6
~Days later~
Steve
As Steve worked at fixing the broken-down room, sanding down the walls, he couldn’t help but think that maybe working in the coach’s home wasn’t the best idea. Sure, he had fantasized about being alone with him. But those were just fantasies. He hadn’t realized just how hard it would actually be, when push came to shove.
And yet at the same time, anywhere was better than being at home. Steve had arranged for his little brother to stay at his best friend’s place for a few days until he could figure things out. He would never have come to the Coach’s house if it had meant leaving his little brother behind. No matter how dreamy he was, that was a deal breaker.
And yet, somehow being around Coach James always made him feel safe. The man had a confident energy that he had never felt before, like as long as he was in his presence, nothing couldn’t hurt him. It was confusing for him, as he’d always thought that that was how fathers were meant to be.
He was lucky to have made it out alive the other day, after what his father had done to him. The thing was, although he’d defended himself the best he could, he also didn’t want to hurt his dad. He wasn’t quite at the point where he could take his father yet, but he knew that he could hold his own. And that was scary enough.
The worst part was that inside all that almost 300 pounds of anger and cruelness was a good man. Before his mom’s death, before alcoholism, his dad was the best man he’d known. And just knowing that meant that Steve didn’t want to hurt him. He just wanted him to return to the way he used to be.
That was ages ago, and as Steve continued to sand down the paint from the old walls, he allowed his thoughts to rest on the one thing that brought him solace. The one ray of light in this otherwise dark world.
Coach James.
Part of Steve believed that maybe his coach was as into him as much as he was into the coach. When he had first met the coach, he would have chalked these fantasies up to pipe dreams and left it at that. But after the other day, well…he was no dummy. The things James had said had definitely had a sexual edge to them. And more than that, it seemed like he had been doing it one purpose, trying to gauge his reaction. Add that to the way he had teased him for spying on him in the shower, and Steve could be forgiven for thinking that Coach James wanted him as much as he wanted Coach James.
Maybe the coach was as straight as Steve’s best friend, or his dad, or any of the other young men on the team? If Steve took a risk and made a move on the older man, he knew that he’d make him regret it. But on the other hand…what if he wasn’t?
They had been working in silence for the better part of an hour, and for every second that passed, Steve could feel the tension building. He wasn’t sure, but he could have sworn he caught the older man looking at him on more than one occasion. Either way, the tension hung in the air like a blanket, threatening to smother him. He had to break it before his thoughts got the better of him.
“Sorry I couldn’t make it for a few days.”
“Not a problem. That flu bug gone?” asked James, his forehead etched with concern. He’d forgotten he’d told him his bullshit excuse already. His thoughts really were all over the place at the moment.
“Uh…yeah,” Steve said. He hated lying about why he’d taken the days off from practice, but he didn’t want anyone to see the bruises. He didn’t want to have to explain where they came from, and he was worried what would happen if someone found out.
The older man looked at Steve as if he didn’t quite believe him, but then turned and went back to sanding the walls.
The dusty particles filled the air, coating their bodies in white. The extra bedroom the coach had them working on was a disaster. With musty-smelling carpet and water-stained ceilings, it was almost as bad as Steve’s trailer. The only difference was that the coach had the necessary funds to actually make a difference to the room. That, combined with the passion he had for the work, meant that the room was slowly but surely transforming into something beautiful.
Steve loved the passion that James seemed to have for everything that he did. It didn’t matter if it was coaching the team, taking out the trash, or retiling the floor; the older man had a work ethic that matched Steve’s zest for life. It was inspiring, to say the least.
And he could tell that James thought the same about him. Most guys his age just put in a half-assed effort with everything, and Steve always felt like an oddball overachiever. He guessed it was to make up for how stupid he was in school.
Steve turned and realized the coach had been staring at him, but rather than retreat when Steve’s eyes met his, the man stood there confidently and shot him a wink.
Steve’s face flushed red. He loved his confidence and his comfort in his own skin. He just wished he had the same. That was something that would have come if he’d had a role model like James, rather than the drunk father he had been saddled with.
Every time Steve was around the coach, his mind automatically went to sex. He couldn’t help it. And that confusing wink only compounded the issue.
Sometimes, Coach James would look at him one way, like no other man had before, and it made him think he might have thought the same way. Steve had close to no experience when it came to gay men, unfortunately, so he really had no way of telling if this was normal or not.
As a result, the other part of Steve, the more rational side, wondered if it was only wishful thinking.
The older man walked toward the window and opened it, letting in the needed breeze. “So, uh, glad you could make it. You like to work; I like that. And…I missed you,” said James.
“Me?” Steve asked with a smile. No other guy had ever told him something like that, and as macho as he was, the idea touched his heart. It was comforting in a very odd way.
James chuckled. “Of course, you. Who else is going to clean up after those animal teammates of yours?” he asked.
Steve laughed and shook his head. “Thanks a lot.”
James stepped closer, leaning against the wall. He waited until Steve’s eyes met his and said, “No, it’s good to see you. I feel comfortable around you.”
Steve couldn’t stop looking at the man’s armpit hairs. The way the dark hair dangled made him wonder if his pubic hairs were the same color. He cleared his throat and asked, “You do? Why?”
The man took a deep breath; the cool breath feathered against Steve’s skin. “‘Cause, I think you and I have a lot in common. If you know what I mean,” said James.
Steve’s heart beat faster. As happy as he was to hear him say the things that he’d felt, he also couldn’t be sure they were on the same page. Maybe the older man was just extending him an olive branch of friendship. As he’s already admitted to himself, he was less than experienced when it came to gay men. For all he knew, this was the complete opposite of his wild fantasies.
As these thoughts battled inside of him, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to go home today without knowing the truth. “So, uh…you live here alone?” Maybe he was prying too much, because for a moment, the man looked a little uncomfortable.
He stepped back and picked up some trash from the floor, balling it up. “Yep, just me, myself, and I,” said Coach James. “You got a girl?”
Steve swallowed hard at the question, not sure how he should respond. If the man was into him, this was the perfect chance. “I…nah, busy with school and shit,” said Steve finally, his voice going up an octave. It was the standard excuse he’d given anyone who’d asked, and figured that for now it would be enough.
“Good to know,” James said with a smirk on his face. “Well, if you ever need someone to hang with or a place to crash…I know you’ve got the team, but—”
“Yes!” said Steve a little too enthusiastically, instantly regretting it as he tried to cover his over-the-top reaction. “I mean, that’d be cool.”
“Any time,” said James with a warm smile. It was the first time in a long time that he had been around someone that put him at such ease. Maybe it was the fact that he was so used to an abusive father…or maybe it was more than that? Maybe it was a sign?
But still, it was the first time he’d felt he could let his hair down and stop putting on an act, that who he was, whoever he was, would be okay.
This idea did more than put him at ease, though—it also got him hard. As soon as James had mentioned that he could crash at his place, Steve felt his cock stand up with excitement at the prospect. It was an idea that both terrified and excited him in equal measure.
In an attempt to take his mind off the generous offer and get his cock back down, Steve grabbed a new sheet of sandpaper and started on the wall again. With sweat dripping from the sides of his face as he worked, he tried to push thoughts of the man standing next to him out of his mind. But it wasn’t easy.
The hot, stuffy room meant that his coach, like him, was soaked with sweat. His muscles rippled and worked at each stroke of the sandpaper against the wall, his white shirt going see-through with every passing second.
He’d grunt and groan, too. Every time he bent over or worked particularly hard on a spot on the wall, long, slow groans would erupt from his mouth. It only turned Steve on more.
Why couldn’t his coach be some fat old slob? Why did he have to be so incredibly attractive?
As the two men worked in the room, it amazed Steve how comfortable he was with him. There was a silence between the two that wasn’t awkward or strange. Instead, it felt right. They didn’t even need to say a word. It was natural. And every once in a while, Coach James would offer him a sexy smile, an act that sent Steve’s heart beating overtime. There was something very comforting and stable about Coach James that made Steve want to be around him more.
The way his muscles rippled and his low, rumbling bass voice sent chills down his spine didn’t hurt, either.
Sure, his best friend Dennis was great too, and he loved spending time with him when he could. But this was something else entirely. It was a comfort and friendship that Steve had never known. Coach James was becoming the big brother, the father, the uncle he wished he’d had, but had never gotten.
It had been several hours when Steve dropped his arms and stretched his neck back and forth, taking a break from the work. His body ached from working so hard, every muscle screaming out in pain.
Seeing this, Coach James dropped his sandpaper and walked over to him.
“You’re too stiff,” James said, sliding his hands over his shoulders. “You gotta loosen up a little.”
Steve shouldn’t have let him do it. And maybe if it had been only words, he wouldn’t have. But the feel of his touch as the coach massaged his shoulders felt too good to resist. “Yes, sir.”
His cool breath against Steve’s skin gave him goosebumps. “What do you say you come inside the bedroom with me? Let me give you a little rubdown,” James said. There was an air of suggestiveness in his voice that made Steve’s knees shake.
This was the final straw. Steve had weighed the possibilities in his head for long enough, and now there was no doubt left in his mind. Coach James wanted Steve as much as he wanted the coach. The only question was, what was he going to do about it?
As nervous as the idea made Steve, his cock had different ideas. He’d never been with a guy before…not to mention an older man and teacher. There was so much forbidden about every aspect of the relationship, but rather than warn Steve off, it only spurred him on.
He’d fantasized, of course, but other than playing doctor when he was younger, he was pretty much a virgin. He had no idea what he was doing, but loved the idea that the older man might be willing to show him.
Thank God I wore underwear today, he thought as his cock roared to life. “Oh, I…uh…sir,” Steve said, stammering.
James squeezed Steve shoulders and rumbled in his ear, “Don’t you want me to make you feel good?”