by Vicki Tharp
Fuck foreplay.
He needed Elijah inside him. Now. Alex rolled onto his back and took Elijah with him. “Lube and rubbers are in the drawer.”
Elijah reached across Alex, opened the nightstand drawer and pulled the needed items out. Then his hand went in again, a smile on his face when he held up the biggest of the three butt plugs from the set Alex had ordered. “I like a man who’s ambitious.”
“I figured it’s better to be over-prepared. That way there are no surprises.”
Elijah’s grin sent a zing straight to Alex’s groin. Alex needed to get his hands back on his man. “You need to get over here.”
In a few deft moves, Elijah slid the condom down. Alex stroked himself as Elijah slicked lube all over his own girthy cock. Damn. Maybe he should have experimented with a butt plug the next size up.
Elijah settled on his knees between Alex’s legs and spread a little lube on his hole. Slowly, Elijah worked one finger in, then another, stretching him wider, and working his fingers in and out. Alex groaned and slowly started fucking himself on Elijah’s fingers.
Alex blew out a breath. “Jesus Christ, that feels good.”
Elijah pressed a kiss on the inside of Alex’s thigh. “You’re so tight. I can’t wait to fuck that ass.”
Pleasure spiraled through Alex. His head fell back with a grunt as Elijah added a second finger. The butt plugs had been hot, but couldn’t compare to having Elijah’s fingers inside him, working him.
Elijah’s hands and mouth caressed and kissed Alex’s inner thigh, coming close to his cock, but always veering off, teasing and ramping Alex up higher and higher. His balls drew up. No way was he coming without Elijah inside him.
Alex reached down and forced Elijah to look at him. “Fuck me, Elijah. Now.”
“I promise I’ll go slow. If you need me to stop—”
“The only thing I need you to stop doing right now is talking.”
“Fair enough.” Elijah grinned that devastating grin that made Alex’s cock twitch and his lungs seize.
How did Alex get so lucky to have Elijah in his life?
Elijah settled deeper between Alex’s legs, his hands going to Alex’s hips, raising them higher until his cock rested against Alex’s hole. Alex blew out a breath as Elijah gently thrust.
Elijah held onto Alex’s hip with one hand and caressed him with the other—over Alex’s inner thighs, his lower abdomen, the base of his cock, his balls. The touch pulled Alex together and at the same time tore him apart.
In and out, Elijah worked his cock until Alex completely sheathed him. “Give me a second.”
Alex willed his body to relax. He’d put himself in good hands, yet he’d never felt so nakedly vulnerable.
Or so full, so... complete.
Moisture beaded on Elijah’s brow and dripped down his chest, the scent of musk, sex, and sweat heavy in the air.
Elijah leaned down, devouring Alex with a kiss, their tongues dueling and tangling. “You feel so good.”
Alex’s reply was a slow thrust downwards that ripped a groan from Elijah. “Holy fu—gah.”
Elijah sat back, bracing his hands on Alex’s hips as he began to thrust. Alex had never been so hard. He reached down and stroked himself, mirroring Elijah’s thrusts. In no time, Alex’s climax built. His breathing got ragged, his balls buzzed, and he surged against Elijah, taking him fast and deep.
Alex pumped himself harder, and the world dissolved around him into flashes of light and color and sound, his ass pulsing and contracting around Elijah. Elijah grunted, his thrusts short but deep and then he, too, tumbled into bliss.
When Elijah finished, he pulled out. Alex felt relieved and bereft at the same time. Elijah disappeared long enough to dispose of the condom. He brought back a warm washcloth and wiped Alex’s cum off his abdomen.
Elijah dropped the towel over the side of the bed and stretched out beside Alex, an arm draped across his waist as he pressed kisses to the ball of Alex’s shoulder.
Elijah caught his breath first. “That was off the fucking charts, babe. How are you doing?”
Alex rolled onto his side to face him. “Sore, but in the best way possible.” He couldn’t stop looking at Elijah. At the way the sheepish grin toyed with the corners of his mouth, the way lust burned in his eyes, the way Elijah’s forehead creased with his concern for Alex’s wellbeing.
Elijah may not have said he loved Alex, but Elijah’s love settled around him, a warm cloak in the battering winds of a winter storm.
Kissing his way up Elijah’s neck, Alex said, “Thank you for giving us a second chance.”
15
At the end of May, Elijah fought his way through the crowds of his fellow graduates and their families, searching for Alex, Trevor, and Demetri, until he came around a clump of navy-blue gowns and spotted them. For the morning graduation, Alex had decked himself out in a full suit and tie. Elijah couldn’t believe he was the lucky man to call Alex his own.
His in every way but one.
And he had plans to rectify that. Today.
Alex turned and spotted Elijah, and he smiled that smile that always made Elijah’s heart skip and his cock twitch. Alex scooped him up and hugged him tightly. He pressed a kiss to his neck and whispered in his ear, “I’m so damn proud of you.”
Elijah hadn’t heard those words often growing up, now hearing it from the man he loved bowled him over emotionally. The backs of his eyes stung, and he had to divert his focus and shake Trevor and Demetri’s hands to keep from losing it.
“Congrats,” they both said in turn.
“Thanks. I’m glad it’s over. There were some days there where I wasn’t sure I’d get through.”
“Everybody has those days,” Demetri said. “I never had any doubts about you, though.”
“Where’s your mortarboard?” Alex asked.
Elijah had his diploma in his hand, an engagement ring in a box in his pocket, and a simple question in his head. That was all that mattered.
Alex had a rare two days off in a row, and Elijah planned on taking full advantage of it starting tonight at the room they’d booked in the mountains.
“I tossed it in the air with everyone else. I have no idea where it went.”
Alex opened his mouth to say something, but his phone rang. It was the ring tone for John Fogerty’s Centerfield. The ring tone Alex had given to Coach King. Alex held up a finger and turned to walk away. “I need to take this.”
The southern California sun burned through Elijah’s dark graduation gown, and he stripped out of it.
“You’re going to propose tonight, right?” Trevor asked.
That flutter in Elijah’s stomach went off again, landing more like aftershocks from an earthquake than butterflies. “That’s the plan.”
“I’m still mad you didn’t ask my permission for his hand,” Trevor teased, “But I’ll try to get over it between now and the bachelor party.”
Demetri rolled his eyes.
“That’s assuming he says ‘yes,’” Trevor added.
Trevor wasn’t helping the whole aftershocks in his stomach thing. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a douche b—”
Alex turned and put his phone away, the expression on his face unreadable. Had Alex been cut from the team? That didn’t make sense, his ERA was one of the lowest of all the Double-A pitchers.
“What’s wrong?” Elijah went to him, not waiting for Alex to walk back to the group.
Trevor and Demetri followed. Nervous energy wafted off Alex like a high voltage line. Eyes wide, Alex rubbed at the back of his neck.
“I’ve got bad news.” Alex met Elijah’s gaze. “I’ve got to leave. I can’t go to the mountains with you.”
Trevor and Demetri both darted glances Elijah’s way. Elijah’s hand slipped into his pocket, his fingers going around the velvet box. Just because you can’t ask him tonight, doesn’t mean you can’t ask him another night. It’s all good.
Elijah tried to tamp down on his
disappointment. “But—” Elijah cut himself off, hating the desperation in his voice.
Desperation was never sane or sexy.
Whatever had happened, clearly it tore Alex up inside. This wasn’t about Elijah. He cleared his throat and tried again. “What happened?”
“The Grizzlies called me up.”
“What?” Elijah couldn’t believe his ears.
Trevor whooped and clapped Alex on the back. “Way to go, man.”
“Congratulations,” Demetri said.
“I-I have to be at the Grizzlies’ field in an hour for warm-ups. I’m starting the game.”
Elijah took him by the face and planted a big wet one on his mouth. “Why are you still standing here?”
Alex held onto Elijah’s wrists. “I was really looking forward to tonight. This is your special day and—”
“And now it’s your special day, too. We can go to the mountains after the game and—”
Alex shook his head. What small smile he’d allowed disappeared. “I fly with the team to New York tonight for a three-game series, then off to Boston for another four.”
“Go,” Elijah said. “It’s okay.”
“Yeah?”
Elijah brought him in for another kiss, this one with a hint of tongue and a lot of promise. His man was going back to the show! Elijah grinned. “Fuck yeah.”
Alex scooped Elijah up and swung him around, planting another kiss on his lips when Elijah’s feet hit the ground again. “Thanks for understanding.”
Trevor shooed Alex with his hands. “Go. You don’t want to be late.”
Alex started walking backward toward the car. “I’ll leave you guys tickets at Will Call.”
“Go,” Trevor said again.
“We’ll be there,” Elijah called out as Alex started jogging to his car.
Elijah turned to Demetri, his own emotions in an uproar. This was the day Alex had worked so hard for and Elijah was thrilled, but he’d also had his heart set on asking Alex to marry him. But if he and Alex were going to have a life together, he figured he’d have to get used to the demands of Alex’s job.
“I guess I’m gonna need a ride home.”
“Sure thing.” Demetri pulled his key fob from his pocket. “Sorry about the proposal.”
Elijah only shrugged because his throat had gone tight.
Trevor fell into step beside him as they walked to the parking lot. Many of the graduates and their families had already cleared out, though some had spread out and were taking pictures. “He’ll be back next week, you can—”
Trevor didn’t finish his sentence, but he got this look on his face that would get a kid grounded. “I’ve got an idea. No promises, but I think we can make this proposal work.”
We? Since when had his proposal become a group project?
“Meet me at Will Call an hour before the game, and I’ll let you know if it’s a go.”
This was such a bad idea.
So many things could go wrong, the least of which was Alex turning down his proposal on national television.
Overall, Alex’s Double-A team had been welcoming since Alex had come out, accepting Alex and Elijah as well, except for a select few. But those guys valued their jobs and feared Coach King’s threat of being cut from the team too much to cause any trouble.
That Alex had produced and won games since the start of the season hadn’t hurt any either. Those wins had gotten the fans on their side.
But this... this public proposal was, as they say in the profession, a whole nother ball game.
And to help pull off this impending disaster, Trevor had apparently called in a few favors.
Now, Elijah stood in the Grizzlies’ bullpen with Trevor, Demetri, and the team’s relievers dressed in an authentic Grizzlies’ uniform. Someone with a sense of humor had given him the number sixty-nine.
The crowd noise reverberated off Elijah’s eardrums all but rendering him deaf. It was the top of the sixth inning. The score tied one to one. Alex had pitched lights out, but his stamina had flagged. The other team had a runner at first, the number three batter at the plate, and the cleanup batter on deck.
No outs.
Fuck.
Alex worked a three-and-oh count up to full with two heaters high and inside. Elijah felt the trembles again, but he couldn’t tell if it were really an earthquake—this was California after all—the rumble of the crowd yelling and stomping their feet, or his stomach rolling over again and again.
Alex might be taken out of the game any minute.
And then it would be Elijah’s turn on the mound.
Elijah held his breath as Alex took one last glance at the runner on first and threw from the stretch. The bat connected with the ball, but the bat shattered, sending a shard toward the mound and glancing off Alex’s shin.
Trevor squeezed Elijah’s shoulder. “Breathe.”
The ball bounced on the far side of the mound, the shortstop took it on a short hop and tossed it to the second baseman who got the out at second and fired the ball to first.
“He’s out!” Trevor yelled as the Grizzlies completed a double play. Elijah could barely hear him over the roar of the crowd.
“Hot damn,” Demetri said.
“Is Alex okay?”
Elijah watched Alex walk around in front of the mound with a slight limp. A trainer came out of the dugout, but Alex waved him off, telling him he was okay.
They only needed one more out. Alex walked back up to the mound to face the cleanup hitter. Then his coach called time.
The phone in the bullpen rang and the man who answered it called out to one of the relievers who’d been warming up. “You’re up, Duncan.”
On the JumboTron, Alex talked into his glove with his coach, shaking his head and pointing emphatically at the batter. The coach looked to the bullpen to call in the reliever. The glove fell from Alex’s face, and Elijah read the emphatic fuck on Alex’s lips.
Alex went to leave the mound, but his coach put a staying hand on his arm.
“Your turn,” the bullpen coach said to Elijah. “Good luck.”
Elijah swallowed hard. “Thanks, man.”
“Go get him,” Trevor said as he turned on the mic the sound guys had wired Elijah up with.
Did he say this was a bad idea?
The JumboTron camera had focused in on Alex. He fumed. He’d pitched fantastic, but he was being taken out of the game one out short of closing out the inning. Who’s to say if they would have kept him in if the bat hadn’t hit his leg.
As Elijah jogged out to the mound, he figured the bat shard had been a good excuse for the coach to take Alex out. Alex had been tiring. Alex knew it. The coach knew it. The other team knew it.
The infield had closed in around the mound. Alex had looked around and seen Elijah jogging in, but with the hat, and the uniform, and the distance, Alex apparently hadn’t recognized him.
When Elijah got to the mound, the second baseman gave him a thump on the rump with the back of his glove. The rest of Alex’s teammates fell away, going back to their positions. The coach took the game ball Alex had given him and handed it off to Elijah, a sly grin on his face.
It was then that Alex turned to look at Elijah as he took a step off the mound. Alex did a double take and came back. “What are you doing here?”
The mic near Elijah’s collar picked up Alex’s voice. The general buzz of the crowd settled as the cameras focused on them for the JumboTron feed.
Alex glanced at his team’s dugout. His coach gave him a thumbs up. A few people in the crowd must have guessed what was going on because they whistled.
Here goes nothing.
Elijah pulled the velvet box out of his pocket and went down on one knee. The intermittent whistles echoed around the stadium.
“Alex...” Elijah’s voice filled the air. The crowd went silent. The staccato beat of his heart thumping so hard in his chest it would leave a bruise. “I love you.”
Alex dropped his glove, and his
hand went up and swiped off his cap. He shook his head. Elijah didn’t know if that meant Alex didn’t want to hear what Elijah had to say or if he couldn’t believe Elijah was going to say it.
But Elijah wouldn’t let a minor thing like the possibility of national humiliation stop him.
“I love you. I don’t know where the crazy train we’re on is going or where it will stop next, I only know that I want to ride it with you.” Elijah held out the simple platinum band. “Will you marry me?”
For a second, Alex didn’t move, but Elijah saw his chest hitch and his eyes blink back the moisture gathering there. Then Alex nodded, almost imperceptibly.
“Yes?”
Alex took Elijah’s hand and pulled him to his feet, then leaned into the microphone and said, “Yes. I’ll marry you.”
The JumboTron burst with electronic fireworks, the words ‘yes, yes, yes’ blinking and twinkling across the screen. From the noise from the crowd, you’d have thought the Grizzlies had just won the World Series.
I guess everyone was a sucker for a proposal.
Then Alex pulled Elijah in tight, and in front of forty-three thousand spectators, and millions of network viewers, kissed him.
It was all heart, and soul, and delighted disbelief.
Then Alex covered the microphone and hollered into Elijah’s ear, “I can’t fucking believe you’re mine.”
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Dear Reader,
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