Sidelines || MxM

There's No Rush

Content Warning: This chapter contains sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.

Ethan

"Are you nervous?" Jackson asked, holding my hand and kissing it gently. I shot him an exasperated look, and I swear, if I could have drowned him in the water fountain in front of the hotel where the football team was staying, I would have. Yes, call me insane because that's exactly what I was feeling. 'Insane' was the only word that seemed to fit my state of mind at that point in my life. But let me do a quick recount of how I ended up saying yes to coming with him to Florida because, trust me, the lines were already blurred, and there was no escaping Jackson's whirlwind of madness.

***

"Oh no, no, no, I know what you're thinking, Knox," I protested, attempting to wriggle free from the arm that was still holding me in the bed as if I were his lifeline. He was stupidly big and heavy, and he gave me that look—the same one I give to my coffee every morning.

"Please come with me," he implored. Jackson dropped his phone onto the bed, and once again, he enveloped me with both arms and rested his chin on my head. "I know I'm asking a lot. I haven't even considered whether you work tomorrow, but please, say yes."

I sighed, feeling the last of my resistance start to crumble. "I don't work tomorrow. I even think I will lose my job. Kevin, the manager, has been closing every Saturday and doesn't want anybody to work either."

"Then what I need to do to convince you."

I glanced up at Jackson, his eyes searching mine for an answer. The problem was whether or not Jackson could convince me. Even though I opened up to him about what happened with Derek, my feelings towards going to a football game were still mixed up. I knew I used to love the game, yet I found myself questioning again if I was being unfair to myself by allowing my past experiences to dictate my life. It was overwhelming, but something else was overwhelming, too—something I had barely registered amid all of our heartfelt confessions and tender caresses and was the massive thing that was poking me.

I had only been vaguely aware of it until now. But when he asked his sobering question, "If I had ever been in Florida," my awareness sharpened, and suddenly, I knew exactly what I was feeling.

Heat crept up my neck.

It must've been a dead giveaway because Jackson, catching on without missing a beat, shifted his grip. His arms went from encircling me to securely holding me around the waist, effortlessly lifting me until I was sitting on top of him.

Even in the room's dim light, I could still make out every detail in his eyes, and it seemed like I could almost see the faintest trace of his beard growing. But his eyes held a light all their own, daring me to react, to feel every bit of the confusing, frustrating, and, yes, exciting tension between us.

"So this is how you want to convince me?" I tried to sound annoyed, but my voice betrayed me.

Jackson, for his part, seemed amused, his lips smirking as if he knew exactly what effect he was having on me. "Just wanted to make sure I have your full attention... in the decision-making," he said. His voice dropped an octave with a husky edge. I was trapped by his arms and by the gravitational pull of his presence.

"And what if I don't want to decide?" I shot back, trying to match his teasing tone even as my pulse raced.

"Then I guess we'll have to find a way to persuade you."

The air between us crackled with the kind of electricity that could light up a city. Jackson shifted, his hand finding its way, cupping my bottom as he moved to sit up with his back against the wall of the bed. The change in posture brought a new, undeniable awareness of his body against mine, especially with how I could feel him, his ginormous dick pressing against my butt.