He rolled his eyes and wandered to the bookshelf lined with rows of trophies. “Wow. You have so many.”
“Yeah. Mom keeps everything.” I hopped off the bed and moved to another shelf with larger trophies. “These are the ones that count. The smaller ones are glorified participation awards, but these are for personal achievement on a team.”
“Most of them are for football,” he commented, idly running his finger over the plaque attached to the bottom of one. “You miss it, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“George told me you got the call you wanted.”
I shrugged as I perched on the end of the bed. “Yes and no. They want to fly me to Denver to talk to management.”
“Congratulations.”
“It’s not a big deal. It’s a meeting and maybe an evaluation. I don’t exactly trust my agent, so I didn’t think much about it when he called. But I received another message this morning and…they want me in Denver this weekend.”
“Oh. That’s great.”
“We’ll see. I don’t have high hopes. I’m starting to think more seriously about my Plan B.”
Topher sat beside me. “Me too. I have an interview tomorrow, but I secretly hope I don’t get it because I really want the job that had the funding issue. It’s stupid to discount a good opportunity, so I’m making myself go.”
“That’s an interesting way to look at it. Discounted opportunity,” I repeated, draping my arm over his shoulders. I pushed wayward curls from his forehead and kissed his nose, then the corner of his mouth. “Fuck, I like you. I like the way you think. I don’t always understand, but I want to.”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
I waggled my brows playfully. “Want to come with me?”
I was joking, but the second the words left my mouth, I knew I’d make it happen if he said yes.
“To Denver? No, I can’t. You have to do that alone.”
Alone. Right.
Here’s the thing about being alone…I might have liked it more if I wasn’t such terrible company. I didn’t make myself laugh, I didn’t spark curiosity or intellect—that was all Topher. I had self-confidence to spare, but could I really say that I liked myself?
Well, I did when I was with Topher. His love of facts and science was tempered with an innate wisdom that had more to do with the size of his heart than his brain. I could have sat with him and his grandmother all damn day. Not just because she was a hoot. I was equally as fascinated with him—his generosity and patience. He was so…good. He made me want to be better.
I didn’t know how to say what I was thinking without freaking us both out, so I showed him instead. I pulled him sideways and rolled on top of him, slipping my hands under his shirt and my tongue in his mouth. Long, leisurely kisses morphed into passionate ones. We didn’t hurry. We took our time. I traced the freckles across his stomach with my fingers, then my tongue. Touch, lick, repeat. Touch, lick, repeat…his abs, his nipples, his belly button.
I reached for his belt, moving slowly in case he changed his mind. He didn’t. He let me undress him, suck him, worship him. He licked his lips when I stripped naked and rechecked the lock on the bedroom door before grabbing the condom-and-lube packet from my wallet. My body hummed with desire, but I kept my cool when he opened his legs, shivering with barely controlled need as I made my way inside him.
We found a rhythm immediately…something sweet and steady. His legs around my waist and his cock trapped between our torsos. I closed my fist around him and stroked his shaft as I moved. A gentle rock and grind that gained heat and momentum with every push and thrust until we lost ourselves.
I held on to him tightly when he came. I kissed him, caressed him, offering water and a place to lay his head while he caught his breath. I could claim I was just being attentive, but the truth was, I wanted to offer something that had nothing to do with creature comforts. I wanted to offer myself…as if I might be an option. Someone to consider.
Denver was nice. Nice hotel, nice facilities, nice physician. It was…nice.
The team was in Philly for a game on Sunday, so the normally bustling facility was quiet. I smiled through a series of meetings with assistants to the people who made the big decisions. An assistant running-back coach, an assistant strength-and-conditioning coach, an assistant to the admin in the front office. I wasn’t overly anxious about making a good impression. I figured I’d give it my best shot and see what happened.
I was a journeyman, and my value at this point was my expendability. I knew that. At least…I was beginning to. I was in good shape physically, and that was all the coaches really cared about.