Nice Guys Collection With Added Bonus Material

by Kindle Alexander

  “Because, I don’t want it to end… I wanna fuck you all night, Colton,” Jace gasped, fisting the silk sheet as he thrust harder. The tendons in Jace’s neck bulged under his restraint.

  Colt changed their position, wrapping his legs around Jace, toppling him down across his chest, and pulled his lover to his mouth. Jace’s lips parted for Colt. His tongue was met with a wet velvet stroke that quickly became an erotic dance of lips, teeth, and tongue. He was so close. They were both close.

  “I love you,” Colt said, wrenching his mouth from Jace. His body was on fire. Liquid heat flooded his balls, the pressure growing in his spine as Jace continued to nudge against his prostate, sending him into oblivion. Sweat rolled down his torso his breathing became erratic, and his heart pounded wildly in his chest. Though Jace was wrapped solidly in his arms and legs, he somehow managed to pound him harder. This moment was perfection.

  “Baby, now, come for me now,” Colt begged, dropping his head back. He wanted to feel Jace lose control; he needed Jace to claim him, mark him as his. Colt’s balls tightened at the thought. The need to come grew, and he flexed his ass and felt Jace’s thrust falter.

  “Ah, oh, God, yes!” Pushing deeper, Jace came with a yell.

  “That’s it, baby, make me yours,” Colton growled and tilted his hips up so he could feel every delicious spasm of Jace’s thick cock filling his ass. He squeezed his eyes shut and ground himself against Jace. He let go of his pleasure in wave after wave of sweet surrender, shooting milky ribbons in thick spurts across his chest and stomach. When Jace finally collapsed on top of him, Colt wrapped him tightly in his arms and held them there together.

  Chapter 25

  “I love you,” Jace gasped, trying to suck air into his searing lungs. After several minutes, Jace pulled from Colt’s embrace and rolled to the side of the bed, still trying to catch his breath. It took a second more for him to slide the condom off his sated cock. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you,” Jace said, turning his head to give Colt a kiss on the shoulder. Colt lay there, catching his breath, and smiled at Jace’s words.

  “I know I won’t ever have my fill of you.” Colt reached for Jace, but got denied. Jace rolled from bed, reaching for the condom and the wrapper, before heading to the bathroom. Colt only chuckled at his move.

  “I knew you would do that, my sexy clean freak. Regardless of you winning the race, you’d never wait for me to do it. When I’d dream of us being together, you always got up to clean us like you did before,” Colt said to Jace’s retreating back.

  “Mmmmm… You remembered and dreamed of that, did you?” Jace disposed of the condom and grabbed a towel, wetting the end before heading back to Colt. His heart nearly stopped at the sight greeting him. He just couldn’t get over how beautiful Colt looked lying in his bed. After they made love, Colt’s cheeks and body flushed, somehow making him even better looking. On a quick silent prayer of thanks, Jace turned off the overhead light and flipped on the only lamp in the room before crawling back into bed. He scrubbed the towel over Colt’s stomach before curling in around him. “That was pretty good.”

  “Better than I remember. I wish we could stay right here forever and never leave this house,” Colt whispered, lightly running his fingers through Jace’s long hair.

  “It’s good for my heart to hear you say those things,” Jace said and buried his head in Colt’s neck, kissing him.

  Colt lifted and pulled the bedspread up, covering them as Jace tucked himself back against Colt.

  Colt ran his fingers up and down Jace’s back, something Colt did every night. The tender, sweet move usually lulled Jace to sleep. He was beginning to understand these caresses weren’t reassurance to Jace, but instead to Colt. Touching Jace seemed to calm him, and Jace gave a sleepy grin at the thought of all these touches coming his way over the next few years.

  “I missed this,” Colt muttered and pulled him closer. Colt lay on his back, pillows tucked under his head. Jace lay sprawled across him, wrapped tightly in his arms. They were in the early morning hours. Jace had drug their sex out longer than he even realized. Both should be fast asleep by now, but like what had become their new normal, neither seemed to want the minutes apart that sleep brought.

  “Missed what?” Jace asked, a yawn forming. He was a drowning man. Not too much more time would pass, before he’d be back to a man who seemed to live, eat, and breathe Colt Michaels. Jace was even now forgetting why he considered that a cautious thing, and his heart lurched at the protectionary thought his mind tried to insert into his musings.

  “This right here, what we’re doing now. You here with me, lying in my arms, I like sleeping like this with you.”

  “Hmm… I like it too.” He stayed like he was, not moving, his head on the warm pillow of Colt’s chest, breathing in his scent. Colt made sweat smell so sexy. Self-preservation had Jace finally bridging some of the gaps they hadn’t discussed. He turned his head and placed a simple kiss on Colt’s chest, flicking his tongue across the damp skin before laying his head back down. “What’s going to happen now? There was so much coverage about your wedding. It’s not gonna just die down if people are poking around to see what happened.”

  “I honestly don’t know. Maryia signed the agreement so she has to stay quiet to get the payments over the next five years. If she doesn’t, everything’s coming back to me. She might sell me out, get a better payday, but I doubt it. The team’s publicity people are coming up with something to say. Hell, they might have already said something, I don’t know. You’re tired, Jace, we need to sleep. I kept you up all night.” Colt reached down, placing a kiss on the top of his head, hugging him tighter to his body.

  “I will,” Jace said, turning his head again to press a small kiss on Colt’s chest, close to his heart. Something wasn’t sitting exactly right with him. He couldn’t quite place it, but it kept him from sleep now that he’d started down this road. After a minute more, Jace finally asked the million dollar question, the one he’d avoided from the beginning. “What’s our future, Colt?”

  “Forever, I hope,” Colt replied instantly. Jace lifted his head at the answer, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He kissed Colt, who kissed him back lightly on the lips, before giving a giant yawn.

  “I meant more immediate. What’re our next few steps?” Jace laid his head back down, listening to the beating of Colt’s heart.

  “Well, I guess off the top of my head, I’m thinking I have about five years left in the NFL. And if we could just keep this on the down low for a little while, I can finish up my career. I need to recover some financially, so I’m guessing I should probably take every endorsement deal I can get. Maybe we could live together in Texas while I’m in off season? We would have to be careful. I could probably buy a few hundred acres out somewhere like in Anna or Melissa, or maybe down around Cleburne, but that would mean you’d have to drive in to work every day. Whatever, we can figure it out and be discreet. No one really recognizes me unless I’m in New York. I’ll live there during the season until I can retire. Hey, that’s a pretty good plan for just off the cuff!” Jace’s eyes closed as he listened to Colt. His heart ached with each of the words he heard, but he tried hard to keep a level head, thinking through everything carefully.

  “So you’re saying we wouldn’t be a real couple for a few years?” Jace asked several minutes later.

  “No, I’m saying we’re a couple, but just hiding us a little longer. I don’t wanna be with anyone else, and I sure as hell don’t want you to be with anyone else. It’s just I think the NFL will cut me. I’ll be targeted or benched, and they’ll find a way out of my contract if I come out right now. I’ve caused them a lot of bullshit over the years.” Colt wrapped Jace snugger in his arms, and Jace let Colt pull him against his warmth. He made no move to leave the embrace.

  “Why are you quiet?” Colt asked.

  “Just thinking everything over,” Jace answered, hurt and maybe a little surprised at Colt’s plan. He’
d hoped after everything they’d been through, Colt would come out and stop all his hiding. It didn’t seem too much to ask, especially with how out they had been around the island. The ins and outs of the plan kept circling around in Jace’s mind. Colt kissed the top of his head, but he didn’t rise to meet the kiss this time.

  “I love you,” Colt whispered.

  “I love you, too,” Jace replied, hoping he hid the ache clouding his heart.

  “Then lift up and give me a kiss.” Jace schooled his features and did as Colt requested. Colt kept him there with a finger tucked under his chin, his gaze penetrating his soul. He reeled from the pain of hearing Colt’s plan for their future. His heart couldn’t take this. As he stared back at Colt, he realized they weren’t really getting back together. This was just another island fling, and somehow he’d known this from the beginning, even if Colt hadn’t. Jace felt his eyes tearing up so he forced the kiss and lay back down.

  “It’s gonna be hard to spend all that time away from you during football season. If we make the playoffs, it’s gonna be like seven months out of the year,” Colt said and gave a jaw cracking yawn. Jace didn’t move, didn’t want Colt to know how badly he’d hurt him again. He rubbed his eyes and faked a yawn, trying to keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks as Colt’s words replayed in his head.

  “Maybe we can arrange a weekend here or there so you don’t look for someone to fill my cleats while I’m gone.” Jace never said another word as he listened to Colt slowly fall asleep. The pit in his stomach grew with each passing minute. The reality of their relationship wasn’t any different than before, except now Colt wanted him to be his regular fuck buddy. They wouldn’t be together seven months out of every year. The other five months, Colt would have Jace hidden away from the world. No dating, no dinners, Colt could never be seen in the gym or at any of his competitions.

  Hours passed as Jace lay there awake, trying to talk himself through Colt’s plan. Surely to God, Colt only had another five more years to play ball. They were thirty-two years old. That would make Colt thirty-seven, how long did those careers last? Hell, that Green Bay Packer quarterback was forty years old and still playing, and Colt was a better player. What if five years turned to ten? That was ten years from right now, and Colt would still be a young man at forty-two. What if Colt went on to coach? Or worse, became a television broadcaster after he retired? Would five years turn to twenty or thirty more years? Would he be waiting and worrying about Colt for his entire life? Were alcoholics supposed to do things like hide the truth?

  Those thoughts caused all new levels of pain to cripple his heart. Jace had walked this walk already. There was no way Colt could stay strong under all the stress of the life he’d just fled from. He’d buckle under the strain. His father and agent would target him every day. No, they might not physically beat him up, but they would emotionally destroy Colt in order to keep their meal ticket from walking out the door.

  The thought enraged him and had Jace already wanting to tear them up, but he’d never be able to protect Colt tucked away from everyone. If Jace agreed to this, Colt would eventually do it again. Not come home after one of those extended leaves. Jace closed his eyes and let the pain of the possibility slice open his heart.

  Jace had bought this place and moved the cheer gym into a state of the art facility all in an attempt to move his life forward. If he followed the path Colt outlined, he would be taking them back to where they were ten years ago. What would happen if one of Colt’s football buddies caught them together, would he let them assume the worst and hurl slurs at him again? Probably, because being hidden only worked when the object hidden stayed removed from everyone at all cost.

  What were his choices? The idea of leaving Colt broke his heart, and he tightened his hold on Colt’s chest. These last few days were some of the best of Jace’s life. They taught him he’d never stopped loving Colt, and the reality was he never would, but that didn’t mean they were meant to be. A tear welled and slipped from Jace’s eye, rolling down his cheek and fell silently on Colt’s chest. He wiped at the wetness on Colt’s skin. He wasn’t a kid anymore. He knew the decision he needed to make.

  Slowly Jace began untangling himself from a sleeping Colt’s arms. Colt instinctively tightened his hold as Jace rose. “Shh… Sleep, I’m going to the bathroom.”

  Colt seemed good with the excuse; he turned over, pulling his pillow to his body. Jace quietly grabbed his clothes and watched the bed for any sign of movement. He picked up his shoes and softly walked across the house to the kitchen. It took a second to dress, before he looked around for something to write on and a pen. Jace refused to allow himself to think with anything other than his head, and that turned out to be a trick, because his heart hurt on a level he’d never, ever experienced before in his life. Did this really feel worse than ten years ago?

  Yes!

  Slowly Jace closed his eyes and forced himself to calm. It allowed him to think, and after a moment of silent meditation, he opened his eyes and penned the note. Easily finding the words.

  Colton,

  I’ve lived this life with you before. Loving you from afar, never letting anyone know how I feel. I can’t do it again, I won’t do it again. Five minutes is too long to hide what we share. I certainly can’t do five years. Take your time here. Stay as long as you need. I’m flying home today. Please don’t contact me again. It will just make it all harder.

  Jace

  Jace sat his keys, phone, iPod, and sandals on the entry room table before he silently padded back across the house, and even more quietly checked on Colt, who had turned, but was still sound asleep. Jace allowed himself one last look before he placed the note on the nightstand and left the room.

  He grabbed his keys and iPod, dropped his phone in his pocket and slid his feet into his sandals as he opened the front door. Everything else could stay. Nothing mattered more than the distance he needed to place between them.

  “It can’t work, let him go,” he repeated over and over to himself to help his mind stay strong even as his heart begged him not to take another step away from the house. Jace put his earbuds in his ears, rounded the hood of his rental, and slid inside. He didn’t even look as he used his thumbs to start whatever the next song might be. The car’s engine revved, and Jace backed out of the drive, more desperate than he’d ever been in his life. He prayed he could find some flight leaving immediately. He’d go anywhere in order to get out of here.

  He tugged the pillow closer to his face to hide the smile as Jace came back into the room dressed. Colt kept his eyes almost closed, barely seeing enough to know that Jace didn’t plan to come back to bed, instead Colt assumed he planned to surprise him. Maybe breakfast? And he had almost blown the whole thing with the grin he gave, thinking how Jace might try to cook some bacon and serve him breakfast in bed.

  He’d have to give Jace credit, he was quiet, but after so many days, Colt’s body wouldn’t rest unless Jace was right there in his arms. Who did he try to kid even thinking he could live without Jace for seven months? Colt couldn’t seem to go seven minutes without going to find Jace, just to be in his presence. Jace had the gym, but he would just have to give in and come to New York. They could fly back and forth all the time. Besides, Colt was too proud, he wouldn’t be able to keep Jace hidden. They’d be seen and Colt wouldn’t be able to deny him. Fuck anyone who had anything negative to say. The bottom line, and what Colt didn’t want Jace to worry about right now, was that he would probably have to find a new career and that seemed all right too. Colt’s grin grew as the front door clicked softly shut.

  Colt rose and reached for Jace’s note, lifting it first to his nose. Jace’s cologne lingered, and Colt smiled, knowing he’d absolutely lose his man card for such an act as smelling the paper, but still he couldn’t help himself. Colt rolled over, sitting up on the side of the bed and started to read the note. Disbelief seized his heart and pain nearly pushed it from his chest. He got as far as I can’t before he bolted
from the room, weaving through the house and hitting the front door within seconds of leaving the bed.

  Still naked from the night before, Colt saw Jace backing out of the drive. Jace’s face was turned away from him. Colt made it down one step before he jumped off the front porch in a dead run across the yard, trying to get to the street before Jace could pull away. Colt ran as fast and as hard as he ever had in any game, sprinting to the street as Jace put the car in drive and started forward.

  Colt threw his hands out as the car accelerated seconds before the brakes screeched. There was no time to react. Colt squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the impact. The front fender bumped him above his knee. Colt slowly opened his eyes, his heart rate rocketing from the adrenaline coursing through his body. Colt stood with his hands out, the note gripped tight in his right hand, afraid to move from the hood of the car for fear Jace would drive off without talking to him. Jace glared back at him through the windshield, wide-eyed, and clearly shocked by Colt’s actions. The look of determination that soon settled on Jace’s face caused fear and dread to coil in Colt’s gut.

  “Don’t leave!” Colt yelled, panicked worse than any other time in his life. His heart began to stutter violently in his chest, not from the run or the near miss with the car, but from the look of sheer hopelessness in Jace’s eyes. They begged him to make this right. Jace continued to stare at him while he removed the earbuds from his ears.

  “Please, talk to me. Don’t leave me like this.” Colt rested his hands on the hood, refusing to move from his spot. The note crunched in his hand when Jace shook his head no. The sun was just coming up and struck the car at the worst possible angle, but Colt thought he saw tears in Jace’s eyes. The panic turned to heartbreak, and Colt slowly, carefully moved off the hood and around the car to the driver’s side.