Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
MALIK
Having Grey there to hear the MRI results had comforted me in a way I hadn’t expected. Bad news was more manageable when he was around, because I could count on him to have my back. No matter what, Grey would help me through hell.
As he stopped his car in the garage at the house, I popped my door open.
“Oh no, you don’t. You stay right there and let me help you.” Grey hopped out of the car and jogged to my side.
He acted as if I couldn’t walk. “Grey, it’s a boot. I can walk on it. Doctor said so.” I huffed a laugh.
“I don’t care. I want you to stay off it for the first twenty-four hours.” He stretched a hand out to me.
“Stop it.” With a scoff, I slapped his hand away. “I can walk.”
Tex appeared in the doorway leading into the kitchen. “Hey, do you need a hand?”
“He’s being stubborn and won’t listen to me.” Pouting, Grey stepped back, holding his arms around me as if waiting for me to stumble.
“I’m fine.” I stepped out of the car on my good leg and rose. A dull ache threaded from my ankle to my knee. “Move, so I can enter the house.”
Grey wrapped an arm around my waist and shut the car door. “I’m helping you inside.”
“Oh, brother.” Tex tsked and shook his head. “I have an ice pack waiting for you.”
“My ankle is still frozen from all the ice at the hospital.” I hobbled next to Grey as he walked me through the door and into the kitchen. I still needed a damn shower, but it might be a problem with the brace.
“I know you need to ice it.” Tex strolled to the freezer and pulled out an ice pack. “Don’t be a dick, Thompson.”
“Great, now I have to argue with both of you.” Grey’s body heat tingled across my skin. It wasn’t terrible having Grey help me though. “I probably stink. I didn’t get to shower.”
“You’re a little muskier than usual.” As Grey helped me drop into the corner of the sectional, his darkened gaze met mine. “I could give you a sponge bath before bed.”
My cock stirred. “I wouldn’t turn that down.”
“Do you two ever think about anything besides sex?” Tex brought the ice pack and a compression bandage to us and held it out. “Here, I’ll let your boyfriend handle it.” He walked off into the kitchen.
Grey’s gaze cut to Tex, and his breath hitched. “Uh, yeah, thanks.” With his lips pursed, he propped my bad ankle on the coffee table and unfastened the boot.
He didn’t seem to like Tex’s comment. But could I blame him? We were friends with benefits, not boyfriends. But then, Tex was just joking. “He’s kidding, Grey.”
As he fitted the ice pack onto my ankle, he said, “I know. It just…caught me off guard.” Sinking his teeth into his lower lip, he straightened. “Can I get you anything? A beer maybe?”
“Hell yes, beers all around.” Tex lunged for the refrigerator and pulled out three cans of beer. “We have a lot to celebrate—a win, Malik’s touchdown and your touchdown, Grey.” Snicking the cans open, he passed them out.
“Thanks.” I tapped my beer on Grey’s and sipped it, monitoring Grey. “You okay?”
“I’m great.” He threw my arm over his shoulder and tucked into my side. “It was hard not being affectionate in the hospital.” He kissed my cheek. “I can’t tell you how many times I had to hold myself back.”
Tex took a gulp of beer and sat at the other end of the couch. “I can imagine that had to be tough. Randy saw nothing, I take it?”
Grabbing my hand, Grey said, “Maybe some hand-holding, but he didn’t comment on it. Anyway, I don’t know if that would be very unusual in this situation.”
“Hell, anyone who saw you two at camp wouldn’t find it unusual.” Tex sank into the couch. “You played well tonight, Grey.”
“I did.” With a nod, a grin tugged at his mouth.
I patted Grey’s thigh. “Maybe Coach will give you more playing opportunities after I return to the field.” Warmth crept across my heart. A regular player might be upset, but I wanted to see Grey succeed. I knew how much it meant to him and the life he wanted.
“Might be time to look for agents.” Tex wagged his brows at Grey.
“Have you talked to any of them?” Lifting his brows, Grey shifted to face me.
“I’ve met with a few. I haven’t settled on one yet.” This would be the year I needed to figure that shit out. “I want to talk to Casey about his agent. I heard Casey got a killer deal, and his agent would have seen me play with him last year.” I sipped some beer.
Grey picked at the pull tab on his beer. “I haven’t spoken to anyone yet.” He ticked his shoulder. “Maybe no one is interested in me.”
“Don’t you worry about that. I’ll check whether any of the agents I’ve talked with would consider you.” I tapped his shoulder. “Who you know in this sport is half as important as how well you play.”
“Yeah?” Grey beamed at me. “Thanks.”
“No problem at all.” I pulled him closer to my side. “Grey, I’ll make sure you enter the draft this year. With an agent.” We’d have so much fun at the draft together.
“Grey, if you keep playing at the level you did tonight, Malik won’t need to pull any strings to get you an agent or into the draft.” Tex smirked and then drank his beer.
“You guys are the best.” Grey dipped his forehead against my shoulder. “I can’t remember the last time I was this happy.”
Me neither. Even with an injury, I could see only good times ahead for us both. I inhaled deeply. What would it be like for us to be boyfriends, like Tex had joked about? When we were home, it felt like we were. And it was the best.
After finishing our beers, Grey insisted on fastening my boot for me, like I was in invalid, and I followed him into his bedroom. “So…sponge bath?” Yeah, that comment had lodged in the back of my head.
“Of course. I’ll undress you and then I’ll wet a warm washcloth.” He helped me to the bed, even though I could walk just fine.
Sitting on the edge, I let him remove my boot, my shorts and underwear and my t-shirt. As I watched him toss the clothing into his hamper in the closet, my dick grew hard. There’d be no way for him to clean me without it turning sexual. I wasn’t stupid.
As he strolled toward his bathroom, he peeked at me. His shorts tented with the growing length of his cock.
Yep, I was right. I placed lazy strokes on my dick while swiping my tongue across my lips.
As he disappeared into the bathroom, he palmed himself, and rushing water filled the air.
“Get that washcloth good and warm.” I shimmied further up the bed and lay on my back with one arm tucked behind my head, imagining his mouth on me.
My dick pulsed, and precum beaded at the tip.
I swiped it across the head and rocked my hips, groaning as sensation shivered up my spine.
We’d planned on having sex tonight, but I knew with my injury that was out of the question.
He’d think I could hurt myself further, even though I’d be careful.
He returned naked with two wet washcloths and climbed onto the bed to sit beside me on tucked legs, his firm cock rising between his thighs.
“You undressed while I wasn’t looking.” I offered a sly grin while tension knotted in my gut.
“I did. You were too busy imagining what I’m about to do to you.” He brushed the warm washcloth up my arm and down my pecs, then lower over my stomach.
“And what are you planning?” As the wet warmth swept across my skin, it pebbled. Since we couldn’t fuck, hopefully a blow job was in order?
Flicking his tongue at the corner of his mouth, he said, “This.” Leaning over, he sucked my nipple into his mouth and fluttered his tongue across it.
My cock twitched in my palm as sensation rippled through me. “Fuck…Yeah? What else?” I stroked faster, bringing myself closer to the brink.
“And this.” He swiped the cloth across my balls and then moved my hand away. “I can’t clean your dick with your hand there.” He hooked a brow and washed my cock, swiping all around it. “You’re leaking already.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? You do this to me, Grey. I can barely look at you and not get hard.” I tucked my other arm under my head. Except in the game. I’d had to force my head to stay in it.
“Yeah?” He crawled between my legs and gripped the base of my cock.
“I was looking forward to having you tonight, since we don’t have to use condoms. Guess this’ll have to do until tomorrow.
” He plunged his mouth over me, taking me to the back of his throat, and squeezed the tip of his cock as precum dripped from the head.
“Jesus, fuck.” I arched my back off the bed as a shock of sensation tore through me, his hot wet mouth swallowing me whole. “What’s, what’s tomorrow?” His devious mind had planned something. I was sure of it.
With a few licks of my shaft and a wet pop, he left me and said, “I’m wearing the plug in the morning, so we can make good on our promise tomorrow afternoon.”
It was a promise now? “You want me to fuck you tomorrow afternoon, but not tonight?” Could I talk him into letting me fuck him tonight too? My breath quickened as his hand pumped my saliva-slicked cock.
“Yep.” Rolling my balls with one hand, he slipped my dick into his mouth and sucked hard and fast, throwing me close to the edge.
I fisted his hair and panted as climax teased me. I wanted to hold out and keep this going.
He pulled off again. “It’s all about you tonight, Malik, but tomorrow…” A wicked grin quirked his mouth. “Tomorrow you’ll still be my priority, but I’ll get what I want too.” He flicked his tongue at my slit and toyed with my glans.
As little sparks shivered my skin, I gasped and said, “What is it you want?” Dare I ask?
“Since you’re injured…” He wrapped his lips around my crown and then left it. “I’ll fuck myself on top of you.”
My cock jerked in his palm as a wave of pleasure washed over me. “Fucking hell, you almost made me come. Why not now?” What sort of game was this?
“Because the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to wear the plug first, and I couldn’t do that tonight and play football.” He swiped his thumb across my tip.