The Quarterback

by Mackenzie Blair

  Matt countered by raising an eyebrow at the brunette’s hand on Trevor’s thigh.

  And then he walked out of the bar. Clearly, they had some things to discuss on Thursday. Matt just needed to figure out a way to do it without coming off like some clingy, lovesick puppy.

  By the time he knocked on Trevor’s door on Thursday, Matt had decided to go with blunt honesty. He preferred to just rip off the Band-Aid than draw out the pain.

  Trevor swung open the door with a smile and motioned Matt inside. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” Matt replied. He noticed Trevor heading for his desk chair rather than the bed like he normally did.

  Matt made sure to close and lock the door firmly behind him. He plopped his backpack on the bed and jammed his hands into his pockets.

  “So about Trivia Night . . . and Jocelyn . . .” Matt began.

  “Not my business,” Trevor interrupted, turning away to lean over his computer, checking his email. But his shoulders were tense, and Matt suddenly felt himself getting annoyed. Not his business? What the hell? He was fine with Matt hooking up with chicks? Well, Matt wasn’t. He didn’t use girls that way.

  “Jocelyn isn’t my girlfriend. I wouldn’t use her that way,” Matt said firmly.

  “Does she know that?” Trevor countered.

  “Yes, she just doesn’t listen,” Matt snapped back. “I told her the other night that I wasn’t interested, but she gave me some speech about how she’d finally moved on from her hometown boyfriend, and I needed to do the same. I’ve kinda always pretended I have my heart set on a girl back home.”

  “Nice cover,” Trevor retorted.

  “Hey, it’s worked with her so far. Besides, I wasn’t the one all over some guy at the bar the other night.”

  Trevor whirled to face Matt at that. “Excuse me?”

  “The twink, the cute Latino guy, couldn’t keep his hands off you. But, hey, not my business, right?” Matt held up his hands defensively.

  “He’s only half Latino.”

  “Oh,” Matt said, suddenly deflating. Trevor hadn’t denied it. So, he was seeing the guy. Well, yeah, okay, it wasn’t like they were going steady. But was he leading the guy on if he was also hooking up with Matt? Maybe that was how it worked in the gay world? Multiple partners?

  Matt tried not to let his hurt show, and instead carefully started laying out all his study tools on the bedspread next to him. Highlighters, pens, notebooks, his laptop, and Post-it Notes. As soon as he was unpacked, he regretted it. Why the hell had he agreed to an actual study date? He wanted to run and hide and maybe beat the shit out of the half-Latino twink.

  “He’s my roommate,” Trevor said softly from across the room.

  Matt snapped his head up. “What?”

  “The Latino twink? He’s my roommate, Drew. He’s just affectionate.”

  “So, you’re not seeing him?”

  Trevor shook his head with a small smile, then nodded to the pen Matt was about to break in half. “No, so don’t kick his ass, okay? We’ve never even hooked up.”

  Relief flooded Matt as the words registered. “I only would’ve hurt him a little,” Matt mumbled.

  Trevor chuckled, picked up his laptop, and joined Matt on the bed, leaning against the wall as he settled in to study. Matt slid one of Trevor’s pillows behind him and leaned back as well. So this was a study date. Not a date date, but as close as he could get.

  Matt cheerfully opened his textbook, which was highlighted in various colors to correlate with his Post-it Notes. Trevor busted out laughing next to him.

  “What’s so funny?” Matt asked, smiling at Trevor’s amusement even though he was pretty sure he was the butt of the joke.

  Trevor laughed. “You’re a geek. A color-coding geek.”

  “It’s my patented system,” Matt said in a huff, which only made Trevor howl with laughter. Matt had a feeling Trevor never laughed like this. Ever. Which made him feel pretty darn special, like he was chasing away some of the shadows he saw in Trevor’s eyes.

  “You’re adorable.” Trevor leaned over to give Matt a peck on his lips. Trevor looked about as surprised as Matt felt at the word adorable coming from his mouth. He turned away, embarrassed.

  Matt grinned like an idiot.

  “So, what are you studying for?” Trevor said, breaking the moment.

  “Sustainable development as it pertains to water rights,” Matt replied, opening his textbook.

  “Really?”

  Matt rolled his eyes. “I’m not a dumb jock.”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, pretty boy. So, what do you plan on doing after you graduate?”

  “Save the world, that sort of thing,” Matt said with a shrug and small smile.

  “No more football?” Trevor asked.

  Matt shook his head. “Maybe I’ll coach a bit in a few years. I used to love the game, but now I need to get away from it for a bit. What about you?”

  “Some guys from Bodine moved out to Silicon Valley and started up a video game company. It’s taken off, and they’re looking for someone to help them with the marketing and finance side.”

  “And that’s you.”

  Trevor nodded. “Hopefully. They’re interviewing a few people, but I really want the job. I used to think I’d try investment banking or consulting, but . . .”

  “But?”

  “A few of my econ buddies fought like hell to get jobs like that when they graduated last year. Went up against the Ivy Leaguers. And now they hate it. Brutal hours, crappy bosses. A start-up is riskier, but seems a better fit for me. Less of the corporate culture. And I’ve always wanted to move to California.”

  “Think you’ll live in San Francisco?”

  “That’s the plan,” Trevor said with a nod. “It’ll be so much better. No more hiding.”

  Matt’s eyes got wider. “You’re hiding now?”

  Trevor shrugged. “Not like you, but I miss my eyeliner. And I won’t have to worry about things like being bashed for kissing a guy in public.”

  Matt bit his lip and looked away. Yeah, he couldn’t exactly do those things with Trevor.

  As if reading his thoughts, Trevor nudged his shoulder. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “No, I know.” Matt forced a smile. He looked down at his textbook once more, flipping to the correct chapter.

  “How about we study for an hour? Then as a reward, blowjobs?” Trevor offered, apparently trying to lighten the mood.

  “Deal,” Matt said quickly, wanting to banish the awkward moment.

  Matt had just settled into reading when his cell phone rang. He started to turn it off but saw that it was his sister’s cell. “Um, I need take this.”

  “Sure,” Trevor said with a nod, picking up his textbook.

  Matt answered, “Hey, Summer, you okay?”

  “I heard Dad arguing with Aunt Sally,” she replied. “He said we can’t go over there after Thanksgiving.”

  Matt groaned. His dad hated that they spent time with Aunt Sally and Uncle Larry. But that was the only time it ever really felt like the holidays.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out,” Matt assured her. “Just don’t engage with him on it. That only makes him worse.”

  “I know.” Summer sighed. “Just promise me we’ll get to see them.”

  “We will,” Matt assured her. “I’ll get the old man blitzed, and then we’ll take off.”

  “Okay.” Summer sounded a bit better. “Good luck on the game Saturday.”

  “Thanks, kiddo,” Matt said, and after a few more reassurances, he hung up.

  Trevor looked up from his laptop. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just Dad being Dad.” Matt grimaced.

  “I’m sorry. That sucks. Was it always this bad?”

  Matt thought it over for a few minutes. “Not always. Mom was great. She’d take us fishing and swimming and camping, sign us up for art classes, horseback riding, everything. In hindsight, I guess she was trying to keep us o
ut of the house. What about you? Did your childhood suck?”

  “We’re supposed to be studying,” Trevor sidestepped.

  “Ah, come on, make me feel less like a sad lonely loser,” Matt jokingly whined.

  Trevor shook his head. “Nah, for a while there, I was the golden boy. Honor roll, debate team, lots of stupid awards.”

  “You were on the debate team? Did you wear a blazer and tie? That’s freaking me out imagining you all preppy.”

  Trevor chuckled. “I hated the outfit. That’s why I quit. Honestly, the best thing my parents did was send me away during the summers. To different college programs for smart high school kids.”

  “Now that sounds geeky,” Matt teased.

  “It was awesome,” Trevor replied drolly. “They had no idea most of the students were spoiled rich kids looking for a place to party without parental supervision.”

  “So, you turned bad?” Matt asked.

  “Oh, hell yeah. I drank, smoked, fucked. Well, made out.”

  Matt smiled. He could just imagine a nerdy young Trevor dropped off, waving good-bye to his parents, and as soon as they were gone, busting out the rocker clothes and a flask. “Is that when you got your piercing?”

  “No, I got that freshman year here. I’ve considered getting a guiche.”

  “A what?” Matt asked, confused.

  Trevor laughed. “You’re fucking cute. Look it up.”

  Matt opened his laptop and googled guiche. He drew in a sharp breath. Trevor with his ball sack pierced. Shit, that was hot. He had to press the heel of his hand down on his growing erection.

  Trevor clearly noticed. He looked at the clock on his laptop. “Another fifty-two minutes of studying, and I’ll show you exactly where it’d go.”

  Matt groaned. He spent the next fifty-two minutes with a hard-on.

  It was the beginning of October, and the weather had started to cool. Students now sported chunky sweaters in the crisp early mornings. Trevor loved feeling the change in the seasons. Holding a warm cup of coffee in his hands as he crossed campus. Although he’d learned Matt had very, very cold feet and loved to snuggle them under Trevor’s warm body whenever he had the chance. Yeah, the big football player was a snuggler. The thought made Trevor smile.

  It had been almost a month since they’d started their “tutoring sessions.” And Trevor was a bit terrified at how well it was going. Admittedly, he was a cynic in many ways—life had taught him that young—so he wasn’t quite used to the warm, fuzzy feeling of happiness he carried around. But life was good. Every Monday and Thursday consisted of marathon blowjob and handjob sessions, where they tried to get each other off as many times as possible before Drew returned to the dorm.

  If it had just been hot sex, Trevor might have been able to keep it compartmentalized. To not grow attached. To not enjoy the pillow talk after the orgasm almost as much as the orgasm itself.

  But he knew it was more than sex when he’d suggested they be actual study buddies last month. That day as Matt had sat on his bed, textbook open in his lap, his brow furrowed in concentration, Trevor knew something had changed. They’d almost felt like a typical Bodine college couple. Well, except they were both guys, so they were horny all the time and thus rewarded each other for an hour of studying with an orgasm. Seemed a fair trade. Certainly made his Ethics of Economics reading less boring. Still, all their interactions had been safely behind closed doors. Their intimacy existed only in a tiny bubble—Trevor’s dorm room.

  Until two weeks ago. Matt had shown up at the coffee shop when Trevor was working a shift. He’d chosen an overstuffed chair in the back and pulled out his books to study. Trevor hadn’t been working the register to take Matt’s order, but he’d gone over to refill Matt’s coffee every hour or so. Matt would accidentally graze his fingers reaching for the sugar. And Trevor would accidentally brush against Matt as he walked away. Sometimes he’d look over and find Matt watching him. They’d smile at each other and go back to their work.

  Trevor knew it was disgusting, really, this sort of romantic behavior, but he was starting to ignore his inner cynic more and more. Because now Matt did most of his studying at the Daily Grind. Sometimes, Matt would even wait outside for Trevor’s shift to end, pretending to browse in the bookstore next door, and then they’d walk back to campus together.

  Then last Tuesday, Trevor had passed by the linguistics building in the main quad after one of his tutoring students canceled on him. Matt was heading into a French cinema screening for class, and Trevor had tagged along, pretending that he was in the class as well. He figured, who would willingly go to a subtitled, avant-garde film unless it was for a grade?

  Except it turned out that the French films were kinky as fuck with a whole lot of sex. And so Tuesday had sort of become their first secret date. They sat in the way back and let their knees touch the whole damn movie. By the time they finished watching the main characters cavort around in a bisexual threesome, they were horny as hell. Thankfully, Drew was off helping with a set build at the drama department, so they’d had an hour to ravage each other.

  In all the weeks they’d been hanging out, Trevor never went to a football game. It seemed too risky somehow. Besides, he didn’t want to go alone, and it wasn’t like he could take one of his friends. They’d think he’d gone crazy after he’d sworn never even to attend a Bodine sports function. Plus, he worried he’d jinx Matt or something. Like he was bad luck.

  But Trevor did head down to the lounge on Saturdays and watch the televised games with the others in his dorm. It was actually quite a crowd that gathered to cheer on Bodine, especially when it was an away game and folks couldn’t go to the stadium. Drew hadn’t caught him yet, because he was always in rehearsals. Which was a damn good thing. Because the first time Trevor had seen Matt jog out onto the field in his tight football uniform, Trevor’s jaw had almost hit the floor. And when Matt scored his first touchdown, Trevor was pretty sure he popped a boner.

  But it was the football game against West Florida that made him realize just what all the hype was about. It was an away game, so the lounge was pretty packed. They needed to win this game for a chance at the National Championship.

  It was the beginning of the fourth quarter. They were behind by six points. Trevor was on the edge of his seat with the rest of the room. Matt had just been sacked, losing four yards. But a flag had been thrown on the play. Bodine had another shot at a first down. Trevor watched as Matt peeled himself off the turf. He didn’t look rattled at all. He just tried the same play again, and this time, when the defense came for him, he was ready. He faked left, then swiveled, and found an almost impossible opening to throw the ball for fifty yards. The young sophomore who caught it to took off at a sprint and scored a touchdown. It was a thing of beauty.

  And Trevor finally understood that Matt Lancaster had been born to play football.

  The next evening, Trevor stared at the bruises over Matt’s ribs. “Jesus, you’re sure that touchdown was worth it?”

  Matt looked down to where his shirt had ridden up when he’d taken off his sweater. He smiled and shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

  “Yeah, well, that asshole who sacked you should be suspended or disbarred.”

  Matt laughed. “I don’t think he’s a lawyer.”

  “That bastard had no soul. He’ll be a lawyer,” Trevor replied dryly.

  Matt smiled as he settled onto Trevor’s bed, unloading his backpack. They both had major deadlines this week, but that didn’t mean either of them had wanted to cancel. They weren’t exactly efficient when studying together, easily distracted, but they were adults. They could control themselves and focus tonight.

  Trevor grabbed his laptop and sat down on the bed as well, leaning against the wall and giving Matt the headboard. He tried to hide his grin as he watched Matt run a hand through his damp hair, still wet from the shower after practice. It was a gesture he made when he was concentrating hard.

  It started out well enough, both of
them plowing through some research, but after about half an hour, Trevor could feel Matt’s eyes on him. And it was distracting as hell. Then Matt reached for his water, his hand grazing Trevor’s thigh. Trevor gave him a warning look and went back to his work. Five minutes later, Matt slid his bare feet onto Trevor’s lap, making lazy circles that brought Trevor’s cock to attention.

  “Matt . . .” Trevor warned, really needing to finish his paper.

  “Oh, sorry,” Matt said with an apologetic smile, snatching his feet away. But then the bastard started casually stroking his own stomach, pulling his shirt up to show his killer abs. A thumb grazing his nipple until it turned hard.

  “Matt, I have to get this done.” Trevor groaned.

  “Who’s stopping you?” Matt looked up, all wide-eyed innocence. “Are you having trouble focusing?”

  Trevor glared at him, but turned back to his laptop. He was in the middle of a sentence on the impact of the European Union on Greece when out of the corner of his eye, he saw Matt stroking his own cock through his tight jeans. Then the bastard reached into his pants to adjust himself and gave a small moan at the contact. His eyes darkened with arousal.

  “You are in so much fucking trouble!” Trevor growled, pushing aside his laptop and yanking Matt forward by his shirt. Matt came willingly, then lost his balance and fell across Trevor’s lap. Matt pushed himself up on his elbows, but Trevor shoved him back down. He loved that Matt could take it, loved the roughness of it. He didn’t want to hold back.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Trevor snapped. “You’re being punished!” And with a loud whack, Trevor spanked Matt on the ass, hard.

  Matt jerked in surprise. “Did you just spank me?” he sputtered.

  Trevor answered with another hard slap to his other butt check. “That’s for being a tease!” Another firm slap. “For distracting me.” Matt squirmed but didn’t move away as Trevor gave him another hard spank. “For being a bad boy.” Trevor admonished, squeezing his ass roughly. “Aren’t you?”

  Matt nodded, not looking up. “I’m just gonna keep doing it,” Matt taunted, wiggling his perfect bubble butt. “Professor. Unless you stop me.” He smirked, a challenge in his voice.