by Sienna Blake
He eased forward and licked around the tip of Adam’s cock. He began to stroke it slowly with his hand. Then he put his lips on the head of Adam’s dick and slid them down, keeping good pressure on him.
Adam’s hands came up. One settled on Dyson’s shoulder. The other rested on his shaved head. He could feel the other man’s body trembling with the pleasure he was being given. Adam sank against the back of the couch, his head tilting back and his eyes closing as he let the sensations take him.
Dyson had always been good at sucking cock. He put Adam through the paces, using every technique he had. Drawing it out, then rushing it forward, bringing him to the verge of coming, then backing off, tormenting him with ecstasy.
Finally, Adam couldn’t take it anymore. His whole body tensed. A groan escaped his lips. He leaned forward, gripping Dyson hard. His hips began to pump as his cock pulsed. He filled Dyson’s mouth with his hot cream.
Dyson didn’t play around with spitting. He swallowed it all down and then licked the tip of Adam’s cock clean.
Dyson’s work was finally done. He grinned and stood again as Adam sagged against the back of the couch, dazed from the power of his orgasm. Then he licked his lips and claimed the quarterback’s mouth in a kiss, thrusting his tongue deep.
He was so hard he ached. He slowly drew back from the kiss and traced a hand along the other man’s jawline.
Adam stared at him with eyes half-lidded with pleasure. The look on his face only turned Dyson on even more.
“Now,” Dyson said softly, a naughty smile on his lips. “It’s my turn.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ADAM
What a day. Sex in one of the luxury boxes? Hell, yes. That had been hotter than anything he’d experienced in a long time. Even with his reputation as a playboy, he’d never had sex anywhere but someplace private.
But Dyson drove him wild. Now Adam’s blood felt hot in his veins. All he wanted, all he could think of these days was Dyson Drake. How much he wanted to touch him, to kiss him. To fuck him and be fucked by him.
It was like an obsession, but one that only seemed to turn him on even more.
They were back at Adam’s condo. Dyson was taking a shower. Adam was eating leftover chicken from the fridge, bananas from the fruit bowl, and slamming an energy drink. He was always hungry after practice. Add sex to the mix, and he was ravenous.
After eating, he felt a little tired but mostly just lazy and sated. He would have no trouble getting it up and getting it on again later tonight, but for now, he was firmly in a resting phase.
He grinned, wondering what kind of trouble the two of them would get into tonight. Maybe they would fuck on the balcony. The balcony was completely private, but that still held an element of novelty and exposure that made his heart beat faster and gave him a little flutter of anticipation in his groin.
Hell, maybe he was some kind of closet exhibitionist after all this time playing it so safe. All he knew was that Dyson turned him on like no one else, and he couldn’t get enough.
His smartphone was sitting on the island counter beside him in the kitchen. Suddenly, the phone buzzed, vibrating stridently.
He frowned and picked it up. He changed his number regularly but hadn’t done so in a few months. He wasn’t expecting a call.
When he saw the name on the caller ID, he froze, tension clamping down inside him.
It was Missy Parks. His Razorbacks cheerleader ex-girlfriend. The cheerleaders didn’t practice at the same time as the team, so he hadn’t seen her since kicking her out of his condo the day he’d broken things off with her.
So what the hell did she want?
He snatched up the phone and swiped to answer it. “Missy.”
“Good. You didn’t make the mistake of ignoring me. You’re lucky this didn’t go to voicemail.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean?”
“I have a little business proposition for you—”
“I’m not interested.” He lowered the phone and was about to disconnect when he heard her yell.
“Don’t hang up, you fairy fag!”
Cold horror iced his veins. His heart lurched in his chest and began beating twice as fast. His mouth went dry. Those ugly slurs. He realized she hadn’t chosen them at random.
No. She knew.
Somehow, Missy Parks knew he was gay.
He put the phone back to his ear. It took him a second to find his voice again. Despite his best efforts, he still sounded unsteady.
“What do you want, Missy?”
“You’ve been naughty. You’ve been hiding something. I think all the gossip rags and tabloids would pay me a lot of money for my story. For your little secret.”
“So you’re going to lie? Make up some wild story?” he said, desperately trying to sound unconcerned. “Go ahead. You wouldn’t be the first.”
She laughed. “Make something up? No. I have proof.”
Again, he could barely breathe, barely think as panic took him. “What proof?”
“Oh, a little video I took of your big bodyguard down on his knees, giving you head. He’s pretty good at it too. But I guess a gay guy would be better at giving head than a woman. He’d know all the best techniques. Oh, and don’t try and play dumb. I’ll be sending you a copy of the video. You can use it to jack off to or whatever. I don’t care. I’m sure it will show up on all the porn sites soon enough.”
All the strength went out of him. He stood there gripping the island counter to keep himself steady. His stomach felt sick. His head was pounding.
His scorned, trophy ex-girlfriend had seen the two of them. She had filmed them.
“How—?”
“Don’t be naive, Adam. I’m a cheerleader. I know guys in security. They let me go where I want if I just smile and flash some cleavage. Men are so stupid.”
Men were so stupid. Adam knew he certainly fit that description perfectly.
“Why are you calling me about this?” he asked. “Why not sell it to the tabloids and get it over with?”
“Because I’m not an evil girl. I don’t really want to hurt you, even after everything you’ve done to me. I want you to know that I’m better than you, Adam. I never want you to forget who won.”
He didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. Protests or curses or threats would only provoke her. He had been beaten. He had lost.
“Why so quiet? You’re usually more talkative. But don’t worry. I don’t want a bunch of legal complications or headaches. So what do you say we keep this between us? You give me money. I delete the video and promise to keep my mouth shut.”
“So this is about money.”
“Of course it’s about money, you idiot. When isn’t it about money? You have plenty of it. You have your career ahead of you. If I’m lucky, I’ll last three more years as a cheerleader before they replace me with someone younger and hotter. My job doesn’t have much of a shelf life. A girl has to look out for herself.”
“How much do you want?”
“I’m not going to be greedy. Three hundred thousand. I’m not even asking for cash. You can transfer it into my account.”
He knew that moving large amounts of money like that set off flags with banks and the government. He would need the help of his accountant to set it all up either way. That meant questions. Headaches. But what else could he do? She had him by the balls.
“How do I know you won’t take my money and then sell it anyway?”
“Don’t trust me? Aw, that hurts my feelings. You’re going to have to take a risk. But what other choice do you have? Otherwise, the whole world will know what a fraud and a faker you are, Romeo. There goes that reputation of yours. Won’t your fans be surprised to find out that you’re no hero? That you’re not really even a man? My heart goes out to them.”
“You made your point, Missy,” he said, his chest filled with a deep ache that felt like his insides were being crushed. “How do you want to do this?”
“I’
ll send you a copy of the video so you know what you’re buying. Then I’ll call you, and we can arrange the details.” The line went silent for a long pause. Then she said, softer, “I have to do this, Adam. A girl needs to look out for herself in this world. Men certainly won’t do it for her.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’ll wait on your call.”
He disconnected. For a second, he was tempted to march out onto the balcony and hurl the phone over the railing. But that vulgar display of emotion would accomplish absolutely nothing.
So he merely stood there, holding the phone in his hand, staring at it as he felt his life burning down all around him.
It didn’t take long for the text notification to come telling him he had an email. And it didn’t take long for him to open the email and discover that Missy had used a dummy account to send him a video. He opened the video with a trembling finger because he had to see. He had to know.
She had cracked open the door to the luxury suite to film them. He hadn’t locked it. He hadn’t been paying attention. Too wrapped up in Dyson, as usual.
He saw himself leaning back against the couch with his eyes closed and his head back as Dyson knelt in front of him, his mouth on Adam’s hard cock.
The sight of it would’ve been sexy in any other situation. But now it only stirred dread in his belly. There was no denying the images on the screen of his phone. You could clearly see Adam’s face. She’d even zoomed in on him. And then she’d zoomed in on his dick as Dyson bobbed his head, working his lips along Adam’s length.
It was damning evidence.
He closed the video. He put the phone back down. His ears were ringing. His appetite was gone. The thought of eating another bite ever in his life made him feel sick.
Dyson walked into the kitchen. He was shirtless, wearing only sweats, and he had a towel around his neck. But the instant he laid eyes on Adam, he stopped cold.
“What’s wrong?” Dyson asked in a voice that sounded so neutral it contrasted sharply with the concern in his eyes.
Without a word, Adam pushed the phone toward him. It was still unlocked. The video was still right there.
Dyson’s gaze lingered on Adam’s face for a long moment. Then he picked up the phone and started the video.
Adam watched him watch the video. He felt numb. Absolutely numb. This seemed like a nightmare, but it also felt shockingly real and specific, hitting far too close to home to be anything but horrible reality.
This was everything he’d feared for his entire professional career—for his life since he’d been a teen with his first hard-on. And it was hitting him right now.
Dyson’s jaw clenched, a muscle twitching. His eyes flashed with fury. He slowly set the phone down on the counter and met Adam’s eyes. “Missy.”
Adam only nodded. He didn’t want to say her name. It was like acid on his tongue.
“Damn it,” Dyson said, closing his eyes. His big fists clenched. “Damn her.”
Any other time he would’ve agreed wholeheartedly. Right now, he didn’t even have the strength to hate her.
“What does she want?” Dyson demanded. “What’s her game?”
“Money.”
“Of course. You aren’t going to pay her. We’re taking this to the cops.”
Adam froze, his heart lurching again. His own hands clenched into fists. “The fuck we are. I’m going to pay her and pray she holds up her end of the bargain.”
Dyson looked shocked. “Why the hell would you do that?”
Now fury exploded inside Adam. “Haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve said? A scandal like this is going to disrupt the whole team right when we need the most focus. When we need to play our best. If this goes out and the media goes full circus, we’re gonna lose.”
“You don’t know that.”
“What the fuck do you know about it? What do you know about what I know? This was exactly what I feared. You fucking seduced me at the stadium, and this is the result. I’m fucking destroyed. But I can’t let it hurt the team. I won’t let it destroy our season. There are people counting on me. My teammates. The fans. So many people.”
“To hell with them,” Dyson said coldly.
Adam gaped at him. “What? What did you just say?”
“To hell with them. If they can’t accept you as a gay man, then they aren’t your friends, and they aren’t your fans.”
“It’s not that simple, you bastard. You see everything in black or white. It’s not. You are such a child.”
The accusation didn’t faze Dyson. “I think you’ll find that people don’t care as much as you fear. Your real friends will stick with you. People will still love you.”
Adam snorted in utter derision. “Apparently, you haven’t been paying attention to the digital, online world for the last ten years. But you’re hopelessly naive. People love nothing more than to tear other people apart. They are hyenas.”
“I might be naive, but you can’t keep denying this part of yourself. This is what happens when you do. It gives people a way to attack you. Accept yourself. Accept who you are and what you want. Then she won’t be able to blackmail you. We’ll go to the cops, and we’ll have her arrested. Be proud of who you are for once in your life.”
“You smug bastard. That’s easy for you to say. You don’t have your career on the line. Or a team’s future on the line.”
“Calm down and think about this. It doesn’t have to be a big scandal if you don’t let it be one.” Dyson sounded angrier now—as if Adam’s anger was infecting him too. “I’ll say it again. Be proud of who you are. Pro quarterback. Texan. Gay man. You’ll never find happiness unless you can do that.”
“Did you suddenly turn into some kind of therapist when I wasn’t looking? You can keep that bullshit to yourself.”
Dyson stared at him, a mix of alarm, hurt, and anger in his eyes. “So, what happens now?”
“Simple. I pay Missy her money. I pray she holds up her end of the bargain. I can’t fire you, but I want you to get the hell out. After that, maybe my life goes on, and maybe we win our next game and make the playoffs. If I can keep my shit together.”
He watched as the words sank in with Dyson. He watched the pain in the other man’s dark eyes. And he saw Dyson’s jaw clench in anger.
“We’re right back where we started, is that it?”
Adam forced himself to hold his gaze. “Looks like it.”
He had to make himself sound flippant, as if this wasn’t gutting him. Because this hurt so deeply, despite his anger, despite the fact that he felt betrayed.
He wouldn’t be in this situation at all if it weren’t for Dyson. If he hadn’t fallen for the other man and gave in to desires he’d kept under tight control for years…
Dyson didn’t say anything else. He simply turned and left.
Adam didn’t wait for him to clear out. He suddenly felt claustrophobic—as if the walls were closing in on him. He stumbled his way to the balcony doors and wrenched them open, fleeing out into the winter air. He sagged against the railing, his head down and his eyes closed. The tension and stress inside him felt like it would break him apart.
It was all he could do to keep himself under control. He had just ended things with Dyson. He had ended things, and he was certain he’d been in love with the man. But there was more to life than love. At least, more to his life. He couldn’t afford to be some hopeless romantic. There were very real consequences for what happened in his life.
Still, he hurt. Deeply. The shock hadn’t begun to fade, but he knew the pain would only grow worse. Ever since Dyson had saved his life, he’d felt a deep connection with the man. From there, things had only grown deeper, more intimate.
Until now. When Adam had taken a chance, chasing after happiness, and that stupid, careless risk had destroyed his entire life.
He stayed out on the balcony for a long, long time. Long past the time that he was sure Dyson had left his condo.
/> Only then did he slowly pull himself together to focus on his next move. He would need to call his accountant. Getting that much money together was going to be a challenge, but what choice did he have?
Right now, he was caged in. This situation had no other options that he could see.
He had to hold it together and do the best he could until…
Until he finally lost. Or until he finally managed to forget about Dyson.
However long that might take…
* * *
DYSON
Returning to his empty apartment on the east side of the city really drove the point home.
It was over. Adam had kicked his ass out.
He parked his Range Rover in his parking slot and stared up at his second-floor window.
Hell, maybe that was best. Why did he need a guy like Collins in his life? A guy so far in the closet he was lost in Narnia or something. He should never have turned around and gone back to Collins that night when they’d first kissed. When he’d been so angry over Adam’s lies to the world…and his lies to himself. He should’ve kept that anger. He should’ve gone for good.
He snorted and got out of the truck, slamming the door. Who was he trying to fool? If he’d left then, he wouldn’t have had all that precious time he’d spent with Collins.
But there was one thing he swore to himself right here and now. He wasn’t going to go crawling back to Adam. No. Adam had made his choice.
When the chips were down, Adam always kicked him out. Twice now. It showed something about Adam too. He left people behind. Sure, he was loyal to his team. But the people closest to him? Adam would walk away from them in an instant, or he would send them away when things got rough.
Dyson needed to accept the way things had turned out. He’d tried to help Adam find some peace with himself and his desires. He’d failed. He deeply cared for the other man, even loved him for a while, but this wasn’t his choice. It was Adam’s. And Adam had made the choice to send Dyson away and end what they had.