Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
RIVER
Ihad been playing sports since I was a little tot, but I had never broken a bone. I preferred to think my skill kept me safe, but Alex called that arrogance. So be it.
I stepped onto the mat, water dripping off me, enjoying the warm, humid air from my steamy shower. It was hard to bathe when I couldn’t move my arm at all. If my right arm twitched even a little, a sharp, terrible pain would run through my shoulder.
I guessed a sling was superior to a cast because at least I could temporarily remove it for showers. My biggest problem was keeping still. Singing and dancing in the shower was my thing, so it was challenging to stop myself.
My chest and hair were still damp as I entered my room, and with one arm, I struggled to wrap a dry towel securely around my stomach. Alex’s eyes lifted from his phone and met mine, lips slightly parted.
His gaze dropped, then rose again, resting on my chest. He blinked twice, his eyes a bit lulled, like he’d forgotten I was still standing in front of him.
“Damn, am I that much of a catch?” I smirked.
His eyes returned to his phone, and his lips met as if he wasn’t bothered. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
Too bad I was already flattered. “Help me put my sling back on?”
I took a seat beside him as he grasped the black sling off the bedside table. With care, he positioned my arm in the cotton holster, his brow creasing and lips pursed in concentration.
When the incident happened at the game, they rushed me to the hospital as if I were bleeding out. If you asked me, everyone around me had overreacted. Sure, I fell on the floor and yelled out in pain, but it wasn’t even that bad.
The doctors wouldn’t agree, and neither would the bone sticking out of my shoulder. Alright, so maybe I dislocated it. Still, I stood by my point.
Even though I told him not to, Alex got a ride to meet me from his friends. Since Carson was already missing the rest of the game to be with me, I didn’t want to bother Alex, who couldn’t even drive himself. He didn’t listen.
Now we were at my place, and Alex was playing caretaker. He folded my clothes that had been sitting on the bed for over a week, ordered us a late-night dinner, and even suggested running my goddamn bath water before I told him I wanted a shower.
And, fuck, it was sexy.
Watching the way his hands worked to fold my clothes sent a chill down my spine.
I never pictured myself being in a steady relationship—not so soon, anyway.
The only person I wanted to call mine, even in a friendly way, was Alex.
Now I could admit that I craved more with him.
I wanted to come home to see him at the stove, stirring a pot, focused not on the smell of food but on how good his ass looked in his usual black jeans.
A househusband. My househusband.
Alex adjusted my arm, and I winced at the sudden movement, causing him to flinch. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s chill.”
“‘It’s chill,’” he mocked, deepening his tone two octaves, nowhere near similar to mine. More cautiously, he continued fixing my sling.
“Mocking me, bunny?” I teased.
His nose scrunched up like a rabbit as he smiled. “Yeah, lake boy.”
The name “lake boy” brought back memories. Kids at school used to tease me with it, and I found it annoying as hell.
“Don’t call me that around Carson,” I warned. “If he finds out about it, he will wear it out.”
Alex’s smile fell into a half-frown, the kind one had when their mood lessened, but they were trying to save face. I stared at him, confused.
“So…” Alex lightly patted my arm once he was done putting on my sling. “How close are you and Car exactly?”
I shrugged. “Like glue, even before my parents took him in.”
Alex’s hand fell to his lap, and his eyes trailed to the floor. “Oh.”
Oh? What was that for?
“He’s like a brother to me, y’know?” Hoping I’d found the problem, I playfully hit Alex’s shoulder. “I’m ninety-nine percent sure he has a thing going on with Lola, but he won’t admit it for some reason.”
Alex rubbed the punched spot. “Oh, good.”
But he still wasn’t satisfied.
I leaned into his view, forcing his eyes to meet mine. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“No, it’s nothing. It’s just…” he trailed off as his cheeks tinted. “I can’t help but think of him as your replacement best friend. I know it’s stupid, okay?”
Oh.
Of all the issues, that was not one I thought of. I never thought of how shitty it felt for Alex to see my new “best friend” when he was my old one I cut off.
“Hey.” My hand rested on his thigh. “Carson is not, and never was, your replacement. He’s like a brother to me—you aren’t. Even if you were, no one could ever come close to replacing you.”
“Sorry, I know it’s dumb.”
I let my palm caress his soft hair. “It’s not dumb at all. You mean more to me than winning the NCAA tournament.”
The cute smile returned. “Holy shit. I’m worth more than the moon.”
Our foreheads touched. “You sure are. Never forget it.”
Alex’s warm palm gently cupped my cheek before he closed the distance between us.
I recalled kissing for the first time when we were thirteen. Fuck, I was so stupid. It was such a dick move, pushing Alex away like he was diseased and telling him he disgusted me. My brain couldn’t process what had happened, so I did the only thing I knew. Deflection.
It took my being apart from him for seven years to finally understand that what I felt for Alex Pierce wasn’t bromance.
Our tongues entwined, and I felt his bulge against me, begging to be released from the shackles of his tight pants. Little Alexander had been there since I stepped out of the shower—the horny bastard.
Alex’s fingers found the towel at my waist and tugged at it gently, silently signaling that he wanted it off.
I groaned into the kiss with a nod, and the towel was on the floor in a second.
He crawled onto his knees and spread them into a straddle before my exposed hard-on, a fire behind his eyes that I had never seen before.
The heat of his hand enveloped my bare cock as he grasped it and stroked along its length. He continued in a slow, delicate motion that was so simple yet felt better than anything I’d ever felt, and it was just his hand.
Alex quickened his motions, and desiring any part of me to be inside of him, I grabbed his ass and slipped a finger in his warm hole.
He let out a yelp of surprise, his eyes widening at my unannounced entry, but I didn’t retreat.
I felt the tightening of his muscles as I moved my finger in and out of him, and his hands gripped my shoulders to ground himself.
He twitched against me, and I stopped, concerned that I might be causing him pain with no lube, even though I was only using one finger.
But he didn’t cry out—not in discomfort at least, and his hips jerked back and forth on my finger like it wasn’t enough stimulation.
All I could do was stare at him, mesmerized.
Alex moved rhythmically on my finger, and I had to add another one in. His hot breath breathed on my ears as he panted, and it made my chest swirl. If my other arm weren’t in a cast, I’d squeeze his perfectly round cheek as he fucked himself on my fingers.
“I need… you,” Alex groaned into my ear. “Please.”
“Alright,” I breathed. “Grab the lube behind you.”
His head shook against the crook of my neck. “Don’t need it.”
Fuck. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.” His star-struck eyes met mine, and I didn’t know how I could say no to those.
Without another moment to spare, Alex adjusted himself to hover over my pointed dick. His movements were so quick that I could barely grasp them, but my good hand gripped his waist before he lowered himself onto me.
I held his gaze firmly. “Lube.”
With a sigh of defeat, he reached over and opened the drawer, pulling out the bottle of lubricant begrudgingly. He handed it to me with a pout that only made me smirk.
I squeezed it onto my fingers. “As much as I loved the newfound assertiveness, I won’t let you hurt yourself.”
“I would’ve been fine,” he complained.
“My steadfast fucking boyfriend,” I muttered to myself as I rubbed the gel along my cock.
But Alex heard it. “Boyfriend?”
Shit. The words were out before I could take them back, and now Alex was reading my every move. I took him out on one date, didn’t even say it was one, and now my brain was calling him my boyfriend out loud? Seriously?
“Well, that’s what I thought was happening.” I cleared my throat awkwardly. “We went out, you spend most nights here, and… we fuck. I know those things don’t automatically equal a relationship, but I thought it did for us.”
Alex’s fingernails dug into my good shoulder as he continued to use me to hold himself up. I couldn’t imagine a world where he didn’t reciprocate how I felt because he always did. As kids, his and my emotions were on the same level in every situation. That’s why my heart clenched at his silence.
Was I wrong?
A smirk found its way onto Alex’s lips as he realigned himself with my tip. “My boyfriend is the most drooled over man on the entire basketball team.”
I grunted as his tight heat clenched around my tip, sending intense pulses through my body.
Alex eased himself onto me, and my hand gripped his perfect ass and gave it a tight squeeze.
Touching him like that—squeezing his ass, pinching his nipples, and sucking his cock—was my favorite.
Alex even started wearing his glasses more because he knew how much they turned me on. Like right now.
Alex let out a final moan right before I was fully inside him. I had to hold my hips to keep them from bucking to let him adjust, and it was true torture. His warmth felt like heaven around me, and every slight movement had me clenching my teeth.
Our chests were only inches apart, and his legs straddled me, and the sight was the highlight of my night. He lay with his head on my shoulder for a minute or so before he was ready to go.