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“Won’t judge. Won’t budge.” He licked Tyler again, starting at one stiff nipple and then right up the length of his throat to suck on his lobe. “You taste so good. I’m going to need time to learn every inch.”

“Anything.” Tyler was panting now and had made a definite wet spot on his stretched briefs. His breath came fast and short. “Oh. Oh, Josh….”

Again, Josh lowered himself and licked, this time starting at his small navel while Tyler jerked and cursed, along the ridged abdominal muscles, across the chest and then up to the other lobe to suck and nurse at it.

Tyler shuddered. “Oh! Oh no. I can’t—”

“You can. You’re so strong for me. Look how strong you are. You can take anything. You told me so. You asked for the worst.”

Josh indulged every worshipful fantasy he’d ever dreamed in the darkest stretches of tenth grade, slobbering and sucking on Tyler with frantic appetite while the poor guy bucked and shuddered against Josh’s mouth. Under his reverent ministrations, Tyler twitched and quaked in ecstasy, clutching at his shoulders and cradling his head. The wet spot on his briefs leaked through onto Josh’s belly.

The next time he crawled down Tyler’s body, he tugged the briefs free, exposing the full thickness of him. It was so perfect his mouth literally got wet. “Jesus, Tyler.” He dragged his mouth up the broad shaft, across the chiseled landscape of flexing muscle, until he was kissing Tyler hard and hungry. He kissed Tyler without pulling back, as if trying to find whatever he kept hidden and holy.

Tyler shook then, a raw barking scream building and building until he wrapped his legs around Josh’s back and squeezed them together. His heart hammered against Josh’s, healed and helpless. Tyler arched and tightened his limbs around Josh hard enough to bruise.

Tyler’s shaft spat between them, and Josh felt himself coming unraveled at the same time, groaning his own perfect pleasure into Tyler’s mouth as they finally spilled together.

In the dim light, the world narrowed to the space where Josh and Tyler clung together, their breaths mingling in the still air. Josh marveled at the weight of Tyler’s muscular arm draped over his back, the past few hours resonating through every inch of his body. All those dormant feelings had paled beside the reality, the real Tyler with him like this.

Gradually they caught their breath, and Tyler gathered him closer, tucked Josh’s head under his chin, and kissed it possessively. “I love your couch.”

But the odd tension Tyler had carried out of Dr. Reynolds’s office still hung in the air like a promise or a threat.

“Ty,” Josh murmured, tracing lazy circles on Tyler’s chest as he nuzzled closer. “What was bothering you before?”

“Reality, I think. Time.” Tyler shifted against him, hazel eyes meeting his with unwavering intensity. “We’ll make it work. I promise. I will.” His cocky grin put in a cautious appearance. “It’s going to suck sometimes, the pressure, but I will do every single thing in my power for you.”

Josh nodded, but uncertainty gnawed at the edges of his happiness. “What pressure?” He searched Tyler’s face. “You mean reporters or whatever.”

“Long distance.” Tyler’s voice was playful as he stroked Josh possessively. “It can be brutal. I’ll come back as often as I can. Training and traveling eat up a lot of my life. But there’s an upside. My reputation helps. My fans too. The team. They don’t take crap from anyone. But I’m gone a lot. Part of the gig.”

The prospect of a life lived under the microscope of celebrity unsettled Josh, and the idea of being away from Tyler so much sounded awful. He crossed his arms over his chest and scooted back against the arm of the couch so he could see Tyler’s eyes.

Now Josh understood. The good news Reynolds had given him meant their time was running out, as of today. Their fairy-tale detour from the hard knocks of real life was ending. Now that Tyler’s heart was better, he’d have to leave. “Right.”

“We’re okay. I promise. You watch. You’ve healed me so much I’m going to do great.” He chuckled. “Boris should pay you a bonus to come be my trainer.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I do. This is going to sound weird, but I feel like myself, like I can see myself for the first time in I don’t know how long. Thanks to you.”

“You’re giving me too much credit. I’m nobody special.”

Tyler took his hand and squeezed and kissed their joined knuckles. “See, that’s where you’re wrong, Mr. Ayres. In a way, we just met. Like, actually, for-real met as real three-dimensional human beings. That’s such a gift. So I want us to have time to get to know each other. I’ll make all the time you want.”

“Same.”

“And hey, maybe… maybe one day you’ll want to leave this place and come join me. Wherever. San Diego or anyplace else, really. There’s so much out there I wish I could show you. I mean, someplace that isn’t as backwards.”

That was the deal. Cinnamar would always be a place Tyler had left so he could succeed. Now that they were an item, he hoped Josh would work up the nerve to do the same, eventually.

Tyler whispered, “Maybe someday. Nothing definite, and not now. Promise me you’ll think about it.” He pressed a soft kiss to Josh’s temple, squeezing him hard.

Josh swallowed, torn between the safety of what he knew and the exhilaration of discovering uncharted territory with Tyler. “Promise.” His breath hitched as he imagined a future away from the community he loved. The very glamor of it felt like a trap. “I still have a battle ahead of me here.”

“The book-ban thing. Listen,” Tyler continued, tightening his grip around Josh’s waist, “we can use my platform to raise awareness, fight back against these bigots in Cinnamar and anywhere else. I truly believe that the NFL can help too. We can protect you, the school, the library. Keep hassles to a minimum.”

“They can, you mean.”