Page 87 of Go Deep

“Do we have to get up? Can’t we just sleep in?” I turn my head and press my face deeper into my pillow.

His hand strays below my waist. I gasp when he palms my dick and starts pumping it. “I could be convinced. But what would your coach do to you?”

“I’m not so much worried about him as I am everyone else,” I grumble. My dick deflates the tiniest bit at thethought.

Vince trails kisses down the back of my neck and releases his grip on me. “I can feel the stress rolling off of you.”

I groan. “I know. It’s the unknown. I felt the same way before my announcement. You know there will be people in your corner, but there are always outlier asshats who can’t keep their mouths shut.”

“Fuck ’em.” Vince’s lips move to my shoulder, and his arms snake around my waist and pull me into him. “You’ve been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.”

“It’ll never be easy. I guess I just need to accept that.” I scrub a hand down the front of my stubbled face. “And it’s not just strangers. Things with my mom and brother have been strained for the longest time. I haven’t even told my mom about the test results. Things just kind of flew out of control there for a few days and…” I let out a groan. “I just miss her. And Austin. And my dad. The way things were before they knew I was gay. The way I wish things had stayed.”

I lean my head back against Vince and peek up at him. “And if family can’t even stick together with me, why the hell should I think my fans and teammates will?”

“I think you need to have a no-holds-barred conversation with your mom and Austin.”

I flip over and face him. “Like you did with the senator?”

“If I can talk to Senator Michael Castro and get him to bend to my viewpoint, then yeah, there’s hope for everyone.”

Vince runs a hand through his hair and rests his arm on the side of his head, exposing the phoenix. I trace the swirls of black ink that cover his smooth tanned skin.

I can be like the phoenix.

I’ve already done it once.

Just like Vince.

The doorbell rings and I grab my phone.

“It’s only eight o’clock. Who the hell could that be?”

Vince rolls out of bed and I bite down on my lower lip, temporarily distracted from whoever is on my front stoop as he bends over to grab his boxer briefs. Just eyeing his thick, muscled ass makes my cock twitch and tent under the sheet.

As if he knows I’m watching and damn-near drooling, he casts a look over his shoulder, lips curled into a sexy smirk. “Later. You need to answer the door. Oh, and use the peephole this time, genius.”

I roll out of bed, pull on shorts and a t-shirt, and run into the foyer. Early morning sunlight streams into the space, casting a soft glow over the room. I take a quick look around and a weirdly comforting feeling ripples through me. It’s a quiet kind of peace that makes me feel secure and protected, like everything’s going to be okay.

Maybe it will.

I reach for the door handle and go to pull it open without looking because lightning never strikes the same place twice, right?

My eyes pop open wide with shock when I see Mom and Austin standing on my front stoop, and I don’t think I could be more shocked if it was Shane again. “What the heck are you guys doing here? And so early?”

“We didn’t want to interrupt your schedule or anything. I guess we should have called first,” Mom says.

They exchange a look and Mom’s face takes on a sympathetic expression. “But we thought you might need someone to talk to. Sweetie, we’ve seen the news. And the, um, video.”

“We figured you could use some allies,” Austin says. “You know, just in case.”

“You never have to call. Get in here.” I open the door wider and grab them both for a bear hug, the way we used to do all the time…before everything fell apart.

I hold onto them like I never want to let them go again.And that sense of calm is back, filling me with a warmth I haven’t felt in a long time. Too long.

We walk into the kitchen and I start a pot of coffee before turning around to face them. There’s a lot I have to say, and it’s time to put it all out there, to fix what’s broken and finally…hopefully…move forward.

My life, my rules.

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