Schooling The Quarterback: an m/m college sports romance (GSU), page 6
We continue to walk, and occasionally, I brush the back of my hand against his, playing it off as an accident when, in reality, I’m just dying to touch him. Even though we are both wearing gloves, and I’d love to touch his skin even more, this is the next best thing.
When we reach the end, we are greeted by some reindeer in a pen in front of Santa’s Village.
“Do you think we can pet them?” I ask Gabe, itching to touch the animals in front of me.
“I don’t think so,” Gabe tells me, killing my joy by pointing to a stupid sign that clearly instructs us to keep our hands to ourselves since the reindeer might bite.
I narrow my eyes at the sign, the want to pet the adorable deer still strumming in my veins. Would a little nip hurt that hard? I bet I wouldn’t even feel it through my glove.
Gabe grabs my arm, pulling me along. “You need your hands to catch the ball,” he grumbles.
I can’t help but smile, knowing he was clueing into what I was thinking.
“Want to take a picture with Santa?” I ask, eyeing a lineup.
Gabe rolls his eyes. “Aren’t we a little old for that?”
I scoff. “Absolutely not. I always take a picture with Santa. However, I don’t sit on his lap anymore. I’m kind of afraid I’ll break him.”
Gabe laughs at my words. It makes me happy to see him so at ease right now, especially after his confession about his parents. I’m happy that didn’t kill the fun we’re having tonight.
“How ’bout we take it together?” I suggest.
Gabe eyes me up for a minute but finally lifts a shoulder. “I’m already doing things outside my comfort zone tonight, so why not?”
A giddy rush thrums inside me, and without thinking, I grab his hand to pull him over to the line, hating that we have the barrier of our gloves between us. He laughs while I drag him along, not fighting my touch, which I take as a win. I’m kind of bummed when I have to pay the lady because I have to drop his hand. I already miss his hand in mine.
“Do you have any Christmas traditions with your nana?” I ask as we wait in line. We’re lucky there are only a handful of people in front of us, considering it’s already nine, and we still have an hour’s drive ahead of us.
“On Christmas Eve, we watch Christmas movies, eat a crap ton of junk food, and wear matching pajamas,” he supplies, his face lighting up as he talks.
“We do that too,” I reply, loving that we are finding things in common, even if it’s only Christmas traditions.
“Santa’s ready to meet you,” a lady dressed as an elf tells us with a giant smile, waving us through for our picture.
“Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas,” Santa greets.
I wave at him. “Good to see you again, man. Thanks for the football tickets last year.” I wink at him, making him chuckle.
“I’m glad you liked them. What can I get you boys this year?”
I step closer to him and lean down to whisper in his ear. “Is making the cutie behind me my boyfriend too big of an ask?”
He laughs again and taps his nose. “I’ll see what I can do. What about you, young man, what would you like for Christmas this year?” he asks Gabe.
Gabe shrugs, his cheeks brightening that gorgeous shade of pink, clearly not wanting to be the center of attention. “I’ve got all I need, but I wouldn’t turn down a new book,” he finally tells Santa.
“Ho ho ho!” Santa replies, grabbing his probably fake belly as he does. “A book is a marvelous present. I’ll make sure that’s under your tree this year.”
“Picture time,” the elf tells us, and I move to stand beside the jolly old man.
When Gabe goes to stand on Santa’s other side, I stop him. “I might crush him, but you won’t. You totally have to sit on his lap.”
Gabe balks at me and shakes his head.
“Come on, young man, I won’t bite,” Santa encourages him. “And I promise I’ve had bigger boys than you sit on my lap.”
Gabe purses his lips while he thinks about it, but he huffs out a breath and moves to sit on Santa’s lap.
“That’s the spirit,” I cheer, then lean against Santa’s giant chair as the lady takes our picture.
“Say cheese,” she calls out.
As soon as the picture is taken, another elf guides us out, reminding us that our picture will be emailed to me within twenty-four hours.
We don’t dawdle as much on our way back, clearly on a mission to get to the car. We both have to wake up early in the morning for classes, but at the same time, I don’t want the night to end. I’m having a blast with the cute nerd.
“I’ve got to use the bathroom. I’ll meet you at the car,” I tell Gabe once we are at the front. I hand him my keys, pretending I’m heading to the porta-potties.
Once he’s out of sight, I return to the market tables to purchase the items I saw Gabe looking at longingly earlier.
Friends buy other friends gifts, right?
I shrug. There is no point in overthinking it. I want to buy these for him, so that’s what I’m going to do, but maybe I’ll hold onto them for a while so I don’t scare him off tonight.
“What’s in the bags?” Gabe asks when I slide into the driver’s seat. “Do porta-potties have gift shops now?” he teases, and I find I really like this side of him.
I chuckle. “Nah. I remembered that my mom had been asking for some soap for a while. I figured the handmade ones at that one table would make a good Christmas gift,” I tell him. Which isn’t entirely a lie. It’s just not the whole truth.
“That’s sweet of you. Do you have any siblings?” he inquires.
“I’ve got a brother and two sisters,” I reply. “I’m the oldest. What about you?”
“I’m an only child,” he supplies, and I’m thankful there wasn’t another person who was supposed to love him to turn their back on him.
“So you don’t like sports, so what do you like?” I inquire, putting the car into drive.
“I love to read. My guilty pleasure is smutty gay romance books,” he admits, and his cheeks brighten once again.
“Send me the name of your favorite book, and I’ll give it a try.”
“You like to read?” he asks, and I lift a shoulder.
“It’s not something I normally do outside of textbooks, but I’m not opposed to widening my experiences. I’ll try anything once,” I say, shooting him a wink. “So besides reading, what else could I find you up to on a random night?”
“Sadly, my life is kind of boring. I work a lot, but if I’m not slinging drinks, I like to play board and video games with my roommates.”
“I love video games. What’s your favorite?” I ask, loving this conversation.
“It depends. I dabble in a lot, but last year, I kind of became obsessed with Mario Kart after a tutoring student of mine needed help connecting with his course load. Kind of like you,” he states. “But I already knew a lot about Mario Kart. I didn’t have to spend as much time researching as I did on you.”
So he did put in extra work for me.
“We’ll have to play Mario Kart sometime,” I suggest.
“I think I’d like that,” he whispers, bringing a smile to my lips.
“What’s your favorite color?” I ask next.
He chuckles, and when I cast a quick glance at him, I almost regret it because his easy smile and bright brown eyes have my heart racing, making it extremely hard to focus on driving.
“Green, what about you?” he replies after I turn my eyes back to the road.
“Also green,” I tell him and shoot him another wink. My eyes want to linger on his face, but I won’t earn a second date if I get us into a car accident. Not that this is technically a date.
“What’s your favorite animal?” he inquires. It almost makes me giddy that he’s participating in asking questions, too, not only answering them.
“A koala, obviously,” I reply, and I catch Gabe shaking his head out of the corner of my eye.
“Of course, what a silly question of me to ask,” he teases.
“How about you? Or are you a secret koala lover as well?”
He chuckles, shaking his head again. “You do know koalas are riddled with chlamydia, right?” he checks.
I shrug. “They’re still cute as fuck, but we’re getting sidetracked here, what is your favorite animal?”
“If we’re going based on cuteness, a fennec fox. If we’re going based on lovability, you could still say a fennec fox, but a red panda is a close second,” he responds.
Even though I’m just starting to get to know him, it makes so much sense that he didn’t choose a basic animal like a cat or a dog. He didn’t even choose a basic fox. He chose a very specific type—one I’ve never actually heard of, but still, it’s just so him.
We spend the rest of the drive lobbing questions back and forth, and by the time I arrive at his house, I feel a real connection between us. I know we said this wasn’t a date, but it feels like one to me. Does Gabe feel the same way?
“I had a blast tonight,” he tells me after I put the car into park and turn toward him.
“Me too,” I reply, and an awkward tension fills the small space.
What do we do now? If this was a date, I’d kiss him, but I don’t want to cross the boundaries he’s set. I want him to know I respect him.
Gabe looks out his window at the front of the plain house, not moving to get out of my car. It’s not like I’m going to force him out. I’d sit here in awkward silence all night if that’s what he wants. My attention stays fixed on him, waiting to find out what he’s going to do next. His shoulders rise and fall as he takes a deep breath, then slowly turns back to me.
He stares at me intently for a few heartbeats, then with a speed I haven’t seen from him, he launches himself at me, his lips landing on mine.
I thought for sure if this ever happened, it would be tentative at first, but Gabe is giving me his all. Initially, I’m startled, but I quickly get ahold of myself and grab the back of his head to deepen the kiss.
A small whimper escapes his lips when I lick at the seam. He doesn’t wait to give me entrance to his mouth, and I inwardly cheer when my tongue touches his. He tastes sweet, like the hot chocolate we sipped on at the light display.
Our tongues dance together as we make out, and my cock grows harder by the minute. Especially when he gets the courage to let his hands roam over my body—what he can reach in this awkward position in my car, anyway? Fuck, I want to feel his skin on mine. We ditched the gloves when we got into the car, but the barrier of my clothes still stops me from getting the full experience.
I lose track of time as we share this special moment. When he pulls back, I instantly miss his touch. We are both panting for air, and my dick throbs in my pants when I take in Gabe’s kiss-swollen lips.
“This still wasn’t a date,” he whispers with a tiny smirk, but my brain must have short-circuited from the kiss because his words don’t make sense.
“Wh-what?” I stammer, making Gabe chuckle.
He doesn’t answer my question but gives me a quick peck on the lips, then opens the car door. “I‘ll see you Wednesday,“ he tells me before rushing into his house.
Well, shit. I can’t believe that actually happened.
I know that no matter what Gabe says, that most definitely was a date, and I plan on earning another one soon.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
GABRIEL
What the hell came over me in Chase’s car?
I close the door behind me as quietly as possible, praying that my roommates are already in bed, but of course, I don’t have that kind of luck.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Victor teases, and I’m sure he has a shit-eating grin on his face, but I don’t turn around. The moment I do, he’ll see my kiss swollen lips, and the ribbing will really start.
I’ve never launched myself at someone like that. I’ve never run my hands up and down someone’s sides as we steamed up the car windows. I’m not a virgin, but maybe I was a prude because the only time I ever let someone get even remotely physical with me was behind closed doors in a bedroom. Public displays of affection made my skin crawl, yet every time Chase’s hand brushed against mine, I wondered what it would be like to stop the game and take hold of his. Unfortunately, I wasn’t brave enough to do that. But while we were sitting in his car, I knew I couldn’t end the night with a wave or a handshake. Even a hug wouldn’t have satisfied me. So, I pushed my fears to the side and took a chance—one that thankfully paid off.
Chase’s lips were just as swollen as I’m sure mine were when we parted, and it took everything in me to open the car door and say goodnight, which is not like me at all.
“Did you finally say yes to a date with the sexy quarterback?” Sasha asks.
I don’t reply while I hang up my coat, knowing that when my friends see my face, it will be all the answer they need.
When I finally turn, Sasha gasps, but an evil smirk slowly spreads across his face. “I’m so glad you finally came to your senses. Please tell me that your lips aren’t the only thing he sucked tonight.”
I roll my eyes at my friend’s antics. “Not everyone puts out on the first date,” I reply with a shrug.
Victor nods in solidarity. “Not everyone is a slut like you,” he tells Sasha, who, of course, takes his words as a compliment.
“I know, not everyone can be as amazing as me,” he replies with a big-ass grin before turning his full attention back to me. “Where did he take you? Was he a gentleman? Did he pin you against his car and suck your face?”
I shake my head, but I can’t force away the smile spreading across my face. “He took me to this Christmas Village thing. There was this amazing light tunnel, and we even got our picture taken with Santa,” I inform them.
“You got your picture taken with Santa?” Victor asks, sounding shocked. I guess his reaction is warranted.
I’m not normally the type of person to do things like that. I think it’s because I hate to be the center of attention. I usually want to blend into the background and let people forget I exist. But Chase is the exact opposite. He loves all eyes on him. His energy was contagious. The way his face lit up with so much joy and excitement at the idea of the silly photo had me throwing caution to the wind and doing whatever he wanted me to do. There was no way I could have told him no, even if I wanted to, which I don’t think I really did. I actually enjoyed the experience, even if sitting on a random stranger’s lap was a bit uncomfortable. What other things would I do with Chase by my side?
“What?” I ask, feigning ignorance. “Can’t a couple of guys take a photo with Santa?”
“Normal people, yes. You? Not so much,” Sasha states, then leans toward Victor and stage whispers, “Maybe he’s been abducted by an alien.”
“If you two are done hounding me on my evening, I’m going to go to bed,” I tell them, stepping around them to head to the stairs.
“We’re not done, but we’ll let you sleep and pick up this lovely conversation in the morning,” Victor says. “I know Max is going to want in on this.”
I shake my head but don’t bother responding. I’d like to say I hope my friends will forget about this conversation by morning, but I know, without a shadow of a doubt, they won’t. But I don’t blame them because if this was happening to any of them, I’d be all over that shit and wanting every last detail.
Once I’m in my room, I drop my bag by the door and strip out of my clothes before throwing myself onto my bed. When I close my eyes, the memory of the kiss tonight replays in my mind. My cock grows in my underwear, and I shove my hand inside, giving myself a long, slow stroke. My head falls back, and my lips part as a needy mewl escapes.
I continue to stroke myself and daydream about what might have happened had I been brave enough to invite Chase in.
“You’re so fucking hot,” Chase tells me, pushing me onto the bed, joining me instantly.
We’re both naked. I’m not sure how, but this is a daydream, so who cares about semantics?
“I want to taste you,” Chase tells me, lowering himself down my body and leaving a trail of kisses, licks, and nibbles as he goes.
A gasp is pulled from my lips when he finally gets to my needy cock.
Chase’s tongue is warm and wet as he licks me from root to tip. My toes curl, and my fingers grasp at the sheets.
“Don’t be afraid to touch me, baby,” he tells me with intense eyes and a sexy smirk before he engulfs me in his hot mouth.
My head falls back, and I lift my hand to thread my fingers through his hair as I cry out with pleasure. My breathing is shallow, and my heart is beating so fast I’m almost afraid I am going to pass out.
Like everything Chase does, he’s confident and sure as he sucks me into his mouth and swallows me down. The constriction of his throat has me bucking into him, needing more and less at the same time.
“Fuck,” I shout when he begins to bob up and down.
He’s sloppy about the blow job but in the most delicious way possible. Spit mixed with precum drools out of the corners of his mouth, trailing down my dick toward my balls.
I stroke my cock faster, lost in the daydream, wishing it was reality.
“You taste so fucking good,” Chase tells me, coming up for air. “Think you can fill my mouth with your delicious load?”
I nod, my mind going blank. I’m unable to come up with words, which might be a first for me.
With that, Chase dives back in, blowing me with precise movements. There’s no doubt about it. He knows what he is doing, and it won’t take long before I come.
A layer of sweat covers my body, and a tingle forms at the base of my spine as my orgasm draws near. Chase slides his hand between his legs, jerking himself off at the same pace that he’s bobbing up and down on me. I can’t take my eyes off him. It’s so fucking hot.
When his eyes meet mine again, it’s like he’s smirking at me and gives a slight nod as if pleading for me to come, and do I ever.
