What he felt for Kyle was different. There was an urgency to it, a gravitational pull that was getting harder to resist. And maybe he didn’t need to resist it. Not yet, anyway.
When he returned to the bedroom, towel wrapped snugly around his waist, he found Kyle propped up on one elbow, blinking at the windows that were still covered by the blinds.
“Good morning,” Eric said.
“Morning.” Kyle’s gaze raked over Eric’s mostly naked body. “Damn. I like that outfit.”
“You’d love the Admiral’s locker room then.”
“I’m sure I would.”
Eric sat on the edge of the bed, facing him. “Sleep okay?”
“Yeah. You have great taste in beds.”
“I have great taste in everything.”
Kyle’s lips curled up, and he touched his fingers to the bottom of Eric’s towel. “You do. I wish you’d told me you were showering. I could have joined you.”
“Another time.”
“Or maybe,” Kyle said silkily as he slipped his hand under the towel. “I can get you all dirty again right now.”
Eric shuddered, but he trapped Kyle’s hand with his own, stilling it. “I have a practice to get to soon. I’ll go downstairs and make breakfast, and you can take your own shower, if you like.” He stood up, adjusting his towel over his burgeoning erection.
Kyle fell back on the pillow, defeated. “Fine,” he sighed. He grinned lazily up at him, and for a moment Eric could only stare, completely transfixed by this gorgeous creature in his bed.
“Breakfast,” he said firmly, shaking off the desire to fall back into bed and let Kyle do whatever he wanted to him. He walked swiftly to his closet, eager to cover his body and clear his mind.
Eric had two omelets with sides of tomato slices and toast made by the time Kyle came downstairs, showered and wearing his clothes from last night.
“Hi,” Eric said stiffly. “There’s coffee made.”
“Great. Thanks.” Kyle figured this was the part when Eric told him that they couldn’t do this anymore. Again.
His arm brushed against Eric as he reached for the coffee pot, and he didn’t miss the way Eric jerked away from the contact. Jesus, this was going to be awful.
“Something wrong?” Kyle asked as he poured his coffee, wanting to get this over with.
Eric gripped the counter with both hands, and Kyle waited in miserable anticipation of the rejection to come.
But what Eric said was, “Can I tell you something? I’d need you to keep it a secret, but I need to tell someone.”
What the hell?“Of course.”
Eric hesitated, seeming to brace himself, then said, “I’m retiring. At the end of this season.”
“Oh.” So maybe Eric’s mood had nothing to do with Kyle. And also, “Wow.”
Eric’s chin fell to his chest. “Yeah. It’s, um, it’s going to be hard.”
“Are you unsure about it?”
“No. I know it’s time. I just don’t want to pull the trigger, y’know? Everyone is going to make a bigthingabout it.”
Kyle placed a hand on Eric’s forearm. His muscles were tense from gripping the counter.
“They’ll miss you,” Kyle said gently.