37
Will packed clothes to wear after training. The same outfit he’d worn to Dune’s party so long ago, except this time he didn’t need Leah to push him into wearing the tighter fitting shirt. Gabriel had seen him without a shirt already. He knew what he looked like. And besides, Will knew Gabriel wasn’t as concerned with whether there was a little bump on his side as Will was.
He examined himself in the mirror.
If they were renting out a room to spend the night, then chances were Gabriel would see underneath the shirt tonight anyway. If it went well, that is. The prospect filled him with the same nervous anticipation he had before a match, except he was a hundred times more excited than he’d ever gotten for any game. Even if, as Gabriel insisted, nothing at all happened, Will would still get to spend time with Gabriel.
“Will?” Leah knocked on his bedroom door.
Will tossed the outfit to the bottom of the bag and pulled his workout jersey on. “Come in.”
“I’m sorry that I can’t come with you.” Leah hovered in the doorway. “Do you think you could skip today? I really don’t like you driving home alone.”
Skip his date with Gabriel? Not. A. Chance. “I’ll guzzle down coffee, or take a nap if I need to,” Will promised. “But it would look bad if I skipped the first training after signing that contract.”
The worry didn’t leave Leah’s expression. Her shoulders were tight.
Will worried too. What if she tried to make him stay home? “Leah.” He went over to her. “I’ll be fine. I’m not even close to how stressed I was when I crashed. I won’t get distracted.”
“I really wish you’d stay home.” Leah gave him a pleading look.
“And I wish you’d relax,” Will replied with a shrug. “Go have a nice weekend with Mom, and don’t worry about me.”
Leah did her best to convince him to stay home, even following him down the stairs and down the hall. Will stopped in surprise, seeing his dad awake and alert, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.
“Dad,” Will called out without thinking.
Dad looked up. His grey hair was combed and everything, but the tidiness of his appearance didn’t take away from the tiredness in his eyes. “Yes?”
“You’re up early, for a Saturday.” Will added the last part quickly, so his dad didn’t think he was having a go at him. “Something going on?”
“Yes,” Leah eyed him suspiciously. “ Is something going on?”
“Construction job,” Dad reported. “I want to get it done while we have the dry spell. Do your best at training, Will. Don’t forget to give Nicolas the contract.”
“I won’t.” Will hesitated, taking in the sight of his dad at the kitchen table, about to go out into the world before one o’clock. He eventually pulled himself together and went out to the car. Leah walked him there. “That’s,” Will began hesitantly, “nice to see, isn’t it?”
“Sure.” Leah shrugged. “But where’s all that money going to end up?” she questioned cynically.
Will bit the inside of his cheek. “Still…” he stopped when he saw the warning look Leah gave him. She was on Mom’s side, and he knew she blamed Dad for how bad she’d ended up. “Sorry,” he apologized.
“You don’t need to apologize,” Leah sighed. “He’s your dad.”
“He’s your dad too,” Will pointed out.
“I don’t want you to get your hopes up,” Leah said. “Be careful driving.”
Will climbed into the car with a sigh. He wasn’t getting his hopes up. He’d just pointed out it was better than sleeping most of the day away. He reversed out of the drive and pulled his thoughts away from his family and toward training. Except he skipped the training part and went straight to what came after. Gabriel gave Will the name of a hotel to meet him at. He said they’d leave their stuff there and then go out for something to eat.
Because they were going on a date.
Their first one.
Dublin was a big city, and Will didn’t know anyone there. The only people who knew him were the guys on the volleyball team, and what were the chances of them seeing him? Slim to none. Even if they did, they didn’t know who Gabriel was.
*
Vinny raised an eyebrow at him when Will got out of the shower and changed into his date clothes.
“Plans for the night?” he questioned.
“Nothing crazy.” Will turned his back and ducked his head down. Vinny had seen the hickey before and had remarked about Will keeping ‘nighttime’ activities to a minimum when they had a match coming up. “It’s only training tomorrow,” Will added lightly, although maybe referring to it as only training wasn’t a smart move. “Not that it isn’t important, I meant—”
“Chill.” Vinny raised a hand to stop him. “I’m not Coach, and I’m not your mom. As long as you aren’t hung-over tomorrow, you’ll be fine. Coach hates that.”
The mom comment didn’t feel nice, but Vinny had meant no harm. “I won’t be,” Will promised. He didn’t want any of his night with Gabriel to be dulled.
It took longer than Will expected to drive to the hotel. It wasn’t far, but because of traffic he was pulling into the parking lot almost thirty minutes late. He paused, only to recognise that the hotel was a lot nicer than he’d been expecting. It looked fancy from the outside with columns lining the entrance porch and had four big stars next to the sign above the door. Will couldn’t even read the name of the hotel because of the extreme cursive font it was written in.
The reception area was carpeted and coloured in golds and browns. Gabriel fit right in with the classy surroundings. Dressed in a pressed white shirt that hugged the contours of his torso, and his dark hair styled, just looking at him made Will’s heart thump harder. He was leaning against the reception desk speaking with the woman behind there.
Will took in a deep breath to steady himself, adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder, and approached them. “Hey,” he called. “Sorry I’m late.”
Gabriel turned to him. His dark eyes scanned Will appreciatively as he got to him. “You look good,” Gabriel complimented.
“Thanks,” Will said, a pleasant warmth filling his stomach. “So do you.”
Gabriel tugged Will’s bag from his shoulder and swapped it onto his own. His arm was around his waist next, and he guided Will away from the receptionist.
“Is it okay to do this?” Will asked, worried.
As they waited for the elevator, Gabriel pressed a quick kiss against Will’s temple. Will took that as his answer. “How was training?”
“Good. Tiring,” Will answered. “They know what they’re doing. I feel like every single muscle is getting a workout at those sessions.”
“It shows,” Gabriel said.
“That I’m tired?”
Gabriel chuckled. “No, not that you’re tired.” He slipped his hand up the line of Will’s spine, pressing between the muscles of his shoulder blades. Will shivered. They stepped into the elevator, and the nerves in him overcame his excitement.
“What did you do today?” Will asked before he got too anxious to talk.
“Decided where I would take you,” Gabriel answered. “Booked ahead, made sure there were no last-minute cancellations.”
They made their way from the elevator to the hotel room. Gabriel let go of Will as he riffled through his pockets for keys and opened their door.
The room was as big as Will’s kitchen and living room combined. On one side there was a couch set up in front of a TV, a little kitchen area with a bar, and then there was the bed. It was up on a raised platform with golden sheer fabric surrounding it. The bed was bigger than a double, and covered in rose petals. Will bit the inside of his cheek. One bed. Like he’d argued for. That Gabriel had given in to. His heart was going into overdrive now.
“I wasn’t expecting the rose petals,” Gabriel admitted, examining the bed with an embarrassed look. He went to the couch and placed Will’s bag next to it.
“How much did…” Will stopped. Would it be rude to ask how much this cost?
Gabriel came over with a smile. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Gabriel.” Will shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t want you to spend a load of money on me.”
Gabriel only rolled his eyes, slipping his hands onto Will’s waist. “It’s our first date. I’m going all out.”
“But I can’t. I’m not able to return the favour,” Will said uneasily. “I don’t want it to be one-sided. It’s not fair on you.”
“I get to date you. It’s only fair you get some perks for going out with an older guy, and not, you know, Dune for example.”
They stared each other down. Will knew he wouldn’t win this argument. Gabriel looked determined, and he was cheating by caressing Will’s sides, playing with the bottom of his shirt, letting his fingers brush against the bare skin at his hips. “I’m allowed to treat my boyfriend,” Gabriel added, putting the final nail in the coffin.
All he had to say was “boyfriend” and Will folded with a blush. “For the record,” he said, when he saw Gabriel’s victorious smile, “I’m sure Dune could afford a nice room too.”
“Hmm.” Gabriel gave him a look. “And also for the record…” he began, hands slipped completely underneath the hem of Will’s shirt, spreading out and taking a firm hold of his sides, “how far have you and Dune gone?”
“I could tell you, or,” he leaned forward, “I could show you instead?”
Gabriel’s gaze travelled downward to Will’s mouth.
Will’s eyelids fluttered closed. Gabriel’s breath fanned over his cheeks, then his lips, and with his body aching in anticipation, the distance between them was closed. Gabriel cupped his cheek, his other hand flattening on Will’s lower back.
Will held his back, feeling the hard muscles under his palms, pulling Gabriel against him until the back of his knees hit the bed. Without breaking apart, they sank onto the soft sheets. Gabriel propped his weight up on one elbow, his other arm wrapped around Will’s lower back, holding them together.
Through the narrow gap between them, Will struggled to get at the buttons of Gabriel’s shirt. He tilted his head to the side, breaking the kiss. Hot lips travelled along his jaw and explored the curve of his throat. “Lift up a bit,” Will murmured.
Gabriel released his lower back, propped his weight up on both elbows, and stared down at Will with eyes hazy with desire. Will untucked Gabriel’s shirt from his jeans and slowly undid the buttons. He reached the top. With the last button undone and his shirt hanging open, Will slid his hands over Gabriel’s chest, travelling to his broad, muscular shoulders, where he pushed the shirt halfway down his arms, only for Gabriel to pull back with a jerk.
“Wait,” Will said immediately.
“Will, I said—” Gabriel’s voice was thick.
“Yeah, but—”
“No sex.”
“Okay, but—”
“And you promised not to try anything too.”
“And who kissed who first?” Will challenged. He pushed against Gabriel so that he was flat on his back on the bed with Will on top of him. Sitting on him. And holy god, Gabriel’s shirt was halfway off, caught around his arms, and his hair was this glorious mess, and his eyes so dark that they were pretty much black, staring up at Will, too stunned to move or speak.
And best of all—
More than all of that —
Where Will was sitting—
Gabriel was—
“Who kissed who first?” Will asked again, leaning over Gabriel, his hands on his bare chest.
And Gabriel, as if under a spell, answered, “I did.”
Gabriel was looking up as if he were willing to let Will do whatever he wanted to him.
“That’s right.” Will’s head was swimming. Because the way Gabriel was looking at him, like he’d never wanted anything so badly in his life, was intoxicating. “You kissed me, and you pulled me against you, and you climbed on top of me. And now we’re both worked up.”
Will adjusted his weight, bracing his hands on Gabriel’s abdomen. “Just this,” Will promised. “It’s not sex.”
Gabriel had that look again. That one of torment. Except he wasn’t giving Will that look from a room away. He was giving it from underneath Will. And Will was so sure that Gabriel didn’t even realise how he was gripping Will’s thighs real tight, making him move his hips, and that he was lifting his own to meet Will’s. Gabriel wanted this. He wanted it so badly—
“No, okay?” Gabriel said.
Will stopped. He felt feverish all over. “Okay. Okay.” He took in this deep breath, doing his best to calm himself. And he climbed off of Gabriel, walking away from the bed with difficulty. “I’m going to shower real quick.”
Will was going to live with that visual for the rest of his life. And he took the quickest shower he’d ever done, practising the apology. Grappling with that feeling of guilt rising in him because he’d promised Gabriel before coming here that he wouldn’t try anything, and he hadn’t kept that promise. It went against Gabriel’s wishes and what he wanted for them.
Gabriel was waiting at the couch when Will went out. The look he gave Will was complicated.
“I’m sorry,” Will said immediately. “I’ll leave if you want, and I won’t kick up a fuss about it or give you any grief either.”
Gabriel didn’t look as mad as Will was expecting. In fact, he didn’t look mad at all.
“We’d better get going to dinner or else we’ll miss our reservation.”
In the lift, Will was still nervously throwing Gabriel sideways looks.
“I’m not mad,” Gabriel told him.
Will took that in. “Should I have kept going?”
And Gabriel gave him this look, but the thing was, Will could still feel on his thighs where Gabriel had been gripping him only moments ago. He looked away before he got red. “I’ll sleep on the couch,” he volunteered.