“Listen up!” I shouted, my voice commanding the space the way it did from the pitcher’s mound. I felt Ozzie step up beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. “There’s a video going around. You’ve all seen it. You’ve all been chirping about it.”
I looked Miller dead in the eye, then scanned the faces of the men I’d bled and sweated with for years.
“It’s not a joke. And it’s not a ‘distraction.’ Ozzie and I are together. We’ve been together. And Coach Henderson just told us he doesn’t fucking ‘tolerate’ people like us on his team.”
A low murmur broke out, but I cut through it.
“I’ve spent five years leading this team. I’ve put my arm on the line for every one of you. And Ozzie has played his heart out since the day he got called up. If you’ve got a problem with who we love, say it to my fucking face right now. But if you’re here to win a pennant, then you stand with us. Because we aren’t fucking hiding anymore.”
The tension in the room snapped like a broken bat, replaced by a roar of laughter and cheers that nearly shook the walls.
“Son of a bitch! I fucking knew it, didn’t we boys!!” Miller shouted, slamming his hand down on the poker table so hard the chips jumped. He surged to his feet, a massive, shit-eating grin plastered across his face. “I knew it all along!!”
He marched over to us, and for a second, I braced for the worst—but he just wrapped his arm around my neck and pulled me into a rough headlock, before doing the same to Ozzie. The rest of the guys were hollering, whistling, and throwing towels.
“You guys are the worst liars in the league! We knew you were gay!” one of the relief pitchers yelled from the couch.
“We saw you two ‘practicing’ in the cages at midnight. Who practices bunts for two hours?”
“And the bus?” another guy chimed in. “Ryan, you looked like you’d seen a ghost every time Ozzie walked past. We were just waiting for you to grow some stones and admit it.”
They fucking knew all along?
I looked at Ozzie, and the relief on his face was so pure it made my chest ache. The fear that had been clouding his eyes for days was gone, replaced by a bright smile. He wasn’t the “replaceable rookie” anymore. He was one of us. And he wasmine.
“So…” Miller said, finally letting us go but keeping a hand on both our shoulders. “If Coach Henderson has a problem with the best middle-infield duo in the league, he’s got a fucking problem with all of us. Right, boys?”
“Damn right!”
“Not on our fucking watch!”
“Lindson and Ford for life!”
“We play for the jersey, and we play for each other,” Miller said, his voice turning serious for a split second. “The front officecan say what they want, but they can’t win games without us. We’ve got your backs. Always.”
* * *
For the first time that night, I wasn’t afraid if people heard Ozzie and I have sex as boyfriends. The fear and the lingering doubt that had plagued me for so long, had finally dissolved, replaced by a fierce, possessive joy.
I love this man. And I’m not afraid to say it.
Ozzie lay beneath me, his skin slick with sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead. His eyes, usually bright, were now glazed with a mixture of lust and surrender. The dim light of the bedside lamp cast long shadows across our hotel room, highlighting the curve of his back, the taut muscles of his thighs. He was beautiful and tonight, he wasmine.
“Come for me, baby.” I rasped, my voice thick with desire, thrusting my dick into his ass. The sensation was a perfect fit. “Be a good boy and come for me.”
I could feel the tension building in him, the tremors that ran through his body. His breath hitched, his fingers digging into the sheets. He was on the edge, teetering to release.
Ozzie obeyed, his body arching, his back straining against the mattress. A guttural moan escaped his lips as he spurted cum, a hot, thick stream that pulsed against my cock. The sound, the sight, the feeling of his climax against me, sent a jolt of pure pleasure through my own body.
“That’s my fucking good rookie.” I whispered, my voice raw with satisfaction. I held him close and savoring the moment of just us.
After we cleaned up, the air still thick with the lingering scent of sex and sweat, I wrapped my strong arms around his waiston the bed. His back was pressed against my chest, his warmth seeping into me. The rise and fall of his chest against my own was a comforting rhythm. This is perfect. Just him with me, and my heart complete.
I kissed the back of his neck, my lips tracing the curve of his ear. He shivered. I loved the way he responded to my touch, the way his body seemed to anticipate my every move.
“You okay?” I murmured, my voice barely a whisper.
He nodded, his voice muffled against my chest. “Yeah. More than okay, Cap.”