20
Coach James
For some reason, Steve hadn’t shown up for practice today and he’d completely ignored James’s messages. Well, he said for no reason, but he was pretty sure he knew what the reason still. And still, that kind of behavior was unacceptable.
James checked his watch again, as if he had misread it the previous ten times, as he paced back and forth in the gym. Steve knew better than to be late.
If he was ticked at him, that was fine, but they’d made a deal and a deal was a deal.
Someone was laughing outside the gym and one of the voices sounded familiar. That had better not be him, James thought as he picked up the pace and walked in that direction. If he was wasting his time by loitering outside when he should have been practicing, then he would regret it.
He pushed the door open and let it slam against the back wall, which startled the young men outside.
It was Steve all right, goofing off with two of his friends. Seeing Steve sent a wave of conflicting emotions through James. He tried to control his temper. Steve could have his friends, they were straight anyway, but what he couldn’t do was blow James off. That was where he drew the line.
The scent of beer wafted in the air, and the way they gawked indicated that they had all been drinking. That was completely unacceptable.
Steve took one look at James and then turned the other way, continuing to joke with his friends. Okay, now he was just pushing James’s buttons. This needed to be dealt with. He just had to remind himself to discipline him as a student, not a lover.
The coach’s jaw clenched. “Yo,” James said sharply, his eyes narrowing on him.
Steve didn’t even look at James when he responded. “What’s up, Coach?” Chuckling with his friends, he kept his back on James the whole time.
It took a lot of restraint from James not to grab him right then and there. Again, he had to remind himself that he was a teacher.
Instead, he stepped closer. “It’s 4:17.” He held his arm up so Steve could see his watch.
Steve shrugged. “So?”
That was it. James snapped, pointing at the exit. “You two, out before the dean finds out about you drinking on campus.” His voice was a little higher than it ought to have been, but he didn’t care. He would not tolerate this.
The two guys, not being needed to be told twice, took off running down the hall, their smiles erased.
“I’ll see you guys later tonight,” Steve called, still smiling like it was all some big joke. He was shaky on his feet and leaned against the wall for support.
James whispered hard in his ear. “What the hell?”
Steve could barely stand he was so drunk. “Lay off me, man. Just wanted to hang out with my friends.” He slurred his words and his breath reeked.
James put his hands on his hips as he tried to control his rage. “We had a deal.”
“I’m here, ain’t I?” said Steve as if it were no big deal. Any effect it might have had was ruined by the fact that he could barely look at the older man.
James sighed. He shouldn’t have been so angry. He knew what this was all about, after all, and in a way, he was to blame. “Look, about what we talked about in the locker room…”
Steve cut him off. “What’s there to talk about? You want me to quit the team, but you don’t get it. I can’t quit. I need this for…”
As if he had finished what he was saying, he turned away and stumbled toward the gym. James followed him. “Need it for what? Listen, we can talk about that. I didn’t mean to make it sound like you and I are only…hell, you mean a lot more to me than just messing around. I wanted to know if…”
Steve glared at him. “If what?”
He’d thought a lot about this, and though he tried to tell himself that Steve was only a guy he messed around with, he wasn’t. He was so much more. But at the same time, he still didn’t know what Steve wanted from him. That was the hardest part. Despite all his machoness, James was still scared of being rejected. He didn’t think he could handle it if Steve said no.
And yet, there was no way he could say no…was there? He felt a kinship to him, a connection he hadn’t felt before. Surely Steve felt that too?
James cleared his throat. He hadn’t had this kind of conversation with many men before. Most of them came in and out of his life like a revolving door.
“If you want to hang out more often, really get to know each other,” he said simply, not yet ready to open up entirely.
Steve stared at the floor. “Don’t you have other dudes you can…?”
James reached out, lifting his chin so their eyes would meet. “I’m talking about just you and me. I like hanging out with you.”
Steve couldn’t fight the smile that came. “You do?”
Seeing that smile made James’s heart skip a beat. “Don’t you?” asked the coach, smiling back.
Steve didn’t answer at first, letting the question hang between them. It made James feel a little insecure as his mind raced with possible answers as to what Steve was thinking.
It wasn’t like him to wear his heart on his sleeve. The fact that he had taken that risk in the first place should have shown Steve just how much he meant to him.
Chuckling, Steve said, “Sometimes.”
James sighed a huge breath of relief. He then slid his hand behind Steve’s ass and pinched the inside of his cheek. “Sometimes, my ass. You know, one day I’m going to…”
“Going to what?” Steve asked, biting his lip.
James’s eyes danced, looking at the young man. What was it about Steve that drew him in time and time again? Even though James was the dominant, he felt like in some way Steve dominated him. “I’d give anything to kiss you right now,” James said.
Steve gave him a half smile. “Then why don’t you?” There was an edge to his voice that tempted James beyond comprehension.
Not being able to resist, James pushed him into a shadowed corner under the bleachers where no one could see them. He then took his face in his palms, holding his gaze for a fraction of a second before kissing him deeply and passionately. He didn’t care about the taste of alcohol on Steve’s breath. In fact, that made it all the hotter.
And Steve kissed him back. There was such a hunger and passion there that it was overwhelming. James felt that if someone burst in on them right now, even that wouldn’t be able to pull them apart. It was as if he had missed James as much as James had missed him.
Finally, their lips parted and their eyes opened. James licked his bottom lip as if to taste every last drop of Steve.
“Damn, boy,” said James as he rubbed his thumb across the young man’s full lips.
“My thoughts exactly,” Steve said, smiling back.
James’s hand traced Steve’s arm up and down. “What do you say after we get this gym straightened out, I cook you something at home?”
“I’d like that,” Steve said, kissing him again.