Calling the Play (7 page)

“Oh, fuck,” he muttered, cupping the back of her head as she worked her mouth up and down his length.

“She’s good, isn’t she?” Ty asked, unabashedly watching. “I didn’t think she’d be able to take all of yours, but damn if she can’t.”

Ty climbed up on the bed behind Janine, rolling the condom on as he moved. “Ready?” he asked.

Janine slowly slid her mouth off Brian’s cock. “Yes,” she said earnestly, then leaned down and deep-throated him again. Brian bit his lip hard.

“Don’t,” Ty said, his tone pleading. “I like that part. I like to hear it.”

Brian turned his gaze to meet Ty’s. Ty was watching him, and he wasn’t even trying to hide how turned on he was by Brian. It was disconcerting. He’d never had that sort of intent desire directed at him before, especially by a guy. “Okay,” he said breathlessly, not sure what else to say. Ty just smiled and Brian knew he didn’t have to say anything else. When Janine swallowed around his cock, her throat working the head, Brian let go a groan.

“Fuck, yeah,” Ty said softly, his eyes still on Brian’s face. Then he licked his lips, looked down, lined up his cock, and slid into Janine. When Janine moaned around his cock, Brian sucked in an unsteady breath and blew it out.

“I’m not going to last,” he confessed. “This is the hottest thing I’ve ever done.” Janine laughed, his cock still in her mouth, and that felt even better than the moan. She pulled away and the cool air on his wet dick helped a little.

“You don’t have to last,” she said. “I like to have guys come in my mouth. Well, not all guys, but definitely you. And it’s not like it’ll be over if you come. When Ty’s done, I want you to fuck me, too.”

Brian just shook his head in disbelief. “Why?” he asked.

“Stop thinking, Brian,” Ty said with exasperation. “Just accept that it feels good and we’re all on the same page here. Okay?”

“I just”—Brian said, and had to stop when Janine began sucking him again—“don’t want to take advantage,” he added in a rush.

“Well, we do,” Ty said. He moved and Brian was instantly mesmerized as he watched Ty’s hips flex backward and forward, fucking Janine so that Brian could see it, could watch them fucking.

“It’s like live porn,” Brian blurted out. He was horrified as soon as he said it.

“Yep,” Ty said, looking back up at him. “That’s why I like to watch.”

Janine spread her legs wider, encouraging Ty, who picked up his pace until he was fucking her hard, each thrust driving her forward onto Brian’s dick. He gave it up. There was no way he could stop himself from coming. When he did it was with a strangled shout. He grabbed a handful of Janine’s hair, holding her on him as she swallowed. When he was done coming, he let her go and she pulled off.

“Oh, God,” she moaned, her head falling forward. “That was so hot. Fuck me harder, Ty.”

Brian stood there panting as he watched Ty put on a show for him. As pretty as Janine was, Brian couldn’t take his eyes off Ty. He was a fucking god. Gorgeous and hard-bodied, he was clearly an amazing fuck. He kept moving Janine, rearranging her just a little here, a little there, until she gave a shout and Brian could see her start to shake.

“Right there, Ty,” she said, almost as if she were in pain. “Right there. Oh, God.”

“Take your jeans off,” Ty said breathlessly. He was still looking down at Janine, who was coming apart under him. Brian didn’t register that Ty was talking to him for a few seconds. “Take them off,” Ty said again, clearly agitated. He was watching his dick going in and out of Janine, his face hard with concentration.

Brian didn’t let himself think. He’d pulled his pants up after Janine let him go, but he pushed them down again, until they pooled around his ankles and he kicked them away. He was getting hard again watching Ty and Janine.

Ty looked up at Brian’s dick, which grew under his hot gaze. Then his eyes met Brian’s and Brian couldn’t look away. He was aware of Ty reaching one hand under Janine, of her cry of release, but he was caught by Ty’s gaze. Then Ty was coming, still looking at Brian as his mouth opened and he convulsed. He had to close his eyes as he bent over Janine’s back, his cock buried in her as his hips jerked. Brian could tell it was a powerful orgasm. It was the most erotic thing he’d ever seen, watching Ty come in a woman.

When he was done, Ty fell back on the bed, leaning his back against the wall behind it. He was breathing hard, sweat gleaming on his chest and shoulders. “That was so fucking hot,” Ty said breathlessly. “With you watching me.”

Brian felt the heat suffuse his face. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Ty said, waving at him. “Like I said, so fucking hot. I loved it.”

“Me, too,” Janine said. Brian looked down at her, chagrined that he’d sort of forgotten her. She laughed. “Don’t worry about me,” she said, and Brian could tell she meant it. “I don’t blame you. Ty is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” She was breathing hard, too, but she came up on her knees and wrapped her arms around Brian’s neck. “And if you guys like watching each other fuck me, I’m good with that. I could be good with that all night.” She laughed again. “Kiss a girl who just got fucked?” she asked teasingly.

Brian smiled at her. He liked her. She was funny, and pretty honest about what they were doing. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. When his mouth met hers, he could taste himself on her lips. He had a feeling he was going to be learning a lot from Ty and Janine that night.

Randi rolled over in bed and rested her hand on Ty’s chest, then propped her chin on it, staring at him. She was delightfully naked, as was he, which meant her soft and curvy body was pressed against him as she nestled her leg in between his. He liked the feel of her naked breasts against his ribs. They’d been hiding up here in his bedroom for the past two hours. She could call it whatever she liked, but he knew hiding when he saw it. He wasn’t complaining; they’d made love and it was as fantastic as it had been the night before. But it was pretty obvious that Randi didn’t want anything to do with the crowd of people still partying around his pool, even though half of them were her friends and the whole thing had been her idea. He was pretty sure that the party had been a ruse to spend time with him without having to be alone with him. He was glad she’d changed her mind about that. He wasn’t worried about the events outside. Every once in a while, he heard Cass or Beau’s voice, so he knew they were keeping the party under control.

Ty forced himself not to squirm beneath her penetrating stare. He knew before she spoke that she was going to ask him something he didn’t want to talk about.

“So,” she finally said, “you and Coach Brian. And Brian’s wife. What’s up with that?”

Ty ran his fingers over her curls. He couldn’t help it. He loved her hair so damn much it was crazy. And her freckles. And her sexy body. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to get burned again. Randi had been very clear about what she wanted and what she didn’t. She wanted sex, and fun, and for the time being, Ty. She didn’t want a relationship. He needed to step back and cool it down.

“I introduced them,” he told her. “At a party one night. The three of us hooked up, is all.”

“There’s more than one hookup between the two of you,” she observed, playing it as cool as Ty was.

“True,” he admitted. “Turns out Brian was into that kinky shit, too.”

Randi laughed as he threw her own words back at her. “Well, that’s going to give me some good fantasies,” she said. “He said you two ended badly, and things were said that he regrets.”

“Did he?” Ty asked, surprised. Brian had always been pretty closed off, keeping his feelings to himself. That was why Ty had miscalculated so badly all those years ago. He’d thought there was more to them than there was, thought Brian felt the same, when he hadn’t really felt anything at all. And now he was telling Randi things he hadn’t even told Ty. What did he regret? Leaving? Telling Ty he was too dependent on him and he needed to grow up? Throwing Ty’s feelings back in his face?

“Yeah, only he said he was probably the only one with regrets. That you had every right to say what you did.” Another surprise, and he could tell Randi knew it. “What did you say?”

“Not what did he say that he might be regretting?” Ty asked.

“Nope,” she said. “That’s ‘he said, she said’ crap. Or ‘he said, he said,’ in this case.” She moved her hand and rubbed her soft cheek against his nipple, and he shivered. “Just tell me what you said, since that’s what most people remember best, their own story.”

“Spoken like a true cop,” Ty teased.

“It’s in my blood,” she said. “Quit stalling and spill.”

“It was nothing. Just your basic friends breaking up bullshit,” he said. “Accusations were made, derogatory remarks thrown around, memories tarnished. That sort of thing.”

“Wow, that was a lot of nothing,” Randi said, pulling away and sitting up. “And, FYI, in the real world, friends don’t break up.”

“Yeah? Well, then, what do they do?” Ty asked, turning his back to her as he reached for a bottle of water sitting on the bedside table. He needed a break from the inquisition before he said too much.

“They get pissed and argue and maybe stop hanging out, but ‘break up’ has a whole other meaning. Thing is, you really meant break up, didn’t you?” She was sitting cross-legged next to him, and he had to close his eyes or he would confess anything she wanted him to.

“I meant what I said,” he responded vaguely. “Why are you so interested in my ancient history?”

“Whoa,” she said, holding up her hands in a Stop gesture. “I’m obviously treading on dangerous ground. Forget it.” She rolled off the bed, evading Ty’s hand as he sat up and tried to catch her. “You’re right. We’re not sharing secrets or exchanging keys here, are we? It’s just fucking. So you can keep your ancient history to yourself. No problem.” She didn’t look at him as she stepped into her bikini bottoms and yanked them up.

“I thought I was in love with him. He told me I was immature and clingy, and he was leaving so that I could grow up. I was hurt, and told him he was afraid of what we had, afraid to admit he wanted me and had feelings for me, and that he was a coward to run. And he told me he liked me, but it wasn’t love, and I was a fool to mistake sex for any deep feelings on his part. I left, he left, it was over, the end.” He fell back on his pillow with a gust of breath and stared at the ceiling, a little embarrassed by his outburst.

“Ouch,” she said, sitting down on the side of the bed opposite him. She was still topless, but seemed oblivious to it. “Sorry I brought it up.” She smoothed her hand over the cover, not looking at him. “Does it help that he said he regrets it?”

“Not really,” Ty admitted. “I don’t know what he regrets. Do you? It seems to me like there are a lot of options there.”

She chuckled quietly. “Good point. He was a jerk. I’m on your side.”

“Now, that helps,” Ty said with a grin, rolling over onto his side and leaning on his elbow, his head in his palm. “And now you know the sad story of my long-lost love. Do you want a key to the pool?”

“Not the house?” she asked with a pout.

Ty shook his head with a frown. “I like you, but let’s be real.” The truth, of course, was that he was ready to give her the keys to any damn thing she wanted. But he knew she didn’t want to hear that, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to expose any more of his secrets to her today.

“That’s harsh,” she said, standing up with a smile. “We should go back down and kick all my loser friends out. If we don’t, they’ll still be here tomorrow.”

“And that would be bad?” Ty asked, getting up and walking around the bed to wrap his arms around her. She immediately snuggled in to him and palmed his ass.

“They’re all moochers,” she said, laughing. “They’ll eat all your food and drink all your whiskey, and before you know it, they’ve moved in and you’re paying their bills.”

“Sounds like some of my worst girlfriends,” Ty told her seriously, “and two or three boyfriends.” He tacked on the last part to see what her reaction was. She hadn’t really said much about his being in love with Brian.

“Exactly,” she said. “The worst. I love some of ’em, but I have no illusions about them.”

“So, you’re going to make me ask?” He couldn’t believe she was as oblivious as she seemed.

“Them to leave?” she responded, pulling away. “Nah, I’ll tell them. They tend to scurry when I growl at them.”

“No,” Ty said, getting exasperated. “About the fact that I was in love with a man and I’ve had boyfriends. That doesn’t bother you?”

“Should it?” she asked with a shrug. “Last time I checked we were all being modern and shit. Isn’t that what everyone does these days?” She tied on her bikini top. The tiny triangles barely covered her nipples, only giving a passing nod to modesty. She carried it off beautifully.

“Have you had girlfriends?” Ty asked, curious about her past.

“No,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen if the right girl came along.” She grinned. “Honestly, I love dick too much to give it up, even for a silicone strap-on.”

“Good,” Ty said, pulling on his swim trunks. “I’m not obsolete yet.”

“Nope,” she told him, holding out her hand. He took it and she led him out of the room. “I’m not done with your dick yet.”

Ty wasn’t sure whether to be flattered, flustered, or frustrated. Just once he’d like to be more than a dick to someone.

Brian knocked on Ty’s front door. He’d left the party yesterday after Ty and Randi had disappeared. It hadn’t been the right time for them to talk, anyway. But there were things that definitely needed to be said before preseason meetings and practice began the next day. He still wasn’t sure Ty would actually talk to him, although he hadn’t gotten quite as cold a reception yesterday as he had at the police station. To be fair, seeing him that first time had been a shock for Ty. It had probably been a shock to see him at his house, too. Brian sighed. He hadn’t handled this well at all. Somewhere along the way, his careful plan to work his way back into Ty’s life had taken a wrong turn.

When Randi opened the door he was too taken aback to hide his reaction.

“Didn’t expect me to still be here?” she asked. She seemed more curious than furious at the assumption she’d been no more than a piece of ass.

She looked like a piece of ass in her bikini bottom and pink tank top. A luscious, irresistible piece of ass. The truth was that Brian had known almost immediately that she was more than that to Ty. He knew Ty well enough to recognize the signs of him tumbling head over heels into an ill-fated love. But Randi didn’t seem the type to reciprocate. She was the female equivalent of a player, a party girl extraordinaire. Brian recognized that right away because he’d been married to one. They were, actually, a weakness of his, which explained his instant attraction to her. He and Ty were both fools for love, one of the few things they had in common besides football.

“No,” he answered honestly. “You seem like the type to fuck and run.”

She laughed, just as he’d known she would. “Normally I am, but Ty’s so good I can’t seem to make myself go.” She turned and walked away, leaving the door open for him, speaking over her shoulder. “Quite frankly I don’t know how you did it.”

“I never fucked Ty,” Brian told her. That stopped her in her tracks. She turned back with a frown.

“He said you hooked up. With your ex,” she said, and it sounded like an accusation, as if she thought he was lying.

“Exactly,” Brian said. “A threesome. Lots of threesomes, actually, with more than just my ex. But Ty and I never fucked. We weren’t an ‘item.’ ” He used air quotes, then felt like a fool for doing it. “We liked fucking women together.”

She crossed her arms and glared at him. “And that’s it? You just used him to get chicks and do kinky shit and then left him?”

“Okay,” Brian said slowly, a little surprised by her hostility, but not put off by it. He liked that she was defending Ty’s honor, such as it was. “No. But I’m not sure I should be explaining myself to you before I explain myself to Ty.”

“You have to go through me to get to Ty,” she said flatly. “I’m the gatekeeper.”

“For how long?” Brian asked, going on the attack. “As long as it’s fun? As long as you get what you want from him? Until you grow bored?”

“What the hell does that mean?” she asked angrily. “Don’t you dare try to turn me into the same kind of user you are.”

“You don’t know shit about me or what happened between us,” Brian said, barely keeping his anger under control. “You weren’t there. Don’t think you can pass judgment, little girl.”

“ ‘Little girl’?” she said indignantly. That was clearly the most offensive thing he’d said to her so far. “I can take you down in about twenty different ways, and each one will hurt more than the last. You better remember that and show me some respect,
little
man,” she said, emphasizing the “little” as if he’d be offended at the reference to his height. Been there, done that, grew up.

“I’d like to see you try,” Brian said calmly. “I deal with professional football players. I’m the unlucky one who gets to tell them why they’re playing like shit. You think I haven’t been attacked before by some misguided bulldog? I can take the hits and dish out a few of my own. Maybe you better remember that, cop.”

“Okay, when did this turn into a rumble?” Ty asked casually from the archway between his sunny foyer and beautiful, open living room. The whole house looked as if it came straight from Pottery Barn’s seaside-retreat collection. It was casual and comfortable and bright, and so was Ty. Brian’s house had always been a collection of mismatched pieces, things that had caught his eye but had no cohesion or focal point. Sort of like his life. In a pair of chino shorts and an unbuttoned, light-blue Hawaiian shirt, Ty looked as if he were posing for a catalog as he leaned against the archway with his arms crossed.

“I was explaining to your gatekeeper that what I have to say should be said to you first, not her,” Brian told him. “She took exception to that.”

“Gatekeeper?” Ty asked with amusement, looking at Randi. She shrugged.

“As a duly appointed officer of the law I felt it was my duty to protect you,” she said, straight-faced.

Ty walked over and gently touched the bandage on her arm. “You already have.” He kissed her cheek, and Brian was shocked to see her blushing.

“That’s right,” she said roughly, shoving him away. “I don’t get shot for just any guy. Don’t you forget it.”

“I’m too cute to die,” Ty said. “I remember.”

Brian’s stomach clenched at the casual reminder of how close Ty had come to dying.

“I’m sorry,” he said impulsively. It was meant for Ty, for everything that had happened between them, even though he knew it wasn’t enough. Both Ty and Randi looked at him oddly. He turned to Randi, to cover his awkward apology. “I didn’t mean to jump down your throat like that. I didn’t mean half of it. But you must know this is hard for me, to come here and try to talk to Ty. And thank you. For saving his life, I mean.”

It was too much. Now Ty looked astonished and Randi looked smug. Brian clamped his mouth shut, determined not to embarrass himself more. He had never felt this awkward in his life.

“Apology accepted,” Randi said graciously, much to his surprise. “And you’re welcome.” She turned to Ty. “I’m going to find something to eat. I’m starving. Being your sex slave is hard work.”

“I thought I was the sex slave,” Ty said with a frown. “Don’t ruin it for me.”

“Whatever,” Randi said, patting his ass as she walked by him. “You slave, me slave, I’m still hungry.”

Brian had to smile at the exchange. Did these two have any idea how perfect they were for each other? Probably not. They’d probably ruin it, just as Ty said. Run away from each other and what they could have because they were too scared of commitment, too scared of the work it would take to keep it going, to stay together. Scared of what people might think, of how it would look, of being hurt. Or was that just him?

When they were alone, Ty looked at him expectantly.

“I have to do this in the foyer?” Brian asked, not sure how to begin groveling for Ty’s forgiveness.

Ty closed one eye and pursed his lips as he stared at Brian, as if he was thinking about it very hard. Finally, he relented. “I guess not,” he said. “Come on.” He led the way through the living room and out onto the patio. There were groups of empty beer bottles on a couple of the tables, and two big trash cans just down the patio steps, on the tile surrounding the pool. One was for trash, the other for recyclables. It was clear that he and Randi had been cleaning up after yesterday’s party. Typical that the partygoers would leave without thinking about the destruction they’d left behind. Brian grabbed a couple of handfuls of bottles and carried them down to the trash cans.

“I’m sorry,” he said, deciding it was best to just get to the heart of it all. He kept cleaning up, not looking at Ty, keeping busy so he didn’t get caught up in his own drama. “I never should have left like that.”

“Yesterday?” Ty asked, sitting down in one of the patio chairs. He was watching Brian as he worked, his focus intense, like when he played football. Or when he was trying to figure out what you were thinking. He’d never been able to figure out what Brian was thinking. If he had, he never would have believed Brian’s bullshit when he left.

“No. Eight years ago,” Brian said, facing Ty, wanting him to see that he meant it.

“Convenient that you’d suddenly come to that realization when you show up here to coach me.” Ty sounded almost bored. Good thing Brian had expected Ty to be disbelieving and mistrustful, or that tone would have unnerved him.

“I realized it about ten minutes after I left,” Brian said. He went back up and collected more bottles from the table beside Ty’s chair. He didn’t look at Ty, but felt his scrutiny as he went to throw the bottles away. “But I was too scared to admit it and come crawling back.” He turned with a sigh, facing Ty as he leaned against the brick ledge that surrounded the patio. “See, I was so afraid of being left behind that I turned into the one who leaves. I’m still fighting that battle.”

“Is that what happened with Janine?” Ty asked. “You left?”

Brian was startled for a moment at the mention of his ex-wife. “Janine? No.” He shook his head. “Remember how she used to say you were her last chance to fuck the quarterback and his friends? Well, it turns out that with my job that wasn’t true.” He smiled ruefully. “I can’t really blame her. She thought I’d be into that, for obvious reasons. But I wasn’t.”

“Why not?” Ty asked curiously. “You seemed to like it just fine with me.”

“Because they weren’t you,” Brian said baldly, laying it on the line. “I only ever wanted that with you.”

Ty kept watching him, his expression inscrutable. “You haven’t had a threesome since then?” He still sounded only mildly curious.

“Nope,” Brian said, pushing away from the wall. He was pretty sure he had his answer to whether or not Ty and he had a future together on a personal level, and that answer was no. Ty didn’t seem to care one way or another about Brian’s confessions or remorse. He couldn’t really blame him. Brian had screwed up badly, and eight years was a long time, long enough to get over just about anybody. Anybody but Ty, of course. “Like I said, I didn’t want that with anyone else.” He went and grabbed another handful of bottles and nearly dropped them when Ty grabbed his wrist tightly.

“You are a motherfucker to stay away all these years and leave me thinking it was my fault, and feeling ashamed of what I felt.”

“I am most definitely that,” Brian agreed. He didn’t pull away, just let Ty hold him a few more seconds, his grip painful, until he let go. Then Brian walked over and threw the bottles away. “I saw what you went through. I saw the drinking, the drug charge, the CFL, for God’s sake.” He shook his head. “Did I congratulate you on the Grey Cup yet? No. So, congratulations. You took all the negative and threw it back in their faces by coming out a winner.” He looked him straight in the eyes. “I’m proud of you.”

“A few years ago, that would have meant something,” Ty said. That arrow hit its mark and Brian cringed.

“I’m sorry for that, too,” he said, meaning it more than Ty could ever know. He looked out over the pool, placid and blue, the sparse clouds in the sky reflected on its surface. The sun was hot on his head and his back, but the warmth wasn’t seeping in. “I thought you’d leave me, Ty,” he tried to explain. “I knew you were going places, and I really thought I’d weigh you down. I thought I’d be the one who was a burden, who was clingy and needy, and you’d resent that and throw me away.” It was true, just not all of the truth. The most important reason he left was because sharing Ty with one meaningless partner after another was breaking his heart. He couldn’t do it anymore. But years apart had made him realize that even a part of Ty was better than none, and if he had to share him to have him, he would. He looked down at his feet in their new Reef flip-flops, bought for the beaches of Alabama because he didn’t realize how far from the ocean they were. He hadn’t realized a lot of things about Alabama, apparently, but that was okay. He didn’t think he’d be staying long. “I’m not trying to excuse what I said, or my leaving, or any of that. I just thought you ought to know where my head was at back then.”

“And now? Where’s your head now?” Ty asked, finally standing up. He paced in front of his chair. “Why did you take this job, Brian?” He stopped and faced Brian, and they stood there on opposite sides of the patio, sun warmed and separated by a chasm of misunderstanding. “You had to know this would be hard for both of us.”

“I took the job because they came to me,” Brian told him. He was determined to be honest. “I never thought I’d have the chance to work with you again. Hell, to even see or speak to you again. And then the Rebels called me up and said, ‘Hey! We heard you did wonders with Ty Oakes in college ball, and we want you to come to Birmingham and do that voodoo here with him. How about it?’ And I jumped at the chance. Because I wanted to see you, I wanted to work with you again, I wanted to explain and help you. I couldn’t have said no, Ty. I just couldn’t.”

Ty didn’t say anything, just stood there and stared at him, unreadable. Brian refused to walk away without some response from him, without knowing where he stood and whether he was staying or going.

“Say something.” Randi came out of the shadows inside the house, through the open French doors. “Don’t leave him hanging, Ty. He laid it on the line to come here today.”

Brian hadn’t expected an ally in her. He wasn’t sure whether to acknowledge her help or not. He didn’t want Ty to feel pressured, and he didn’t want to be the cause of ruining the fledgling thing between the two of them. She was the only girl he’d ever known Ty to keep around for two consecutive nights. That was huge in Ty’s world.

“Did he?” Ty asked in a bland voice. Brian was a little alarmed at how good Ty had gotten at hiding his feelings. He walked over to Randi and put his arm around her. “They came to you, did they?” he said, still speaking to Brian. “So they think I need a football guru.”

“No,” Brian denied too quickly.

“Don’t even try,” Ty said. “I’ve kept tabs on you, too. I know that’s your reputation. You come in and make underperforming players shine. And, boy, am I underperforming.” He squeezed Randi in a one-armed hug and let go before he walked over to the side of the patio, staring at a brick wall. “My game is in the crapper and you and I both know it.” He spun around suddenly. “Okay, Brian. Let’s work that voodoo again here in Birmingham. What do you want me to do?” Before Brian could answer, Ty added, “Football, Brian. Eight years is a damn long time to just show up and expect me to fall back into what we had.”