Page 13 of Knox (Comeback Duet #2)
Knox
After batting practice, I jogged toward the dugout where a crowd had gathered in the stands nearby, waiting for a chance to get some autographs and maybe a picture or two with their favorite players. Crew was a few feet away, signing balls for two little girls in matching Seawolves jerseys.
“Singleton, over here!” someone called out, and I turned toward the voice.
A teenager who looked to be fifteen or sixteen stood with a glove tucked under his arm, and his baseball cap and a Sharpie in his hand.
“Hey,” I greeted, taking the hat from his outstretched hand. “What’s your name?”
“Max.” He beamed.
“Nice to meet you, Max. Do you play?”
He nodded. “First base. Like you.”
I grinned. “Best position on the field.”
“I heard that.” Crew flashed me a grin, then turned back to the kids in front of him.
I scribbled my name and jersey number on the bill of the hat and handed it back.
Max hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Can I say something that might sound kind of weird?”
“Sure. Go for it.”
He looked around, then lowered his voice. “I’m gay, and I play on my high school team. I always thought I’d have to pick between being myself and playing ball, but seeing you and Stratton out here, it kind of makes me feel like I don’t have to choose.”
I blinked, caught off guard by his statement. “You’re right, but that’s not weird at all. You don’t need to choose, and if someone says you do, don’t listen to them.”
He smiled again. “Thanks, Singleton. Hope you guys get a win today.”
I stood there for a few seconds and watched him walk back to his seat.
I never set out to be a role model. Hell, when Crew and I posted pictures to our social media accounts, I wasn’t trying to make a statement about sexuality and sports necessarily.
We just wanted to shut down the speculation and show we weren’t trying to hide the fact we were together.
I’d been out for years, but dating a teammate brought a whole new sort of visibility.
Since going public a few days ago, we’d heard a few whispered comments from fans as we came and went from the stadium.
One guy from an opposing team had muttered something when I tagged him out.
It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before, but things felt different now.
Maybe it was because I worried how it might affect Crew being on the receiving end of that bullshit since he’d never really dealt with it before.
Still, the support from our team and the real fans was loud, and I hoped it drowned out anything negative for Crew. It did for me.
And hearing a kid like Max talk about how we helped him meant something to me. I never set out to be anyone’s hero, but if living my truth helped someone feel seen, then maybe the spotlight had found me for a reason.
After our game ended and we’d added another win to our spring training record, we headed back to the clubhouse. Everyone was hyped, and it felt as though the team had started to gel. We were close to being ready for the upcoming season.
Crew peeled off his gear, and I noticed him wince as he rolled his shoulders.
“You good?” I asked, tossing my glove into my locker.
He nodded. “Yeah. Just a bit tight today.”
Turner glanced our way. “Singleton, you better get on that. We can’t have our starting catcher going out before the season even begins.”
“Think you can handle that?” Henderson chuckled.
“Depends.” I grabbed my towel and slung it over my shoulder. “Am I just providing a standard massage or giving him the deluxe treatment with a happy ending?”
Cabrera choked on his water. “You two need to get a room.”
“Trying, but he”—I jerked my thumb toward Crew—“always takes forever to get out of here.”
Crew shook his head and continued changing out of his uniform, but I caught the way he rubbed his shoulder when he thought no one was looking. I was going to keep a close eye on him to make sure it didn’t get worse.
Once we both cleaned up and polished off a couple of plates of food, we headed back to our temporary housing.
We dropped our bags by the front door, and Crew headed for the couch while I made a detour to the kitchen to grab two bottles of water. I tossed him a bottle and sank down beside him. He twisted off the cap and took a long drink, then let his head fall back against the cushion with a groan.
“Still feeling tight?”
“Yeah,” he admitted. “Nothing horrible. More annoying than anything.”
“Turn around,” I instructed.
He looked at me from the corner of his eye. “Why?”
“So I can run my hands all over you. Obviously.”
He snorted a laugh and shifted so he was facing away from me.
My fingers began working along his shoulders. “You weren’t kidding. I can feel several knots.”
He groaned and leaned forward, giving me better access. “You’re surprisingly good at that.”
I huffed. “It shouldn’t really be a surprise. Weren’t you just saying my hands were magical a couple of nights ago?”
He smirked. “True, but to be fair, your hands were on a completely different part of my body.”
“And you loved every second of it.” I let my hands drift lower, down his back, and then reached around to let them rest on his legs. “If we move this to the bedroom, it’d give me a little more room to maneuver.”
He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Oh really? Sounds like you’re interested in more than just being helpful.”
I let my hands slide a little farther up his thighs. “I think I’m very helpful.”
His breath hitched. “If you keep trying to feel me up, we won’t make it to the bedroom.”
“As tempting as that sounds, my plans require a bit more space.” I stood and offered a hand to pull him up.
“Fine.” He got up. “Just remember, I’m supposed to feel looser by the end of this little session, not sore in new places.”
“No promises.” I grinned and led him down the hall.
He yanked off his T-shirt and kicked off his jeans leaving a trail of clothes behind us. Once we were in the bedroom, he crawled up the bed and stretched out on his stomach.
“Stay right there.” I climbed onto the mattress and straddled his thighs.
Leaning forward, I let my palms glide over his back.
This time, I went slow, letting my fingers work the muscles along his spine.
My thumbs pressed deeper, eliciting another groan from him.
I moved lower, kissing a path down his back as my hands drifted along his sides.
When I reached the waistband of his boxers, I dragged them down his legs and tossed them on the floor.
“I can’t get enough of you,” I admitted.
He let out a breath as I spread his legs and settled between them. I kissed across the curve of his ass until my mouth made its way to the place I wanted to taste him.
“Knox.” His body jerked as I licked around his tight ring of muscle.
“Just relax and let me make you feel good.” I flattened my tongue and licked deeper, working him open little by little.
He rocked into me. “Don’t stop,” he begged.
I kept going with slow and deliberate strokes of my tongue until he trembled beneath me. When I finally pulled back, he looked over his shoulder.
“I need you to fuck me now.”
“Well, since you asked so nicely.” I smirked. “I can’t possibly say no.”
“Like you would ever deny me.”
I stood and stripped out of my clothes as fast as I could. “You’re right. Your ass is my biggest weakness. Now roll over for me. I want to watch you while I fill you up.”
He turned onto his back, one arm tucked beneath his head trying to look casual instead of needy, but his thick cock leaking against his stomach gave him away.
Unable to stop myself, I leaned down and ran my tongue from his balls, up his shaft, and over the tip, licking up every drop of pre-cum. “You taste so damn good.” I repeated the move one more time before reaching for the lube in the bedside table.
Popping the cap open, I poured a generous amount on my fingers, then reached between his thighs and pushed one inside him. He closed his eyes, and I felt him relax. I added a second digit and focused on the way his hole clenched around me.
“You ready?” I asked, my voice rough with desire.
His eyes met mine. “Been ready since we left the stadium.”
I squeezed a bit more lube into my palm and stroked my shaft a few times. Then with one hand braced beside his head, and the other guiding me to his entrance, I slowly pushed in.
He gasped and his eyes fluttered closed again.
“Look at me,” I said, and he did immediately. I moved my hand from my dick to the mattress on the other side of his head, leaning over him fully. Close enough to feel his breath against my mouth. Close enough to kiss.
Capturing his lips with mine, he opened for me, his tongue brushing against mine in a way that made my entire body tighten. I started to rock my hips in shallow thrusts as we continued to kiss.
His hands roamed over my shoulders then curved around my neck at the same time he wrapped his legs around my waist, pulling me in closer until there wasn’t any space between us.
Something felt different about our position.
Being able to watch every reaction, hear every breath, and feel every tremble made it all the more intimate.
As I pumped into him, he moved with me, his eyes never leaving mine. I cupped his jaw and kissed him again, showing him just how much I loved him. Proving there was nowhere else I wanted to be than right there with him.
I reached between us and fisted his shaft, stroking him in time with my thrusts. It didn’t take long for his breath to quicken, and I knew he was close.
“I want you to come with me,” I murmured against his throat before sucking the sensitive skin there.
His fingers dug into my back. “I’m so close.”
“Me too.”
I shifted a little, grinding deeper as I stroked him faster. His mouth found mine again, but it was messy and desperate as we both chased our release.
“Fuck, Crew!” I gasped, my rhythm faltering, as my balls tightened with my impending orgasm.
His whole body arched, and his legs squeezed my waist as he exploded all over my hand and his stomach. I drove in deeper, buried to the hilt, and came with a growl a second later.
When we both stopped shaking, I pulled out and flopped onto my back beside him.
He turned his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “Glad you went with the happy ending massage.”
I let out a tired chuckle. “Apparently it’s my specialty but only reserved for you.”
He kissed me once more. “Damn right it is.”