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Cody

I know I’m not being reasonable, but I can’t help it. I growl angrily to myself as I take my cock in hand and stroke it roughly. This is so unfair. Everything was going well with the new team… until Luke Hardy arrived.

Why does he have to be so stupidly attractive? It’s like he’s some kind of sex demon sent specifically to taunt me with his toned abs and his chiseled features.

The practice gave me plenty of views of his sweaty, muscled body and I hated it. His ass… Fuck, what I would give to be inside that ass. I groan as I come at the thought of pressing my cock into Luke’s ass as I bend him over the changing bench. Ah, fuck, I want that.

But I can’t. I know I can’t, which means that Luke is just a stupid temptation that I have to resist while I stay professional.

I clean up and put my cock away as quickly as possible, trying to hide the evidence of my weakness.

As it so often does, my mind goes to Zack. I hate that even though it’s been six months, he still has an effect on me. Maybe he always will. I don’t know. Perhaps once your heart has been broken as badly as he broke mine, you can never truly leave the person behind.

I remember the day it ended so clearly in my mind, it’s as though it was yesterday.

“Zack! Baby, I’m home early. I brought some cupcakes. I thought we could have them after dinner.”

The cupcakes are from the same company who will be doing our wedding cake tomorrow. I’m hoping they’re half as delicious as the samples of the cake we got a few weeks ago. Zack has a huge sweet tooth and I’m sure he’ll appreciate them.

Zack doesn’t respond. He must have dozed off. The wedding planning has been stressful, after all.

I go upstairs to wake him up… and walk into a scene from my worst nightmare.

Zack is indeed in bed, but he’s not alone. He’s with Ryan, his best man, who up until now I was sure was straight.

I’m pretty certain that Ryan isn’t straight, given that he’s balls-deep in Zack’s ass.

The cupcakes go tumbling to the floor.

Zack spots me and cries out in alarm. Ryan spins around too and yelps as he pulls out and grabs for his clothes, as if covering his nakedness could undo the damage.

“Get out,” I hiss at Ryan.

He does as I ask without question.

I round on Zack, hurt and anger warring for dominance in my mind. “Well?”

“Cody, please, just listen to me. It just—it just kind of happened. We were working late, planning the wedding, and it… Well, I’m not entirely sure how we ended up like this. It doesn’t mean anything, I swear. I still love you. Only you, Cody.”

He reaches for my hand, but I yank it back. “Don’t touch me! How dare you even look at me?”

“Cody, we’ve been together for seven years. That has to mean something, right?”

“YOU WOULD THINK SO, WOULDN’T YOU?! AND YET, HERE WE ARE!”

“We can talk ab—”

“The time for talking is done, Zack! Get out! Get the fuck out! I never want to see your face again!”

Zack gets a sly look in his eyes that I don’t like at all. “Well, perhaps you don’t have to see my face. Why don’t you bend me over the side of the bed and teach me a lesson? You know that make-up sex is always hotter than any other sex.”

This, more than anything else, solidifies in my mind what I need to do. If Zack really thinks we can fix this with make-up sex, then there truly is no way to save this relationship.

I point at the door. “Out, Zack, before I call the police.”

“You’ll change your mind, sooner or later. You need me, Cody.”

I hate that he’s right. Given what I just saw, I wish I could turn my feelings off, but I can’t. I’m still in love with Zack. Clearly, he doesn’t need me as much as I need him, as much as I thought he did.

“Get out,” I repeat. I’ll have to find some way to pull my life together without Zack, but for now, all I want is him gone.

Zack grumbles under his breath about how this is a mistake, but he packs his things anyway and leaves.

I expect to receive calls and texts begging for forgiveness, but there’s just… nothing.

If he’s waiting for me to come asking for him back, he’s going to be waiting a fucking long time.

I shake myself slightly as I come out of the memory. Putting myself back together after Zack broke my heart was… Well, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I don’t even know if I can truly say that I’ve done it, because I still feel broken every time I think of him.

Sure, I’m functioning, but I’m hardly thriving.

One thing is for sure, I can’t afford to take another wound like the one Zack left me with. I won’t survive it.

That means never falling for anyone ever again.

Unfortunately, I know myself. I can’t control my feelings when sex is involved. That means that if I want to protect myself, it means no more sex, ever. The thought of remaining celibate forever is not an appealing one, but it’s something I’ve had to get my head around.

I’ve bought a lot of toys and looked up some great porn. I’ll manage. What I can’t manage is having my heart torn to shreds like that ever again.

Everything was going well until I met Luke Hardy. Sex is easy enough to resist when you don’t have someone who looks like a literal sex god on your own fucking team. He is all dark hair, dark eyes and super tan muscles. He has that moody dark dangerous look. I just know he is dangerous for me. He is exactly my type. If I’d met Luke Hardy before I signed for this team, I would have changed my mind.

Sometimes, I wish I didn’t know myself and my own reactions as well as I do, but most unfortunately, I know that I won’t be able to resist Luke for long. Sooner or later, I will give in to my lust and make a move on him.

There is only one way to stop this from ending in disaster. I need to make sure to alienate him in every way possible between now and then. Make him despise me so much that he is disgusted by my very presence. I don’t even know if he’s interested in men, but if he is, I’m going to make myself so unappealing to him that he’d rather masturbate in a dumpster than sleep with me.

Of course, this strategy is filled with flaws, but it’s the best I can come up with right now. Brandon is sure to have questions, and I’ll need to figure out answers to those questions, or at least some good evasion tactics.

He’s also right about one thing—I can’t let this affect the team. That wouldn’t be fair on anyone. I’ll need to treat Luke Hardy neutrally on the field. Not normally, because normally, I’d be friendly with my teammates. But neutral will suffice, I think.

Off the field, though, I’m going to make myself his worst nightmare. It’s the only way to protect myself.

I spend the evening feeling sorry for myself and arrive early to practice the next day. I realize within the first couple of seconds that this is a mistake and very nearly turn around and walk right back out of the locker room when I see Luke approaching me.

“Cody, I was hoping to run into you. Can we talk?”

“No,” I snap. “Leave me alone.”

Luke folds his arms. “Look, I don’t know what your problem with me is, but we’re going to have to figure it out sooner or later. We’re on the same team. I know you haven’t been here long, but surely you must realize that Brandon will step in sooner or later?”

“I can deal with Brandon. What I can’t deal with is your face so early in the morning, so buzz off.”

Your fucking beautiful face. Luke Hardy looks even more sexy in the morning.

I brush past Luke and slam my bag down on the changing bench. Right, so I’m not arriving early ever again.

It seems Luke isn’t giving up that easily. He follows me into the changing room and opens his mouth with a determined air, but I turn around and walk out before he can say anything else. I go into the bathroom and shut myself into one of the cubicles, remaining there until one minute before practice starts.

Throughout practice, I can’t help but observe how Luke is with the other players. To my great annoyance, he seems like a really nice guy. I can’t find anything to fault with his behavior. It’s just his appearance that I take issue with.

Of course, I should have known that things wouldn’t be as simple as I had hoped.

After practice, Brandon corners me and Luke in the changing rooms. “My office, now. Both of you.”

Wonderful. I haven’t even thought of a good story yet, and now I’m going to have to pull something out of my ass.

We follow Brandon to his office, and I sit down, staring gloomily at my feet.

“Well? What is your problem, Cody? You’ve been nothing but hostile toward Luke ever since you met him. I don’t understand. You’ve been friendly with the rest of the team. Have you and Luke met before?”

I briefly consider lying, maybe saying that Luke was a one-night stand and he didn’t even bother to remember me, but I can’t do it.

I settle for a version of the truth. “I just don’t like him, okay? You don’t have to like everyone. I can work with him, but we’re not going to be friends.”

“That’s bullshit. This goes beyond just not connecting with someone. You’ve obviously got a problem, and you’re going to tell us what it is.”

“I don’t know what else to tell you.”

“Luke? What’s your say in all of this?”

“I honestly have no idea what’s going on. I’ve never met Cody before. I don’t know why he would decide to be so hostile toward me. Seriously, Cody, just tell us what the problem is and we can try to fix it.”

I can’t tell him that he’s too attractive for his own good. That’s hardly going to help me here. Admitting that I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep my cock in my pants around one of my teammates is not what I want to be telling my new captain.

“I’ve already told you what the problem is. I don’t know what else I can say.”

Luke looks ready to hit something in frustration. Brandon is staring me down and I’m forced to break his gaze, looking once more at my shoes.

“Fine. I’ll leave this be for now, as long as the two of you can play together and leave your differences behind. But the moment your issues start affecting the game, I’m going to be forced to step in.”

“I won’t let them impact the game,” I promise. My career is important to me and I’m not going to let my baggage with Zack ruin that for me. He’s already taken too much from me.

“Then get out of here, both of you. I don’t want to see any nonsense from either of you.”

“You’re not getting it from me,” Luke mumbles resentfully. “I’m not the one with a problem here.”

My stomach twists guiltily. Luke doesn’t deserve this, but what else am I supposed to do? I have to protect my heart, and this is the only way I can see to do it.

As we exit Brandon’s office, Luke catches my arm, pulling me to a halt. “Look, Cody, I don’t know what your problem is, but we’re not enemies here. When you realize that, I’ll be here to talk.”

With that, he turns around and walks off.

I’m left staring after him, cursing the fact that he’s so decent. It would be easier if he was an ass, but no, he has to be so stupidly nice that it makes it very difficult to maintain hostility toward him.

I skip showering, electing to shower when I get home. I’m not sure if I can deal with the sight of Luke’s naked body right now.

Of course, I can’t resist taking my cock in hand while I’m in back home and in the shower. Thoughts of how Luke looked as he weaved effortlessly between players to take the ball today fill my mind, and in no time at all, I’m coming once more to the thought of Luke.

That hardly does anything to improve my mood, and I slouch out of the shower in low spirits. I could move teams again, of course, but I would be sabotaging my career by doing that. I really like the team—minus Luke—and this is a great opportunity for me.

I should at least stick it out for a few months. I don’t want prospective managers to see that I quit a team within a week of joining. That won’t look good for me, especially since I don’t have a valid reason that anyone else will understand.

If I can make it to the end of the football season, if I still feel like I’m unsafe around Luke, I can leave.

I just need to survive until then.

Surely, I can keep my cock in my pants for that long.

As I remember the sight of Luke’s broad shoulders when he took his shirt off in the changing rooms, my cock twitches.

This might be harder than I imagined.