.
Not that it ever really had to come to that.
There was no rule saying they had to go public
like Sergei and Kip had. Rebel and Jochen could
have some fun and nobody ever had to know.
Jochen had yet to answer, but he still hadn’t
moved his hand either. So Rebel took a deep
breath and put a voice to his thoughts, “What if it
54
Blind Pass
were kept a secret?”
“Are you suggesting what I think you are?”
Jochen rasped.
“Our bedroom door has a lock on it. We could
just act normal during the day, but at night, we
could…” Rebel trailed off, too afraid to speak the
rest.
Jochen shifted his hand so his thumb could
caress the back of Rebel’s hand. A shiver went
through Rebel at the simple touch.
“Are you suggesting that we have a summer of
fun, no strings attached?”
Rebel swallowed hard. “Yeah, I am.”
Jochen finally gazed at Rebel and the desire
burning in the man’s eyes nearly knocked Rebel
onto his ass. Another shiver went through him,
but this one was from the pure, raw need that now
coursed through his body. At that moment, Rebel
wanted nothing more than for Jochen to take him
to bed and dominate him in every way possible.
When a heavy silence stretched between them,
Rebel couldn’t take it and he pressed, “So, what
do you think?”
A sensual smile curled over Jochen’s lips. “I
think that this is going to be a summer that neither
one of us ever forgets.”
55
Stephani Hecht
Chapter Five
L
ater on that evening, Jochen went into the
bedroom and stood by the side of his bed. He
gazed down at the mattress, wondering just how
he’d be putting it to use later on.
Numerous questions spun around in his head.
Had Rebel been serious when he made the
proposal or was it just another one of his jokes? If
he did mean it, then did Jochen dare take him up
on it? After they did it once, would they really
carry on all summer? Most of all, would they be
able to keep their secret hidden?
A sound by the door alerted him he was no
longer alone. Turning, he found himself locked
into Rebel’s gaze. They both paused, neither
speaking nor moving as they stared at each other.
Damn, it really wasn’t fair that Rebel looked so
good. He’d taken a shower earlier and now wore a
pair of sweat pants and a plain white t-shirt.
Somehow Rebel still managed to make even that
simple outfit look good. Then again, Rebel looked
56
Blind Pass
good no matter what he wore. Jochen suspected
that the goalie could still appear desirable wearing
a paper-examining gown.
Rebel swallowed loudly, letting Jochen know
that he wasn’t the only one feeling nervous. It
helped Jochen some to see the normally cocky
goalie being thrown off a bit. While he didn’t like
seeing Rebel uneasy, his new attitude showed just
how serious he was taking the situation.
“Are all the kids in bed?” Jochen finally asked.
When Rebel just nodded, Jochen added, “Speak
up. You usually seem so fond of the sound of your
own voice, I would hate to deny you that pleasure
now.”
“Yes, everybody is in for the night,” Rebel
replied, his voice a bit harsh.
“Good, then come in all the way and lock the
door behind you.”
Rebel obeyed, his fingers fumbling with the
lock for few moments. Once he completed his task,
he turned back around and gazed questioningly at
Jochen, as if he were eagerly awaiting his next
order.
Well, Jochen would only be so happy to oblige.
While situations may have dictated that his
encounters be few and far between, during all
those times he’d learned he liked to be the one in
charge. The fact that the normally headstrong
Rebel so easily gave up control, made Jochen’s
57
Stephani Hecht
already hard cock ache in anticipation.
“Come here,” Jochen commanded.
Rebel didn’t hesitate a moment, his feet
immediately moving. He walked forward, not
stopping until he stood directly in front of Jochen.
Or maybe the better way to put it would be, he
didn’t stop until their bodies were just inches from
touching. While Rebel stood a few inches shorter,
it only made it so they had the perfect angle for
kissing.
Rebel tried to do just that, tilting his head back
a bit so their lips could brush together. At the last
second, Jochen pulled back and gave a slight
shake of his head. “Not until I say so.”
The cutest whimper of distress burst from
Rebel’s pouting lips, almost making Jochen smile.
Oh yeah, this was going to be the best summer yet,
Jochen no longer had any doubt of that fact.
Rebel looked so pretty, mouth parted, eyes
begging for some attention, his hard body
swaying into Jochen. It was everything Jochen
wanted in a bed buddy and so much more. When
Jochen stroked the side of Rebel’s cheek and the
goalie trembled with need, the picture became
complete.
“Please, I need you to touch me,” Rebel panted.
“I am touching you.”
To prove his point, Jochen ran the back of his
fingers along Rebel’s cheek again. This time in
58
Blind Pass
addition to the trembling, Jochen garnered a
moan, the sound going straight to his cock.
“You know what I mean, damn it. I never took
you for a tease,” Rebel said, finally showing some
of his normal fire.
“If I’m such a tease, maybe I should just walk
away and leave you here alone.”
It was an empty threat because there was no
way Jochen was walking out of the room until
he’d thoroughly fucked Rebel. The other man
didn’t know that though. Rebel’s eyes grew wide
with alarm as he shook his head.
“Sorry, I’ll try to be more patient.”
“Good boy,” Jochen praised.
He decided to layer his compliment with a kiss.
It was just a brief one, the barest brushing of the
lips, but that small contact still made Jochen’s
head spin. Going by the way he latched onto
Jochen’s shoulders, as if needing the support, it
affected Rebel the same way.
Never being one to be short on words, Rebel let
out a happy sigh before whispering, “Wow.”
This time, Jochen couldn’t hold back his smile.
Snaking one hand around Rebel’s waist, Jochen
grabbed him by the ass and pulled him in tight. As
soon as he felt the undeniable proof of Rebel’s
arousal pressing into him, Jochen let out a moan of
his own.
Dipping his head down, Jochen pressed their
59
Stephani Hecht
lips together once more, this time making it a long,
hard, deep kiss. Slipping his tongue inside, he
allowed himself to linger, so he could savor the
sweet taste of Rebel.
Rebel let out another whimper, his hands
digging into Jochen’s shoulders. At the same time,
he began to roll his hips so his erection ground
against Jochen. While Jochen knew he should give
Rebel a verbal slap on the nose and stop him, it
felt too good to have the goalie rubbing against
him. So Jochen let the small infraction slide.
It wasn’t until the need to breathe overrode his
desire that Jochen broke the kiss. They pressed
their foreheads together as they panted.
“If we do agree to this, there has to be some
rules,” he said.
Rebel nodded. “Okay.”
“First, everything stays in the bedroom. I have
no intentions of parading my private life in the
papers like Sergei and Kip.”
“I feel exactly the same way. I don’t want to
have to go back and become Cougar food, plus my
family would freak if they found out I was with
another guy.”
“Second, I call the shots.”
Rebel glanced up from under his lashes, the
gleam of excitement unmistakable. “Okay, but
only if you agree that I won the shoot out today.”
Jochen had to bite the inside of his cheek to
60
Blind Pass
hold in the laughter. Life was never going to be
dull with Rebel and his smart mouth around.
Speaking of which…
“You never do let up, do you? I guess we’re
going to have to find some creative ways to shut
you up.”
Jochen put his hand on the top of Rebel’s head
and pushed down. Nobody could ever accuse
Rebel of being dense. He got the hint quickly,
dropping to his knees. Unlike Rebel, Jochen wore
jeans so there were a couple of moments of flyfumbling. Rebel proved to be determined though
and soon had Jochen’s cock out.
Rebel looked up, his expression clearly asking
for permission. Jochen nodded once. While
outwardly he presented a picture of calm, inside,
his body burned with a raw need unlike any he’d
ever felt before. His hand still remained on the top
of Rebel’s head. Jochen spread out his fingers,
reveling in the soft texture, he then gave the
strands a gentle tug in a clear get-to-it message.
After letting out a hum of pleasure, Rebel
leaned forward and ran his tongue up the
underside of Jochen’s dick. Pleasure shot through
Jochen, forcing him to bite his bottom lip to hold
back a yell.
Rebel licked him again, this time his tongue
sliding around to swirl over the head of Jochen’s
cock.
61
Stephani Hecht
“That’s it. Just like that,” Jochen moaned.
That must have been the encouragement Rebel
needed because he parted his lips and took Jochen
in. Rebel moved so slow, it was almost torture, his
hot mouth sucking Jochen’s dick inch-by-inch. He
didn’t stop until he’d taken in every bit.
“Damn,” Jochen panted.
He couldn’t help but be impressed. While he
wasn’t huge, he wasn’t that small either, yet Rebel
had managed it all without so much as a gag.
Before Jochen could even relish that fact for long,
Rebel pulled back, sucking in his cheeks at the
same time.
As Rebel began to set a steady rhythm, his head
bopping up and down, Jochen stroked his hair. At
the same time, he murmured words of praise to
Rebel since he knew the goalie loved hearing
them. Shit, if that’s all it took to get this kind of
treatment, Jochen would give the guy a full novel
worth of them.
While he wanted it to go on until he blew,
Jochen didn’t want their first time to end inside
Rebel’s mouth. He forced himself to pull on
Rebel’s hair until the man got the hint. Rebel
settled back on his heels, Jochen’s cock slipping
from his swollen, glistening lips.
“Do you know how beautiful you look right
now? On your knees in front of me?” Jochen
asked.
62
Blind Pass
Rebel ran a tongue over his lips as he shook his
head.
“I could come just from looking at you like
this,” Jochen confessed as he trailed a finger along
Rebel’s jaw.
When Rebel turned into the touch, a burst of
possessiveness went through Jochen. By the end of
the night, he vowed to know every inch of Rebel.
To know what made him gasp from arousal, moan
in ecstasy, scream with pleasure.
“Strip and get on your bed,” Jochen ordered.
Rebel rose gracefully to his feet and began to
slowly peel off his clothes. Jochen watched the
sensual show, looking away only long enough to
grab a condom and bottle of lube from his top
dresser drawer. He’d brought them along on a
whim and now gave himself a mental back pat for
actually thinking ahead for once.
Once he was nude, Rebel went to the bed and
flopped down on his back, his legs splayed open.
It gave him a whole, debauched look that had
Jochen moaning in appreciation.
“Are you going to get naked, too?” Rebel asked.
His hand went out to tentatively stroke his
cock. Jochen took a moment to drink in the image
in front of him. Rebel possessed a perfect body,
lean and muscular. All the hours on the ice made
it so he didn’t carry an ounce of extra fat. Even his
dick was perfect. Long and thick, it curled up
63
Stephani Hecht
toward his stomach, a drop of pre-cum forming at
the tip. Rebel used his thumb to wipe it away,
before pumping his shaft a few times.
Not needing any more incentive, Jochen began
to divest himself of his jeans and t-shirt. Once he
had them off, he kicked the clothing to the side,
tossed the condom and lube on the bed and
climbed on top of Rebel.
“Funny how we seem to keep ending up in this
position,” Rebel teased as he gazed up at Jochen.
“Except this time you’re not getting up until
we’ve both come.” Jochen picked up the bottle of
lube and handed to Rebel. “Squeeze some of this
onto my hand.”
Rebel swallowed, his eyes flaring with passion
as he reached up and took the bottle. With shaking
fingers, he cracked the lid and squirted some of
the liquid onto Jochen’s raised palm.
Lowering his head, Jochen captured Rebel’s lips
in a demanding kiss. At the same time, he reached
between Rebel’s legs and used one finger to circle
the man’s opening.
Jochen thrust it in, swallowing Rebel’s gasp of
pleasure. Damn, he was tight. So much so, that
Jochen could barely wait to get his cock in balls
deep. It took all he had in him not to do so right
away, instead of being patient. The only thing that
held him back was that he didn’t want to cause
Rebel even one second of avoidable pain.
64
Blind Pass
After a few moments, Jochen added a second
finger, spreading them out some to help stretch
Rebel. Arching against him, Rebel let out a louder
noise that would have probably alerted the entire
camp, had it not been for the fact they were still
kissing.
Jochen pulled his mouth away long enough to
give an admonishing, “Shhh…”
“I’m trying. It’s just been so long and it feels so
good.”
“How long?” Jochen felt compelled to ask as he
continued to saw his fingers in and out.
“Six months and then it was just with some
random guy I met online.”
Jochen stilled, fear going through him. “Do you
realize how dangerous that can be?”
“I was desperate. I needed to make sure it was
somebody who didn’t know who I really was.”
While Jochen understood his anxious need for
anonymity, he still didn’t like Rebel’s methods.
“You have to be more careful. What if the guy
turned out to be a creeper or something?”
“That only happened once and I got out of his
apartment as fast as I could.”
Terrified at the thought of something horrible
happening to the sweet man under him, Jochen
gave him a hard stare. “Next time, call me. We’ll
figure out a safe place to meet. I don’t want you
ever going to those guys again.”
65
Stephani Hecht
Jochen waited until Rebel nodded his consent
before thrusting a third finger inside his hot ass.
Rebel let out a long moan. “Okay, no more
anonymous hookups. I promise, just don’t stop.”
“That’s a good boy.”
Jochen curled his fingers, making sure to brush
over Rebel’s sweet spot. He did that a few times,
until Rebel became a panting mess. Giving him
one last kiss, Jochen took out his fingers and
grabbed the condom.
Once more, he handed the item to Rebel. “Put it
on me.”
Rebel took the condom, his fingers frantic as
they tore open the wrapper. When he slid the latex
over Jochen’s overly sensitive shaft, it felt like both
torture and bliss, the light touch nearly sending
him over the edge. Once it was on, Jochen grabbed
the lube and added a bit more slick to his cock,
before he lined the tip up to Rebel and slowly
pushed in.
They both groaned as Jochen bottomed out.
Once in, he paused so Rebel could adjust. Raining
kisses on Rebel’s neck, Jochen fought against
every instinct in his body that screamed for him to
pound the other man into the mattress.
Soon he felt Rebel’s muscles begin to relax as he
yielded. Only then did Jochen lift his head and
shift his weight back some. He slid his hands
under Rebel’s thighs and spread his legs out,
66
Blind Pass
making the angle better. Once he had Rebel in the
perfect position, Jochen began to thrust in and out.
Jochen looked down, reveling in how he could
see both his cock driving into a sweet ass and the
look of passion on Rebel’s face. It made for such a
perfect picture that Jochen didn’t even care that
the tiny bed squeaked a bit or that the thin
mattress bit into his knees.
Since Jochen knew that neither of them would
last long their first round, he issued another
command, “Stroke yourself. I want to see you
come.”
“Oh, thank God.” Rebel sighed with profound
relief. He reached down and wrapped his fingers
around his cock. A flush built up over his cheeks
and chest, showing how close he was to the edge.
Jochen began to thrust harder and faster,
wanting to find his pleasure at the same time. Just
as he began to reach the end of his control, Rebel
let out a muffled cry. He stiffened, ropes of cum
shooting from his cock.
“So good,” Jochen moaned as he came, too.
He gave one last thrust, his dick filling the
condom. Waves of pleasure slammed into his
body, making it temporarily impossible to breathe,
let alone talk. He even saw stars, just like in some
cheesy, erotic novel.
Jochen collapsed on top of his lover. Rebel’s
legs were still spread in a bit of an awkward
67
Stephani Hecht
position, but since goalies were supposed to be
flexible, Jochen didn’t think Rebel would complain
too much.
“We get to do this all summer?” Rebel asked
after a few moments of recovery time.
“Yes.”
“Hot damn. I suddenly feel like one of the
luckiest guys in Canada.”
Jochen laughed even as he silently agreed.
68
Blind Pass
Chapter Six
T
he next few weeks passed by in a blur for
Rebel. Not only were the days full of work,
but the nights were some of the best in his life.
He’d grown used to not only Jochen’s passion
with lovemaking, but also the way he was outside
of the bedroom. With each day, Rebel found
himself becoming more drawn to Jochen.
He wasn’t the only one who fell under the
forward’s spell either. Most of the campers grew
to like the easygoing man. Jochen managed to be
knowledgeable, yet fun at the same time. While he
didn’t have an outgoing sense of humor like
Rebel, Jochen held a dry wit that was just as
funny.
When the first set of campers left, the new ones
soon grew to adore Jochen, too. Rebel couldn’t
blame them. He was willing to admit, at least to
himself, that he was completely gaga over the guy.
The only wrinkle in the perfect summer was the
fact that it was getting harder to hide their secret.
69
Stephani Hecht
While they always made sure to keep their
bedroom door locked and their embraces private,
Rebel found himself constantly in danger of
slipping up. Be it a casual caress on the arm, or a
heated look, several times he caught himself
almost committing a telling act while they were in
public.
Rebel felt frustrated by both the problem and
himself for letting it come up in the first place.
When they’d first started sleeping together, both
of them had made it clear that it would be just a
buddy-fuck relationship. So, Rebel had no
business letting himself get sappy over Jochen.
Yet he couldn’t help the feelings building up
inside him. The ones that made him always want
to seek Jochen out, even in a crowded room. Or to
call Jochen when they were apart, just so he could
hear the man’s voice.
Damn it all, Rebel knew that made him come
off as some chick from a show on the CW
network, but he seemed powerless to stop it.
The campers were settling in for the night and
he was in the kitchen grabbing a snack. While
dinner had been a couple of hours ago, Rebel had
been dealing with a homesick ten-year old and
missed the meal. So he decided to make do with a
PBJ since he didn’t feel like cooking, even if it was
just popping leftovers into the microwave.
“Hey, there you are,” Jochen said as he came in.
70
Blind Pass
Rebel licked the knife clean before tossing it
into the sink. He tried his hardest to pull off a
causal pose, even though every cell in his body
screamed for him to go to Jochen.
Jochen proved to be a big temptation, too. He
wore his usual jeans, but opted for bare feet and a
tank top. It showed off his muscular arms
perfectly. Rebel’s throat grew dry as he recalled all
the times those arms had pinned him down to the
mattress so Jochen could give him a good, hard
fucking.
“Yeah, I was hungry,” Rebel replied stupidly,
his gaze still locked on Jochen’s arms.
Jochen darted a quick glance at the door.
Nobody must have been lingering because he
came over and gave Rebel a quick kiss. Rebel
pulled back in surprise, his hand going to his lips.
The kiss had been nice—really, really nice if he
wanted to be honest, but it was unexpected. Before
then, Jochen hadn’t touched him intimately
outside of the bedroom.
“Aren’t you afraid somebody will see us?”
Rebel asked.
“Nobody has caught us yet, so I think we can
risk one tiny kiss.”
“Yeah, but somebody could walk in at any
moment.”
“Does that mean you didn’t like it?”
Rebel lowered his hand, a heat coming over his
71
Stephani Hecht
face. “No, you know I love it any time you touch
me. I just wasn’t expecting it.”
“Hurry up and eat. We’re going out tonight.”
“We are?”
Rebel frowned. The night just kept getting
weirder and weirder.
“Yeah, since we haven’t had any time away
from the job yet, Robby gave us tonight off. He
suggested the bar, but I would rather go to a
movie if that’s okay with you.”
While Rebel felt for certain that Ashley knew
something was going on between them, he knew
that Robby didn’t suspect. He probably only
suggested they go off together because outwardly
they were coming off as good friends.
“That’s fine with me. There is a ton of good
movies out that I’d love to see. Are we going with
an action flick or something scary?”
“How about we decide once we get there?”
Jochen suggested.
Rebel nodded his agreement. He ate his
sandwich, while Jochen grabbed a shirt and shoes
and they went out to Jochen’s car. Once they
arrived at the theater, they quickly agreed on the
newest superhero flick. It turned out to be nothing
more than high budget effects with a low budget
script. In other words, something Rebel would
normally enjoy the hell out of.
Not this time. All he could do was focus on the
72
Blind Pass
fact that, while they sat mere inches apart, they
couldn’t touch each other. All around them other
couples snuggled, shared popcorn, stole kisses, yet
Rebel couldn’t even reach out and grab Jochen’s
hand.
Knock it off. You were the dumbass who agreed to
this. So don’t think that you can change the rules midplay. Rebel admonished himself. That still didn’t
ease the ache of hurt building up in his chest.
He didn’t realize the film ended until the lights
came on and everyone started to get up. Rebel
glanced down at his tub of still full popcorn, his
heart heavy as he felt awkward around Jochen for
the first time since the beginning of summer.
“Well that one was so bad that I’m going to
have to buy it as soon as it comes out on DVD,”
Jochen declared.
When Rebel just stared dumbly at him, Jochen
elaborated, “You know, because it’s so bad that
it’s good. Which means it earns a spot on the
keeper shelf.”
“Oh, yeah. I get it now,” Rebel replied with a
forced laugh.
Jochen gave him a strange look before they got
up and filed out of the theater. As they exited, a
blast of unseasonable cool air hit Rebel. He
shivered and wished that he’d thought ahead and
brought a hoodie with him. While he may be a
hockey player, he hated the cold. He knew that
73
Stephani Hecht
was a bit ironic, but he couldn’t help it, even when
his brothers ribbed him about it.
They got inside the car and Jochen turned on
the engine. “Sorry, this thing is so old that it takes
forever for it to get warmed up.”
“That’s okay,” Rebel replied dully as he looked
out the passenger side window.
“Are you feeling all right tonight?”
“Sure, why shouldn’t I be?”
“Well, because you hardly said a word all
evening. Usually, I can’t pay you to shut up.”
Rebel shrugged, still keeping his gaze locked on
the window. “I’m fine. Just ducky.”
There was a heavy pause, as if Jochen were
mulling over Rebel’s response. Finally Jochen put
the car into drive. Instead of pulling out onto the
street, he directed the car to a deserted part of the
parking lot. Once he found a new spot for the car,
Jochen put it back into park, then turned to Rebel.
“Okay, we’re not moving until you tell me what
in the hell is going on,” Jochen demanded.
Had they been in the bedroom, Rebel would
have rushed to follow Jochen’s order. But then
they weren’t in the bedroom. No, they were in
some cold-ass car, in a deserted parking lot. So,
Rebel decided he didn’t have to obey for shit.
“No.”
The look of surprise on Jochen’s face was
almost comical. He even did that gaped-mouth
74
Blind Pass
fish thing for a second, before he recovered and
snapped his lips shut.
“Did you just tell me no?”
“Yeah, I did. I know that may be a little rough
on your ego, but live with it. Now take me home.
I’m tired and we have to get up early in the
morning.”
Rebel really got snitty then, even going so far as
crossing his arms over his chest. It was either that
or really give into his temper and punch the dash.
Going by how old Jochen’s car looked, it couldn’t
take the abuse.
“Why are you being such a brat?” Jochen
demanded.
Now it was Rebel who pulled an outraged face.
“Did you just say brat?”
“I sure did.”
“Kids are brats. Puppies are brats. Sixteen-year
old debutants who didn’t get the birthday car they
wanted are brats. Full-grown men aren’t.”
“You sure as hell could have fooled me.
Because I happen to think I’m looking at one right
now.”
Rebel took several breaths in a vain attempt to
calm his anger. “Just forget it and let’s go back
home.”
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”
Yeah, like Rebel could tell Jochen that he’d
fallen for him as something more than a good
75
Stephani Hecht
fuck. “Just leave it. It’s nothing you did wrong.”
“Obviously it affects me or else you wouldn’t
be giving me such an attitude.”
“Please, just forget it.”
Jochen reached out and grabbed Rebel’s chin,
tugging until their gazes met. “No, not until you
talk to me.”
Rebel tried to pull away, but Jochen wasn’t
having any of it. He just tightened his grip. Finally
out of desperation, Rebel blurted, “I fucked up
and broke the rule.”
“What rule was that?”
“I didn’t leave it in the bedroom.”
Jochen gave a slight shake of his head. “I don’t
understand.”
“I tried to keep it just about fucking. To not let
myself get too emotionally involved, just like we
promised we would. It didn’t work though and
now all I want is to be with you.”
“What do you mean be with me?”
Rebel let out a growl of frustration. Jochen
picked a hell of a time to be slow on the draw.
“I want to have a real relationship, just like
everybody else in the world. I’m sick of us having
to hide what we do, like we’re each other’s dirty
little secret.”
“We are each other’s secret.”
“Why? Because we’re gay? So the fuck what?
Maybe we didn’t choose to be this way, but it’s
76
Blind Pass
who we are, so why in the hell should we be made
to feel ashamed of it?”
Jochen reached up with his other hand and
cupped Rebel’s cheeks. “Babe, if this comes out
about us, being ashamed is going to be the least of
your worries. Your team will make you suffer. I
remember how it was when Sergei went through
that. It would kill me to have the same thing
happen to you.”
“It doesn’t matter to me anymore. I care more
about you than I fear them.”
“What about your family? You’ve told me
numerous times that they’d freak if they found out
you were gay.”
“It’ll be tough for them at first, but I’m sure if I
break it to them gently, they’ll eventually come
around.”
Or at least he hoped they would. They were
really religious and never hid the fact that they
considered homosexuality a sin, even going so far
as to call it the work of the devil. But surely they’d
changed their views once they found out that one
of their own was gay.
Reaching up to put his fingers around Jochen’s
wrist, Rebel took a deep breath and took the
biggest risk of his life. “Please, tell me that maybe,
just maybe, you could feel the same way about
me. That being with me is worth all the risks we’ll
take by coming out.”
77
Stephani Hecht
Jochen didn’t say anything. He just blinked a
few times, his face as impassive as an old style
goalie mask.
Despair crashed into Rebel as his heart
shattered. He took in a shuddering breath as he
began to shrink back.
“I do feel the same way about you,” Jochen
croaked.
Rebel paused in mid-retreat, his pulse racing
with renewed hope. “You do?”
“Damn it, but yes I do.”
“You don’t need to sound so happy about it,”
Rebel snapped sarcastically.
“I’m happy that you feel the same way about
me. I’m just scared as hell about what will happen
to you once this all gets out.”
“You sure you’re still not worried about your
career?”
Rebel recalled all the nights they’d lain together
while Jochen talked about his aspiration to be
called up to the NHL. It was almost like an
obsession to the guy.
Jochen blinked, a bewildered expression
crossing his face. “No, strangely enough, that
doesn’t matter so much to me anymore. I care
more about you.”
Joy surged through Rebel, making him feel fifty
pounds lighter. “Holy crap, you really mean that,
don’t you?”
78
Blind Pass
By way of answer, Jochen brought his head
down and pressed their lips together. Rebel didn’t
miss a beat, one hand snaking out to cup the back
of Jochen’s head. Rebel returned the kiss, allowing
all his passion and desires to carry over. They
made out for a few moments, before they parted
just enough to let the other breathe.
“We have to be careful how we go public about
this though. I still don’t want you going back to
that locker room unless we know it’s perfectly
safe,” Jochen said.
“Okay.”
“Let me call Sergei in the morning and ask him
for some advice. Then we can decide on a plan of
action.”
Rebel nodded. He was so happy that at that
moment, he’d agree to just about anything. Jochen
smiled, a wicked gleam coming over his eyes. “Do
you know what I think?”
“What?” Rebel asked, a spike of arousal hitting
him.
“I think that we should celebrate.”
“And just how do you want to do that?”
“Like this.”
Before Rebel could ask him to expound any
further, Jochen bent over and began to fumble
with the fly of Rebel’s jeans. A gasp of shock burst
from Rebel’s lips as he cast a furtive glance around
the parking lot. Finding it still deserted, save for
79
Stephani Hecht
some empty cars and a van, he relaxed.
“You are not going to give me a blowjob right
here in the car,” Rebel protested, even as he felt
the zipper to his pants being lowered.
Jochen pulled out Rebel’s cock and blew on the
tip. “Oh, I think I am.”
“Shit, when you decide to come out, you really,
really come out.”
The last word came out as a yelp, pleasure
shooting through Rebel as a warm heat enveloped
his cock. Looking down, he encountered a perfect
picture of Jochen, his head tilted slightly as his lips
stretched around Rebel’s width.
For once Rebel didn’t have to worry about
keeping it quiet, so he let out a long moan as
Jochen began to suck him off. Due to the awkward
angle and the urgency of the situation, it wasn’t
the best blowjob Jochen had ever given him, but
Rebel still treasured it.
For once the pleasure was freely given, without
any concessions or rules. It was just about two
guys who cared for each other and wanted
something more than a quick, meaningless fuck.
While Rebel wanted the moment to last forever,
he soon found his pleasure cresting. He gasped
out a warning, but Jochen didn’t pull back, he only
sucked faster and harder.
Rebel came, screaming Jochen’s name as he did
so. Thrusting up, he released into Jochen’s eager
80
Blind Pass
mouth. Jochen continued to suck until every drop
had been wrung from Rebel.
“We really need to celebrate more often,
because that was fan-frigging-tastic,” Rebel
breathed.
Jochen tucked him back in and did his pants
back up, before sitting up. Rebel brought him in
for a deep lingering kiss that involved a lot of
tongues and love bites.
“What about you?” Rebel asked, one hand
going down to cup Jochen’s hard cock.
“You can take care of me all night.”
“I think I like the sound of that idea. Then in the
morning, we can decide how we can come out,
while keeping my ass intact.”
“I hope so,” Jochen gave a sly look. “I’ve
become pretty attached to that ass. It belongs to
me now and I’m not going to let some Cougar get
it.”
81
Stephani Hecht
Chapter Seven
sat up on one elbow and gazed down at a
Jochen
sleeping Rebel. While the sun had risen, the
rays coming in weakly through the curtains
covering the one window of the room, it was still
early. Too early for anyone who was sane to be up,
yet there Jochen was, wide awake with nothing
better to do than to stare at his lover.
Not that he was complaining—much. Sure it
may be cramped on the twin bed. It barely held
one grown man, let alone two. It was a small price
to pay to be able to hold Rebel in his arms.
Using his free hand, Jochen lightly traced
Rebel’s brow. The goalie barely stirred, no doubt
worn out from their marathon sex session. After
they’d come home, they’d gone down to their
room and celebrated by screwing their brains out.
Or as Rebel now liked to put it, they’d made love like
two horny bunnies in heat.
Jochen sighed happily, still not able to believe
82
Blind Pass
how quickly his life had changed and for the
better. When he’d first arrived at the camp, he
thought he knew the course to take in order to be
happy. Then a smartass, blond with a wicked
sense of humor had blown into Jochen’s life and
shown him just how wrong he’d been.
Money. Fame. Fancy cars. An NHL contract.
None of them could compare to the happiness he
felt when he had Rebel in his arms. Maybe they’d
only known each other a few weeks, but it was
enough for Jochen to know that there was a real
possibility that he could have something special if
he just took the chance.
Adele’s Rolling in the Deep began to play loudly,
alerting Jochen he had a call. Wondering who
could be calling at such an early hour, he rolled
out of bed and scrambled around, until he found
his cell in his jeans pocket. He pulled it out,
frowning when he saw it was Aldrich.
“Hey, what’s up?” Jochen greeted.
“You are. As in up on the net. And not in a
good superstar hockey player way, but a bad
Kardashian worthy scandal kind of way,” Aldrich
replied in an urgent tone.
“What in the hell are you talking about?”
“You have your laptop nearby?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then fire it up and go to the Net Wanker blog.”
Jochen grunted in disgust. “Why would I want
83
Stephani Hecht
to do that? That guy who runs it is an asshat.”
“Just do it.”
After rolling his eyes, Jochen fired up his
computer and waited for the internet to come up.
Rebel rolled over and rubbed his eyes. “What’s
going on?”
“I don’t know. Aldrich is freaking out about
something.”
“You will be, too, once you know what’s going
on,” Aldrich snapped.
“Why are you getting on your computer?”
Rebel asked as he got up.
Wrapping the blanket around his waist, he
came up behind Jochen and peered over his
shoulder. “What are you going to the Net Wanker
for? That guy is a real asshat. The only things he
ever writes about are all gossipy or just plain
mean. One time, he even called me fat.”
Jochen bit back a laugh. “That’s only because
he’s never seen you naked. I can assure you that
you have a damn hot body.”
“Ewww….” Aldrich groaned. “I’m still on the
phone with you and I can hear everything you
guys are saying.”
Jochen laughed, the smile staying on his face
until the blog started to slowly load onto his
computer. Then once he saw what was on the site,
his stomach clenched in dread. One-by-one
different pictures of he and Rebel popped up onto
84
Blind Pass
the screen. The images were a bit grainy and
blurry, due to the fact they were taken at night
and at what appeared to be a bit of a distance.
They were still clear enough to show a distinct
visual, and it was a damning one. They’d all been
taken the night before and they provided a
snapshot-by-snapshot replay of their encounter in
the car. It started with them arguing, moved on to
an image of Jochen cupping Rebel’s face, then
went on to one of them making out. The next one
brought a flush to Jochen’s face, even though he
wasn’t in it, because it showed Rebel, a look of lust
on his face as he gazed down at his lap. Going by
that it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out where
Jochen had gone. Especially since the final image
showed Rebel, head thrown back, mouth open in a
soundless cry of passion.
“Do I really get that goofy look on my face
when I come?” Rebel asked.
Jochen turned to ask him how he could joke at a
time like this, only to find Rebel pale, his eyes
wide with shock. His bottom lip trembled as his
gaze traveled over the screen. His joking must
have been a lame attempt at a coping mechanism
because the next time Rebel spoke, his voice was
laced with hysteria, “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.
How in the hell did somebody manage to get
pictures of us together? We checked and nobody
was around. Unless of course somebody was
85
Stephani Hecht
hiding out in that van and spying on us, which
takes creepy to a whole new level. That would
make this guy an asshat and a stalker.”
“He doesn’t even know the half of this,”
Aldrich cut in. “News of this has already spread
all over the web. Even some of the major sports
networks have picked up the story. My mom
called me this morning to wake me up and tell me
about it.”
If Aldrich’s mom knew, that would mean that
Jochen’s did, too. A bit of a sticky situation given
he’d never told her he was gay. As important as
that was, Jochen quickly filed that worry away for
later since Rebel had begun to tremble violently.
“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll call you later,”
Jochen told Aldrich.
Jochen hung up the phone and turned to Rebel.
Pulling the younger man into his arms, Jochen
gave him a tight squeeze. “It’ll be okay. We were
going to go public, this just pushed us out there
sooner.”
“I didn’t want it to happen this way. My family
doesn’t even know that I’m gay and now they’re
going to have those images of me bombarded at
them.”
“I’m sure they’ll be supportive. After all didn’t
you say that your brothers were protective of
you?”
“When it comes to bullies and stuff, yeah, but
86
Blind Pass
this is different. My whole family is devout
Pentecostal.”
“How devout?”
“I wasn’t even allowed to listen to rock music
or read books like Harry Potter?”
Jochen blinked a few times, shocked that
somebody as snarky as Rebel managed to come
from such a strict background. “Wow, I’m amazed
they even named you Rebel.”
“That was before, during my mom’s wild years.”
Rebel made air quotes in the air. “She used to have
this big thing for James Dean, so she named me
after one of her favorite movies.”
“Well, maybe she’ll understand. After all,
wasn’t Sal Mineo in that? He was gay.”
Rebel gave him a droll look. “I seriously doubt
that will make a difference to her. I was kind of
hoping to ease them into this.”
“I don’t think there is any way you can just ease
into this, babe.”
Rebel ran a hand through his hair, making it
stand on end.
Normally Jochen would have thought it made
him look even cuter, but Rebel was still way too
pale for his liking.
“Do you want to call her? Give her a warning.”
“I guess I better. We need to tell Robby about
this, too.”
Jochen nodded in agreement. There was bound
87
Stephani Hecht
to be some bad publicity coming the man’s way
due to their screw-up. The least they owed him
was to hear about it from them.
“I’ll go talk to him. You phone your mother,”
Jochen suggested.
“Are you sure? I’ve known Robby for much
longer.”
Yeah, Jochen was damn sure. It was already
hard enough on Rebel, what with him having to
face his family. He didn’t need the added stress of
having to have that same conversation with his
mentor, too. Jochen would help his lover by taking
one of those loads on himself.
“I’m positive.”
They quickly got dressed and Jochen went to
find Robby. As he left, he could hear Rebel
phoning his mother. Jochen only hoped the
conversation went better than the goalie
anticipated. He knew that he would have to call
his own mother soon, but she tended to sleep late,
plus he wanted things cleared with Robby first.
He found the coach in his office. His wife,
Ashley, was with him. Robby sat at his desk, she
stood behind him, bent over his shoulder as they
both looked at a computer. Jochen’s stomach
dropped because he had a pretty good idea that
they weren’t looking at Angry Birds on that thing.
He gave a soft knock on the doorframe. They
glanced up at him, neither appearing too
88
Blind Pass
surprised to see him there. They didn’t look very
angry either, which he took as a hopeful sign, as
tiny as it may be.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“Of course,” Ashley said, gesturing to a chair in
front of the desk.
Jochen sat down and took a deep breath. “I’m
sure you already saw the pictures.”
Robby stared at him a few moments. Jochen
held his breath in anticipation. Since he didn’t
know the man that well, he couldn’t tell what he
may be thinking.
Finally Robby gave a small nod, “Yeah, a parent
emailed me the article.”
Oh, boy. If the parents were already getting
involved, then it couldn’t be good. “I’m sorry, I
was the one who initiated it, not Rebel. So if
you’re going to let somebody go, it should be me.
He’s worked so long for you, I don’t want this to
ruin your relationship.”
“Neither do I,” Robby replied.
Jochen allowed himself to feel a little bit happy
that at least he’d been able to salvage Rebel’s job.
“I just need an hour to pack and I’ll be out of
here.”
“Where in the hell do you think you’re going?”
A heavy dash of confusion hit Jochen. “I just
assumed that you wouldn’t want all the bad
publicity hitting your school.”
89
Stephani Hecht
Robby let out a curse. “It’s not your fault. It’s
that damn Net Wanker blog’s doing.”
“I hate that asshat,” Ashley hissed angrily.
“But aren’t the parents going to be mad if I
stay?”
Robby leaned forward and pinned Jochen with
a determined stare. “You let me worry about that.
I just want you and Rebel to keep doing what you
have been and that’s being great instructors for
my school.”
Jochen let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you so
much for being so understanding. I know this
must have been a shock for you.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “Are you serious?
We’ve known all along. All the staff have, in fact.”
Jochen froze in shock. And here he and Rebel
thought they’d been so discreet. “They have?
How?”
He only prayed it hadn’t been because their
room had thin walls, or else he didn’t think he’d
be able to look any of them in the eye again.
Ashley gave a soft laugh. “With the way you
two look at each other, it wasn’t too hard to figure
out. Plus, you and Rebel have been inseparable
since the beginning of summer.”
“How is Rebel reacting to all this?” Robby
asked.
“Not too well. While he and I already made up
our minds to come out, we were hoping to do it
90
Blind Pass
more gently than this. He’s on the phone with his
mother right now.”
“That won’t be good,” Ashley said. “I never did
like that woman. She was always too hard on
Rebel.”
“I should get back to him,” Jochen replied,
suddenly eager to comfort Rebel in case the call to
his parents turned sour.
At least he had some good news to share.
Jochen got up and went back to the room. On the
way, he passed a couple of the other instructors,
all of them giving him words of encouragement
and Jochen allowed himself to believe that maybe
things would work out okay after all.
Those hopes were dashed the moment he
walked into their room. Rebel sat on his bed, his
back to the wall. He had his knees tucked to his
chest as he stared out the window. Even at that
angle, Jochen could see the bleak despair in his
lover’s normally dancing green eyes. While Rebel
wasn’t outwardly crying, the sadness still carried
over in the way his bottom lip trembled just the
slightest bit.
“Shit,” Jochen breathed, his heart breaking at
the sight.
He rushed over, sat down on the bed and
pulled Rebel into his arms. Rebel went without a
fight, sinking into Jochen’s chest.
“What happened?” Jochen asked as he stroked
91
Stephani Hecht
Rebel’s hair.
“I’ve been disowned.”
“By your mother?”
“No, by my entire family, even my brothers
don’t want me anymore.”
Jochen shook his head, shock momentarily
making him speechless. He couldn’t imagine his
parents, much less his sister, turning on him that
way. He finally managed to ask, “Even the brother
you’ve been living with?”
Rebel nodded. “I was told not to even bother
coming back to pack. That my things would be
shipped to me. They don’t want me entering their
house and tainting it with my sin.”
“Those sons of bitches. They have no right to
treat you that way.”
Rebel gave a half-shrug. “I kind of expected it.
Deep down I knew there would be no easing them
into this. I was just deluding myself.”
Jochen pulled back to gaze down at Rebel. “If
you knew that, why did you suggest that we come
out at all?”
Rebel looked up, his eyes wet with unshed
tears. “Because you mean that much to me.”
Never had Jochen felt so humble than at that
moment. To realize that Rebel would so willingly
make such a huge sacrifice for him nearly
overwhelmed Jochen. He swallowed hard as he
gave Rebel a tight hug. At the same time, Jochen
92
Blind Pass
vowed that he’d do everything in his power to
prove himself worthy of Rebel’s gesture.
“What did Robby say?” Rebel asked.
“That they knew about us all along and we
aren’t to go anywhere. Our jobs are still secure
here.”
“He wasn’t mad?”
“Well, yeah, but it was directed at the blog, not
us.”
Rebel snuggled in deeper. “Are you going to
call your parents?”
“Yeah, I should probably do that before we
leave for the rink.”
“Do you want me to leave the room to give you
some privacy?”
“No, I’m not ready to let go of you yet.”
Jochen gave the top of Rebel’s head a kiss, then
wiggled just a bit so he could fish his cell from his
pants. Still holding Rebel, Jochen called his
mother’s number. She picked up on the first ring,
letting him know she’d been anticipating his call.
“That damn asshat!” she declared upon
answering.
“So, I take it you heard the news?” Jochen
ventured carefully.
“If you can call what he puts on his blog news.”
Jochen paused, not sure if some of that anger
was directed at him. “Are you upset at me?”
“Why would I be mad at you? Although, I can
93
Stephani Hecht
think of better places to get frisky than your car.
Isn’t that a bit juvenile for somebody your age?”
His breath hitched a bit as he wondered just
how many curveballs were going to be thrown his
way that morning. “It doesn’t matter to you that I
was with another guy?”
“No, why should it?”
“You have no issue with me being gay?”
“Oh, baby, we’ve known that since you were
seven and plastered your bedroom with Brendan
Shanahan posters.”
“So what? Plenty of boys have his posters.”
“Maybe, but not all of them cover them in heart
stickers.”
Jochen paused. Okay, maybe she had a point
there. “How is Dad taking this?”
“Frankly, I think he’s relieved it’s finally out in
the open. He was getting sick of tiptoeing around
the issue. He just wants you to be comfortable and
happy with yourself.”
“Well, crap.”
“What? Were you expecting tears or
something? If so, then just wait for next
Thanksgiving. I’m sure Aldrich will find some
way to dig up enough drama for all of us.”
“I don’t know what I was expecting,” Jochen
admitted. “Although I have to admit I really am
happy with the way you’re taking this.”
“Has Rebel talked to his parents yet?”
94
Blind Pass
Jochen glanced down at his lover. “Yeah, it
didn’t go so well.”
“Oh, that poor baby.” She sighed. “You tell him
that he has us now.”
A wave of gratitude went over Jochen as he
realized just how lucky he was to have been born
into such a crazy family. “I will.”
“He’s really special to you, isn’t he?”
“Yes, how could you tell?”
“By the tone of your voice. A mother has a way
of knowing these things. Whether or not you’re
ready to admit it, that boy is the one for you. You
two just have to be strong enough to stand up to
this challenge.”
As Jochen glanced back down at Rebel, he
silently agreed with his mother. He just hoped
that this mess wouldn’t drive Rebel away, just as
Jochen realized how much he cared for him.
95
Stephani Hecht
Chapter Eight
T
he morning and early afternoon passed by in a
dull blur for Jochen. He tried to lose himself in
the drills and familiar routine, but he continued to
worry about Rebel.
To put it simply, his goalie had lost his spark.
Rebel acted as if he was in a daze, speaking only
when spoken to and not smiling at all. He didn’t
even crack a laugh when one of the other
instructors tripped and made a spectacular face
plant at center ice. Usually a good display at
public humiliation brought a grin to Rebel’s face,
yet this time he didn’t even blink twice.
By the time they got back to the house, Jochen
felt frantic with worry. With each passing
moment, Rebel seemed to be withdrawing deeper
into himself and Jochen didn’t know how to snap
him out of it.
When they got inside, Rebel went straight to the
room, mumbling something about taking a nap.
Jochen was going to go check up on him when the
96
Blind Pass
doorbell rang. Since everybody else was busy with
the campers, Jochen went to answer it.
He opened the door, his mouth dropping in
shock. “Sergei? What are you doing here?”
A thin blond who stood a few inches shorter
than Jochen, Sergei had been a friend for a few
months. He also happened to be one of the few
who knew that Jochen was gay…or rather he used
to be one of the few.
“Sorry it took me so long to get here,” Sergei
said by way of greeting.
“Yeah, it took us over three hours to drive to
this joint,” another voice called.
Jochen peered around Sergei to see who it was.
His shock deepened when he saw another blond
standing there. This one a bit taller and more
muscular. “Trey, what in the hell are you doing
here?
Trey rolled his eyes. “It was either come here or
get stuck babysitting your ugly ass cat. Trust me,
as soon as I laid eyes on the hideous thing, it was
an easy choice.”
“Bangles isn’t ugly,” Jochen protested, still
confused as to why they were standing on the
doorstep.
“Yeah, it is. Plus the thing stinks.”
“She can’t help it.”
“Why in the hell did you name it Bangles? You
would think its looks would be insult enough
97
Stephani Hecht
without tagging it with that moniker.”
“Because Walk Like an Egyptian was too long. I
like that group, so sue me.”
Trey rolled his eyes. “And yet everyone was
shocked to hear that you’re gay.”
Jochen didn’t know whether to be insulted or
not, so he just stepped inside to let them in.
“Sergei, if you’re here, then who has my cat?”
“Kip is taking good care of him, don’t worry.”
“So, why are you two here?”
“We thought you and Rebel could use the
moral support,” Sergei explained.
“How is the little whippersnapper taking it?”
Trey asked.
“Not so well. His family cut him off.”
Sergei winced. “Oh, that sucks. I know how
that feels.”
“And it’s all thanks to that stupid blog. That
asshat,” Trey seethed.
“That seems to be everybody’s opinion,” Jochen
said.
Trey was just adding a few other names when
Rebel walked in. He had his cell in his hand. If he
noticed that Sergei and Trey were there, he didn’t
mention it. He just stood there, his face pinched
with stress as he nibbled on his bottom lip.
“What happened now?” Jochen demanded as
he rushed to Rebel’s side.
“The Cougars just called. They cut me from the
98
Blind Pass
team.”
“What?” Trey yelled, his eyes wide with shock.
“They said they no longer needed me as part of
their roster. They didn’t even try to trade me or
anything, they just gave me the boot.”
“But you have one of the best save records in
the league,” Sergei protested.
“Why would they care about that? It’s not like
they need any help with their game. It’s more fun
to stay in the penalty box and send players to the
hospital,” Trey cut in sarcastically.
“Maybe it’s for the best. I don’t think Rebel
would have felt very welcome there anymore
anyway,” Sergei said with a visible shiver.
Rebel nodded, his gaze locked onto the ground.
He turned to go away, looking more dejected than
ever, aiming for the door at a near run. Jochen
knew then he had to do something before he lost
Rebel forever.
“Stop,” he commanded in a hard tone.
Both Sergei and Trey sucked in a breath of
surprise, but Jochen ignored them. Only Rebel’s
reaction mattered.
Rebel instantly came to a halt, but didn’t turn
around. It was almost as if he were waiting for
another order, some guidance in turmoil. Which
was something Jochen was more than happy to
offer.
“Get back here,” he commanded.
99
Stephani Hecht
Rebel turned around and slowly made his way
back to Jochen. When he got close enough, Jochen
reached up and put two fingers under Rebel’s
chin, forcing him to look up and meet eyes.
“Everything is going to be okay,” Jochen said.
“It is?”
“Yes, you’re going to move in with me and
Aldrich. While we may not live in the nicest of
apartments, it’s better than the streets. Most
importantly, we’ll be together. Then we’re going
to find you a new team.”
“What team is going to want me now?”
“Plenty of them. You’re an awesome goalie and
that’s the only thing the worthy teams are going to
worry about. If any of the others have a problem
with it, then fuck them.”
Rebel stared up, his eyes devoid of all
happiness. Then just as Jochen was about to give
up, he saw it—the tiniest flicker of hope. It gave
him the strength to push on.
“You told me last night and this morning that I
was worth the risk. That you cared for me more
than you feared them. Is that still true?” Jochen
challenged.
“Of course it is.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, he pulled Rebel into
a tight embrace. “Then you can’t give up on me
now. While things may not have gone down the
way we’d hoped, in the end, we have the most
100
Blind Pass
important thing of all—each other.” When Rebel
returned the embrace, Jochen’s heart soared.
“You’re right. That is all that matters.”
They held each other for a few moments, before
Rebel asked, “Why are Trey and Sergei here?”
“We’re here to offer moral support, you dork,”
Trey called.
Rebel laughed. “Well, when you put it that
way, who am I to question? I can just feel the love
pouring off you.”
Trey flipped him off and Rebel laughed harder
as he returned the gesture. As Jochen joined them,
he allowed himself to finally hope that everything
would work out okay, after all.
Sergei and Trey ended up staying for the next
couple of days, joining in to help out at the camp.
A few parents pulled their kids out due to the
scandal, but more called or wrote to offer their
support. The kids all loved Jochen and Rebel, a
sentiment most of the parents shared.
One evening, Jochen was in the rec room with
Trey and Sergei when Rebel burst in. At first
Jochen tensed, sure it would be yet more bad
news, but Rebel had a huge grin on his face and he
almost bounced with excitement.
“Guess who just called me!” he exclaimed.
“If it’s my bookie, tell him I’m not here,” Trey
cracked.
101
Stephani Hecht
Rebel rolled his eyes before saying, “It was the
Grand Rapids Mustangs. They said they couldn’t
believe that the Cougars let me go. Then they
asked me if I would be interested in signing with
them.”
Jochen let out a whoop of excitement as he
hugged Rebel. “That’s great news.”
“It’s still the minor league, but at least I’m
playing again. Plus, Grand Rapids is only an hour
away from Lansing.” Rebel frowned. “I guess I’ll
have to get my own place though, it’ll be too far
for me to drive every day once the season starts.”
“How about we get an apartment halfway
between the two cities?” Jochen suggested, still
holding Rebel.
Rebel gave him a shy smile. “You’d be willing
to do that for me?”
“Of course I would. The only thing is Aldrich
and Bangles will have to come, too.”
“Thank God you’re taking that evil cat with
you. Kip just called and told me that the thing
pissed in my shoes,” Trey griped.
“Maybe that will teach you not to always leave
stuff behind at other people’s houses,” Sergei
retorted.
“Maybe Bangles should just learn better
bladder control.”
“Bangles only pees on people’s things when
they piss her off, so you probably deserved it,”
102
Blind Pass
Jochen said before he turned back to Rebel. “So
what do you say? Are we going to become
permanent roomies?”
Rebel grinned up at him. “I guess I can put up
with one goofy cousin and an ugly cat, so long as I
get to be with you.”
Jochen dipped his head down and captured
Rebel’s kiss in a soft kiss.
Once they broke apart, Rebel asked, “Are you
sure? We’ve only known each other a few weeks,
so I know it may be too soon.”
“I’m positive. Besides, my mom assured me
that you were the one and she’s never steered me
wrong yet.”
As they shared another kiss, Jochen made a
mental note to send his mother a bouquet of
flowers. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said
she was right. Rebel was very special to Jochen
and he never planned on letting him go.
103
About the Author
Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of
two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all
things about the state, from the frigid winters to
the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. Go Wings!
You can usually find her snuggled up to her
laptop, creating her next book or gorging on
caffeine at her favorite coffee shop.