Down by Contact (The Barons 2)

The EMT’s eyes bugged out of his head. I ignored him and kept my eyes on Adrián, wondering . . . how much of this was real. Maybe I was dreaming. Maybe this was a symptom of whatever was wrong with me.

“Don’t worry,” Adrián said, stroking my hand. “Like I said, they’ll fine me or they’ll release me, and I’ll go free agent. To be honest, I hope they go that route. Fuck them. All of them.”

“But—you told . . . How . . . ?”

“Because I’m tired of lying and hiding. And if they don’t want me back because I’m a big bisexual linebacker, then fuck ’em.” Adrián winked. “’Sides, like I said, I’m about to move in with you. You can be my sugar daddy.”

This time it was my laugh bordering on hysteria. “You crazy bastard.”

“I know, right? But Rocky had it coming. He was gunning for you.”

“Yeah. I believe it.”

Adrián held my gaze, his sweaty hand still holding mine.

“They said you’ll be fine, Simeon. You answered all their questions, counted all the right numbers, and you never once showed any confusion. This is just precaution.”

It was exactly what I needed to hear, and it was exactly what the trainers had been saying for the past several minutes, but somehow coming from him . . . I believed it. Because Adrián, my beautiful brash asshole of a lover, wouldn’t lie to me. He’d mock me, tease me, and challenge me, but he wouldn’t lie to me. And I knew there was no way he would be able to smile right now if my career was about to end with an illegal hit from a homophobe with a weird vendetta.

“I’m glad you’re here,” I whispered. “Even though you’re giving them a reality TV show right now.”

Adrián looked up at the EMT. He turned his face sideways, suspicious. “You filming?”

“Uh. No.” The guy looked at us both and scooted towards the front.

“Good looking out,” Adrián said to his back.

“Don’t be a pain in the ass,” I muttered. “You’re not even supposed to be here.”

“I know, but I have to be here. I wouldn’t have been able to function without knowing you were okay.” Adrián squeezed my hand tighter. “I was scared. Really scared. So if I’m able to say you’re fine, it’s because the trainers managed to convince me. And I was a wreck.”

“A wreck how?”

“Crying. Shaking. Like . . . in front of the country and probably on twenty thousand GIFs by now. We better be trending.”

“Oh shit.”

“Right?” Adrián rolled his eyes at himself, grinning wryly. “But guess what the good news is?”

“How is there any kind of good news?”

“Gavin Brawley probably thinks I’m pretty cool. Considering how he stonewalled me on Thanksgiving, I think that’s a step up.”

He’d declared his love for me on national television, and now he was worrying about what Gavin thought. This had to be a fever dream.

“This isn’t a real conversation. Can’t be.”

“It is.” Adrián rubbed my hand, grinning down at me. “And you know what else is gonna be real? Me getting you home in one piece so I can play Nurse Bravo.”

“Kinky-sounding. Maybe take it easy tonight since I’m down for the count.”

His face clouded over at that, red eyes narrowing at me. “Don’t joke. If your trainers say you’re fine, then you’re fine. Above anyone, those guys are the only people I trust with your life. Well, and Gavin and Marcus. And your mom.”

My mother. Fuck. She’d gone home and must have been freaking out.

“I need to call—”

“I texted her as soon as I talked to the trainers and right before I conned my way onto this ambulance.”

I relaxed on the stretcher. Tension I hadn’t even realized was still inhabiting my aching body released, and the pain eased up a little more.

“Thank you. You’re scoring all the brownie points with my loved ones today, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, but what about with you?” He went back to stroking my hand as his voice dropped lower. “Are you pissed about all this? I know I just took matters into my own hands, went full speed ahead with my mouthing off and rage, but I couldn’t help it.”

“Why?” I asked softly. “All I’m worried about is how this will affect you.”

“I know.” Adrián sighed. He wiped his eyes, but his eyelashes were still clumped together from moisture. “This just matters to me more, Simeon. Being here with you. At the end of the day, there’s only one of you. I needed to know you were okay. And not because of a tweet or a news report or a rumor. I needed to see it. To see you.”

How was this real? So much of it seemed like a dream, but there was no way the feel of those rough, callused hands was anything but reality.

“Kiss me,” I whispered. “Please?”