They were still standing, looking at each other. “Shut up,” Kyle said lightly. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s forget it, alri-”
But before he could end the sentence, Cade was moving forward quickly, pressing him into the wall. Cade’s mouth touched his, and it was as if he briefly went blind. His mouth had been parted in surprise, and then it was like a rushing onslaught on all his senses as Cade’s tongue touched his.
Cade’s hand was on the side of his face, the other on the wall by Kyle’s head. Kyle kept his hands by his sides, terrified to touch Cade, but wanting to desperately. Cade’s lips were warm against his, his tongue licking and swirling inside his mouth. The kiss was hard, passionate, as if Cade was trying to say something with his kiss that he couldn’t otherwise. Kyle felt his head swim in pleasure and, without knowing it, his hands came up to hold Cade gently at the waist.
Cade was leaning into Kyle more fully now, his hand tangled in Kyle’s hair. He tilted his head to the left, deepening the kiss. Kyle felt Cade nip gently at his lower lip and he moaned, his cock aching. The sound seemed to calm Cade and he gentled his kisses, slowing the tempo.
Kyle felt like his very skin was on fire. He’d never kissed anyone who made him feel this way. The kiss was going on and on, long, slow, and making his head spin. His fingers tightened in Cade’s shirt, grabbing hard onto the material. He could feel Cade’s warmth pouring from him and it was so hot it made Kyle gasp a little.
Cade slowed their kisses even more. And somehow it made Kyle go even weaker. Cade was moving his mouth so gently, so fractionally, so slowly, it was like molasses and sweetness and heat and pleasure. He could feel every bit of friction of Cade’s lips against his. It was overwhelmingly erotic and Kyle felt his knees giving out a little. But Cade was there, pressing into him, holding him up with his own body weight.
Cade’s mouth was so good against Kyle’s, it was like nothing else. Cade was sucking on Kyle’s lower lip, his tongue running slowly over it, and Kyle moaned in pleasure. Then Cade went back to tangling his tongue with Kyle’s until Kyle felt he was going to explode. He turned his head, breaking the kiss with a gasp. He felt overwhelmed, his senses so overwrought. Cade let him turn his cheek and, for a second, they both breathed hard, still flush against each other.
Cade kissed Kyle’s ear, biting it gently, making Kyle shiver. He could feel Cade’s lips moving down his neck.
A sharp doorknock rang through the room.
Cade jumped back. He took a second to calm himself before quickly eyeing Kyle. “Go to the bathroom,” he whispered, taking Kyle’s hand.
Kyle let himself be led, still feeling a little overwhelmed. Cade nudged him in carefully and then shut the door. Kyle locked the door and sunk to the ground, sitting on the cold bathroom floor, dazed.
He could hear happy voices at the door and Cade’s laughter, but he tuned them out. He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the door.
If that was how kissing Cade made him feel, how could he ever survive all this?
***
The visitors didn’t leave, forcing Kyle to get a hold of himself. He waited five minutes before realizing it was useless hiding out and he stood, splashing his face with cold water. His erection had gone down with the sudden arrival of people, but he still felt a little shaky.
He patted his face dry and stepped out, pasting a smile on. He saw Aiden and Perry, perched on both their beds. Cade was sitting on Kyle’s bed, next to Aiden but with a respectable distance between them.
Kyle avoided Cade’s eyes, smiling at the other two. “Hey!”
“How long do you take in the bathroom?”
“What are you, putting on makeup?”
Kyle grinned. “Gotta keep myself looking fresh.” His heart was still pounding and he could feel his cheeks starting to flush now. He didn’t dare look at Cade.
“Let’s all go for lunch?”
Kyle nodded. He grabbed his phone on the nightstand, passing close by Cade. Their eyes met for a second and Cade smiled slowly, his eyes mischievous. Kyle blushed even more.
Cade seemed amused by this, but didn’t tease or push him. He kept a respectable distance between them, but sat down next to Kyle at the lunch table. The rest of their teammates had mostly already come down. The table had a bench on one side with chairs on the other. The bench was against the wall, facing the restaurant. Kyle and Cade sat there, somewhat in a corner.
As Kyle fussed with his seat, trying to maintain space between him and Cade, he could feel Cade’s warm gaze on him. “Stop,” Kyle hissed, not looking.
Cade chuckled, but looked away. Kyle breathed a sigh of relief until he felt Cade’s fingers on his thighs. Shocked, he froze until Cade’s hand found his and Cade intertwined their fingers, squeezing Kyle’s lightly. Kyle felt his heart pound again, but part of him wanted to squeal in delight.
He tried to pull his hand away, but Cade held fast. “I can’t eat like this,” Kyle whispered, so red he looked like a tomato.
Cade smiled, squeezed Kyle’s hand again and let go. He turned to join the table conversation, laughing and joking with the rest of them.
Kyle smiled so much through the rest of the meal that Mason finally had to ask him what the damn hell he’d smoked.
Laughing, he made no reply, but Mason’s twinkling eyes told him he that he probably knew the answer. Kyle winked, silently thanking Mason for spilling his secret.
Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
CHAPTER NINE
The mood in the locker room was buoyant, exuberant, ecstatic. They had finished top of the group with their win. It had been a gritty match and they’d had fierce competitors. But they’d done it and Kyle felt like he was riding a wave of excitement.
He hadn’t played today because his shoulder was still a little sore, but it was getting better every day and he was sure he’d be in the next match. Perry and Gio were singing loudly, shirtless, arms around each other, swaying from side to side. Even Mason was laughing and jumping.
Kyle looked for Cade and saw him a little ways off, grinning and leaning against his locker. He wasn’t as happy as he should have been and Kyle knew why. Cade hadn’t scored from open play in a long time and the media wasn’t letting him forget it.
Cade was probably harder on himself than anyone else could be. And sometimes it physically hurt Kyle to read the comments about Cade, the articles-always either questioning him or lauding him excessively. Kyle knew that exaggerated praise could be as harmful as the doubts, but he also knew that the praise was deserved. It was just that it raised the standards higher and higher and it had set such a punishing precedent that nobody could possibly hope to replicate that level of performance week after week.
Cade somehow managed to do it most of the time, but Kyle wondered how damaging it was on him, physically and mentally. He wondered how long Cade could stand so strong, wondered where Cade drew all that inner resilience from. Kyle knew he probably would have crumbled long ago, but this was the difference between genius and talent. This was what set Cade apart.
It made Kyle proud and anxious of him all at the same time. Troubled by his thoughts, he realized he was frowning at the ground. Shaking his head, he raised his gaze and saw Cade watching him. Kyle smiled at him. Cade smiled back, but slowly. It was measured, his eyes still intent and watchful.
Kyle turned away. He didn’t need to shower and so he really had nothing to do there. He wished he could go home to Jack. He missed him terribly. They called often, but it wasn’t the same thing. Children didn’t have the kind of attention span necessary for Skyping and Jack often wandered off in the middle of a conversation, leaving Kyle frustrated.
Astonished at how maudlin he was feeling, Kyle threw an arm around Mason who had just showered and was still a little damp. Mason grinned back, wrapping his hand around Kyle’s waist. They hugged quickly, hard, and Mason laughed in his ear.
“How’s the shoulder, Kyle?”
“Superb. I’ll be back for the next on
e.”
Mason ruffled his hair in answer, smiling. Kyle dodged his hand, but the damage was done. He laughed, combing his hair with his fingers. His eyes strayed to Cade as they always did and saw him still leaning against the locker, smiling at Kyle. There was something soft in Cade’s expression, something unguarded and open that made Kyle’s heart beat a little faster.
Kyle grinned and waggled his eyebrows. He mimed soaping himself up and raised his eyebrows. Cade nodded, taking a towel from his locker and heading to the showers. Kyle debated briefly if he should wait or just head to the team bus, but at the last minute, he decided to go. He felt a little drained, although he didn’t really know why. He kissed and hugged teammates or staff on the way out, everyone’s mood joyous and happy.
He was one of the first few on the bus and he collapsed onto a seat, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. He must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, Cade was shaking him awake. Blinking, he looked around, realizing they had reached the hotel.
Cade was grinning. “Sleeping here tonight?”
Kyle pushed him lightly. “Go away.”
Cade turned and walked out of the bus, still smiling. Kyle followed, still yawning and running his fingers through his hair. He wondered if he could skip dinner tonight and just go to bed. But he knew that the team would kill him if he wandered off by himself.
Sighing, he followed them directly to the restaurant. Cade had sat down first somewhere in the middle of the long table. Kyle purposely sat at one end of the table, feeling an overwhelming need to not have to participate too much in the dinner conversation.
He ate quickly and, as soon as was polite, excused himself. He was feeling more and more exhausted. Briefly, he wondered if he was sick, but he felt good otherwise. He said a quick cheerful goodbye to the rest of the guys, smiling at Cade.
When he entered his room, he staggered to his bed, pausing only to remove his pants before collapsing into bed and falling asleep almost immediately.
***
Kyle woke in the middle of the night. The room was pitch black and he could make out Cade on his own bed, fast asleep. Kyle rolled to his side, feeling wide awake all of a sudden. He groped for his phone and checked his texts and emails before putting it away.
His mouth tasted filthy and he had to pee. Yawning, he padded to the bathroom quietly. When he finished and had brushed his teeth, he came back to the bedroom to find Cade awake. He had turned on his bedside lamp.
Surprised, Kyle said, “Sorry! Did I wake you?”
Cade yawned, nodding. “Are you okay?”
Kyle frowned. “Yeah, why?”
“You seemed really quiet. You didn’t wait for me and you didn’t sit with me at dinner.” Cade sat up, swinging his legs out to the side of the bed.
Kyle laughed. He climbed into his own bed. He propped himself up on his elbows, grinning at Cade. “No, no. I was just feeling really tired.”
Cade smiled. “I thought I had made you mad.”
Kyle scoffed. “What could you have done to make me mad?”
“I thought…” Cade trailed off so Kyle looked at him, arrested. “The kiss.”
Kyle flushed red. They had successfully managed to avoid talking about the kiss, distracting themselves with the match. He rubbed the back of his neck, heart beating quickly. “Oh. Um. No,” he said cleverly, looking down.
There was a silence thick with tension. Then Cade stood up, coming to perch on Kyle’s bed. Kyle felt his heart pound so hard it was physically uncomfortable. He was half lying down, still leaning on his elbows, Cade half above him. The position made Kyle feel even more vulnerable.
Cade smiled. “We’re okay, right?” he asked softly, his eyes searching Kyle’s face.
Kyle nodded, mouth too dry to speak.
The side of Cade’s hip was brushing Kyle’s thigh. Kyle felt the warmth keenly through the sheets and wanted to move away, but thought that would be a little pathetic, and forced himself to stay still. Cade’s hair was rumpled - he looked sleepy and delicious.
Cade moved his hand forward, gently touching the back of Kyle’s. Frozen, Kyle stared as Cade lifted Kyle’s hand to his mouth, brushing it gently with his lips.
“Cade,” Kyle said hoarsely, his voice just above a whisper.
He didn’t know whether he was telling Cade to stop or go on, but Cade just smiled. He dropped Kyle’s hand on the bed and leaned forward. He approached Kyle very slowly, giving him time to turn his head away if he wanted. But Kyle was just frozen, concentrating only on his dwindling ability to breathe.
When Cade was just half a breath away from Kyle’s lips, he stopped, his eyes searching Kyle’s. Cade lifted a corner of his mouth in a smile and Kyle felt warmth spread through his entire body. Very gently, Cade rubbed his lips over Kyle’s. Kyle’s elbows gave way almost immediately and he lay down fully, unable to hold his own weight.
Cade followed him without breaking the kiss, gently nibbling on Kyle’s lips. Kyle sighed and opened his mouth, feeling lightheaded. Cade’s tongue was slow and sweet in Kyle’s mouth. It wasn’t a very sexual kiss, but Kyle was hard anyway. Cade’s hands came up, one to brace himself on Kyle’s pillow and the other on Kyle’s chest.
The kiss didn’t last long probably because it was an uncomfortable position for Cade. He broke the kiss gently with a series of soft pecks. When Cade finally raised his head, Kyle felt as if he was drunk on something.
“Good night,” Cade whispered, pressing one last kiss on Kyle’s cheek before going back to his own bed. He switched the lamp off quickly and rolled to face the wall.
Surprisingly, Kyle fell asleep fast, his eyes heavy. He couldn’t even concentrate on analyzing yet another kiss.
***
Kyle was understandably a little embarrassed the next day, but Cade was perfectly normal. Kyle was amazed that Cade could be so calm and act like nothing was different between them, but Cade had always been very good at maintaining his poker face.
Soon, Kyle relaxed too and by the time they went down to breakfast, he was his usual, mischievous self. They bet on who would score more in training that day. Cade was leaning against the elevator wall and laughing hard, head thrown back, as they talked. And Kyle thought, for a minute, that even if nothing else happened between them, he wanted this Cade more than he wanted any Cade - this happy, bubbly, dimpling Cade, eyes sparkling with laughter.
Distracted by the thought, he simply looked at Cade, still laughing. Cade raised his eyebrows finally, smiling. “What?”
Kyle shook his head, grinning. “I was just planning how to out dribble you.”
Cade pursed his lips, smiling. “You could never, old man.”
Kyle just grinned. They walked into the breakfast table still arguing and laughing and Kyle felt even more keenly how important Cade was for him, his best friend first and foremost.
Above everything else.
***
Kyle and Cade jogged together during training, talking about some of the other teams in the Championship. They argued about Nolan with Cade predictably taking his side.
“He’s just 23, Kyle.”
“So? You didn’t do things like that then.”
Cade smiled. “I’m a totally different person. I’ve never been like Nolan.”
“So then why does it make it okay?”
Cade sighed. “Because he’s learning. I don’t think we should be so hard on him.”
Kyle shook his head, half-smiling, feeling a little hurt though he didn’t know why. “You’ll always take his side,” he said quietly.
Cade looked at him quickly, eyes careful. “He’s my teammate. He’s like a brother to me.”
Kyle met his gaze and understood what Cade was trying to say. He flushed. “I - I know.”
Cade kept jogging, keeping silent. Then he said carefully, “I feel protective of him.”
Kyle nodded, feeling at a loss for words. Nolan’s relationship with Cade had begun to bother him somewhat, although he didn’t know wh
y. It was just that Nolan seemed so openly in awe of Cade, and Cade’s affectionate manner towards him was a little surprising for Kyle. Cade was so reserved - he was like that with very few people.
Kyle, for example.
But they’d had a friendship for years. A whole decade. And they’d been best friends since forever. Kyle hated it, but Nolan’s relationship with Cade had progressed so fast in the space of a couple of a years, it was almost astonishing.
“We’re together every day, Kyle,” Cade said, stopping and shading his eyes. It was like he’d read Kyle’s mind. “We’ll obviously be close.”
Kyle kept nodding, feeling petty. He couldn’t help how he felt, but he also knew it wasn’t fair to Cade. He avoided Cade’s eyes. Unable to help himself, hating himself, he blurted, “He said you were his best friend.” Kyle winced.
Cade was quiet for so long that finally Kyle peeked at him. Cade was smiling. “He said that, I didn’t say that,” Cade said softly.
Blushing, Kyle looked down. “What does that mean?”
“You’re my best friend, Kyle. I love Nolan. But I love you more. You know that.”
Kyle felt pleasure surge through him. “Why do you have to love him anyway?”
Cade laughed. He started jogging again and Kyle joined him.
Cade ended up out dribbling and outscoring Kyle. And, as punishment, Kyle wrestled him to the ground and sat on him.
***
That night, after dinner, they played video games together. Cade had climbed into Kyle’s bed again, but this time he kept a decent distance between them. Kyle was running so hot for Cade that he got half-hard anyway, but he was still able to keep an eye on their game.
He thoroughly beat Cade during their first game, 5-0. He usually lost and was surprised by how he had thrashed Cade. Kyle couldn’t help crowing about this, jumping out of bed and dancing in front of the TV. Cade hated to lose, but he somehow seemed to take it well, leaning back on his elbows and laughing.
“Rematch!”
Kyle agreed and got back into bed. He scored a goal almost as soon as the match started. And that’s when he became suspicious. How could Cade have gotten so bad so quickly?
Unfair Game: A Gay Sports Romance Novel Page 8