Page 43 of The Golden Receiver

His ankle wasn’t wrapped anymore. That had to be a good sign. Or maybe it wasn’t, and he was just stubborn and refused to keep it wrapped the way he was supposed to. He readjusted himself a little, scooting over and leaving space for me on the narrow mattress. I looked at the empty spot and then at him. He nodded, so I went over to sit on the bed. I was careful not to jostle his leg too much.

“It still hurts,” he admitted. “I’m not sure if I’ll be ready for practice tomorrow. I’ll be at film study, but then Coach Shaw wants me to be seen by the team doctor.”

There was something in his voice that raised my hackles. Maybe it was the memory of watching him get tackled and not immediately get back up. Maybe it was the memory of the look on Hopkins’ face while he was just standing there after Kieran got hurt. It wasn’t the face of someone who had just fucked up. He almost looked proud of himself. Maybe it’s just me, but if I’d been supposed to block and my teammate got hurt, I would’ve looked sheepish and been the first person by his side.

The guy who tackled him shouldn’t have had a chance to be the first hand to reach down to help our teammate up.

“Are you okay?” Kieran asked after a moment. He was looking at me weird, and that sour tinge was starting to creep into the room, emanating from him.

That combined with the gentle pressure of his hand reaching out to touch my leg brought me back to the present more than his words could. “I keep replaying that tackle in my head,” I told him with a shake of my head. “Mostly Hopkins’ face after.”

“You think he missed it on purpose, don’t you?”

I nodded, and I hated myself for it. He didn’t need me being paranoid about our teammates. He needed comfort, but he also didn’t need me to lie to him about what I thought. I had a feeling that would piss him off more than anything.

“I think he did too,” Kieran admitted. “It’s just like last week with Reyes in practice. I’m starting to think no one wants me on this team.”

Rage shot through me like a bolt. “Fuck that. I want you on the team,” I told him fiercely. “And that Marlon guy does, too. I see him watching you all the time in practice, and I noticed that he was following what you did last week during a drill. Got a ball he normally would’ve missed.” Heat rose in my cheeks. I’d clearly said too much, but now that I’d started, I couldn’t stop. “Wes and Eric have had nothing but good to say about you all season. Except after the first game, but that wasn’t just you, you know? And I’ve heard Coach Shaw compliment you like fifty times. If a few people don’t want you here, fuck them.”

When I finally dared to look back over at Kieran, his eyes were wide. I don’t think he was expecting that outburst. I know I hadn’t expected to make it. After a moment of silence, Kieran shook his head. “I just… I’m starting to wonder if I should have come to Creelin at all. I was doing good at my old school. Might not have had a bunch of friends, but my team depended on me. They trusted me to make the plays we needed, and they sure as hell didn’t try to sabotage me.”

My heart ached for him. I hadn’t realized how hard it had been on him. He’d mentioned feeling out of place once, being the only human on the team had to feel a little weird, but I hadn’t realized just how hard it could be for him. I hadn’t realized how it made him feel. I reached down and covered the hand he had left next to my leg with mine.

The moment my hand made contact with his, he looked up. Our eyes connected like magnets, and I couldn’t look away. We’d touched each other before, but it had never been like this. It had always been heated and passionate, a means to an end. A way to get each other off when we were too riled up with each other. It never felt emotional before.

“I want to kiss you,” I told him softly, “but I don’t want to hurt your ankle.”

“You won’t hurt my ankle,” Kieran assured me. His voice was just as soft as mine.

I was still careful when I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. The kiss was as soft as our voices had been, as soft as the touch between our hands. It was different, the kind of kiss we’d never shared before. Even though it was feather light, I felt it down to the tips of my toes. I felt flutters through my entire body, and I swear I felt goosebumps from that kiss. I hadn’t expected that.

I mean, I knew I had a bit of a thing for him, but this? This felt like potential. This felt like more than a little crush on my teammate.

It jolted me enough to pull away from the kiss, but I couldn’t stop looking at Kieran. He looked softer than I’d ever seen him. His eyes were half-closed, and there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. It was so opposite of what he’d just said he was feeling. I wanted to do whatever I could to keep that look on his face. No, I wanted to turn that small smile into a full one that lit up his entire face.

I bet he would be breathtaking with that kind of smile.

“Kiss me again,” he requested.

I was powerless to resist.

This time, when I kissed him, he opened his mouth and pried my lips apart with his tongue. He pulled me in closer. I felt the heat of his bare chest through my shirt, the weight of his arms around my waist. I shifted on the mattress, trying to move carefully so I didn’t jostle his ankle. He pulled away.

“I’m not breakable,” he reminded me. There was that hint of annoyance in his voice that I’d heard a thousand times before.

He sounded like himself.

“I know,” I assured him. “I know you’re not breakable, but I’m trying not to hurt you.”

“It’s a twisted ankle, Evander.”

He didn’t wait for me to argue before he crashed his mouth back against mine. He pulled me down until I was almost on top of him, twisting at the waist. It wasn’t the most comfortable position I’d ever been in, but I didn’t care. Not when he was kissing me like this.

When Kieran’s hands drifted down my side to the bottom of my shirt, I broke the kiss long enough for him to pull it off. He dropped it off the side of his bed and into the sea of clothing that was already on his floor. His hand touched my chest, his fingers brushing over my nipples. I let out a soft breath. “You’re so hot,” he whispered.

“Thank you,” I teased. I was never going to refuse a compliment from an attractive man. Especially since I’d never particularly thought of myself as too hot when I was shirtless. I was covered in freckles, and there had been a few guys that hadn’t been too impressed by that.

“No,” he grumbled, running his thumb over my chest. “I mean, yes, but that’s not what I meant. Your skin is really hot. It always is.”