The Quarterback (The Team, #2)

by Tal Bauer

Colton’s lips nipped along his neck and up to his jaw before sucking on his earlobe.

“You are very special to me,” Nick whispered against his pounding pulse.

Nick sucked a hickey into the skin beneath his collarbone,

Nick’s seduction ended in a giggle fit. Colton let him laugh, and he kissed his forehead and ran his fingers over the small of Nick’s back until Nick sat up again.

“Is this all—” “For you? Yes.” Nick’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He bit his lip, rolled the flesh between his teeth. His pupils caught the dancing flames as his eyes traveled down Colton’s body.

the fire in Nick’s eyes grew hotter. Darker. Like a star collapsing inward.

“You’re beautiful, Colton. Sometimes I can’t breathe when I look at you.”

It was possessive, like Nick was laying claim to him, something he’d never done before.

his whole body was vibrating with. I love you I love you I love you I love you—

Colton nodded. I love you I love you I love you.

“It was perfect,” Nick took Colton’s chin in his gentle hold. “Absolutely perfect.”

“I want you to show everyone that no one in this world tells you who you are.

“Don’t give up, Colton. Don’t ever give up.”

Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. I want you to show everyone that no one in this world tells you who you are.

Colton collapsed, falling into Wes. Wes dropped his weights and grabbed Colton, going to the ground with him in a tangle of sweat and trembling muscles.

“I’m sorry,” Colton choked out against Wes’s neck. “Wes, I’m so sorry.”

Wes still had an iron grip on his wrists. “Colton,” Justin said, “Look at me.”

“But I could never compete with that. I thought maybe, maybe he could love me second to how much he loves you, but…”

Wes took his hand, holding it in the space between them. Justin cupped water in his palm and let it fall over Colton’s shoulder.

“Don’t apologize for falling in love,” Justin said after a long moment. “Love happens, whether you want it to or not.”

Colton and Wes curled up on the mattress, facing each other like they were four-year-old brothers sharing a bed.

He felt like part of him was festering. Collapsing. Dying.

“Is that Colton’s T-shirt?”

“And is that his football you’re holding?”

It was. He wasn’t proud of himself, but he slept with the damn thing now, curled around it like it was a teddy bear.

“He might be. I can’t imagine feeling like this for anyone else, ever. I thought your mom was my one, but this… it’s so much more.”

“Colton!” He froze like he was caught in a lion’s gaze as a man tore out of the car and left it idling in the middle of the road.

He wrapped Colton in his arms, crushing him to his chest—is this real, is this really happening—his lips dancing over Colton’s jaw and his eyelids and the corner of his lips.

Nick’s hands were everywhere, running up and over Colton’s arms, down his back, into Colton’s hands as he grabbed on.

“Colton,” Nick pressed their foreheads together, his quivering breath trembling o...

“I love you,” Nick breathed. “Colton, I love you.” His hands were shaking, and he held on to Colton like he thought Colton was going to vanish.

His eyes were wide, panicked, all of him vibrating with a fear Colton had never seen in him before. “I fell in love with you so hard it scared me. I didn’t think there was any way you could love me back, not with everything you have in your life. So I tried not to let myself dream of things that would never happen.” His voice broke.

“But I can’t stop. I can’t stop loving you. It’s probably impossible, but I have to tell you. I can’t go another day like this. I can’t not tell you that I love you. God, Colton, I love you, and I never want you to leave. I want to be with y...

I needed to see you again. I needed to tell you the truth: I love you, Colton. And I miss you so damn much.”

“I didn’t want the rest of the world, Nick. I only wanted our world.”

“I want that world, too. I want forever with you.” Nick brushed his nose against Colton’s. Their lips were so close, so fucking close.

“I love you, and I’ll never stop loving you. I tried not to fall for you, and I fell harder. I tried not to love you, and I tore my own heart out pushing you away. I tried to let you go, and it’s felt like I’v...

“I love you, too.”

“I do love you, Colton. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. Every night, after you fell asleep, I’d stay up and watch you as long as I could. I didn’t want the day to end, because I didn’t want to be closer to the day you’d leave.

Nick’s hands cupped his cheeks. “Come to bed? It’s too empty without you.”

“Colton,” he breathed, brushing open-mouthed kisses across his forehead, his chin, his neck. Nick’s lips landed on his pounding pulse. “I love you,” Nick whispered.

pressed his lips against Colton’s ring finger. “That could be us one day,” Nick said softly.

“You want to get married again?” “To you? Yes, I do.”

“This is a heads-up, though. I want to marry you, Colton, and I’m going to really ask you, soon, if that’s what you want.”

“Say you want to marry me, too?”

“I could fall in love with the idea of having a child with you.” Nick kissed him, soft and slow. “I could fall in love with that idea easily,” he said against Colton’s lips. He kissed him again, and then again. Tightened his arms and held Colton to him. “Marry me?”

“I changed my mind. I don’t want to wait to hear you say you’ll marry me or that we’re going to have a life together,” Nick said. “Marry me, Colton. Like this, or on a beach, or we could run away to Vegas, just the two of us. Or we can fly anywhere you want. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Marry me. Please?”

Colton bit his lip. “So you’re my fiancé now?”

“And you’re my fiancé.” Nick’s arms tightened around him. He kissed Colton, on the lips and the nose and then the lips again.

“I’m gonna be Justin’s stepdad,” Colton blurted out. “And Wes’s stepfather-in-law.” Nick tipp...