“Cade,” he whispered, his dick immediately throbbing and hard.
“You’ve got such a sexy ass, did you know that?” Cade said in a low voice, his hand coming up to squeeze Kyle’s cheeks.
Kyle jumped and whirled around. “Cade,” he said shakily. “We’re in the locker room.”
Cade’s eyes were dark and hot. He glanced quickly around. “They all just went into the showers.” He was leaning closer as he spoke, pressing himself fully into Kyle. Kyle swallowed a moan as Cade’s cock pushed against his. “We have a couple of minutes.”
It was so mesmerizing, Cade’s eyes, his breaths, mingling with Kyle’s, his lips just inches away, their cocks pulsing together. Unable to stop himself, he fisted his fingers in Cade’s shirt and kissed him hard, unable to muffle a moan.
Cade whispered a shhh but didn’t take his lips off of Kyle’s. The kiss was hot, erotic, Cade’s tongue tangling hard with Kyle’s. Kyle rubbed himself against Cade, desperate suddenly, wishing they were back in their bedroom, but Cade pushed him gently against the locker, holding his hips still.
“Not here,” Cade said against his mouth. “Just kissing. That’s all.”
But that made Kyle even harder, even more desperate. His hands had slid into Cade’s hair and were tugging towards him. But Cade didn’t complain, only tilted his head, allowing Kyle more access to his mouth, the kiss sloppy and rough.
They could only kiss for a minute more before Cade heard footsteps. He sprang away immediately, but realized that Kyle was frozen and disoriented. Cade physically turned him, making him face the locker and whispered, “Act normal!”
He sat down immediately on the bench, arranging a towel over his lap.
Most of Kyle’s erection was fading anyway because of the interruption, but he still felt woozy and it took a giant effort to smile at Randy as he came from the showers in a towel. Kyle changed in a daze, feeling flushed and avoiding Cade’s eyes.
Kyle didn’t remember much of the bus ride home, but he made sure to sit with Perry and not Cade. Cade seemed to find this funny and grinned at Kyle on his way to a seat next to Aiden. Kyle pointedly ignored him.
His crotch needed the rest.
***
Cade was surprisingly well-behaved for the rest of the day. He didn’t sit next to Kyle during lunch and didn’t grin or wink at him from afar. He didn’t invade Kyle’s personal space, talked about normal, mundane things, and stayed on his own bed when they trooped back from lunch.
When they got back to their room, Cade fell asleep quickly, splayed shirtless across his bed. Kyle cursed him. It was completely unfair that Cade could have so much self-control. Here he was freaking out pretty much the whole day, his head still spinning from both their morning and locker room encounters and Cade was snoring the afternoon away.
He plopped down on his own bed, closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep far more easily than he thought possible.
When he woke up, the first thing he saw was Cade, blurry, leaning against the headboard and glued to his phone.
Kyle considered the hotel room windows and wondered if he could open it to chuck Cade’s phone out. He amused himself with dark thoughts of unfortunate accidents that would damage Cade’s phone when Cade asked, “Why’re you smiling like that?”
He started laughing and stretched himself awake. He smiled at Cade’s amused puzzlement. “Just daydreaming.”
“You get weirder every day.”
Kyle threw a pillow at Cade’s head. “Have some respect.”
“I was thinking-”
“Mm?” Kyle opened the bottled water next to his bed.
“We should talk about sex.”
Kyle spluttered so hard, he almost choked. Gasping, he said, “Excuse me?”
Cade was laughing. “Sex.”
Kyle took a deep breath. “You want to talk about sex? Generally? Or…?” He fought to stay calm, but he was already starting to resemble a beet.
Cade laughed. “Why does it make you so uncomfortable? We’re grown-ups right?”
Kyle felt irritated. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t go talking about how I like my cock sucked with every guy I want to fuck, okay?”
Cade flushed at that, his pupils dilating. “Well, why not? It’s not like I know anything about… that. I mean, there’s only so much you can learn from porn and-”
That caught Kyle’s interest. “You’ve been watching gay porn?”
Cade flushed, but he kept his eyes up. “Yeah. I mean, I’m kind of in desperate need for some information here.”
Kyle felt torn between laughter and arousal. How sweet. And also how fucking hot. He kept a straight face, determined not to make Cade feel embarrassed, especially since he was looking at Kyle, practically daring him to smile. “Ah. Well. What did you learn?” He grinned wickedly at Cade. Revenge was so damn sweet.
Cade glared at him. “I learned plenty.”
“Mm.” Kyle smiled slyly. “I bet you did.”
Cade was turning redder and redder and Kyle threw his head back, laughing. Furious, Cade came over and whacked him hard with a pillow. “Shut. Up.”
Kyle pulled him down and threw his arms around him, still chuckling, nuzzling into his neck. Cade struggled half-heartedly, pushing him off. “No. I’m mad at you.”
Kyle grinned, kissing his neck lightly. “No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am. Don’t kiss me.”
Kyle laughed. It had been a long time since he’d teased Cade and it seemed as if he’d gotten the bulk of the teasing recently. It was refreshing to go back to the old ways of their friendship, to feel free enough to tease Cade and not worry about the repercussions.
“You like my kisses.”
Cade smiled at that, looking at Kyle affectionately. “Well, at least you finally believe that.” He pushed at Kyle’s chest. “Now let me go.”
Kyle sighed and dropped his arms. “Please don’t tell me you have more questions. I’d die.”
Cade grinned, making his way back to his own bed. “No, no more questions for now. And it isn’t just about sex. I wanted to kind of talk about us.”
Kyle nodded, his heart pounding. He knew Cade was attracted to him, but it was always scary having to hear that someone wanted to talk to him. “What’s up?”
“Well,” Cade said, flushing slightly. His hand was running through his hair. “I don’t know how to say it. But I like you. A lot.” Cade was getting redder and redder.
“You mean like you have a crush on me?” Kyle said, grinning, unable to stop himself from using the word.
Cade laughed, embarrassment in every line of his body. “Yes. I have a crush on you.” He smiled at Kyle, his eyes affectionate. “I want to see how this goes between us. But I don’t know if I want to name it yet. Is that okay?”
Kyle felt blood rushing through his veins. “Yeah. But what do you mean exactly?”
“Well. I mean. I want to keep… doing what we’re doing,” Cade said in a rush, his words almost jumbled. “But I want you to know I’m not just fucking around.” He flushed at the unintended pun. “I’m serious about you. I’m just not ready to call it anything yet.”
Kyle couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He felt his heart pounding with excitement. He had waited so long to hear these words. “Okay. So we’re something?”
Cade smiled. “Yes, you’re my something.” His eyes were very warm.
Kyle flushed in happiness. “God, you’re so fucking cheesy.”
Cade grinned. “One more thing. I’m not ready for sex. I mean… Like-”
Kyle nodded, trying to ignore his hard-on. “Fucking?”
“Yeah. I want to, but-”
Kyle smiled. “It’s okay. We can take it slow. But is it just fucking you’re not ready for or…?”
Cade was very red. “Just fucking.”
“Because this morning-”
“Yeah. It’s not that I’m not ready for that-I just-” Cade trailed off, looking at Kyle.
Kyle nodded
. “You weren’t ready then, but you might be ready the next time?”
Cade looked very relieved. “Yeah. Is that crazy?”
Kyle laughed, feeling a little giddy. He went over to Cade’s bed and sat next to him. He threw his arm around him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Sometimes, because Cade was the one who always initiated things, who always took control, because Kyle took the backseat, he forgot that Cade was new to this, too. And probably just as scared and nervous as Kyle was.
It was touching and sweet.
“No, it isn’t. We can do whatever you feel ready for.”
Cade was smiling fondly at him. “You’re such a waste of space,” he said, pecking Kyle on the lips.
Kyle’s heart was thrumming in pleasure, but he affected a look of hurt. “I thought I was your waste of space.”
Cade’s arms went around his waist. “I never denied that.” He was grinning, dimples on full show.
They kissed gently, soft and sweet, no tongues.
“Come,” Cade said. “Let’s play Mario Kart. I need to kick your ass.”
Kyle groaned. “You gotta be top there too, huh?” He meant the comment innocently, but flushed all the way to the tips of his toes when he caught the double meaning.
Cade laughed, tightening his arms, knowing Kyle was sure to bolt in embarrassment. Kyle turned his head, unable to meet Cade’s eyes. Cade nibbled Kyle’s ear, chuckling. “Mm.”
Kyle pushed his chest half-heartedly, head swimming a little as Cade’s lips slowly travelling down his neck. He arched his head back, letting Cade have access. “I thought you wanted to play Mario Kart,” he said breathlessly.
To his disappointment, Cade dropped his arms. “You’re right.” He kissed Kyle quickly. “Come on, let’s play.”
Cursing his stupid mouth, Kyle sullenly turned the TV on to set it up. He sighed, knowing full well that there was a night of sexual frustration ahead of him.
But when he turned around and saw Cade fluffing up their pillows so they could sit comfortably, he smiled. At least he got to be with his something.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The next day, Cade was quiet and withdrawn. He smiled briefly at Kyle when he shook him awake, but made no other attempt at conversation. Kyle had woken up early and so he lounged on the bed, waiting for Cade, smiling at him as he finally emerged from the bathroom.
Cade simply quirked his lips a little, but didn’t prolong any eye contact. He looked troubled and Kyle knew it was because of the match the next day. Kyle was anxious and nervous too, but he knew Cade felt it in a way Kyle never would, simply because he didn’t have to live up to the enormous burden of being Cadence Grayson, the greatest footballer of all time.
Kyle shook his head. Thoughts like that were a straight path into hell. He watched Cade as he changed. He seemed lost in thought, unaware that Kyle was staring.
“Cade?”
Cade started. “Yeah?”
“Hi.” Kyle smiled.
Cade’s eyes softened a little and he smiled slightly. “Hi.” He was combing his hair quickly now. “Let’s go?””
Kyle nodded. He squeezed Cade’s bicep gently as he walked past him. They walked to breakfast in silence, Kyle knowing that Cade needed a little time to himself. Sometimes Cade had to be forced out of one of his moods, but Kyle knew this wasn’t one of them.
Once training was over, he would probably calm down.
***
Training was quiet and strained. Kyle felt so anxious that by the end of it he genuinely wished he hadn’t trained at all. He showered quickly, eager to get back to his room and escape the toxic atmosphere in the locker room. Only Mason was still talking, giving his usual rousing pep talks. Kyle nodded along, trying to match his enthusiasm. He stole a glance from Cade, who was sitting on the bench, head down, his expression closed off.
Kyle frowned at the white lines around Cade’s mouth. Cade hadn’t improved at all after training and seemed to be only getting worse. He felt anxiety fluttering in his chest and looked away. The more involved he was with Cade romantically, the harder it was to let Cade be Cadence Grayson, the media darling football genius with a magical left foot; until, of course, the team lost, when he’d get blamed. Not just at fault, but the person who had single handedly ruined them all, who had let not only the fans down, but the whole damn country.
He didn’t want Cade to suffer any more criticism.
But he couldn’t stop him from playing. Because Cade loved football more than anything. It came second only to Sam, perhaps. The whole situation made Kyle’s head ache a little. He gritted his teeth and swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down. The anger was burgeoning already and it scared him a little.
By the time they trooped back to their rooms, Cade was silent, lost in his own world, only grunting a little at Kyle’s lame attempts at conversation.
Kyle wanted to touch Cade, to comfort him, but he was scared of this closed-off side of him and didn’t know what to do. Before they had started their new relationship, he wouldn’t have thought twice. But now… now he was scared. He bit his lip, watching as Cade collapsed on his bed and rolled to face the wall.
Kyle frowned and slumped onto his own, turning the TV on. He flipped through the channels until he found a cartoon. It made him think of his son and he smiled. Jack could sit in front of the TV all day if they let him.
Cade got up suddenly and went to the bathroom. Something about his quick movements struck Kyle as odd and, on impulse, he followed. He stood outside the locked door and listened. He could hear distinct retching sounds.
Immediately, heart thudding with anxiety, he rapped on the door. “Open the door, Cade.”
There was silence. Kyle knocked harder. “Open up, Cade.”
Cade called back, voice muffled and slightly shaky, “I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Cade, I can hear you. Open up.” He placed his palm flat on the door and waited one long second. “Please, baby.”
He could hear a long shuddering intake of breath inside the bathroom. Then there was flushing and water running and then Cade opened the door. Kyle hugged him immediately, throwing his arms around Cade’s neck, so hard that he could feel a whoosh of breath from Cade.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered into Cade’s ear.
Cade’s arms came around him tightly. He buried his face into Kyle’s neck, saying nothing. They stood like that for a long time, Cade’s body trembling very slightly in Kyle’s. He could feel Cade’s heart pounding hard in his chest. He held Cade until his breathing eased a little and his heartbeat slowed.
When he leaned back, Cade’s eyes were red and dry. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Why are you sorry?” Kyle said. “I always like touching you. Give me an excuse any time.”
Cade huffed out a soft breath of laughter. “You pervert.”
Kyle grinned, his heart still contracting. But Cade’s smile was such a relief. “For you, always.” He leaned in to kiss Cade, but Cade turned his head.
“No, Kyle,” he said. “My breath-”
Kyle laughed, this time in real amusement. He nuzzled Cade’s neck. “Why is your breath always an issue? We need to work on that,” he teased gently.
Cade was smiling. “You seem to catch me at bad times.”
Kyle kissed Cade gently just under his ear. “Come on before I take advantage of you in the bathroom.” He leaned back, tugging on Cade’s hand.
Cade’s smile was still slightly shadowed, but Kyle could see that the worst was over. “I don’t mind.”
Kyle swallowed, ignoring that. He pulled Cade out and guided him to his bed. Cade got in obediently, climbing under the covers. Kyle followed and lay down next to him.
Cade chuckled. Kyle looked at him questioningly. Grinning, Cade said, “Remember I was nervous and I made you lie down with me? And you were really…” He smirked.
Kyle flushed. He glared at Cade. “After I was so nice to you, this is the thanks I get? You reminding me of my-”
“Hard-on,” Cade interrupted, his eyes twinkling.
Kyle gasped in pretend outrage, but his heart was already soaring. This was the Cade he wanted. Cade’s fingers were already sliding into his gently, rubbing slowly against his skin. “You are no gentleman, sir.”
Cade’s eyes were mischievous. “Then get out of my bed.”
Kyle laughed. “Well,” he said, dragging out the word. “I kinda want to be here.”
Cade took his lower lip into his mouth, smiling. “That’s what I thought.”
They smiled at each other. Then Cade tugged on Kyle’s hand. “Come here,” he said.
Kyle’s heart was racing as he rolled towards Cade. He buried his face into his neck, his other arm coming to splay across Cade’s chest. Cade tangled their legs together. Kyle’s erection was pressing into Cade’s hip, but neither of them commented on it.
Cade’s arm was across Kyle’s back, the other cupping Kyle’s arm. They lay there for a while, just being quiet and luxuriating in each other until they fell asleep.
***
Later, Kyle would remember Cade’s hard, blazing look of joy as they hugged. He lifted Cade off his feet, his head swimming with euphoria. Cade’s arms were heavy around him and Kyle was sure he was aching everywhere, but it didn’t matter because he had Cade in his arms, and they were in the semi-finals!
The emotions were extreme, mainly because of the manner in which they’d won. Penalty shootouts was never anyone’s favorite business, but it made the joy even sweeter.
It was a blur of happiness. There was a lot of singing, dancing, jumping around in the locker room. There was a lot of hugging. And there was Cade, laughing, dimples on full show, abs shining and rippling as he sang and hugged everyone.
Kyle couldn’t take his eyes off Cade, off his beauty, off his joy. He felt a powerful want rise in him, almost overwhelming. They sat next to each other, skin touching, thighs brushing and he felt his head reel in pleasure and love and lust.
Unfair Game: A Gay Sports Romance Novel Page 11