Page 16 of Announcing Love (Sporting Pride #5)

“No. Stop.” Sacha’s tone had his teeth snapping together.

“Look, Artem. I love you. You’re my brother, but I never expected we would spend our entire lives under the same roof.

Even if Bandit hadn’t come along, or my cake business hadn’t taken off, one day Baba would still be gone.

There was always going to come a day you’d be free.

I want this for you. I want this for you so goddamn hard.

You have no idea how many times I’ve cried over the way you’ve lost your life because of our situation. You deserve better. It’s your turn.”

Artem sniffed. His eyes stung. “But I’ll miss all of you.”

Sacha snorted. “Do you really think Baba will let you miss us? You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t end up living with you.”

“She’ll never leave that house. It means too much to her.”

He practically heard Sacha smile. “Not as much as she loves you. You’ve always been her favorite.”

Artem couldn’t stop toying with his bottom lip between every exchange. “Don’t say that. That’s not true. She’s never played favorites.”

Sacha chuckled. “I know she’s always treated us the same, but she feels closer to you. You’re the most like her.”

Artem couldn’t stop the confessions. “She told me this would happen before I left. She said she saw it and I had to choose Tip.”

“Well, there you go. When has she ever been wrong?”

Despite everything, Artem smiled. “Never and it’s so goddamn annoying.”

“Oh my god, so annoying.”

They shared a laugh.

“I’m proud of you, Artey. You were always meant to make it.”

Artem’s throat swelled so fast, it took his breath. “We both were. I love you.”

“I love you too. You let Tip know I expect him to take good care of you and that he doesn’t want me to come down there.”

Artem winced. Sacha could be mean. “He really doesn’t.”

Sacha sniffed. “Damn right he doesn’t.”

A moment of silence fell between them, as if they equally absorbed how much things had changed. Artem finally broke it. “I guess I should get to bed before Tip misses me.”

“I already miss you.”

Artem’s gaze shot toward the doorway. Tip leaned against it with his arms crossed over his chest. Artem had no idea how long he had been there or how much he had heard.

“I love you.”

Sacha’s words brought Artem back to the conversation. “I love you too. Tell everyone I miss them and love them.”

“I will. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Artem ended the call and set the phone aside.

Tip moved to join him on the couch.

Artem suddenly felt the need to explain. “It hit me I had never called Sacha. I figured I better before he showed up with the police.”

“Come here.” Tip urged Artem onto his lap until he straddled him. He traced Artem’s bottom lip with his thumb. “You have no idea how obsessed I am with this sexy mouth. I’ve thought entirely too much about these full lips.”

Artem fought a blush. This wasn’t the conversation he expected.

“Thank you, I guess.” Even he heard how uncomfortable he sounded.

Tip’s gaze lifted from Artem’s mouth to hold his stare.

“I shouldn’t have put you on the spot. You should’ve had time to think and decide if this is really what you want. ”

“It’s really what I want.” He wouldn’t hesitate and let Tip think he had a single doubt.

“The other house still exists. If you’d rather live closer—”

Artem covered his mouth, cutting off all the worries falling from Tip’s lips. “No. If you want me to explain it, I can’t.” He let his hand slip away, but kept talking. “Do you remember that night at the wireless store when I took your picture?”

“Of course.”

Artem swallowed. He hated sounding crazy, but he probably was.

“You looked over at me and I thought, ‘This is who I’ll marry.’ The thought was so clear, it was like someone else said it out loud and you stared at me as if you heard it and believed it too.

” He shrugged, feeling a little uncomfortable now that he had said that aloud.

Tip grinned like an idiot. “Show me the picture you took.”

Artem grabbed his phone and scrolled until he found the image. “Here.”

Tip turned the phone so they could both see it. “Look at that face. That’s the expression of a man who just realized he had met the one.”

He imagined Tip didn’t expect him to take the claim quite so seriously, but studying images was part of who he was. Artem looked into Tip’s eyes in that picture and lost his breath. Tip wasn’t lying. He had known.

“I guess that explains why you freaked on me a little. I can’t imagine you willingly choosing me.”

“But that’s not true. Everything I’ve done since the first time I set eyes on you was to get you to choose me.”

Artem was in love with this conversation, but Tip wore only his underwear, and his body was very distracting.

He ran his hands down Tip’s chest. His gaze followed the motion.

He could already taste him. “Anyone who doesn’t love you is an idiot.

Every time I touch you, I feel like I’ll die if I don’t get to do it again. ”

Tip held on to him and stood before twisting and taking Artem down on the couch.

It felt like hours passed while Tip did nothing but hold and kiss him.

He was hard, but he didn’t care. They felt connected in a way he didn’t want to lose.

Then Tip had his dick out and the air changed. He moved against Artem, gently rocking.

Artem gasped when Tip’s hot cock touched his and the soft skin of his erection slid across Artem’s dick. It was the lightest of friction that drove him insane, but Artem wanted it.

Tip’s tongue never stopped playing with his as he did what he swore he could.

He made love to Artem. Every nerve was ablaze with lust. His toes stayed curled.

Artem’s every fiber was completely focused on the friction between them.

His hips wouldn’t stop lifting, fighting to get closer.

He wanted to beg for more. Then again, this was a new kind of torture.

It was almost as painful as the violent way Tip liked to fuck him.

By the time the pressure built, crawling up his cock, Artem was covered in sweat and pleading.

When his orgasm hit, his body jerked so hard, he nearly bit his tongue.

The strongest orgasm he ever experienced shook him to the core.

Tip’s cum spilled over his cock. If he made a sound, Artem wouldn’t know.

He had lost the ability to hear. Breathing was way out of his skill set.

For a moment, he thought he might die. Then a rush of air filled his lungs, making a sound that might have been embarrassing if he had the ability to think.

“I swear I’ll make you happy.”

They were the most pointless words Artem had ever heard.

He knew Tip. Tip would cut off his own arm before he failed anyone he loved.

That was why it broke Artem’s heart how Tip’s family treated him and the way they had forced him to cut out his heart.

Artem would make it better. He would love Tip so hard, he wouldn’t notice anything missing.

Artem wanted what they lost. He would treasure Tip forever.