Page 4 of Slam Dunk
“You said, go fuck yourself. Send it?”
“Yes.”
“Done.”
The flash struck again. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Siri, read the last text to me.”
“Jathan says, I had a nice time. Maybe we could do it again sometime. Would you like to respond?”
A smile exploded across his face. “Yes. Tonight was a blast. Just say when and where and I’m there.”
“You said, tonight was a blast. Just say when and where and I’m there. Send it?”
“Yes.”
“Done.”
The music resumed. It was an old love song Quince had always loved. He turned the sound up and sang along. His mood was officially restored after Jathan’s text. The drive out to the ranch was nothing but quiet. The darkness was only broken by Quince’s presence. He felt at peace in a way he hadn’t in a long time. The way he felt since walking away from Carey made him realize how much he wasn’t cut out for relationships. He hated lying and drama. Quince couldn’t stand the head gamesand questioning every little word and action. He was better off alone. Obviously, he would miss the sex. But he didn’t yet, and the headache he avoided without it was worth every unquenched desire. Having a new friend was better. Quince chuckled. He didn’t even care he was alone. Quince laughed aloud. He was horrified every time he thought about the way he had creeped around that block like a teen driving for the first time. Jathan hadn’t once made fun of him the way every other guy he knew would have done. Quince laughed harder as he pictured Jathan, eyes swimming with humor while squealing, “Whee!” Quince swiped his eyes. God. The guy was unintentionally hilarious. It had been a nice night.
When Jathan had dropped Quince back at his truck, he had given Quince a hug. That had been nice too. He missed those kinds of friendships. Before walking away from everything twelve years ago, Quince had several friends he hung out with on the weekends—guys he could call if he needed a hand working on his truck or something. Now he lived out in the middle of nowhere and had no one. He had gotten used to doing things like going to basketball games alone. Fuck. That ticket tonight had been a goddamn fortune. A playoff game just rows from the court. That had been a huge score, but it cost him way more than he would ever admit. Right now, it looked like the best purchase he had made in a long time. Never in a million years had he expected Jathan would spot him and pull him from the crowd. Damn. He was a great guy. It was no wonder Artem always made time for him. Of course, considering how out of this world Artem was, he shouldn’t have been surprised by Jathan. All it took to judge a man’s character was to take a look at his friends. Like always found like. Quince wished he had heeded that advice more in his younger years.
His house came into view. A wave of unexpected exhaustion hit. It had been a long day with too much adrenaline. Maybe he should jump online and see if there was any chance of landing a ticket to the next game. Damn. It would be in Arlington on their court. Maybe the game after that, then. He hoped like hell the Fireballs went all the way this year. The team had been close now for several years. Jathan deserved to win that championship title again. He was incredible on the court.
Quince tossed his keys on the coffee table. He grabbed a drink from the fridge. After downing his water, he headed for the bathroom. He needed a shower. Tomorrow morning would come early. Unfortunately, this ranch didn’t run itself. The guys were all pretty good about knowing their roles for the day, but if he slacked, they would. Plus, he needed to check all the fencing. They had a sheep a neighbor had brought back three times now. Quince had to figure out how in the hell it kept getting out.
He got the shower going and stripped. From nowhere, Quince caught himself eyeing his body. He didn’t think he looked too bad for forty. Other than a few scars here and there—some worse than others—he had held up well. Not that it mattered. Quince stepped beneath the water. He was done with anything even vaguely resembling a relationship. That meant one-night stands too. No one ever really meant one night, and he was tired. Quince turned his face up and let the hot water run through his hair. He grabbed the shampoo and lathered it through, massaging his scalp. With his eyes closed, his body betrayed him. The water streaming down his skin made itself known. He became hyperaware of every inch of his skin. His cock hardened. Quince took a breath. He tried not to think about anything the least bit sexual. It didn’t help. Apparently, his body was justdetermined tonight. With an aggravated sigh, Quince palmed his erection. He kept his eyes closed as he stroked. Ruthlessly, he kept his mind blank. He didn’t want anyone sneaking in and making him doubt his ability to stay single. His lips parted as pressure climbed up his shaft. He was close. Quince didn’t need anyone. He could blow right here and be done with this bullshit. The closer he came to orgasm, the dirtier his mind turned. It was out of his control. Images rolled through his mind. He tried focusing on celebrities or random faces he had seen in his dreams. Pleasure pressed against his crown, begging to be set free. Quince stroked faster. His ragged breathing filled the shower. The person on their knees in his mind transformed. Quince stared down at Jathan, looking like a man who loved sucking cock. He blew so hard and fast, his knees nearly buckled. Quince whined as he stroked his way through the waves. Then the world snapped back into focus.
Quince stared at the shower wall. He fought to keep his mind quiet. Quince was scared to think. Why had that happened? He felt a little sick. What was wrong with him? Why had things been so goddamn weird lately? Maybe he was going through a mid-life crisis. That had to be it. Quince had done a lot of wild things in his life, but he had never really wanted a dude. He practically felt his dad rolling over in his grave and the man wasn’t even dead yet. Not since he was a teenager had Quince even had thoughts like that. Maybe he shouldn’t hang out with Jathan again after all. He wasn’t that guy. Yeah. This had been a one and done. Quince wasn’t gay. He couldn’t be.
Chapter Three
Eventhoughhewasnormally an upbeat person, Jathan’s mood was complete shit. They’d lost their game in Arlington. While they still had a chance, they had to win the next home game. His mom had been sick with the flu throughout the playoffs and hadn’t made it to a single game, so there really had been no one there supporting him. It was tough being the outsider. Everyone had family or friends at their biggest games. Jathan had given his tickets away since he had no one else with Artem and Tip in Arizona looking at land. He had really hoped his mom would be well enough for tomorrow’s game, but she still had a super-high fever. Jathan tried hard not to be upset since no one was more devastated than her. Thankfully, Artem and Tip were back in town, so he didn’t have to look pathetic bygiving his tickets away to another player again. Of course, that still hinged on the pair being able to go.
As he pulled into Artem’s driveway, he spotted Quince in the barn. An idea hit. Quince had seemed thrilled to be at his game. Court-side might make his day. He hadn’t said anything to Artem yet. There was no reason Jathan couldn’t give Quince the tickets and he could decide who to take. There was also a possibility Quince wasn’t interested. Jathan had to admit he had kind of hoped to hear from Quince after hitting it off the way they had. At least he had thought they’d hit it off. Other than responding to his text directly after their night together, there had been nothing but radio silence. That was pretty typical, though. Jathan always liked people better than they liked him. He wasn’t sure where he went wrong. Maybe he was too weird or too enthusiastic. It was possible he tried too hard. No matter the reason, it hurt his chest to constantly be rejected. Meeting Artem was the first time in his life he’d had an immediate connection that was reciprocated. He just wasn’t that important to people off the court.
Jathan parked in his usual spot and grabbed his things. He plastered a bright smile on his face and dipped into the barn. He found Quince mucking out stalls.
“Hey.”
Quince glanced over his shoulder. “Hey.”
Jathan tried to read his tone but couldn’t. “What have you been up to?”
“Working.” This time, Quince didn’t bother looking at him.
Okay. He was definitely reading too much into every word now. There was an unwanted vibe he couldn’t shake. “Oh. Well, I’m here to paint with Artem. I just wanted to dip in here and ask if you’d be interested in goin—”
“I’m not gay.” Quince said the words, cutting him off sharply—like he meant that shit.
“Okay. What?” Jathan was beyond confused. Had he felt something the other night? Yes. Did he expect anything more than friendship? No. He never assumed.
Quince held his stare. There was no friendship in his eyes. “I’m not gay.”
Yeah. Jathan was pissed. He was also hurt. But rejection was a familiar feeling for him.
He stiffened his spine. “Okay. I don’t know what in the fuck that has to do with me. I just came in here to see if you wanted court seats for tomorrow night’s game, but never mind. You obviously can’t accept anything from a gay man. I might be contagious.” Jathan walked away and headed for the door. He couldn’t breathe, but he kept going. It took too long for Artem to answer. Jathan didn’t think he would survive much longer.
Artem was all smiles. “Hey. I was just setting things up.”
