Page 15 of Hidden Plays (Desert Football #1)

“Fine, where is it?” I turned him toward the elevator, with him putting some pressure on his knee. Again, why me?

The hotel manager picked up my bag. “Here, don’t forget this. I’ll put my card in here so you can contact me if you need anything.” He slipped a business card into the bag.

“Thanks.” I took it from him. “Maybe you can deliver a free meal to his room, since he probably won’t be joining us for the team dinner?” It was the least they could do.

“Yes, of course, sir.” He dipped his head.

“Let’s go.” I helped Holden to the elevator, with him hobbling beside me. After hitting the call button, I stared at our reflection in the stainless-steel doors. If I didn’t know better, we appeared to be a couple standing there, arm and arm. But that was far from the truth.

The elevator dinged, and the door slid open.

I walked him inside, and he leaned against the wall on his own. “Third floor.” He sighed and frowned. “I can’t believe I didn’t see the water on the floor.”

“It was slick marble. The fucking hotel should have cleaned it up and put caution signs out. It was their fault.” I glanced at his knee, my heart hurting for him. Was his knee swelling?

The elevator stopped, and then the door reopened.

“Okay, let’s do this.” I hooked my arm around him again with him slinging his arm over my shoulders, and I guided him down the hallway.

After stopping at his door, he unlocked it with his keycard, and I pushed it open. “Okay, let’s get you on the bed.” Holy crap, I was in his hotel room and there was only one bed. “You don’t have a roommate?”

“Nope, they were out of rooms with two beds. I got lucky.” He chuckled as I positioned him next to the bed. “Can you, uh, help me get on the bed?” He wrinkled his forehead, his gaze meeting mine.

“Sure.” I turned him to face me, holding him in my arms, his breath whispering against my cheek. “What do you want me to do?” I stared at the bed as my heart throbbed. Being so near, it would be too easy to?—

“JJ?” His chest swelled into mine as he took deep breaths. “Did you really fuck Miguel?”

My gaze darted to his. “What?” Why was he asking about this again?

“Did you?” His tongue slid across his lips. “Are you back together with him?” His hold on my torso tightened, and his brows furrowed.

With a hard swallow, I looked deeply into his worried blue eyes. I couldn’t look at him like this and lie to him. “Uh, no, I didn’t, and we’re not together again.”

“Thank God.” Lifting a hand to cup my cheek, he pressed his mouth on mine in an exploring kiss, his plump lips yielding and his tongue swiping behind my teeth.

Oh, fuck…I slanted my mouth over his and deepened the kiss, our tongues tangling and my lips crushing his. My balls heated and my dick swelled inside my joggers as fire ignited through my body.

A soft moan floated from his throat, and his hot cock pushed against mine, just as hard and needy as mine was. As he broke the kiss, he panted and rested his forehead against mine. “I’ve been thinking about that ever since I kissed you at the gay bar.”

“You have?” I fought to calm my thrumming pulse. “B-but you said you were straight. You swore you weren’t queer.” He confused the fuck out of me right now. But feeling his body against mine was so good, and his hardness was unmistakable.

“I know. I didn’t want to admit it.” His brows wrinkled. “And you kept saying I wasn’t your type.”

“Oh.” Except I’d been lying about that too. “I should have clarified. Straight guys aren’t my type.” I tensed my mouth. That sounded stupid because even though I’d thought he was straight, I’d wanted him. “Or maybe guys I hate aren’t my type.”

“Do you still hate me?” His gaze crept to mine, his pupils blown.

“I…not right this minute, I don’t.” I glanced toward his knee. He shouldn’t be standing on it. Was he? “Let’s get you on the bed.” I helped lower him to sit on the bed, his bad leg not bending as much as his good leg.

“Don’t go anywhere.” He held his hand out to me.

I squeezed it, my insides warming like a hot summer breeze. “I won’t.” He was vulnerable, and for once, I wanted him to feel safe with me. “Where’s the ice pack?” I knew he had some of the medical gear for the game in here.

“In the ASU bag in the corner.” Flinching, he shifted himself higher on the bed, resting his back against the crisp white pillows over the tufted beige headboard.

I rummaged in the bag and came out with an instant ice pack. After squeezing it to make it cold, I brought it to him. “Here, we should elevate your knee.”

Slipping a pillow out from behind him, he handed it to me.

I peeked at his face as I carefully lifted his leg and pushed the pillow under his knee. “Is that okay?” The last thing I wanted was to hurt him more.

With a grimace, he said, “Yes, that’s good.” He set the ice pack on his knee and combed his fingers through his long bangs. “JJ, what are you thinking right now?”

“I’m worried about your knee. Will you let me see it?

” If it was going to swell, it should have by now.

I tilted my head, my gaze traveling up his leg, to his semi-hard cock, his flat stomach under his team athletic shirt and finally to his face.

He was my type. Who the hell did I think I was fooling?

“So, you’re avoiding what just happened?” He frowned.

“No, I’m not. I just want to make sure you’re physically okay first.” I planted my hands on my hips. What else could I do for him? “Can I get you an ibuprofen?” Maybe I was putting off the inevitable talk we needed to have.

“Sure. There’s some in my Dopp kit in the bathroom.” He tipped his head back.

“Okay, be right back.” I strolled into the bathroom, found the medicine and filled a plastic cup with tap water.

As I snagged my reflection in the mirror, I braced myself.

What was I going to do? Mess around with a curious straight guy?

But we obviously had a connection, or my body wouldn’t react to him the way it had.

Damn, I desired him something fierce. Each kiss we shared woke something inside me, something I hadn’t felt in a long time. And he was into me for sure.

Blowing out a harsh breath, I ambled to the bed and handed him the medicine.

He gulped it down and set the empty glass on the dark wood nightstand. “It was when you told me you fucked Miguel that I had to face my feelings.” He peeked at me, redness rolling up his cheeks. “I was um, I was jealous.”

“Jealous?” With a soft smile, I rubbed my forehead. Damn, and here I thought my telling him that didn’t matter.

“Will you please sit down next to me?” He patted the white duvet next to him.

“Okay.” I dropped in next to him, throwing my legs onto the bed. This was weird. I longed for another kiss, but I couldn’t make eye contact.

“How did you handle it when you realized you were attracted to guys?” His hand inched closer to mine until our pinky fingers touched.

“I hid it at first.” I twined my pinky around his. Okay, this wasn’t so bad. “I didn’t want my parents to find out, especially my dad. I think instinct told me he wouldn’t accept it.” Was Holden looking only for a therapy session right now? I peered at him.

His throat dipped with a hard swallow, and he nodded. “I don’t know how my parents will handle this, but I want to explore it if you’ll let me.” As he turned toward me, his gaze searched my face and stopped on my mouth. “Will you let me?”

I fixated on him, his darkened eyes, the swollen red lips, the heat of his body shivering across my skin. How could I say no? “Yeah, I’ll let you.” But I had to keep my feelings in check. It would hurt if he decided that being with a guy wasn’t for him.

Hesitantly, his hand settled at my nape, holding me in place. “Can I kiss you again?”

My breath quickened, and my heart ran wild against my ribcage, my dick twitching and plumping. If this wasn’t a connection, I didn’t know what was. In a ragged voice, I said, “Yes, please do.”

Closing his eyes, he leaned in, brushing his lips against mine, exploring with his tongue, and then slanting his mouth and enveloping me in rough kisses, hungry kisses. He dug his fingers into my nape and groaned.

My cock stretched to my navel, pushing at the band of my joggers, begging for attention.

As I plunged my tongue between his lips, I flicked it inside him, his taste like the sweetest candy and the fresh cinnamon encasing me in a bubble of pure bliss.

No one had ever kissed me like this. Myles’s kisses were nothing compared to this.

As my balls tightened and ached, I rolled toward him, fixing my mouth to his, our tongues licking and fighting for dominance.

As a throaty groan freed from my mouth, he turned to me, his hand brushing my sensitive cock.

It jerked, dribbling precum into my briefs.

Holy hell, a few tugs and I’d unload. “Oh, fuck…” I breathed in deeply, fighting for air.

“What’s wrong?” Creasing his brow, he bit his lower lip, focusing on me.

With a smug grin, I said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m fucking wound up tight right now.” I pressed on my solid cock and pleasure surged up my spine. “I, uh…can we?” Please God, let me get off right now or I might explode.

His gaze fell to my dick, leaking through my joggers. “What do you want to do?” He lightly skimmed his hand over it and gasped. “I’ve never touched a guy’s dick before.”

“If you want, we could just jerk off together? Or I could jerk myself off?” I cut my gaze to his joggers, a wet spot forming at the tip of his cock. “But you look like you could use a little relief too.”

“I never thought kissing a guy would turn me on so much.” His attention drew to my lips.

“Yeah, let’s do it.” He slipped the band of his joggers down and gripped his cock, the head slick with precum and almost purple.

With a hiss, he stroked himself and claimed my mouth in a fresh round of searing kisses.