Page 24 of Praised By the Cornerback

Then he leans in and kisses me.

For a second, my brain just… stops. Goes completely blank. His soft lips are on mine, and there’s stubble scratching against my chin and jaw. It’s strange. Different from kissing a girl, and the stubble is definitely weird.

But underneath the strangeness, it fits. Like a lock turning, a door I didn’t know was closed swinging open.

I kiss him back.

The second I do, Adrian groans into my mouth, and his arms come up to wrap around me, pulling me in close. One hand slides into my hair, cradling the back of my head, and the other presses flat against my lower back.

I’m surrounded by him. His body against mine, his mouth moving over mine, unhurried, his hands holding me as if he’s afraid I’ll pull away. The stubble I thought would be weird feels good now, a pleasant burn that grounds me in the moment.

My hands find his waist, fisting in his T-shirt, and I pull him closer. He makes another sound, something between a groan and a sigh, and kisses me deeper. His tongue sweeps across my bottom lip, asking permission, and I open for him without hesitation.

The kiss turns hotter, messier. His tongue slides against mine and I shiver, heat pooling low in my belly. I’ve kissed plenty of people before. I’m not inexperienced. But this feels different. More intense. Like every nerve ending in my body has woken up and decided to pay attention.

Adrian’s hand tightens in my hair, tugging just enough to tilt my head back, and he kisses me like he’s trying to memorize the taste of me, like he’s been thinking about this as much as I have, even if I wasn’t ready to admit it.

I’m hard. The realization hits me in the middle of the kiss, my cock straining against my jeans. I’m kissing a man and I’m turned on and none of this makes sense, but I don’t care. I just want more.

When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard. Adrian’s forehead rests against mine, his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Connor,” he says, my name barely more than a whisper.

I don’t say anything. I just kissed Adrian Vega, and the panic I keep waiting for doesn’t come.

There’s a lot I don’t have figured out, and maybe I won’t for a while: why I really came here instead of staying with Isla, what happens when we walk out of this room. But none of that feels as urgent as the question neither of us has said out loud yet.

I’m pressed against him, hard against his hip, waiting for him to ask it.

8

Adrian

“How far do you want to go?”

My voice is wrecked, scraped raw by want. I need to know where this is going before I lose what’s left of my control.

Connor doesn’t hesitate. “I want everything.”

The answer lands low in my gut. I have to close my eyes for a second and breathe through the heat rolling through my body. When I open them again, he’s still watching me with that same intensity.

“Connor.” I need to be sure he understands what he’s asking for. “Have you ever been with a man before?”

“No.” He swallows hard, his throat working. “Have you?”

“Yes.” I hold his gaze. “I’m bi.”

“I heard,” he admits. “Cole mentioned it.”

“And?”

His hands tighten on my waist. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

He is, and I believe he means it. But then his face changes, uncertainty creeping in at the edges.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

He huffs out a breath, glancing away. “It’s stupid.”