Maybe I had lost my mind, but I gave his proposition serious consideration. Relationships were almost more trouble than they were worth because none of my past girlfriends had accepted that tennis would always come first for me. But Kingston was wired like me, which meant he was one of the few people who would understand my priorities because they were his, too. My contrarian nature forced me to push back at his claims a little. “Is it really dating when we can’t go on dates? The media would have a fucking field day for weeks with speculation if we were spotted together.”
“We don’t have to go out to fancy restaurants to be in a relationship.” He stood up and closed the distance between us. I inhaled sharply when he pressed against my body, running his hands up my bare chest to rest on my broad shoulders. “All I need is to be with you like this.”
My arms encircled his slim waist as I held him closer. Why was that such a natural action with him? “And to be intimate with me?”
“Especially that.” His cocksure grin ignited the spark within me into a roaring blaze once more. “But more than that, too.”
It was impossible to think with him pressed so close against me. Why couldn’t I smother the urge to kiss him again? “Meaning?”
“Everything. I dream about falling asleep in your arms. I’d love to play tennis just for fun with you, when it’s only us, with nobody watching. When you’re pissed off that you had an off day, I want you to call me and ask me to come over to make it better. Let me be there for you without pushing me away. I want to be yours in every sense of the word.”
“And you want me to be yours, too.”
He bit his lower lip as he looked up at me. His sudden shyness was unexpectedly endearing. “More than anything.”
I kept waiting for my ego to object, but it was strangely silent in the face of what he was offering me. It was indisputable that he wasmysole rival, because we were both at the top of our game, which meant we were the only ones worthy of each other’s immense talent. We already belonged to each other in that sense. Was it such a bad thing to add a physical component when it had felt so incredible?
Since I had never been much for talking, I gave him my answer in a tender kiss. Earlier had been about brutal and demanding passion, but with the luxury of privacy, we could do more. It was a necessary test to see if I could tolerate something more intimate. I indulged in teasing kisses as I took my time exploring him. Once again, having him open for me and letting me take what I wanted from him gave me an incredible high, while leaving me wanting more.
His hands wandered with gentle caresses that stoked my desire once more. It differed from the all-consuming fire that had raged within me after the press conference. Instead, I wished to dive deep into him and never come up for air. If we didn’t stop soon, I would be in danger of passing the point of no return where my towel wouldn’t hide my enjoyment much longer.
I made myself pause, but my body wasn’t ready to let go of Kingston yet. I teetered on the brink of a cliff over making an unbelievable decision. However, I required a few more pieces of pertinent information. “Are you in love with me?”
“Yes.” There was no fear in his eyes, only an unshakable certainty that appealed to me. “And someday, you’ll love me, too.”
“Slow down. I’m still learning how to like you first.” We both chuckled at my comment. “I wasn’t expecting to come to terms today with something other than rage being my primary reaction to you.”
He took the comment in the spirit I meant. “That’s fine. I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for you to figure out there’s a reason you’ve possessively been calling meyourrival for years. You’ll eventually understand it stems from a deeper attraction to me and isn’t blind hatred.”
That was something I would have to think about later. “I have one condition.”
“Name it.”
“If I agree to this arrangement, absolutely nothing can change between us with tennis.”
I didn’t expect my question to cause him to light up with excitement. “Oh, don’t worry. You being my boyfriend isn’t going to stop me from kicking your ass all over the court.”
It fascinated me that his answer both reassured my fears and spiked my indignation. “I’ll be insulted if you ever play against me with anything less than your absolute best.”
He cupped my face in his calloused hands. It confused me why the roughness of his palms excited me. “Knightley, you have my word I’d never disrespect you by bringing what happens off the court into our game. I know you’ll give me the same courtesy.”
“I’m never going to stop trying to defeat you,” I swore. “And when I finally win against you, I’ll keep winning.”
His radiant smile was beautiful. “I’d expect nothing less from you. That’s one of the things I love about you the most.” He guided me down for another kiss, this one more heated than the last.
As we continued, my towel quickly betrayed my arousal. I didn’t protest when Kingston pulled it off and cast it aside, freeing him to tease my length to full hardness. To my surprise, he started kissing down my chest and stomach, lowering himself until he was on his knees in front of me. The thought of getting a blow job from him made my erection twitch at the exciting prospect.
He gazed up at me with a challenging expression. “How badly do you want me to suck your dick?”
“Bad enough that I won’t risk saying something stupid.”
“Good answer.” He rewarded me by taking the tip of my cock into his mouth to tease. Letting more of me slide into him, he put on a show of working my length with his hand as he bobbed his head.
It had been a while since I had enjoyed someone sucking me off. I carded my fingers through his dark hair, caressing him as he continued pleasuring me. My ego purred with satisfaction at seeing him worshipping my cock, loving his muffled moan as he took me deeper. Having Kingston on his knees for me and at my mercy was one of the most arousing things imaginable.
A promising tingle spread through me as my enjoyment spiked thanks to his throat milking me for everything I was worth. It was officially my new favorite method of silencing him. I looked forward to using the tactic in the future.
While I was an asshole on the court, I owed him the courtesy of a warning in the bedroom. “Fuck, this feelssogood. I’m getting close.”
