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It had the desired effect—the tension around Alex’s eyes eased slightly. “Oliver would kill us.”
“As our captain, Oliver will understand that sometimes, it takes unorthodox methods to get the job done.”
“You are so full of shit.” Yet the upwards quirk to Alex’s mouth was more noticeable now, and when Lee pulled him in for a kiss, Alex turned into it, the pace languid. Even as they separated, it wasn’t by much, foreheads resting together, breathing.
“Want to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?” Lee asked softly.
Alex sighed. “Nothing you wouldn’t have guessed already. Could all be over tonight, you know?”
“Could be.” Lee let their noses brush as he nodded. “We might lose and come home to a barrage of criticism. Been there, done that.”
“That’s not helping.”
“I think it is. It’s a possibility, so might as well get it out there, right? After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is scarier than Lord Voldemort.”
A near-smile. “Nerd.”
“Thank you.” Lee inclined his head. “But my actual point is—I don’t think so. This team? It’s better than four years ago. We’re ateam, not just a random assortment of players, and Kieran’s got a way of making everyone feel valued and seen, even the guys who haven’t had any playtime yet.”
Alex was silent for a beat, then he exhaled, leaning further into Lee. “You’re not too bad at pep talks.”
“Plenty of practice with my sisters.” Lee caught Alex’s mouth for a brief kiss, then kept talking against his lips. “I mean it, though—we’re good enough.You’regood enough. And you and me, babe?” He nudged Alex’s nose with his own. “We’re magic.”
“You’ve got a bright future as a motivational coach,” Alex murmured. He didn’t give Lee a chance to reply before tugging him in for another kiss, a hint of urgency now, open mouths,oh. Lee nipped at Alex’s bottom lip and momentarily lost himself in Alex’s tiny moan before he remembered that their privacy was fragile at best.
He tangled one hand in Alex’s hair, squeezed Alex’s fingers with the other as he slowly, feathery kiss by feathery kiss, pulled away. The way Alex stared at him, eyes dark and dazed, was everything.
Lee swallowed. “So, uh.”Casual.“You’ve already met Prince Joshua, right? So you can help me prepare. Is he as tall as he looks on the telly? Does he like his guys athletic?”
“You’ve got a crush on him?” The way Alex’s gaze narrowed hadn’t been part of the plan, but oh, did Lee delight in it. He bit down on the inside of his cheek to stifle a grin as he held his thumb and forefinger apart by a small margin.
“Teeny tiny bit. It’s my nobility kink, you see? The fancier the title, the more I want to get on my knees.”
“His husband might have something to say about that.” Then Alex seemed to notice the grin Lee couldn’t quite suppress anymore. “Also, are you trying to make me jealous?”
“Is it working?”
Alex didn’t reply immediately, lips pursed into a frown. “Maybe,” he said then, with a glance from underneath his lashes that made something sweetly disorienting catch in Lee’s throat.
“Well, lucky for you, I like my men a little younger than me. Say, by a couple of years or so.”
“Now you’re just taking the piss.” The corners of Alex’s mouth curled up though, and Lee pressed his thumb against the slight indentation of a dimple.
“It’s how I show my love.”Tadtoo close to the mark, so Lee tagged a cheesy grin onto the end. “But rest assured, babe, that you are the fairest of them all.”
Just as Alex was about to reply, Oliver rapped his knuckles against the glass. Alex and Lee dropped back into their separate seats moments before Jeff barged back into the compartment to announce that they’d arrive in fifteen minutes—“Let’s get this show on the road!”
Lee couldn’t help but notice that Jeff stuck close to Alex for the rest of the journey, poking and prodding him, keeping him distracted with random chatter. It was at odds with the devil-may-care image Jeff presented to the public, and it didn’t take long until Alex started smiling for real, countering Jeff’s playful insults with some of his own even as he kept glancing at Lee.
Just before they headed out onto the pitch, the distant roar of the crowd like rolling thunder, Lee bumped into Alex in a way he hoped would look like an accident. “You help me score tonight” —he lowered his voice even further, the commotion around them guaranteed to cover it up— “and I’ll consider adding a couple of fingers next time I blow you.”
Alex inhaled sharply, a challenge in his eyes when he turned his head. “Deal.”
With a grin, Lee kept walking.
Commentators liked to tell stories—amatch was either a nail-biter or it was an open-and-shut case, one team dominating the game and leaving their opponents without a chance, clear winners and dejected losers.
Reality, Lee found, was hardly ever that black or white. Yes, there was the occasional match when one team was so clearly and vastly better that a victory was a foregone conclusion. Mostly, though, there were moments when things could go either way and it was only hindsight that made the outcome seem obvious.
