Page 48 of Go Deep

I jog up my front steps, stab in the alarm code, and twist my key in the door. Light floods the massive foyer once I step inside.

Vince lets out a low whistle. “Nice digs.”

“Yeah, the pay doesn’t suck as an NFL quarterback, that’s for sure.” The Cincinnati Crusaders aren’t top in the league, but they paid a pretty penny for me. And they expect a Super Bowl win for their investment. No pressure at all, right? It’s not like there’s the threat of a career-crushing and life-ending disease hanging over my head or anything.

“You want a beer?” I need one right about now, especially after what I just heard outside.

“Sounds good.” Vince follows me into the kitchen and lounges against the white marble countertop while I pop the tops off two bottles of Stella Artois. I hand one to him and take a long gulp from my own.

This time, I’m gonna keep my mouth shut. I’m waiting for him to tell me what he wants, even if it takes all night for him to admit it. I’m not saying a single word?—

He puts his bottle on the counter behind him, then takes mine and sets it next to his. Before I can make sense of what the hell is happening, his thick, muscled arms wind around me, his lips crushing against mine in a kiss so demanding and so desperate, it makes my heart swell and my balls tighten.

I fist the back of his t-shirt, tugging the fabric when he nips my lower lip. His stubble scratches my skin as our kiss deepens. I moan into his mouth, his hard shaft pressing against me. I rotate my hips against him, the friction of our cocks rubbing against each other enough to drive me fucking insane.

He digs his fingertips into my back, grinding against me. I melt into him, breathless, desire blazing through my insides. His hot tongue, tinged with the faint taste of peppermint, coils with mine. I’ve never been so consumed by another person…so lost and at the same time, so unwilling to be found.

“Fuck, that was hot.” I lean back against the counter once we break away from one another, panting as I try to wrap my head around what just happened. Hot doesn’t even begin to describe the sensations rippling through me, and I want more. Hell, I want everything from this man.

Vince’s hands drop from my back. He steps away, looking a little shell-shocked, if I’m being honest. Goosebumps prickle my skin, anticipation knotting my stomach.

Still no response. No acknowledgement at all? Of the fucking kiss to end all kisses?

“Okay, what the hell, Vince? You came here to prove something to yourself, right? To take me for a test drive, see if you really do like dick?” I grit my teeth and push past him. “From the look on your face, I think you just realized what a fucking mistake you just made. Am I right?”

My heart clenches. He can’t even look me in the eye.

The sting of rejection, something I’ve never actually experienced because I never allowed myself to get in that deep,makes me sound like a total asshole right now. A scorned asshole. But I can’t stop myself from word vomiting because that goddamn kiss just ruined me for life. It may not have meant anything to him, but to me?

It marked the first time I actually wanted to lose myself in someone else, the first time I actually felt something for another person beyond pure animal lust. Knowing that it’s entirely one-sided fucking sucks. I wish I’d never taken the leap and invited him here. I wish I’d never gotten his name from Neil and gone to his office for that first meeting. I wish I’d never heard of Vince fucking Castro.

Because it’s damn clear he got the answer he was looking for…and realized what a huge mistake he just made in the process.

Chapter 20

Vince

“Ihave to go.” I barely hear my own words since they’re muffled by the blood rushing between my temples.

“Youwhat?”

My chest tightens. I can’t even raise my eyes to look at him. If I do, he’ll see right through me…everything I’m feeling, everything I’m too afraid to acknowledge. I’m not ready for that.

Maybe I won’t ever be.

I took the leap, made my move thinking I was claiming control of the situation. Finally facing my fears, confronting my feelings, and asserting my dominance.

Claiming power over my life and my actions, grasping some shred of control.

I figured I could handle whatever it turned out to be.

I was dead wrong.

I wasn’t prepared for what electrified me at my deepest level. I’d experienced jolts of lust and need and yearning before, but they were faint blips on a radar compared to the sensations that assaulted me when Gabe’s hot and hungrymouth pressed against mine, demanding everything I was willing to give.

And more than anything, I wanted to offer it up to him.

Then I freaked the fuck out because the realization of what I’ve been missing is so goddamn otherworldly that I don’t know how I can live without it now that I’ve had a taste.

---