Calling the Play

by Samantha Kane

  “No, you don’t. Or you wouldn’t attribute all my actions to your behavior. Eight years ago, maybe you were right. I thought I was in love with you, thought I’d do anything to have you and I’d die without you. What a fucking drama it all was. Now I’m all grown up and I know better. So get that through your fat head, Brian. I. Make. My. Own. Choices. Good, bad, ugly, whatever. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Brian said tightly.

  “I got it, too,” Shannon Ludwig, Rebels head coach, said from behind him. Ty spun around to see him standing with his back up against the door, arms crossed. The other coaches were out in the hall, staring anywhere but into the room. Cass and Marian were out there, too, but Cass, of course, was watching Ty and Brian with a scowl on his face.

  “Sorry,” Ty mumbled. “We needed to talk.”

  “No problem,” Shannon said with a forced smile. “Was there something you apparently forgot to mention when we approached you about the new coaching position, Mr. Mason?”

  “No,” Brian said flatly. “Ty and I had a relationship in college, but that’s ancient history.”

  “Is it?” Shannon asked, looking at Ty. “What about you? Is it ancient history for you?”

  “Yes,” Ty said clearly, glaring at Brian. “It is. Because whatever is happening between us now is not the same. Older and wiser, right, Shannon?” He glanced over at his coach, belligerent as hell and hoping Shannon would wipe the floor with his ass. No one was giving him a good fight today.

  Shannon met his stare calmly. “Your life, as you so clearly pointed out to Brian. But don’t bring your teenage-girl drama to this house. Can you work together?”

  “Yes,” Brian said firmly.

  “Ty?” Shannon prompted.

  “Yes,” Ty said, and he meant it. He needed Brian, and that just pissed him off more.

  “Are we good now?” Shannon asked. The man was unflappable.

  “Good,” Brian said.

  “Fine,” Ty said, feeling anything but.

  Without another word Shannon opened the door and Ty was left impotently fuming as the other coaches filed in.

  —

  Ty came into his office and slammed the door. Brian wasn’t startled. He’d seen him coming through the office windows. What a fucking awkward day it had been. His first full day here at work, and by ten a.m. pretty much everyone knew he and Ty were involved. Although involved in what, he wasn’t sure. Way to make a good impression. The unspoken comments, hinted at all day, about Ty’s performance last season and at minicamp had only escalated both his and Ty’s tension.

  “When I fucking want a fight, you give me a fight,” Ty started in right away. “I’ve spent this whole fucking day holding all my shit together and an outlet would have been nice.”

  “My job is to get you ready to play,” Brian said. “It’s not to be your whipping boy.”

  “Your job is to get my head on straight,” Ty countered. “Because we both know that’s my fucking problem.”

  “I’m not a psychiatrist, Ty,” Brian said, throwing his pen down on his desk. “I can’t even get my own head straight.”

  “Then figure it out,” Ty said, stepping over to the window to glare out at the empty hallway, his arms crossed and his feet planted wide.

  Brian sighed. Ty looked bigger. He’d put on weight, most of it muscle. He was taller, too. He had grown up. Brian had the irrational desire to snap a photo of him because he looked so perfect standing there, broad shoulders emphasized by his crossed arms, narrowing down to a tapered waist and compact ass, with ridiculously long legs. Ty made him wish he was taller. He wasn’t actually sure how they were going to fit together. The thought made a hot flush rush through him, and he cleared his throat, sitting up straighter.

  “Of course,” he said sarcastically. “I’ll get right on that. Anything else I can do for you?”

  “Yes,” Ty said, not turning around. Brian waited but he didn’t say anything else.

  “Okay,” Brian said. “Why are you back here? Didn’t I see you leave earlier with everyone else? What time is it, anyway?” He looked at his watch. Shit, it was already nine o’clock. No wonder the place was deserted.

  “I left. Then I came back.” Ty turned around to face him, leaning against the window with his arms still crossed. “I knew you’d still be here.”

  Brian rubbed both hands over his face. “I’m going through the playbook, play by play.” He sat back, his hands folded over his stomach. “How much input did you have on that playbook?”

  “Enough,” Ty said with a frown. “Why?”

  “Because it seems to play to everyone’s strengths but yours,” Brian told him flatly. “Based on game tape from last year and this playbook, you’ve got to get better at calling the plays, Ty. Stop playing everyone else’s game, and focus on your own.” Ty started to respond, but Brian waved him off. “We’ll talk about it later, when I’m done with it. What about Parris? Was he involved?” Marlon Parris, their backup quarterback, was pretty new to the game. He’d come to them from the Jaguars, where he’d been backup for only two years. He and the Jaguars star player hadn’t gotten along well. Apparently Parris was having an affair with his wife, and when everyone found out he was out of there.

  “Not much,” Ty said. “He’s putting in his time here, I think. He’s not much of a Rebel.” He smiled weakly at his play on words.

  “Great,” Brian said. “Just great. That’s just what I need, a paycheck player.”

  “Look,” Ty said, “I don’t want to talk about the playbook.”

  “That’s right,” Brian snapped. “You want to fight. Okay, get on with it.” He crossed his arms and glared at Ty. He was tired and frustrated and just about ready to fight, too.

  Ty uncrossed his arms and slumped against the window for a second or two before he shuffled across the office and sat down on Brian’s desk, right beside his chair. “I’m not kidding, Bri. My head is fucked up.”

  Brian sat up with alarm. “What are you talking about? Concussion?” God, not that, Brian thought. With all the new awareness of traumatic brain injury and concussion protocols, Ty could be out for the season, for good, even.

  “Not physically, idiot,” Ty said impatiently. “What you said. Psychologically.”

  Brian smiled with relief. “Is that all? Ty, you’re no more fucked up than anybody else.”

  “I’m lonely, Bri.” Ty sighed and picked at a string on his shorts. “Crazy, right? Ty Oakes, who’s never alone, is lonely. What a joke.” He rose before Brian could say anything and walked aimlessly over to desultorily look through boxes that Brian hadn’t unpacked yet, stacked on a low bookcase that ran across the entire back wall of his office.

  “Is that why…last night?” Brian asked, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. He felt shattered inside and didn’t want Ty to know it. It wasn’t Ty’s fault. Really, it wasn’t. Brian had done a number on him eight years ago. No one, least of all Brian, could expect him to get over it, to forgive and forget and offer Brian his heart again. That was never going to happen, and Brian had known it. Last night was more than he’d ever thought he’d get. “I mean, it’s okay. You can tell me. Look, we were friends first, right? We can be that again. I’d like to be that again.”

  “I guess that’s why I said okay last night,” Ty said slowly. “You were probably right. It was too soon.” Ty turned to face him and propped his ass on the bookshelf. “You’re always right. Don’t you get sick of that?”

  “No,” Brian said honestly. “It’s a good fallback position.”

  Ty laughed, his smile genuine. “I would imagine it is a definite advantage.”

  “Tell me about the lonely,” Brian said. He was incredulous. Ty was one of the most liked players he’d ever worked with. People gravitated to him, they trusted him, sought him out. He was right. He was never alone. Surely in all the crowds of admirers he had someone he could go to?

  “It’s stupid,” Ty said briskly, standing up. “Sorry. I’m just feeling sorry for m
yself. Randi won’t return my calls.”

  “Maybe she was just busy. How many times have you called her today?” Brian asked. He’d wanted to call her, but she hadn’t given him her number. If she wanted to hear from him, she would have. Brian was smart enough to do the math.

  “Five.” Ty wrinkled his nose sheepishly. “I’m turning into a stalker.”

  Brian laughed. “I think it takes more than five calls. Did she say she didn’t want to talk to you?”

  “She won’t return my calls or texts,” Ty said. “I guess that’s that. She got what she wanted and now she’s gone. I get that a lot.”

  “Get what a lot?” Brian asked, standing up and walking over to lean against the desk, facing Ty across his office.

  “The brush-off. I’m great for a night or two and some cheap thrills, but I’m not a long-haul prospect.” He shrugged. “I’m used to it. I get brought in as a third, or a way to start the party, but when the party’s over, it’s so long, Ty. Thanks for the memories. You know how it is, right?”

  The accusation stung, because in some ways, it was on the mark. “It wasn’t like that. And I’ve already said I’m sorry. But if you need to hear it again, if you need to hear it a hundred times, I’ll say it.”

  “Nah,” Ty said dismissively. “You’re right. Sorry done and accepted. We were young once, and stupid. Shit happens. Builds character, am I right?” He was wandering again, picking through Brian’s belongings. He stopped and pulled a picture out. It was Brian and Janine, on vacation in the Bahamas. Right before their divorce, as a matter of fact. Ty held it up and turned to Brian. “She still looks good.”

  “That was about four years ago. But, yeah, she still looks good.”

  “What happened?” Ty asked curiously, setting the photo up on the top of the bookshelf. “I mean, besides her penchant for college quarterbacks.”

  Brian laughed. “That was about it, actually. We married for the wrong reasons. It was never going to last and I think we knew it from the start, but we had a good ride.”

  “Why did you marry her?” He held his hands up in surrender. “Not gonna lie, that one hurt.”

  “You want the truth? Or a half truth that will keep this”—he gestured between them—“friendly and professional?”

  “The truth,” Ty said without hesitation. “We’re beyond professional, and friendly is overrated.”

  Brian’s heart skipped at Ty’s flippant comment. What did he mean by that? “I was hurting. Not sure I made the right decision. And I ran into her. Suddenly it was almost like having you there. We just sort of fell into a relationship. Didn’t take a lot of work, like it would have with someone new, right? I think, for her, I was that boring guy she was going to have to marry to go with her boring job and a passel of kids, the American dream. But at least with me she had a link to her wild and crazy past. Simple as that.” He thought about it for a minute. “You know, I don’t think the word ‘love’ ever passed between us. That made it easier when it crashed and burned. Although in our case, it was more like just pulling off to the side of the road and leaving the car to be towed away.”

  “That is the saddest thing I have ever heard,” Ty said, staring at him wide-eyed. “What the fuck? You just gave up? Just sort of shrugged and took the first girl who came along? To what? Get over me?” His explanation seemed to have pissed Ty off all over again.

  “I guess,” Brian conceded with a sigh. “So much for that.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Ty said with a great deal of evident frustration.

  “I think I’ve spelled out my feelings pretty clearly,” Brian snapped back. “How many times do I have to say it?”

  “A hundred,” Ty snapped. “Maybe a thousand.” He stalked over and hauled Brian in to his chest with a hand on his arm. He’d taken Brian by surprise, so he didn’t fight him. “Maybe I need more than words. Prove it, Brian. Show me what you really came here for.”

  Chapter 13

  Ty waited for Brian’s response, his heart hammering. He knew this was a bad idea. His head was really fucked up. He was lonely, he was worried about his job, he still had feelings for Brian no matter what he said, and he was missing Randi. They’d spent three solid days together and he’ missed that, damn it. But right now, none of it mattered, because the one thing he’d wanted for years was right here in his arms. And he’d give it all up to have him, just once.

  Brian didn’t answer, just grabbed Ty’s head and pulled his mouth down to his and kissed the shit out of him. Ty supposed that was answer enough. It took about two seconds for him to react. He wrapped his arms around Brian and kissed him back. Brian. The man who had always been off-limits, no matter how many times they’d been naked in a bed together. Always there had been a woman between them, even last night. But not now. He tasted so fucking good, and felt even better wrapped up in Ty’s arms.

  It got wild pretty damn fast. Brian was as hungry for Ty as Ty was for him. Brian yanked Ty’s shirt up so hard he tore it. Panting as if he’d just run suicide drills, Ty ripped the shirt off over his head and threw it across the room, then he pulled Brian’s shirt off and they were pressed against each other, skin to skin. Ty moaned.

  “Fuck, yeah,” Brian said breathlessly. Then he leaned in and sucked on Ty’s nipple, and Ty’s hand was actually shaking when he cupped the back of Brian’s head and held him there. When Brian bit him—a quick, sharp sting—he cried out before he could silence himself. He looked out the windows into the darkened hallway, hoping to God that everyone was gone, because there was no way they were stopping now.

  Brian cupped his jaw tightly in both hands and kissed him again, still rough, but not as out of control. Then he put his hands on Ty’s shoulders and pushed down. They both tumbled onto the carpeted floor. Brian crawled on top of him and rubbed his hard dick against Ty’s. Even through two pairs of shorts, it felt amazing. Ty realized with shock it had been at least a year since he’d been with a guy like this, maybe more. He palmed Brian’s tight ass and they ground together for a few minutes, trading hard, rough, wet kisses. Their skin was slippery with sweat where their chests were pressed together. Brian broke away from Ty’s mouth with a gasp and moved down to kiss his neck, sucking that spot behind his ear, the same spot he’d marked on Randi the night before. With a wrench in his gut, Ty realized he wished Randi was here to watch them. Then Brian sat up and began yanking on Ty’s shorts, taking them off, and Ty forgot everything, including how to breathe.

  When Brian went down on him, his inexperience at sucking cock was obvious, but it didn’t make a damn bit of difference. It was the hottest fucking thing Ty had ever had done to him. Brian just dove in and devoured him. He shoved Ty’s legs as far apart as he could get them and Ty’s hands ran frantically over his shoulders and his hair, not wanting to hold him still, wanting instead to feel Brian’s muscles moving and bunching under his hands, to feel the sweat in his hair. Brian started kissing and licking and sucking him all over—his dick, his balls, that supersensitive spot right behind his balls. Jesus. That nearly had him bucking Brian off. Then Brian sucked on one of his balls and rubbed his face all over Ty’s dick, and all Ty could do was hold on. Ty was panting so hard his whole body was moving with each breath. Brian stopped, panting as hard as Ty, and scrambled to his feet. Ty came up, leaning on his hands, worried Brian was leaving him. But all he did was pull his shorts open and take them off.

  Brian was hard, as hard as he’d been last night with Randi, and Ty wanted him just as much as he had then, as much as he had for more than eight years. Brian dropped down to his knees and went back to work on Ty’s cock. Ty fell back on the floor just as Brian finally took his dick in his mouth and sucked it. Ty cried out, his back arching off the floor. Brian hummed, or moaned, he wasn’t sure, and the sound vibrated up and down Ty’s cock, and he hissed at the pleasure that shot through him. Brian pulled off and licked his dick up and down.

  “You taste so fucking good,” Brian growled.

  “Fuck me,” Ty begg
ed. “Do it. Do it now.” He ached, he wanted it so badly. “Want to come with you inside me, man.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Brian said roughly. He stood and reached a hand down to help Ty up. He hauled him off the floor and pushed him down on the leather sofa at the back of his office. “Condom?”

  “Be stupid not to, huh?” Ty asked, sort of wishing Brian said to hell with it and just barebacked him.

  Brian stood there staring at him, panting, his chest rising and falling. Ty could see the indecision on his face. “Shorts,” he said. “Wallet.”

  Brian gave him a lopsided grin. “You carry a condom around in your wallet? Like a teenager?”

  “ ‘Be prepared,’ ” he quoted.

  “Lube?” Brian asked.

  “Same place.” Brian just laughed and grabbed his shorts from the floor.

  “You sure?” Ty asked, not wanting to give him an out, but feeling obligated to do so. He did not want to be another fucking mistake. He’d been the mistake too many times to count.

  “Spread your legs,” Brian told him roughly. He used his teeth to rip open the lube packet and Ty thought he was going to pass out as every ounce of blood rushed from his head to his dick. Ty did as ordered and Brian braced a knee on the couch as he leaned over and kissed Ty. Then Ty felt his finger lubing him up and he groaned. After just a minute or so, Brian stood up again and ripped open the condom packet. “I’ve waited a long time for this,” he said, his voice shaky as he rolled the condom on.

  “Not as long as I have,” Ty said fervently. “Have you done this before?”

  “Fucked someone in the ass?” Brian asked, raising his eyebrows as he leaned back over Ty. “You know I have. You’ve seen me do it.” He settled between Ty’s legs and Ty pulled his knees up.

  “What about a guy?” Ty asked, not letting it drop.

  “No,” Brian said tightly. “You’re my first. The only one I ever wanted.”

  Ty’s heart stuttered at Brian’s admission, but he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t have, anyway. He could feel Brian’s dick pressing against him, demanding entrance the same way Brian demanded everything. Confident, strong, caring. Ty closed his eyes and told his head to shut the fuck up. It wasn’t love. It was sex, it was loneliness, but it wasn’t love. He took a deep breath, blew it out, and let Brian in.