After The Snap (19 page)

He grabbed his keycard before leaving the room and heading to the little alcove with the ice-maker. The amount of food Seth had consumed impressed him a bit. Even when he’d been a hungry teen he hadn’t eaten that much. After tossing their trash, he walked back to their room, wondering what Seth would be up for.

Colby stepped in and heard the soft snores coming from the bed. Seth was on his stomach, his head turned to the side as he snored. He hadn’t even pulled the covers up. Colby felt a little pervy as he stared at Seth’s ass, wondering how awesome it would feel to sink into his hot hole.

Seth seemed tired so Colby didn’t wake him, thinking that maybe the guy would wake eventually. After pulling the covers over Seth’s body, midway to his back, Colby grabbed his computer and did some work, finally closing the device close to nine. Seth hadn’t stirred at all. Watching him sleep made Colby’s heart twist. This was dangerous. What if Seth had someone else? When they were just messing around it hadn’t mattered, not really. But cheating when emotions were involved seemed wrong.

Colby brushed his teeth and stripped down before sliding into bed. Seth barely even moved as Colby snuggled under the covers beside him. He rolled to his side, watching Seth sleep. It took him a while to drift off. Seth was so beautiful, and Colby worried about how much he felt for the man. Falling in love wasn’t part of the plan so he needed to stop thinking about that future they could have or what he would do the next time he was here. Heck, Seth had fallen asleep fast after eating. He was probably already bored of Colby and they probably wouldn’t be getting together again.

The best dream was happening when he started drifting from sleep. He wanted it to continue because the blowjob he was getting felt so real. A finger slipped between his asscheeks and he flashed open his eyes, realizing he really was getting sucked, and Seth had his finger sliding over his pucker.

Coming to and realizing what was happening had Colby blowing his load immediately. He clutched the covers and gasped as Seth swallowed his cum. He hadn’t caught his breath when Seth kissed his way up the center of Colby’s chest to his lips. Their tongues tangled and he tasted himself on Seth’s lips. The kiss ended and Colby stared up at Seth, wondering if this was what living with this man would be like. But he couldn’t think of living with Seth, not now. They weren’t a couple.

Seth rose up on one elbow and stared at Colby, brushing his fingers over Colby’s shoulders and chest. “How was that?”

Colby tried to speak but his voice was too scratchy to deliver words. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Wow, just freaking wow.”

Seth chuckled and bent to kiss Colby again. He wanted to know more about Seth and there were a few questions he really needed to have answered. Worry spun through him as he played with Seth’s chest hairs.

“I was wondering, do you have anyone at home?” Colby asked.

Seth shook his head. “No, I don’t. Do you?”

He realized that Seth wasn’t breathing as he waited for Colby’s answer. He smiled and leaned in, brushing his lips over Seth’s. “No, I couldn’t cheat. It hurts too much.”

Seth pushed at Colby’s shoulder, rolling him away before he tugged him close so Colby’s back was plastered against Seth’s chest. The tickle of lips on his neck made him shiver.

“We’re no longer just fucking, are we?” Seth asked.

Colby shook his head, too afraid to answer. What did this mean? Seth nestled him even closer, squeezing him tighter. They were silent for a long moment. He needed to tell Seth he was moving here, but he was afraid of how Seth would take it.

“When you come back, will you call me?” Seth asked.

“About that, my job is moving me.”

Seth sat up, reaching over and turning on the light. He stared down at Colby, his brows pinched together and his lips turned down in a frown. “You are coming back to San Diego, right?”

Colby nodded, a smile spreading across his face. “They are moving me out here.”

Seth sucked in a breath and his eyes went wide before he lowered, plastering his lips over Colby’s. He was just getting into the kiss when Seth pulled back, his gaze searching Colby’s.

“So, when you come out here, you want to keep this going, right?”

Colby sat up and pushed Seth to the mattress, straddling him. “When I met you at the bar, the last thing I thought would happen was a relationship. I don’t know what moving out here will mean for us, but yeah, I want to keep seeing you.”

Seth ran his fingers down the center of Colby’s chest. “I’ll get to see you more than once every few weeks.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Seth flipped him quickly and grabbed his hands, weaving their fingers together as he pressed them into the mattress. “At night, when I’m alone, I jack off while I think of you.” Seth rocked his hips, grinding against Colby.

Chapter Fifteen

Seth wondered how Colby moving to San Diego would change their relationship. He would need to tell Colby that he played football. It was more complicated than that. He wasn’t ready to come out, so their relationship would always be in the dark.

“At home, when I think of you, I get so hard,” Colby whispered.

Thoughts of Colby hard and jacking himself made Seth need him even more. Colby would be going home tonight and he wouldn’t see him for a while.

“How long until you move here?”

“About three weeks.”

“God, that’s going to seem like forever.” Seth had a lot of football to play before then and maybe Colby would tire of him. They’d really only met a few times in person so it wasn’t like they knew each other really well. That was another reason he couldn’t tell Colby yet. What if Colby wasn’t as nice of a person as Seth thought he was? Channing had lied to him for so long and so convincingly it was difficult to gauge who was a good person and who was bad.

“I’ll miss you,” Colby said.

Seth grabbed a condom, rolling it on before he lubed up. He pressed Colby’s knees back and lined up, sinking in slowly. They both groaned and exhaled. Seth melted against him as he sunk in deeper.

“God, Colby, I’m going to go crazy missing you.” He wouldn’t be able to break away and help Colby pack for the move with his intense practice and game schedule. This was his busy time.

Colby groaned and pressed up, his fingers digging into Seth’s arms. He wasn’t going to rush this because he wanted to remember how Colby felt and looked underneath him. His body heated and sweat formed on his brow. Colby cupped his hand behind Seth’s head and pulled him down for a kiss. The closeness did him in and he jerked his hips back fast before sliding in quickly. He was coming and so was Colby. He slipped out and tossed the condom on the floor beside the bed before tugging Colby close. Being apart would suck.

Seth looked at the clock beside the bed and saw that it was six fifteen. Their alarms would be ringing soon and then Colby would slip away to work and he would head to practice. It hurt to think about being away from Colby for three weeks.

He didn’t let go of Colby until the alarm buzzed and Colby sat up, moving to the bathroom after grabbing his phone. He lay in bed watching the light around the window curtains start to grow. When he heard the shower turn on he rolled out of bed and stepped into the bathroom, watching Colby step into the shower.

“Join me,” Colby said.

The two words were so simple but profound. He wanted to join Colby for more than just the shower. Parting was bittersweet, and when Colby kissed him goodbye before stepping out of the room, Seth wanted to call him back and ask him to not go to work. They could find him a job out here and he could just move in. But he wasn’t really ready for that much of a commitment.

Before Seth left the room they’d shared for the last two days, he glanced back at the bed, knowing that tonight he would be missing Colby. On the ride down, the elevator stopped on the third floor and two men got on. One of them narrowed his eyes and then elbowed his friend in the ribs. His friend glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened. Seth had been recognized.

“Could I-I have your autograph?” One of the guys asked. Shock was evident on the man’s face and Seth thought about telling the guy he wasn’t anyone special, but that could backfire on him later.

“Sure. Do you have any paper?” Seth asked.

The guy dug in his briefcase and pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. The elevator stopped and he stepped out, followed by the two men. He signed his name quickly and handed back the paper, heading out the door to find a cab. Lucky for him, there was one that had just pulled into the lot. A woman stepped out of the vehicle and grabbed her bag from the driver. Seth lifted his hand and nodded to the cabbie.

“I need a ride. Will you take me?”

“Sure, where you headed?”

Seth glanced back over his shoulder, glad to see that the two guys were having trouble pulling up their phone camera apps. He ducked into the back seat and the cabbie slid into the driver’s seat. Seth pulled his ball cap off and tilted it so the business men couldn’t take his photo.

“I’m off 6
th
street near El Prado. You could drop me at the park there. Thanks.”

The car took off and he didn’t look back. That was dangerously close. What if Colby had been with him? How the heck could he have played that off as normal? Colby would be shocked, but hell, he would be really shocked if he saw a news story about it.

Seth needed to do some damage control, and for that, he needed help. If he wasn’t careful, the story could be twisted into something crazy on social media. There would be rumors, but they wouldn’t really be rumors, it would be the truth. This type of thing was why he needed an agent. He’d been delaying getting one because he really didn’t want to give away his hard earned money, but times like this, he needed a team to help him navigate the complexities that went with being a celebrity.

Seth pulled up the email application on his phone and stared at the lists of notes in his inbox. He’d received two more emails from agents just last week. They wanted his business. There was this one guy he’d almost called. Some of the agents were too over the top. He didn’t want someone who was an asshole representing him.

The driver stopped the car and he glanced up, seeing that they were close to his place. He gave the driver money and stepped out, moving to the brick wall that doubled as a bench. Across the street was the building he’d wanted to live in, but when he’d come out here looking for a place to move, he’d not liked the price tag. He’d chosen an older building a few blocks away. It was still easy for him to walk over here when he took the time to do it, but lately he’d been so busy with football he hadn’t slowed down and walked around the park.

Seth glanced back to his phone and decided now was the time to call the agent. Justin Kallis seemed like the most level headed agent who had contacted him. In Justin’s notes he’d congratulated Seth on negotiating his own contract and went on to describe other services he could provide. He also was the most up front about what he would charge. It wasn’t hard to figure out how much he would be paying Justin if he decided to take him on as an agent.

Without giving it another thought, Seth dialed and started walking to his place a few blocks away. He had time before practice, but not much.

The phone clicked and he heard a deep voice. “Justin Kallis here, how can I help you?”

“Hello, Mr. Kallis, this is Seth Mercer I was—”

“Mr. Mercer, I was just thinking about you today. A company wants a new spokesperson and you would be great for the job, however, I need to sign you first.”

“How soon can you be in San Diego?”

Justin laughed and sighed. “I’m in Los Angeles right now. How about dinner tonight?”

“Sure, but somewhere private. We could have dinner delivered to my place.”

“Um, okay. Are you okay? You aren’t in trouble with the cops, no drugs, right?”

“No, sir, no cops. I just don’t want everyone knowing my business.”

“Smart man. This isn’t a sideshow attraction for you. Okay, text me your address and I’ll be there at six tonight with food. Don’t order anything, it’s my treat. About how many meals will you eat?”

Now it was Seth’s turn to laugh. “You’ve fed football players before. I ate a lot last night, so how about one. I have food at home if I’m still hungry.”

“Okay, I’ll see you at six.”

He felt better almost immediately. Maybe he should have done this earlier. Practice was tough again, but not as bad as the day before. When he finished and pulled his phone from his locker he noticed a text from Colby. He already missed him and this separation would be weeks, not days.

Colby: Hey, I’m getting on the plane. I miss you. I know you’re busy, but I’d like to at least talk to you a few times in the week. Maybe we could Skype.

Seth: I don’t have an account, but I will set one up tonight so we can talk. I miss you too.

Depending on how these few weeks went, he might be willing to tell Colby that he played football. First though, he had to get through his dinner with Justin. It was weird that just this morning he’d been in bed with Colby and now he wouldn’t see him for weeks. He was falling hard and maybe that was a mistake. He’d fallen fast for Channing and that had ended up biting him in the ass. Now he had it bad for Colby. The break might just allow him to gain a perspective he didn’t currently have.

He showered and fell into bed, setting his alarm for twenty before six. He kept his place relatively clean so picking up before Justin arrived wasn’t really necessary. When his alarm rang he sat up and stretched, wondering if he’d made a mistake to call Justin. He didn’t really know the man and now he was going to be trusting a virtual stranger with his deepest secret.

After he dressed in jeans and a loose fitting T-shirt, he headed to the kitchen and was surprised when his apartment was buzzed. Justin was early.

If he weren’t so nervous, he would have just left the door propped open for Justin to come in, but he was afraid of what would happen. What if Justin was appalled that Seth was gay? What if he was angry, or spilled his secret?

The elevator dinged and Seth drew in a slow breath, trying to calm himself. He opened the door and saw a tall, skinny man with dark hair and blue eyes smiling at him as he stepped off the elevator.

“Justin?”

“It’s good to meet you, Seth. Let me put this down and then we can shake hands.”

Set stepped out of the way as Justin entered his apartment. He closed the door, locking it behind him. Though he lived in a fairly secure building, he didn’t trust that someone wouldn’t try to enter his place if they figured out he lived here.

“Nice digs,” Justin said as he looked around after placing the food in the kitchen.

“Don’t be fooled. I got it in foreclosure. The real-estate agent had no idea who I was and I didn’t inform her. I told her how much I wanted to spend and she found this place. I got lucky.”

“Smart. Now how about introductions.” Justin’s smile was mesmerizing, his eyes twinkling as he stepped forward and stuck out his hand. “I’m Justin Kallis. I’ve been an agent for four years. I graduated top of my class at Princeton Law, though I’ve never practiced. I knew I wanted to be a sports agent and I’m living my dream. I have eighty-seven clients. I know that might seem like a lot, but I’m very efficient. I do have a team of five people working for me. They take care of paperwork, they also help with finding houses for clients, though it seems like you have an eye for what works. If there’s anything you don’t want them to know, we keep it between us. If you decide to sign with me, whatever you say is secret.”

Seth nodded as he chewed his lower lip. He realized he still had hold of Justin’s hand and laughed as he let go. “Sorry, I’m nervous.”

“Well, this might help you make your decision. A sports apparel company wants you to head up their campaign. They like your look and would like you to film one commercial that will run in the Pacific region. They are willing to pay you five million dollars.”

Seth shook his head and laughed again. “Wow.”

“Is that a
wow that’s not enough
or a
wow that’s a lot
?”

“I’m not really ready for this. I never expected any deals. Maybe I should have. I mean, I know why San Diego signed me. They wanted someone to pick up the position when Blake retired. I just wasn’t expecting it this year.”

“I have to say that you’re one of the most talked about players at the moment. Everyone wants to know more about you. What you’ve accomplished is amazing.”

His face was hot and he knew he was blushing, but he couldn’t help it. “Thank you.”

“Okay, so how about we sit down and eat and then we can discuss business.”

Seth nodded and headed into the kitchen, pulling out plates and silverware. Justin had the food out and open.

“I wasn’t sure what to get you, so you pick and I’ll eat whatever you don’t choose.”

“Are you sure?” Seth asked.

“Seriously, Seth, you are the easiest client I’ve ever dealt with for a first meeting. Most want to be wined and dined. Having the meeting here in your house means we can talk openly. I like that. Business is business and when it comes time for us to celebrate your successes, we will go somewhere you can cut loose. I wish all of my clients were like this. It’s difficult to discuss business when naked ladies are dancing on laps.”

Seth laughed again and resisted the urge to tell Justin naked ladies wouldn’t distract him. Seth was starving by the time they actually sat down.

He took his first bite and closed his eyes as he chewed. “It’s good. Where did you pick it up from?”

“I have a friend who is a caterer in the area. I asked him if he was doing a job tonight and he wasn’t too far from here. I went by and picked it up on my way over.”

“Interesting.” Seth was halfway done with his food and he knew he was going to have to tell Justin why he had decided to call him. Between Justin arriving and them distributing their food he’d decided that he liked the man enough to sign a contract with him.