Chapter Eleven

Standing beside the bus with a clipboard, Brandon tried to give out assignments to the players, two to a room, usually by grade level. He and Jonathan had spent the better part of the evening a few days ago thrashing out who could safely bunk with who. The guys stacked the gear and bags all around, blocking a big chunk of asphalt in the corner lot of the Holiday Inn Holidome in Tampa Bay, and the assistant coach sighed as he tried to get their attention again, finally losing his temper.

“Shut your traps and line up or you’re all sleeping on the damn bus!” he barked over all their chatter, drawing huge eyes and silence. Coach Bartlett never yelled.

Jake raised his head and peered down from the window of the charter bus at Brandon, just as surprised as the kids seemed to be. He watched the boys all calm down and gather their things, and the other coaches began handing out room keys and checking off names.

The players didn’t even peep as a disgruntled Coach Bartlett read off names and room assignments, and soon they scattered, heading into the hotel, glad to be free of constant supervision for awhile—not that Coach Campbell hadn’t put the fear of God into them about leaving the premises without permission.

Sighing, Brandon muttered a ‘yeah’ to one of the college guys’ question if he was okay. He wasn’t okay. He was fucking exhausted. He’d slept all the way down here and felt worse. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this cranky. Jonathan whistled in wonder and gave Brandon a wide berth as he climbed back into the bus.

“Hey Coach,” Jonathan said quietly, approaching Jake. “What’s with Bartlett? He’s a bear today.”

Jake shrugged and glanced back out the window. “No idea,” he murmured.

“Well, I hope he works it out before this evening. I don’t want to be in a room with him all night if he’s in a snit,” Jonathan said, picking up his duffle.

“I thought we each had our own rooms?” Jake asked as he straightened from repacking the bag he’d just been rifling through.

“Well, we did, until we got here and checked in. The hotel sold out too many rooms, so we had to double bunk. I put Troy in with you,” Jonathan said and then he squinted. “Maybe that’s why he’s so pissed. He might have been looking forward to some peace and quiet on his own.” He didn’t sound offended, just thoughtful.

Jake swallowed, mind whirring as he tried to think of a way to fix this without being too suspicious. Finally he smirked and stuffed the last shirt into the bag. “I’ll trade you Troy for Brandon,” he offered playfully as he zipped up the bag. “Bastard snores like a freight train.”

“How do you know ... oh, yeah, from when he crashes at your place after away games. Well, hell, I won’t turn down that offer. Troy’s cuter anyway. Snoring doesn’t bother me,” Jonathan said with a laugh. “Here,” he said, holding out a key, “trade me.”

Jake reached out and took the key, smirking still. “You base your roommate choices on looks?” he teased.

“Nah, just my chances of getting laid,” Jonathan shot back with a wide wink as he walked backward down the aisle. “And I was thinking my chances with Brandon were below nil, so even Troy’s gotta be better.” He laughed at his own joke as he exited the bus.

Jake raised his eyebrow and smiled, glancing back out the window at Brandon with a frown. He should know, after a month of being the man’s lover, what was wrong with him tonight. But he was ashamed to admit that he had no clue. His chances of getting laid were probably pretty low as well.

Brandon knew he was being an asshole, but he was worn out, stressed, annoyed ... You name it, he felt it. He’d been looking forward to having his own room so Jake could be with him—or he with Jake—but then the room shakeup blew that all to hell.

The last week before spring break had disintegrated into utter hell: Two weeks of state testing, finishing up grading on annual tests, grades, A.P. exam prep, and baseball games on four out of seven nights. Brandon hadn’t slept more than three hours a night, even at Jake’s house. He was at the end of his rope, and he’d really been hoping this trip would make a difference.

He jerked his bag up onto his shoulder and slammed the storage compartment doors shut. Wasn’t looking good.

Jake stepped out of the bus stairwell and glanced around to make sure the others were gone before he sauntered over to Brandon’s side and gave him a shit-eating grin. “Cranky,” he observed mildly.

Brandon gave him a very clear look that said ‘don’t push me.’ “You have no idea,” he muttered, feeling much worse about the room assignments now that his lover stood right next to him. Surely they could find some time somewhere, somehow. Or else Brandon was going to go absolutely fucking insane.

Jake waved his traded key and smiled even under the withering glare Brandon had given him. “I forgot to ask Jonathan which room it was.”

“What room?” Brandon asked tiredly, patting his pockets, looking for the key card he’d stashed somewhere.

“Our room,” Jake answered, watching Brandon closely.

Brandon looked at him blankly for a long moment. “Our room?” he whispered, something like hope flashing in his eyes.

“Jonathan begged me to take you because he didn’t want to be eaten in his sleep,” Jake informed Brandon primly, barely hiding the smile.

It was all Brandon could do not to drop all his bags and throw himself at Jake, and it was clear on his face. “Oh God, thank you ,” he whispered fervently.

Jake grinned and chuckled. “Maybe when we get in there you can tell me what’s wrong?” he ventured as he turned and began to head for the hotel entrance.

Brandon sighed, shoulders sagging. “Yeah. Nothing major,” he murmured. “Just letting it get to me.” He led the way through the automatic doors, making for the entrance to the Holidome. The Parkview team had all the rooms on the left side of the pool, with the coaches’ rooms dotted through the row. Glancing at his key card, Brandon made a face. It looked like they were all the way at the end.

Jake glanced around the hotel and grinned. “Hey, pool bar!” he cried happily, veering off like a little kid with a short attention span.

Glancing after him, Brandon rolled his eyes before following. Jake was already getting a beer when he got to the bar, and Brandon let his bags thump to the outdoor-carpeted floor. He scooted himself up onto a stool next to the other coach with a sigh. When the bartender looked to him, he requested, “Vodka twist. A double.”

“Uh oh,” Jake murmured as the man popped the top off his beer and slid it over the bar to him. “It’s a drinking problem?” he asked, semi-worried.

Brandon rubbed at his eyes, thanking the bartender and taking a big swallow of the vodka, wincing before giving himself a shake and making a face. “I’m a mess,” he muttered.

“Why?” Jake asked with a small frown.

And the rest of the double shot went down. “You remember how we talked about burnout at the beginning of the season?” Brandon asked miserably. He gestured for another.

“Yeah,” Jake answered tentatively as he watched the glass drain. He’d offered to help several times, and Brandon had happily accepted, but he knew his various skills at grading and whatnot weren’t nearly on par for the science teacher’s high standards.

“I hit the wall this week. Hard.” Brandon picked up the second glass and took another swallow. Jake merely nodded, wondering if he’d have to carry Brandon to the room. He’d never seen him drink more than a few beers.

Sighing, Brandon pressed the back of his hand holding the shot glass to his forehead. “I even had help. I still hit the wall,” he mumbled. “Tom let me out of tutoring this week. Still didn’t help. And here we make this trip, and I feel like utter shit.”

Jake pursed his lips and looked off into the two-story lobby of the hotel, complete with indoor pool, hot tub, restaurant, and bar. “You could catch a flight home,” he suggested with a careful shrug.

Brandon looked over at him, wishing he could say what he wanted out loud. He’d been wanting to say something for over a month now. He and Jake had been together about seven weeks, and to him, it had just gotten better and better. Except for working so much he didn’t have time to sleep, much less get in anything else but a quickie with his boyfriend. Brandon winced. “Don’t want to,” he said.

“You could miss the game in the morning,” Jake suggested. “Could say you’re sick and just stay in and sleep. We’ve got plenty of extra coaches without the freshman team here.”

Looking a little petulant, Brandon visibly suppressed the urge to pout. He didn’t want to sleep unless he was with Jake. He’d found the last couple of weeks that he didn’t really want to do much of anything without Jake. He threw back the rest of his drink and tossed a twenty on the bar. “How about we take a load off in the room? My ass is killing me from that damn bus.”

“All righty,” Jake agreed, taking his beer bottle with him. He had never even unshouldered his bag.

Brandon groaned and leaned over to drag his bag and backpack off the floor and start trudging down the walkway past the pool, reading off numbers under his breath. They got to the very end of the row, and no room. He frowned and looked down a little hall, and there off by itself was another room, a handicap-accessible one—right next to the vending machines. He checked the number. Yep. He keyed open the door and walked in.

“Snazzy,” Jake muttered as he followed his cranky lover into the room.

Letting his bags drop to the floor, Brandon turned and watched Jake close the door and step into the wide open room. Then he walked right over to him and wrapped one arm around Jake’s neck, the other around his waist. He buried his face in Jake’s shoulder and clung. Jake pulled him close and nuzzled against his temple as he hummed soothingly. He’d had these days before. He knew that sometimes you just needed to be cuddled and cooed to.

Brandon clutched him closer, letting himself ever so slowly relax, safe in Jake’s arms. The soft sounds and touches helped, and after a couple of long minutes he asked in a small voice, “Would you hold me while I nap? Just for a little while?”

“Yeah,” Jake murmured in answer, turning his head to kiss Brandon’s cheek. “I’ve got to make the rounds first, though, okay?”

Nodding, Brandon squeezed him tight before letting go. He pulled his sweatshirt over his head, revealing the T-shirt Jake had given him forever ago. “I’m gonna unpack,” he said.

Jake reached out and grabbed his shirt, tugging him closer to kiss him slowly. “Why don’t you just crawl into bed?” he suggested in a low voice.

Sighing when Jake’s lips pulled away, Brandon blinked at him sleepily. “Want to wait for you,” he admitted.

Jake cocked his head in surprise and smiled slightly. “I’ll be fast, then,” he promised as he stepped away and turned to the door.

Brandon wrapped his arms around himself and watched Jake go. He was just wasted enough to think about going with him. Instead he grabbed his bag and tossed it on the dresser, then hefted up his backpack. He seriously thought about chucking it out the window. It would have been more impressive if the room wasn’t on the first floor. But he stood there staring at the window anyway.

Jake made the rounds, going first to Troy and Jonathan’s room to get the master list and then going to each room to check the kids. He took their IDs, including the fake ones, and the kids all handed them over readily because they knew Jake would give them back when they got home without a word about them. He gave each group the same warning he always did about being caught out of the rooms: buying a bus ticket home and turning in their uniforms were the least of their problems if they wandered.

It took nearly an hour, but Jake was certain that no one would be out of line tonight when he returned to the room he and Brandon shared.

Brandon managed to make it twenty minutes before sitting on the edge of the bed, another ten before he leaned back against the headboard. Five minutes after that he’d collapsed over to hug a pillow to him as he fell into a troubled doze. It was hard to sleep without Jake now. It felt wrong.

Jake entered the room quietly and stepped up to the end of the bed in his sock feet. With a small smile he began taking off most of his clothing. He didn’t dare strip when it was possible that someone might knock on their door at any moment, but he got down to his boxers and crawled into bed behind Brandon. He curled around him and kissed the back of his neck softly.

Just the warmth of Jake close was enough for Brandon to start relaxing, and he sighed his lover’s name, already mostly asleep. The furrows carved on his face smoothed as he turned up his chin to press his cheek to Jake’s lips.

“Hey baby,” Jake murmured in Brandon’s ear, pulling him closer.

“Mmm?” Brandon shifted to his back, turning toward Jake instinctively.

Jake pulled him closer and kissed him. “You drunk?” he asked in amusement.

Brandon’s lips turned up slightly. “God, I wish,” he mumbled. “’Cept then I wouldn’t be able to appreciate this.” He kept turning until his chest pressed against Jake’s, sliding his face into the curve of Jake’s neck, pressing his lips to soft skin.

“One day I’m gonna get you drunk,” Jake promised with a smirk, “and grope you.”

Brandon groaned. “You don’t want to do that. Really. I’m a silly-ass drunk.”

“And that’s different than normal how?” Jake chuckled, cuddling Brandon closer to him.

A happy smile spread on Brandon’s face. “Missed this,” he murmured, opening his hands to splay his fingers over Jake’s chest.

“It’s been right here,” Jake whispered as he ducked his head and kissed Brandon gently.

Brandon winced and sighed in apology. “Not been fair to you,” he murmured, soaking up being so close.

“Don’t worry about it, baby,” Jake murmured with another kiss. “It’s enough to do this every night.”

Brandon pressed his face closer, deliberately inhaling Jake’s scent with a low, slow breath. He was so sleepy, but he didn’t want to give up enjoying this time close to Jake. “I gotta cut back,” he murmured to himself. “This is more important.”

Jake turned his head and brushed his chin against Brandon’s hair, frowning at the words. Cut back? “Cut back on what?” he prodded.

“Mmm. Work. Running myself ragged,” Brandon answered drowsily. “Rather be with you.”

“Are you saying you want to quit coaching?” Jake asked evenly, though he wasn’t sure why the thought upset him so much.

Brandon stiffened. “No,” he said, waking up a little. “I was thinking more along the lines of shelving the doctorate and quitting the tutoring.” He fell quiet for a few moments. “Do you think I should quit coaching?”

Jake hesitated, frowning thoughtfully. “Which do you enjoy more?” he finally asked in response.

Rousing himself to give it some serious thought, Brandon tried to separate the fact that coaching meant more time with Jake. He’d been doing the tutoring for five years now, and while he did enjoy it, it wasn’t at all challenging. The doctorate just didn’t seem to be coming together. And with the baseball team, for the first time, he was accepted. Included. Welcomed. He sighed. “The coaching,” he murmured.

“Then that’s what I think you should do,” Jake answered, his voice betraying that he hadn’t expected that answer.

Brandon shifted back so he could look at Jake. “You sound surprised,” he said. Honestly, he was, too. But then a lot of things in his life had changed the past couple of months.

Jake shrugged a little guiltily and smiled. “A lot of things about you have surprised me,” he admitted as he rested his head back down on the pillow.

“Like what?” Brandon asked, smile pulling into a grin.

Jake just shrugged again, blushing slightly and pulling Brandon closer to hide his face against his neck. Brandon laughed and poked Jake’s ribs. “C’mon now,” he wheedled. Jake swatted at him and rolled until he was on top, burrowing his face into Brandon’s neck and growling playfully.

“Man, pulling information out of you is like pulling teeth,” Brandon said, still laughing. “Fine. I’ll just go with my current assumption that you’re rather fond of me,” he said as he slid his arms around Jake’s neck.

Jake pulled back then and kissed him, smiling as he did so. “I am rather fond of you,” he murmured cheekily between kisses.

“Well, I sure hope so. You up to seeing me more in the mornings and evenings? Wouldn’t want to wear out my welcome. I’ve been spending a lot of time at your house already,” Brandon’s voice teased, and for the most part he felt that way. But buried underneath it was uncertainty.

“It’s easier, right?” Jake asked with a frown as he propped himself up on Brandon’s chest and looked down at him. “Staying with me?”

Brandon looked up at him evenly, the teasing gone. “I don’t stay with you because it’s easy.”

Jake returned the serious look for a long moment before breaking into a teasing grin. “You stay with me ‘cause it’s hard?” he asked innocently.

Lips clamping on a smile, Brandon thumped Jake’s chest with the back of one hand, shaking his head. “Yeah,” he said wryly. “That’s it exactly.” He was slowly figuring out that he wasn’t going to get words from Jake. But the actions were pretty damn incredible, and he told himself to be content with that.

“Is it?” Jake asked in a more serious voice as he leaned back down to brush his lips over Brandon’s again. “Exactly?”

Sliding his hand into Jake’s hair, Brandon contradicted himself. “Not exactly,” he whispered against his mouth.

Jake grunted and kissed him again. “Tell me,” he urged, the words gusting over Brandon’s lips.

Brandon shivered and closed his eyes. “Tell you what?” he asked. “Why I stay?” His fingers clenched into Jake’s skin, holding on tight. He was afraid he’d ruin it. Jake merely nodded, his nose brushing against Brandon’s cheek.

Jesus . Brandon was so tempted to keep turning it around, each of them asking question after question as they banged the issue around like a crazed ping-pong ball, but he didn’t think he could take it. Brandon was already so tired and out of emotional fortitude that he’d let the conversation stray to this. His heart pounded. “Because I want to. I want you. And I hope—” his voice faltered, and he had to swallow before he could continue, “hope someday you might want more.”

Jake closed his eyes and smiled against Brandon’s lips. “I do,” he responded simply.

Three heartbeats. “ Christ ,” Brandon choked out. “Why the hell did you make me go through that?” he asked, if possible clutching Jake closer.

“Go through what?” Jake asked, innocent and wide-eyed as he raised his head again.

Growling, Brandon shifted his hands and went for Jake’s ribs and ticklish spots. “Bastard,” he swore.

Jake squawked and flopped to his side, curling up like a cat to protect his belly. “What’d I do?” he cried as he fended off the jabbing fingers. Brandon kept at him, sliding one hand down to catch the sensitive skin behind one of his knees, muttering all the while as he tried to get Jake on his back. Jake flopped again and wrapped his arms around Brandon to hold him closer, close enough that he couldn’t reach him anywhere. “Bad!” he scolded.

“Bad? Me? Bad?” Brandon huffed. “Son of a bitch, making me think I’m going to scare you off. Always teasing and making light of things.”

“But . . .”

“No buts!” Brandon insisted as he took Jake by surprise, rolling them and straddling his hips. He grabbed at Jake’s wrists. “You tell me now, Jake. If only this once.”

“Tell you what?” Jake asked teasingly as he stretched out under Brandon and smiled. The smile faded and his eyes darkened as he looked up at his lover. “That I think I’m in love with you?” he asked seriously.

Brandon stared down at Jake with wide eyes, totally speechless. Then he shook himself. “Not—Not unless you mean it,” he stuttered. He saw Jake’s eyes change, change like they did when they were in the midst of driving each other crazy, and his breath caught.

Jake was silent, looking up at Brandon in the light of the single lamp. “I’m pretty sure I love you,” he stated calmly.

Brandon thought his heart would give out before Jake said something else. And his comment was just as earthshaking as the one before it. Brandon slowly let go of Jake’s wrists, lowering his hands to the other man’s chest as he peered at him in wonder. Jake gave him a crooked, slightly self-conscious smile and shrugged.

Brandon studied him, drawing on the cues he’d memorized in Jake’s behavior. “You’re not teasing,” he murmured, a statement rather than a question.

“No,” Jake answered with a shake of his head. He was beginning to wonder if he’d been a little too hasty. He’d thought he’d read Brandon right, he usually did, and he’d thought he’d get a similar admission in return. Now he was getting a little nervous. And blushing harder.

Jake’s reddening cheeks made Brandon smile, and he slowly bent over until their chests touched and their mouths rubbed together. His eyes closed, eyelashes brushing over Jake’s cheekbones. Jake licked his lips and closed his eyes, raising his chin and humming. Brandon’s tongue followed after his lover’s, lightly skimming into a kiss, slow and easy. And when the kiss ended, he sighed, cheek to cheek with Jake. “Love you, too,” he breathed.

Jake didn’t move or speak. He simply kept his eyes closed and tried to remember to breathe. He’d never told anyone he loved them. And he’d never been happy to hear it before this moment. A shiver ran through him, and he turned his head against Brandon’s, sliding his hands around the other man’s back.

Brandon had nothing else to say. Nothing could top that one, he thought, feeling dizzy and warm all over. Jake said it first. Amazing . He drew in an easy breath, the vise around his chest giving way, and slowly levered himself up to look at his lover. Love, now. Not just lover.

Jake finally opened his eyes and looked up to meet Brandon’s. “You still tired?” he asked after a moment of composing himself.

“I feel remarkably energized, actually,” Brandon said, eyebrow quirking. “I’m sure I’ll crash hard later, though.”

Jake smiled briefly and then bit his lower lip, a frown creasing his forehead. He couldn’t think of a thing to say. His heart was still racing.

Brandon’s brow furrowed, and he reached to slide the pad of his thumb over the abused lip. “What’s this for?” he asked in a soft voice.

Jake’s eyes closed at the gentle touch, and he smiled again. “We’ve made me speechless,” he answered with a little laugh.

Grinning, Brandon lightly nudged the tip of Jake’s nose with a knuckle. “No witty comeback?”

Jake huffed and shook his head. “Kiss me,” he requested softly. More than happy to obey, Brandon didn’t hesitate, dipping his head to capture Jake’s lips in a slow, open-mouth kiss that lasted for some time before he finally pulled away. Jake reached up as soon as Brandon moved and tugged him back down, moaning into the second kiss and tangling his fingers in Brandon’s hair.

Heat tearing through Brandon’s gut, he pressed his body closer to Jake’s, starting to rock his hips slowly, a groan escaping from deep in his throat. Every touch and every sound took on a whole layer of meaning, and Brandon’s hand shook as he cupped Jake’s face.

Jake groaned and raised his knee to slide his foot over Brandon’s calves, wrapping his legs around him as he did so. He jumped violently when a knock sounded on the door.

When Jake sat up suddenly, Brandon flailed and grabbed at his lover’s shoulders to keep from flying backward. But his pulse spiked, and he closed his eyes, gasping for breath. “Fuck,” he hissed, his denim-covered groin rubbing against Jake’s boxers-covered one.

“Yeah?” Jake called out in answer to the knock, his voice only a little hoarse.

“Got some surprise visitors for you, Coach.” Troy’s voice came through the door.

Brandon lowered his forehead to Jake’s shoulder for a few seconds before pushing himself back to crawl off Jake’s lap.

Jake flopped back down and sighed as he willed his body to calm. After a moment he rolled off the bed and slid back into the track pants and T-shirt he’d shed earlier and then shuffled to the door to open it.

Brandon sat at the table, sliding on his glasses and shoving around a stack of papers. When the door clicked open, he glanced up to see Troy standing there with his head bowed, looking up at Jake guiltily. Beside him stood Misty and four of her cheerleaders, smiling pleasantly. Brandon’s stomach turned.

“Uhh,” Jake managed to comment.

“They’ve traveled all this way to support the team,” Troy supplied in a tight voice. “But they didn’t think to call ahead for rooms,” he added. “We’re going to have to double-bunk some of the boys.”

Jake nodded in a daze and half-turned back into the room. Then he stopped and turned back uncertainly. If he went to get the clipboard, Misty would surely shoulder her way in. “We’ll clear up two rooms for them tonight,” he finally answered, annoyance over this development barely concealed. “The rest of the week you’re on your own,” he told Misty coldly.

Brandon watched Misty’s face twist and he felt dread building. Misty was quick to confirm his fear. “You should help us out, Jake. We came all this way. Why, you’ve got two beds in this room; surely the four coaches could bunk together as well as the students,” she said, her voice sickeningly sweet.

“Sure we could, if we had known you were coming,” Jake answered coldly. “In fact, Troy, clear out one of the rooms for them. We’ll call for a rollaway to be brought up,” he added as he turned to go fetch the clipboard.

Eyes widening, Brandon flinched as Misty shrieked about calling Tom, and she just kept on yelling. Troy and the girls shrank back into the hallway, obviously embarrassed. Seeing Jake’s shoulders tighten dangerously, Brandon scrambled a little to get up and walk up behind him—ostensibly to look at the clipboard—but he also placed his hand on Jake’s shoulder, a touch that wouldn’t be questioned between friends. But it was one he hoped would help keep Jake from going totally postal on the screeching harpy.

Misty indeed pushed her way into the room and despite the calming attempt by Brandon, Jake’s temper flared. He shoved the clipboard into Brandon’s hands and ushered him out of the room, slamming the door on all of them before rounding on Misty. The shouting could be heard but not understood in the hallway, and soon Troy shooed the four girls away and told them to go wait in the lobby.

He then turned to Brandon and asked, “Do you have your key?”

Brandon tore his eyes away from the door to look at Troy, patted his pockets, and shook his head. “Probably on the table,” he said, looking back at the door in ill-concealed concern. Not for Misty.

Troy stepped forward and banged on the door. “Jake! We need you to help with the boys!” he called, knowing that would be the only thing to cut though the rage Jake was channeling. A moment and a few quiet snarls later, the door opened, and Jake stepped out into the hall and stalked down the little corridor without a word to them.

Brandon’s eyes tracked Jake as he walked by and he hurt just looking at how upset and tense he was. And not ten minutes ago... He sighed and walked back into the room after Misty dashed by, red-faced. He snatched up his room key and walked back out to join Troy, pulling the door shut behind him. “C’mon,” he murmured as the other man fell in beside him. “We better follow him.”

They caught up to Jake at the first door on the list. He was stood there fuming, waiting for the boys to answer his knock.

As Brandon walked up to Jake’s side, Troy stayed well back, familiar with Jake’s temper. “She’s gone,” Brandon murmured evenly. “Will you let me deal with this?”

“I’m fine,” Jake answered through clenched teeth.

Brandon stepped back, slid a hand into his pocket, and forced a half smile, deciding on a calculated risk. “If you say so, Coach,” he said, injecting a note into his voice that clearly said he was humoring the bigger man. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Troy take another step back.

Jake turned slowly to stare at Brandon for a moment. Hoping his face looked as innocent as possible, Brandon just raised one brow and waited. Jake turned back to the door, jaw tight and eyes flashing as one of the tired kids opened it. Jake stared at him for a moment, trying to regain his temper.

The player’s eyes got big as he saw the look on the Coach’s face, and he looked to the other coaches, wondering what was wrong. “Yeah, Coach?” he asked in a small voice.

“We need to do some shuffling, guys,” Jake finally forced himself to say. “Gather up your things. Just for tonight.”

The kid nodded immediately and headed back into the room, leaving the door halfway open. While Jake spoke, Brandon backed up to stand next to Troy, who nudged his arm.

“What the hell, Bartlett? You trying to be six inches shorter? Cause that’s what you’ll be when he takes your damn head off,” Troy muttered.

Brandon’s face got pinched and he turned a glare on Troy. “You were doing so well helping, I saw,” he muttered.

“I learned some time back not to help . He must like you,” Troy said under his breath. “Otherwise you’d be out cold on the floor.”

Brandon’s eyes shifted back to Jake, who was now talking quietly with the two players who had packed up fast and vacated the room.

As the kids dragged their things down the hall to the next room, Jake turned and looked at his other coaches, meeting Brandon’s eyes for a long, tense moment before turning and following to knock on the next door. Brandon couldn’t decide if he’d done the right thing or not. He’d just reacted, really. So he stood there with Troy and kept his mouth shut as Jake cleared up the situation with the rooms.

When he had the boys double-bunked and had taken their keys from them, Jake continued down the hallway to the lobby, fuming still and unable to look back at the other two men for fear of growling at them. He found the girls, who were now hunched together and chattering nervously, and he walked up to them and handed two of them keys and told them the room number. “Where’s your coach?” he asked flatly, and the girls all just pointed toward the bar area and skittered away to their rooms.

Troy took that opportunity to mutter a ‘good luck, road kill’ and take off. Brandon spared a very violent thought for him before glancing back at Jake, who was staring at the bar, anger still clear on his face. Brandon decided he wasn’t helping—probably hadn’t since he first left Jake alone with Misty—and started walking back toward their room without a word. His burst of energy was gone and then some. If he was going to get howled at, he’d rather it be after he’d gotten some sleep. A moment later and Jake materialized at his side, walking down the hall silently without ever having approached the cheerleading coach at the bar. Brandon wasn’t tempted to say anything, even when Jake pulled out his key card, opened the door, and gestured for Brandon to walk inside.

Jake followed and stood at the door, staring into the dark room morosely. “Bitch,” he finally grunted before beginning to take off his shirt.

Brandon pulled off his glasses and tossed them haphazardly on the table, where they slid across the messy papers. He pulled off his own shirt and worked on unfastening his jeans. Once Jake spoke the tension he’d felt had melted, and now it was all he could do to remain upright.

“She’s going to follow me around for the rest of my fucking life,” Jake muttered as if he was just now realizing this. Brandon couldn’t help but snort as he shoved his jeans over his hips and kicked them off. “It’s not funny,” Jake insisted seriously. “What are we gonna do if she ever shows up on my doorstep?” he asked.

Brandon’s head snapped around to look at Jake in disbelief. Holy shit . “Uh.” All he could think of was that if she touched Jake again, he might slap the hell out of her. But that probably wouldn’t go over real well.

Jake licked his lips and stared back at Brandon. “What if she finally gets the hint and turns her energy toward revenge?” he posed quietly, his body going cold at the thought.

“What if? Jake, we can go on about what ifs until we’re both blue in the face,” Brandon said, upset and resigned in equal measures. “Can you tell me it’s going to make a difference? Because if it does, I’d rather know now.” There was no strength behind his question, because for him, it didn’t matter. Despite how much he bottled it up, he loved Jake desperately. He wasn’t sure how he’d react if something happened to tear them apart so fast.

“A difference?” Jake asked in confusion.

Brandon sat down hard on the edge of the bed. He rubbed both hands over his face. “If Misty figured us out and did something about it, is that going to change what’s between us for you?”

“No,” Jake answered in surprise. “No,” he repeated as he walked closer, sitting on the end of the bed beside Brandon. “I just ... She scares me.”

“I understand,” Brandon said softly, head in his hands with his eyes closed. “If it happens, we’ll deal with it. Somehow.”

“ We will?” Jake asked, looking over at Brandon sideways and smiling a little.

Brandon looked up and blinked at him. “Yeah?” he drew out, wondering why Jake would question that. “You think I’m going leave you alone if she tries to get her claws into you?”

“You’d better not,” Jake growled.

“Not gonna happen,” Brandon said as he looked up, face softened. Jake leaned over and kissed him on impulse, turning and crawling onto him to pin him against the mattress and kiss him some more. Brandon wrapped his arms around Jake’s neck and held on tight. “Please tell me you locked the door,” he murmured.

“Hotel door,” Jake growled, “It locks on its own.”

“Right,” Brandon moaned. “Get on with it then. We don’t have to be anywhere until after lunch tomorrow, and I intend to sleep late in your arms.”

“Get on with it?” Jake asked in a mockingly offended voice. “ Get on with it ?” he teased as he gathered Brandon up and pushed him across the bed slightly and kissed him again.

Brandon snickered against Jake’s lips, sliding his legs apart and then hooking his feet over Jake’s calves. “Mm-hmm. Don’t you want me to soothe the savage beast?” he teased between kisses.

Jake actually ruined the kiss by snorting. “Oh Christ, now I can’t do it,” he groaned as he pushed himself up onto all fours.

Chuckling, Brandon just looked up at him. “I could have called you Thunder—” Jake cut the word off with another growling kiss. Brandon grinned somehow under the pressure of Jake’s lips and pulled his body back down, lifting his legs to curl them over Jake’s hips.

“Get on with it, he says,” Jake muttered against Brandon’s lips as his hands began to pull at Brandon’s briefs.

“Uh huh,” Brandon breathed, dropping his legs to help and pushing at Jake’s shorts and boxers.

Jake huffed and yanked at Brandon’s briefs roughly enough to rip the seam and kissed him harder, trying to instill a little more excitement in him than ‘get on with it.’

Brandon’s muffled laughter turned to a deeper moan, and his hands tightened on Jake as his cock twitched and his gut clenched. Pulling back from the kiss to gulp for air, he choked on a whimper. “Want you,” he said, helplessly arching up against Jake’s body. “Need you.”

“That’s more like it,” Jake rumbled as he moved back just far enough to remove Brandon’s briefs. “Tell me you packed optimistically,” he murmured.

“I packed optimistically,” Brandon said, already breathless, pushing himself up onto his elbows. “I figured I’d have to drag you off somewhere out of the hotel to even have a chance at this,” he said, pointing at the duffle bag to the side of the bed.

“Lucky me,” Jake moaned as he kissed him. He pushed up and quickly rifled through the duffel bag until he found the tube, then shed the remainder of his clothing before climbing back on top of Brandon. “Just no screaming,” he growled in a low voice.

“Screaming? Me?” Brandon objected, ruining it by yelping sharply as cool, slick fingers slipped between his legs.

“Hush,” Jake hissed, pressing his lips to Brandon’s to muffle his words. He twisted his fingers evilly and growled.

Brandon drew in a sharp breath through his nose and dug his fingers into Jake’s shoulders hard. “Please,” he said against Jake’s lips. “Please please please please,” he chanted raggedly, tilting his hips up with each push of Jake’s hand.

“Shhh,” Jake soothed as he removed his fingers and guided himself quickly inside with an impatient growl. Brandon whimpered and wrapped his arms and legs around him, and Jake groaned softly, one hand wrapping over Brandon’s head to tangle his fingers in his hair as he quickened his pace.

“Oh yesss,” Brandon hissed, hitching his knees up further and burying his face in Jake’s neck to muffle a long moan. This man was his— his —and Misty would never, ever have him. Possessiveness like he never expected swamped him, and he slid one hand up over the back of Jake’s neck.

Jake pressed his face into Brandon’s throat and moaned his name brokenly, his hips rocking into him, but nothing else moving. Brandon wrapped his hand about Jake’s nape, fingers digging in as he rolled his shoulders forward to press his lips to Jake’s ear and growled.

“Mine.”

“Yes,” Jake gasped almost desperately as he sped up his rhythm, jarring Brandon’s body with his thrusts.

Gasping harshly, Brandon’s head fell back and he bit his bottom lip to hold in the cries he wanted to loose as Jake set him afire. Jake moaned brokenly and pressed his open mouth to Brandon’s neck, tightening his grip as his muscles clenched. He gasped and groaned as his orgasm tore through him. The feel of heat and Jake’s body shuddering made Brandon snap inside, and with a stuttered gasp he came, the pleasure crashing through him in heavy waves.

Jake whimpered as the aftershocks rippled inside him. He pressed his lips to Brandon’s sweaty skin and sucked in air noisily, holding him tight. “Mine,” he murmured, the word barely audible.

If Jake hadn’t been so close, Brandon would have missed it, and the single word thrilled him almost as much as Jake telling him that he loved him. He turned his chin just enough to press his lips to Jake’s throat. “Yours,” he whispered.