by Carol Lynne
Bear’s voice lowered and Liam watched as a tick began in his strong jaw. “What exactly is my type? Someone black?”
“No. Oh God, no. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m saying you’re fantastic looking. You’re an All-American football player for Christ’s sake. Why would someone gorgeous and popular choose to be with a scrawny soccer player?”
With a growl, Bear kissed him, pushing his tongue in deep. “Because I happen to be in love with a soccer player. And don’t sell yourself short in the looks department, babe. With that just out of bed mane of black hair and those deep blue eyes, you’re breathtaking.” Bear ran his hands over Liam’s body. “And you may be lean, but I wouldn’t call you scrawny. I think you fit perfectly in my arms.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really,” Bear chuckled. He smacked Liam’s ass and lifted him from his lap. “Now let’s get downstairs and see if we can catch up with Charlie.”
Bear left Liam in the weight room as he made his way to the team meeting. He’d noticed a couple of guys staring at them on their way into the building. No matter what, he wouldn’t hide his feelings for Liam. If holding hands and giving him a quick peck goodbye drew eyes, well then so be it. Bear had waited years for a connection like this and he wouldn’t cave to pressure from outside forces.
He spotted Koby as soon as he walked into the room and headed straight for him. Bear couldn’t wait to work with Koby on the field again. As a freshman the previous year, Koby had shown more skill and leadership qualities than their senior quarterback, eventually replacing him. It was almost unheard of for a college team to be lead by such a young player, but Bear had all the confidence in the world that Koby could pull it off.
“Hey, man,” Bear said, slapping Koby on the back.
“Hi, Bear. How was your summer?” Koby asked as Bear took the seat next to him.
“Too long. What about yours?”
“Too short,” Koby said with a grin. “Julian had me on a very rigorous workout routine all summer.”
“Yeah, I bet he did.” Bear chuckled.
“So…I’ve heard a rumour you found a new place to live.”
Bear glanced around the room and nodded. “I couldn’t deny the truth any longer.”
“And…” Koby continued to probe.
A picture of Liam came to mind, and Bear smiled so wide he was sure his lips would crack. “I admitted to myself and my family that I’d fallen in love with Liam.”
“O’Brien?” Koby asked, his eyes wide.
“Yeah, how many Liam’s do you know?” Bear lightly punched Koby in the arm.
Koby looked around at the quickly filling room. “You know they never caught the guys that messed Rocco up.”
“And?”
“Most of them are probably in this room right now. If you come out, I’d keep a close eye on Liam if I were you.”
Bear hadn’t thought of putting Liam in danger with his announcement. He considered for a moment keeping quiet. That same image of Liam nude, stroking his cock played through his mind. “I’d kill anyone who laid a finger on him,” he growled.
Koby held up his hands in a sign of surrender. “Tell people like that and they’d have to be completely mental to even shake Liam’s hand.”
Bear felt much better after the meeting ended. He’d gotten a few dirty looks and it was obvious some of the players weren’t happy about his announcement. On the whole though, Bear thought it had gone fairly smoothly. He walked out of the meeting with Koby and Julian.
“Liam’s in the weight room working out,” Bear said.
“How’s his leg doing?” Julian asked.
“Fine I think. Why don’t you come in and ask him. I know he’s been looking forward to the two of you getting back into town.”
“We were looking forward to getting home, too,” Julian said. “My father’s trial really seemed to drag.”
“Do you mind me asking how that went?” Bear asked. He knew Julian’s father was facing charges of assault and attempted murder. Bear had been shocked by the few things Koby had mentioned about Julian’s abusive upbringing.
“He was found guilty. His sentencing hasn’t happened yet though. We decided there was no reason to hang around LA for that. The prosecuting attorney will call me with the news of the sentence term.”
“That’s great,” Bear said, clapping Julian on the back as they entered the weight room. His eyes immediately found Liam working out on the leg press machine. There were a few other players working out now, but none of them seemed to mind a soccer player being in their territory.
“Hey,” Liam said with a smile when Bear walked up. When Liam spotted Koby and Julian he stood and wiped the sweat off his chest and face with his towel.
Bear’s cock started to harden as he took in the leanly muscled chest in front of him as Liam greeted his friends. Liam may be small, but the man had a wicked six-pack. Bear’s tongue tingled with the thought of licking the sweat from Liam’s body. He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t realise Koby was talking to him.
“Earth to Bear?” Koby laughed.
“Huh?”
“Feel like coming by the house for dinner?”
“Uh,” Bear stammered, still looking at Liam’s bare chest. “Rain cheque?”
Both Koby and Julian started laughing. “Yeah, okay, rain cheque,” Koby said.
“Sorry,” Bear said sheepishly. He reached for Liam’s shirt and tossed it to him. “Cover up so I can talk coherently again.”
Now it was Liam’s turn to laugh as he pulled his black T-shirt on over his head.
“By the way, how’s the leg doing?” Julian asked Liam.
“Good. I’ve been keeping up with the exercises you showed me. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble with it this season.”
The group headed towards the parking lot. They parted ways at Julian’s truck as Bear and Liam declined a ride back to the dorm. “It’s only a couple of blocks,” Liam said.
“See you at practice in the morning,” Koby said getting into the truck.
As soon as they drove off, Bear took Liam’s hand and pulled him into his arms. The parking lot was blissfully empty of prying eyes and Bear had the urge to taste his man. The kiss was long and hungry and Bear’s body started reacting to the nearness of Liam’s. He broke the kiss and looked down into Liam’s blue eyes. “Race you back to the dorm.”
Without giving Liam a chance to answer, Bear took off at a full sprint. He wasn’t surprised when Liam easily caught up to him and tried to pass. Not willing to be beat, Bear pushed himself that much harder. By the time they reached the dorm the two of them were running as fast as they could.
Opening the front door, Liam laughed as Bear ran in after him and up the stairs without stopping. Bear unlocked their room and fell to the floor in a dead faint.
Liam laughed all the way to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out two bottles of water before running upstairs. The thought of finally having Bear inside of him had goose bumps breaking out on his arms as he opened the door.
Everything came to a halt when he walked into the room to find Bear lying across the floor. Dropping the water bottles, Liam rushed over. “Bear?”
He struggled for a few seconds and managed to turn Bear to his back. “Bear?” Liam asked patting the slack brown face. He breathed a sigh of relief when his big Bear grunted and moved his head to the side. “Come on, wake up for me.”
Opening his eyes, Bear blinked several times. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Liam said, falling to the floor to stretch out beside Bear. “I came in and found you passed out. What happened?”
Bear looked at Liam for several seconds before answering. “Nothing. It happens once in a while when I overexert myself.”
“What do you mean it happens once in a while? Have you seen a doctor?”
“Yeah. I have a borderline heart condition. It’s not enough to bench me so Dad thinks I should continue playing.”
&nb
sp; “What!” Liam stood and started pacing around the room. “Your dad thinks it’s acceptable to take a chance with your life and you’re okay with that?”
“Drop it, Liam. It’s not something I feel like talking about right now.” Bear sat up and held his head. “I can’t ruin my dad’s dream because of something that may or may not happen.”
Liam felt like he’d been punched in the stomach. A borderline heart condition? “What does your Coach say about it?”
“I’m not sure if Justin even knows. My family doctor sent a letter with me my freshman year and I gave it to Coach Williams. I guess it’s in my file or something.” Bear pulled Liam into his arms. “Don’t worry. It hardly ever happens. I’m fine.”
“Promise me you’ll tell Justin and Julian.”
Bear shrugged and nodded.
Liam put his hand on Bear’s jaw. “Promise me,” Liam demanded.
“I promise,” Bear finally mumbled. Liam grinned at the petulant voice coming out of such a big man.
“That’s better.” He gave Bear a kiss. “Let’s just hold each other in our new bed. I think you’ve had enough of a workout for one day.”
“You’re no fun,” Bear said, pulling off his T-shirt.
“Maybe not, but your health means more to me than sex.” Liam stripped out of his clothes and pulled the covers back as Bear struggled with his running shoes.
As Bear joined Liam under the covers, he started to grumble again. “That’s just because you haven’t had me inside of you. Once it happens, you’ll see it’s worth everything.”
Chapter Five
Unable to sleep, Liam carefully extracted himself from Bear’s embrace and stepped into a pair of shorts. Once decent, he quietly opened the door and went downstairs to the kitchen. It was after two in the morning and Liam was surprised to see light coming from under the kitchen door.
When he entered, Charlie was sitting at the centre island with a book and a mug of something hot in hand. “Hey,” Liam said.
Charlie looked up. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“No. Obviously you’re having the same problem.” Liam walked closer and looked at the plain brown pages of the book. Except for the raised bumps, the book looked blank.
“I don’t sleep much,” Charlie answered. He took a drink from his mug and held it up. “I made some hot chocolate if you’re interested. It should still be hot.”
“Thanks.” Liam walked over to the cabinet and took out a cup. After filling it from the white carafe on the counter, he took the stool next to Charlie. “So, what are you reading?”
Putting his cup down, Charlie actually flipped the book to its cover like he had to refresh his memory. “The new James Patterson. Well, I’m sure it’s not the newest one, but it’s the newest out in brail.”
Charlie never ceased to fascinate Liam. “Can I ask you something? I don’t want to offend you but I’m curious.”
“Ask away.” Charlie smiled.
“When I came in you were looking down at the book like you were actually reading it with your eyes instead of your fingers. Is that a habit?” Liam shook his head. “I don’t mean to sound dumb, but I don’t understand why you have the same mannerisms as people who can see.”
Charlie put a marker in the book and closed it. “Habit. Growing up I was taught to hide my blindness from the outside world. My parents weren’t bad people, but they were very much into presentation. I was allowed to learn brail and a few other things that helped me manage in the world, but I was always told to do so inconspicuously.” Charlie grinned. “Thus the habit of looking down at a book while I’m reading it with touch instead of sight.”
Liam thought about it for a few seconds. “It’s kind of like being ‘in the closet’ only instead of hiding your sexuality you were told to hide your disability.”
“Yeah, sort of. Although my parents took the news of my sexuality much better than they took the news of my blindness. I heard my mom talking to my dad one day about it. They didn’t know I was listening at the door and they discussed my ‘coming out’ in a very direct fashion. Mom said it didn’t matter to her because she knew she’d never get grandchildren out of me anyway. When my dad questioned her on the statement, she simply said, who would want a blind black man for the father of their children.”
“Oh shit,” Liam said without thinking.
“Yeah, oh shit.” Charlie agreed. “Shortly after that I went to New York to attend college. I haven’t been home much since overhearing that conversation.”
“I don’t understand how she could say that. I mean, as cruel as it sounds, I can see her saying that about the blind part but not the colour of your skin. Aren’t your parents black?”
“My mother is black. My father is white.”
“Wow.” Liam wanted to ask more but didn’t want to pry.
“So, what’s keeping you awake?” Charlie asked, refilling his mug.
“I’m worried about Bear. He fainted earlier when we returned from the college. He said it happens sometimes and that he has a borderline heart condition.” Liam took a drink of his cocoa.
“That doesn’t sound good, Liam.”
“I know. That’s why I’m awake at this ungodly hour. I made him promise to tell Justin about his condition. He said Coach Williams knew but he wasn’t sure if Justin did.”
“Did he happen to say when his last check-up was?”
“No.” Liam ran his finger around the rim of his cup. “I’m afraid to make love with him now. Does that sound totally stupid?”
“Sounds pretty smart actually. Maybe it’s the leverage you need to get Bear to go to the doctor. Be honest with him. Tell him that you want to be sure you aren’t going to throw him into cardiac arrest.”
“What if he gets mad?”
“Then he gets mad. Your relationship is new and you’ll have your first argument out of the way,” Charlie said with a grin. “It won’t always be smooth sailing. You’ll have to learn how to talk things out if you have hopes of lasting.”
Liam thought about what Charlie had said. He kept going back to what was really bothering him. “What if I get him to go to the doctor and they tell him he can’t play football? He’d never forgive me for that. Football’s not only Bear’s life but his dad’s as well.”
Charlie rubbed his jaw, the bristled sound of his five o’clock shadow loud in the silent kitchen. “I guess you need to ask yourself if you’d rather take the chance of losing Bear’s love in order to save his life.”
The statement had tears welling in Liam’s eyes. He finished off his cocoa and rinsed his mug. “Thanks, Charlie,” he said, putting the cup in the dishwasher. “I hope you enjoy your book.”
“Try and get some sleep. You’ll need your strength for the coming days.” Charlie went back to reading his book as Liam left.
After making a stop by the restroom, Liam crawled back into the big bed.
“Where’d you go?” Bear asked, his voice gruff with sleep.
“Down to the kitchen to get a drink. Charlie was awake so I talked to him for a few minutes.” Bear pulled Liam back into his arms and curled his much larger body around his smaller one.
Bear was snoring in no time. Liam grinned. Who knew he’d enjoy the sound of a hibernating bear in his ear.
A sweet ass snuggling back against his growing erection woke Bear. “Mmm.” Bear moved his morning wood to the cleft of Liam’s ass. Warm skin rubbed against his cock as Liam started to move in his sleep.
He moved his hand down Liam’s chest to his groin and smiled. Liam may be asleep, but he was definitely not dead. He ran his fingers over the smooth skin of Liam’s cock as it filled while he began to rock back and forth, his cock pushing deeper into the cleft.
Liam grunted and looked over his shoulder at Bear. “After something?”
“Oh yeah,” Bear said, wrapping his fingers around Liam’s hard cock. “Reach over and hand me some stuff.”
Liam reached over and put his hands on the lube and box of condoms. Bear
was confused when he held them in mid-air and just stared at them. “Bear?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m afraid,” Liam finally admitted.
“I wouldn’t hurt you for anything in the world,” Bear said, trying to soothe his new lover.
With a chuckle, Liam shook his head. “I’m not afraid of this,” Liam said, squeezing Bear’s cock with his butt cheeks. “I’m afraid of you passing out again or worse. I need you to go back to the doctor to get another check-up.”
Bear took a deep breath and sighed. “I’ve already been to my doctor back home.”
“I know, but I was hoping you’d go to the doctor here, too. I just need to be sure I’m not going to bring on another fainting spell. Besides, it would be nice for the doctors here to have a file on you in case something else happens.”
“Nothing’s going to happen, Liam.” Bear kissed the back of Liam’s neck. He appreciated Liam’s concern, but really didn’t want to dwell on his heart condition. All he really wanted at this moment was to bury his cock so deep in Liam’s body he’d be imprinted forever.
“Please? For me?” Liam turned and looked at Bear. Liam’s blue eyes were swimming in unshed tears.
“Hey, none of that.” Bear kissed Liam’s eyelids. “I’ll make an appointment at the clinic.”
“Thank you.” Liam pulled away enough to turn over and face Bear. He hoisted his leg over Bear’s hip and pressed their cocks together. Handing the condoms and lube over, Liam grinned. “Make love to me.”
Bear tried to read the look on Liam’s face. He could see the desire there but there was something else. Fear. “I’m not going to die making love to you, Liam.”
“I hope not,” Liam said. “I feel selfish, because right now all I really care about is having you inside of me.”
With renewed vigour, Bear growled and tore open the box of condoms. He took one out and tossed the destroyed box over the edge of the bed. Liam started laughing as Bear opened the lube with his teeth.
After hitching Liam’s thigh higher, Bear slicked his fingers and ran them down the crack of the sweet ass he couldn’t wait to bury himself in. Rimming the puckered hole with the pad of his index finger, Bear waited for Liam to stop laughing and relax. His cock was throbbing and he knew he was leaving a painted trail of pre-cum against Liam’s skin.