City of Lights (2 page)
Luke kept his eyes shut and made a noncommittal noise.
“Have you seen the size of the bathtub? Come on, let’s try it out.”
“Five more minutes.”
Jesse laughed. “You always say that! Your idea of five minutes and the universe’s are not the same.” Regardless, Luke heard him leave.
A moment later, he was back. “Did you know this is the honeymoon suite?”
At this, Luke opened his eyes.
“Hmm?”
Jesse, wearing his robe, sat cross-legged on the bed with the bill that must have been pushed under the door, enclosed in an embossed folder. “Holy crap, this really was expensive.” He leaned down and kissed Luke softly. “It was a great surprise. Thanks.”
“Anytime.
Anytime you win a Grand Slam, that is.”
“Great. No pressure!” Laughing, Jesse went back into the bathroom. Luke heard the water turn on, and the tub begin to fill. He waited. Jesse should be poking through the tray of fancy salts and bubble baths -- he loved that stuff.
Less than a minute later, Jesse was back. This time he held a small velvet box in his hand, and he looked back and forth between it and Luke. He opened his mouth, but only managed to get out, “
Wha
...?”
“Cat got your tongue?” Luke’s heart began pounding lightly in his chest, and his mouth was suddenly dry. What if this had been a bad idea?
Jesse knelt on the bed beside him. “Luke, is this ...? Are you ...?”
Taking the box from Jesse’s hand, Luke opened it. Inside were two white gold bands. “I thought maybe it was time. I know we’re already committed, but I just thought it would be nice to make it official. Well, as official as possible considering we can’t legally get married.” Luke realized he was starting to ramble, and stopped.
“I don’t know what to say.”
Say yes
. “It’s okay if you don’t want to. It was just an idea.” Luke’s face flushed.
Jesse blinked in surprise. “Why wouldn’t I want to?”
“I don’t know; I don’t want to pressure you.” Luke sat up against the pillows and tried not to fidget.
The seconds ticked by as Jesse watched him, a smile finally dawning slowly on his face. “You really think I’d say no?”
“I ... I don’t know. Does that mean you’re saying yes?”
“Of course I’m saying yes, you idiot.”
The relief had barely set in before Jesse practically threw himself into Luke’s arms. They kissed and laughed, everything else forgotten as they explored each other, hands and mouths roaming, bodies straining together. Jesse was sucking enthusiastically on Luke’s cock when Luke suddenly realized that the sound that had faded into the background was the water still running in the bathroom.
They spent the next ten minutes mopping up the bathroom floor with every available towel, and Luke prayed that the water hadn’t seeped into the room below. He wondered what kind of insurance his credit card had, and whether it would count flooding one of the most expensive hotel rooms in Paris.
Then they dug around in the sheets for their rings, which had been flung aside when Jesse accepted the proposal. Luke found one near the foot of the bed and lifted it up triumphantly. “With the luck we’re having this morning, maybe you should put this on for safekeeping.”
Jesse was lost under the bedding, and popped up a moment later, the other, slightly bigger ring in his hand. “Not a bad idea.”
Taking Jesse’s left hand, Luke slid the ring onto his finger. Jesse did the same with Luke’s ring, smiling widely. “I love you.”
Luke kissed him, and murmured softly. “I love you, too.” He couldn’t imagine his life without Jesse. Hoped he never had to.
When Luke woke again a couple of hours later, the sun was much higher in the sky. He knew they should get up and get ready to travel to London. Start the whole process of trying to win a Grand Slam tournament again: warm-up event; media interviews; working out and practicing on a precise schedule. He’d done it countless times over the years, and Jesse would do it countless more.
Jesse snored lightly, his breath warm and wet on Luke’s neck. They really should get up -- the real world was waiting. Instead, Luke closed his eyes and held Jesse tighter as he drifted back to sleep.
Just five more minutes.
Keira
Andrews
When not writing love stories, obsessing over her favorite TV shows, or spending far too much time online,
Keira
makes her living as a copywriter in Toronto. A passionate world traveler, she has a weakness for road trips, and it doesn’t take much to convince her to get behind the wheel and crank the stereo up. She once drove to
Keira
also loves to read, watch movies, work out, and eat (although not necessarily in that order).
Visit
Keira
on the Web at www.keiraandrews.com.
To read more about the characters and their world, check out
Love Match
by
Keira
Andrews:
The real action is off the
court ...
The only thing on Luke
Rossovich's
mind is winning pro tennis tournaments. That is, until the day Jesse McAllister shows up in the locker room. Luke can't get the young blond out of his head, and soon they team up on the doubles court. Before Luke knows it, he's letting Jesse into his bed -- and his heart.
Jesse doesn't see why they have to hide who they are from the world, but Luke has been in the closet for years. He's a household name with millions in endorsements to think about - no way is he going to admit to being gay. But as his secret relationship with Jesse deepens, the rules of the game Luke's played so well suddenly seem to be
changing ...
Publisher's Note: This story contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: homoerotic sex (m/m).
Love Match
is available at Loose Id®
