by Sienna Blake
Because Adam Collins was something special. He was someone worth waiting on. And Dyson had learned patience a long time ago.
Yeah, he might’ve fumbled the ball at first, coming after Adam hard, being an ass, and showing no empathy. But now that he knew what was at stake? Now that he understood what Adam was dealing with?
That had changed everything.
It was impossible not to give Adam his all, to be there for him, and to try and help him heal with all the love Dyson could give.
CHAPTER TWELVE
DYSON
The next day…
Because of his unique standing—hired by the Razorbacks’ owner—Dyson was allowed to stand on the sidelines and watch as the offensive coordinator ran passing plays with Adam, the wide receivers, and the tight end.
He loved every second of it.
Adam was playing well. Dyson had been worried that all the craziness of the last week would throw him off his game. First, the attack on Sunday night. Then with Dyson being in his space for days. And finally, the earthquake of emotions and conflict that had changed everything between them so radically.
But Adam was cool and smooth on the field. His passes were fast and accurate. The receivers were nimble and had good hands. They looked ready for anything.
Then again, the problem with the Razorbacks wasn’t their quarterback. It was protecting the quarterback in the pocket.
Dyson glanced at one of the assistant coaches working with the offensive line. He was trying to help them present a tighter wall of protection at the line of scrimmage. He was also trying to get them to make bigger holes in the defensive line for the running back to exploit.
But the offensive line still seemed a bit out of sync. That was worrying. Especially because the Thundershock defense gave up the fewest running yards in the entire league. They also averaged a high number of sacks each game.
Being this close to a sport he loved—not to mention his favorite team—made it hard to keep focused. He had to force himself to scan the fields and stands for threats and problems when all he wanted to do was watch Adam play. It didn’t help that occasionally the handsome star quarterback would look Dyson’s way and grin that sexy grin. At a water break, Adam had even come over to chat a bit before heading back to running passing plays.
Dyson would’ve berated himself for his less-than-one-hundred percent attention on keeping Adam safe if he hadn’t already taken down Howie Ford, Mr. Acid himself. He knew he shouldn’t let his guard down, but he also realized it was slipping because of this challenging situation.
He simply couldn’t get Adam out of his mind. He couldn’t get memories of their incredible, dirty and hot sex marathons out of his mind either. Adam was so passionate, so enthusiastic. Adam’s need and desire only served to drive Dyson’s own lust even higher.
He couldn’t wait to get the man alone again.
Even now, it was a struggle not to think of all the things he was going to introduce Adam to. It was impossible to forget how Adam had looked, lost in the pleasure Dyson was giving him. He couldn’t dwell on it for too long or his cock began to get heavy and hard. That impatient bastard below his belt didn’t give a damn that he was out here in plain view, wearing suit trousers and boxers, and sporting a hard-on was going to look odd.
Part of him didn’t care. But then again, he wasn’t just rolling alone anymore. He had to take Adam’s needs and wants into consideration too. That was fine. In a way, he was coming to enjoy it.
He liked taking care of people. He liked keeping people safe. It sounded stupid, but he liked righting the wrongs of the world and taking a stand. Right now, Adam was focused on what was right in front of him. But Dyson knew that at a time of Adam’s choosing, he would make a great hero for the LGBT community. Sure, Adam would take a lot of criticism because of his womanizing ways and his secrets. But in Dyson’s experience, the community was one of the most forgiving in the world.
Besides, no one held Adam down for long.
He was getting ahead of himself. He was making long term plans for the two of them, and right now, they both had to focus on what was right in front of them. It was no use staring at the horizon if you tripped and fell on your face.
It was mid-afternoon when the practice ended. The team gradually filed off the field, headed for the locker rooms. Dyson waited outside the locker room, his arms folded as he leaned against the wall. He could see security guards hanging out near the one entrance to the stadium that was open. He wasn’t impressed. They were barely paying attention to anything.
He held back from feeling annoyed. After all, the guy who’d been threatening Adam was in jail. And he’d be staying in jail for a long time since the judge had denied him bail.
Besides, Dyson was having a hard enough time concentrating on his job himself. All he wanted to do was get Adam somewhere private and have the star quarterback take Dyson’s cock as deep down his throat as he could manage.
All that said, Dyson was feeling pretty good about life and the future. It was too soon to get comfortable; he knew that well. But he still felt the temptation anyway. Because what would it be like to have Adam Collins as a lover for far longer than a casual fling or until the football season ended? Dyson didn’t care about the money, and the fame and attention would probably be downright annoying, but being here, cheering for Adam, giving him what he needed, making him happy in the way that only another man could make Adam happy…
Well, that was what love was all about, wasn’t it?
He snorted, frowning as he scanned the wide, echo-y corridor outside the locker room. Listen to him. A couple nights making the bedsprings bounce and he was already fantasizing about white picket fences.
It was pathetic.
Players started to leave the locker room. The ones who knew him from the night at the club greeted him or bantered with him for a bit. It was wild to have so many pro sports athletes even know he existed, much less having them treat him like one of the guys.
“How much do I need to pay to steal you away from Collins?” Anthony Smith, one of the wide receivers, called to him with a grin.
“I’m not picky,” Dyson shot back with a shrug. “I’d take a McLaren or a Porsche.”
“Damn, bro. Good taste.” The wide receiver pondered it for a moment. “But I don’t want anything to happen to Adam, so you can keep body-guarding his ass. The coaches tell me he’s important.”
A short time later, Adam wandered out, freshly showered and changed into casual clothes.
His grin when he spotted Dyson waiting for him could’ve lit up a moonless night. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself,” Dyson said, feeling an answering grin on his face.
“Jerry Macklin asked me to check in with him. He probably wants to preen and establish dominance. But I should probably say thank you anyway.”
Dyson snorted. “I specialize in fast getaways. We could make a run for it.”
“Tempting. Very tempting. But I’ll pass. This time. Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
They headed upstairs to the private viewing suites where Macklin had his office and his own private luxury viewing suite. At the entrance, the security guard smiled and greeted Adam. “Afternoon, Mr. Collins. The team’s lookin’ good.”
“Thanks, John,” Adam replied. “We’re on the way to see the big guy.”
The guard used his ID to unlock the doors for them. They stepped inside, and the big doors swept shut behind them.
“You know one of the things I love about you?” Dyson said casually.
Adam’s eyebrows rose, but his look was coy. “It’s my awesome car, isn’t it? No, wait. It’s my smoldering good looks and personal grooming habits.”
Dyson snorted. “Those are on the list. Somewhere. But what I admire is that you seem to remember all these people’s names.” He shook his head. “I struggle with that myself.”
“People love it when you remember their names. Especially the people who do all the work that keeps the wo
rld running.” Adam paused, considering. “It was my mom who taught me the secret, way back when. I always had a bit of a knack for it, but she taught me a few tricks that really worked for me. Repeating their name right away. Using verbal association games. And then making an effort to care. Most of the time, people are so focused on how they look to the person they’re meeting that they aren’t focused on the person much at all.”
“She taught you all that, and it clearly worked?” Dyson let out a low whistle. “Your mom sounds like an incredible woman.” He wished he could’ve met her.
“I think she would’ve liked you.” Adam’s expression was far more solemn than usual. There was always a shadow in his eyes when he talked about his mother. Dyson was still touched that Adam had chosen to open up to him about his regrets and his pain. That one act of intimacy had easily deepened their relationship as much as any amount of sex had.
But he hadn’t intended to make Adam feel somber. He’d wanted to pay the man a compliment. So he was definitely going to have to make up for it.
He would start with kisses the instant he could get this man alone. And then he’d go from there. The tempting thought already had his cock half hard in his pants. The primal part of his brain was already demanding that he drag Adam into one of these private luxury boxes and kiss him senseless.
He held himself in check through an act of iron will. It wasn’t easy.
Especially not with all these empty suites all around them just begging to be used. The stadium was at minimal staffing. The box seats were all empty. Dyson had heard that some of the most expensive luxury box seats cost upward of twenty-five grand…a game. More for the playoffs. That was a staggering amount of money in his book.
They reached Jerry Macklin’s office. The Razorbacks owner sat behind his big desk. He smiled wide, stood, and came around to shake their hands.
“How’s my favorite player?” Macklin gushed.
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” Adam quipped.
“Only the ones who cost me five million a season.” The owner gave Dyson a firm handshake as well. “And the hero of the hour. Thank you for saving my headstrong quarterback. I heard you were hurt? How are you doing?”
Dyson shook his head dismissively. “It wasn’t bad. Minor burns. Now the scabs drive me crazy by itching all the time.”
“After this is all over, I’ll have someone hook you up with tickets for next season. Good seats at the fifty-yard line. You’ve earned it.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
Adam cut in. “So why did you want to see me, Jerry? Did you want to hear me admit I was wrong and you were right?”
Macklin chuckled and walked back behind his desk. He sat down and folded his hands across his round stomach. “It’s good for the old ego to hear that from time to time. But no, that wasn’t my purpose, because that would be petty. I truly only had your best interests in mind.”
“Thank you,” Adam said, almost contritely. “For the official record, I was wrong, you were right, and Dyson was the perfect man for the job.”
The praise shouldn’t have made Dyson feel as good as it did. He’d been praised before—plenty of times—but still, he felt a surge of warmth in his chest. Those words from Adam pleased him. Deeply.
Shit. He was falling for this guy. Falling so damn hard. The prospect thrilled him beyond words…and it also terrified him. Why? Because he knew how badly he wanted it.
He knew how badly he wanted Adam. And the more you wanted something, the more it hurt if you ever lost it.
“Glad to hear, glad to hear,” Macklin said, chuckling and waving a hand dismissively. “Coach Fergusson tells me the offensive line is making progress.”
“They’ve been working their hearts out,” Adam confirmed. “Some of the new plays have me dropping way back in the pocket so I’ll have a few more seconds to throw.”
“Will that be enough?”
“I’ll make it work. You have my word. We’re going to win this game.”
Dyson listened with half an ear as the two of them talked shop. He couldn’t help but think how much he shared in common with Adam. Both of them were driven. Both of them were achievers. And both of them were hard on themselves and hated failure. If Adam failed, he failed the team and the fans. If Dyson failed, someone could easily end up hurt or killed.
Soon, Adam and Macklin finished up their meeting and shop talk. After Adam left Macklin’s office with Dyson at his side, the quarterback turned to him.
“I have a surprise for you,” Adam said, almost shyly.
Dyson couldn’t help but smile. Damn, this guy was generous to a fault. “What is it?”
“I talked to the stadium’s head manager. For our next home game, you can either be down on the sidelines with the team, or you can have one of these luxury boxes and watch the game in style. Your call.”
The offer stunned him, especially after he’d just been thinking about how much these boxes cost. “I don’t even know what to say. Except, thank you. But I can’t accept the offer. I should be as close to you as I can be.”
And he meant that for oh so many reasons.
“Before you make up your mind,” Adam said, “let me give you a tour of one of these swanky-ass places. Because there will be tons of security during the game, so you can relax a little. Also, my crazy stalker is behind bars thanks to you. Take a break and enjoy the game in style.”
That was a tempting thought, but one he still wouldn’t take. Not when he was being paid to protect Adam. But he could see Adam wanted him to watch the game in posh style from one of these luxury boxes, so he was happy to go along with the tour at least.
“All right. Give me the tour. But I warn you, I’m tough to impress.”
Adam cracked his knuckles, grinning. He led Dyson to one of the luxury suites. The door was unlocked, and he pulled it open. The pro quarterback held the door for him and swept into a bow.
Dyson shook his head, chuckling a little as he stepped inside.
The luxury box was impressive. He didn’t know if he’d drop anything close to twenty grand on renting it for one game, but it was fancy. Huge floor-to-ceiling, retractable windows looked out the field. The box was near the fifty-yard line too. The furniture was leather and expensive-looking, with big couches and recliners. There was a full bar. One wall was covered with huge high-def screens to watch footage from the jumbotron and from TV coverage of the game. The private bathroom was fancy enough for a mansion. Arctic-level air-conditioning and gourmet catering topped it all off.
“So, what do you think?” Adam asked, letting the door shut behind him and walking over to the big windows. “It’s a great view of the field. And there will be more food than you can hope to eat.”
“What do I think? My mind hasn’t changed. As tempting as all this fanciness is, I think I want to be as close to you as possible.”
Adam leaned against the back of the couch, watching him. That somber look had gone. It was replaced by something far more interesting and playful. An expression with too much heat for Dyson to ignore.
The way Adam was leaning backward made his shirt meld to his muscles and those jeans pull tight against his crotch, showing off the healthy bulge there. And that was just Adam’s standard, walking-around package. He wasn’t even hard yet. But Dyson definitely took that as a challenge to get him hard. Right now.
“Is that right?” Adam asked lazily. “You want to be close to me?”
“That’s damn right.”
Dyson strolled on over to the sexy quarterback. He slid his hands around Adam’s hips to cup his ass tightly. He wanted to make this special; he wanted it to be unforgettable. More than anything, he wanted to make Adam feel good. To forget his worries for a while, to relieve the pressure the man was under.
Dyson knew one good way of accomplishing that.
He leaned in slowly to kiss Adam. He let the man have plenty of time to realize what he was after. He was giving the quarterback a chance to protest. To say
he didn’t want this here, now. Dyson wanted to push the limits, but only as far as Adam was comfortable with.
But Adam’s lips only parted for him. His eyes closed as Dyson moved in for the kiss. He pressed his body up against Adam as their lips met. He deepened the kiss, and Adam’s full, soft lips open for him, encouraging him.
He greedily ran his hands across Adam’s body. One hand found Adam’s groin, making slow circles against the man’s hardening cock. His other hand traced upward along Adam’s flat, muscular stomach, and then slipped under his shirt and along hot skin. He traced his fingertip across Adam’s nipple, teasing it, feeling it harden to a nub even as Adam’s cock strained at his jeans. The entire time, he assaulted Adam’s mouth with kisses until the other man groaned his pleasure.
With that as a signal, Dyson couldn’t refuse that kind of encouragement. He deftly undid Adam’s belt without even looking. He was too focused on plundering Adam’s mouth with his tongue. He let his hands explore where they wanted. Adam didn’t seem to mind.
He made a pleased growl of his own when he felt Adam’s cock fully hard and straining against his jeans. He leaned in and kissed his way down Adam’s neck while carefully unzipping him and slipping a hand inside his pants.
The sexy quarterback’s body went rigid and his muscles tensed as Dyson gently stroked and teased his cock. As Dyson bent down, he slowly drew down Adam’s jeans. He went to his knees on the thick carpet and hooked his fingers in the waistband of the other man’s boxers and slid those down as well.
Adam’s cock wavered there, so hard and full it was thrusting upward at an angle, bobbing there and just begging to be sucked. He loved the sight of Adam’s cock. It was long, thick, and beautifully shaped. The skin was so silky and warm. He wrapped his hand around the base of his cock and gave a squeeze and a stroke. He slowly teased precum to the slit as he smiled up at Adam.
Adam’s eyes were wide, watching as Dyson played with him. His look burned with arousal and need. A need that Dyson intended to fully satisfy.