this.
Later, having showered and gotten distracted, ending up with Josh on his knees as Ryan tried not to drown under the combined onslaught of the water and Josh’s wickedly talented mouth, they’d gone to the hotel restaurant for supper. Several people Ryan recognized either nodded to them or spoke briefly, but they were left alone. Ryan was surprised; he’d thought that without his army around him, Josh would be chatting to people he knew. This suited Ryan far better, though, having all of Josh’s attention on him. They talked a bit about Indian Wells, about how it was an uneasy balance between natural beauty and man-made showiness, and how playing in California must be like playing in his backyard for Josh, but mostly they just kept catching one another’s eye and trying not to smile.
Back in Ryan’s room, Josh took a deep breath before sitting down in the hard-backed chair by the desk. “We need to sort some stuff out before the tournament.”
Ryan sat down on the couch. “Sure,” he said, and waited for Josh to take the lead on this, because Josh obviously had something on his mind.
“If we’re drawn to play one another, there’s to be no contact from that point on,” Josh said. “Not until after the match.”
That sounded pretty over-the-top to Ryan, but if that was what Josh wanted, he’d go along with it. “Okay.”
“When we do play each other, I will be playing to win. No holds barred.”
The look in Josh’s eyes froze Ryan for an instant. There was something hard there, something he’d never seen before and really didn’t like. He determinedly shook off his reaction and concentrated on what it was Josh had said. Then he got pissed.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he said through gritted teeth. “Just be warned, I’ll be playing to win too.”
Josh nodded slightly as he surveyed Ryan.
“Anything else while you’re at it?” Ryan queried, and it wasn’t his fault if it came out as decidedly snippy. He reckoned he should be getting props for not adding a mocking “Your Majesty” to his question.
Josh tensed in his chair. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
“This?” Ryan gestured between Josh and himself. “ This was a great idea. Ground rules are a good idea. I’m just not so keen on the way you’re behaving like Genghis Khan all of a sudden.” His brow wrinkled as he realized exactly what he’d just said. “Uh, well, so maybe you haven’t invaded China yet, but with that attitude it’s just a matter of time.”
Josh looked hopelessly confused. “Invaded China? What the hell are you talking about? Your brain is weird sometimes.”
And thank God, Ryan’s out-loud brain burp meant that Josh was back. The Josh who Ryan knew, not the stranger who’d been sitting rigidly in that chair a minute ago.
“There’s no need to be insulting just because you can’t keep up with the lightning speed of my synapses,” Ryan said.
“I think the problem is the speed of your mouth. It outruns your brain.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining about my mouth earlier,” Ryan reminded him, remembering just how Josh had gone to pieces under him as Ryan had given him a drawn-out and extremely thorough blow job on the bed as payback for the one in the shower.
With that, they were back on familiar ground, and the slight discordance was swiftly pushed to one side. But as Ryan lay next to Josh in bed later, sleep didn’t come quite as easily as usual. He’d seen a new side to Josh tonight, and he hadn’t liked it. Although, as Josh, already fast asleep, nuzzled against his shoulder like it was the comfiest pillow he’d ever had, Ryan couldn’t remember quite why he’d been so unsettled. He cursed Josh out for the stubble burn he was causing, but quietly, so he wouldn’t wake him. When Ryan finally fell asleep, he was holding Josh close.
R YAN had a match-free day, so after practice, he watched Josh beat Tommy again—it really was Tommy’s bad luck to
Later, having showered and gotten distracted, ending up with Josh on his knees as Ryan tried not to drown under the combined onslaught of the water and Josh’s wickedly talented mouth, they’d gone to the hotel restaurant for supper. Several people Ryan recognized either nodded to them or spoke briefly, but they were left alone. Ryan was surprised; he’d thought that without his army around him, Josh would be chatting to people he knew. This suited Ryan far better, though, having all of Josh’s attention on him. They talked a bit about Indian Wells, about how it was an uneasy balance between natural beauty and man-made showiness, and how playing in California must be like playing in his backyard for Josh, but mostly they just kept catching one another’s eye and trying not to smile.
Back in Ryan’s room, Josh took a deep breath before sitting down in the hard-backed chair by the desk. “We need to sort some stuff out before the tournament.”
Ryan sat down on the couch. “Sure,” he said, and waited for Josh to take the lead on this, because Josh obviously had something on his mind.
“If we’re drawn to play one another, there’s to be no contact from that point on,” Josh said. “Not until after the match.”
That sounded pretty over-the-top to Ryan, but if that was what Josh wanted, he’d go along with it. “Okay.”
“When we do play each other, I will be playing to win. No holds barred.”
The look in Josh’s eyes froze Ryan for an instant. There was something hard there, something he’d never seen before and really didn’t like. He determinedly shook off his reaction and concentrated on what it was Josh had said. Then he got pissed.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” he said through gritted teeth. “Just be warned, I’ll be playing to win too.”
Josh nodded slightly as he surveyed Ryan.
“Anything else while you’re at it?” Ryan queried, and it wasn’t his fault if it came out as decidedly snippy. He reckoned he should be getting props for not adding a mocking “Your Majesty” to his question.
Josh tensed in his chair. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
“This?” Ryan gestured between Josh and himself. “ This was a great idea. Ground rules are a good idea. I’m just not so keen on the way you’re behaving like Genghis Khan all of a sudden.” His brow wrinkled as he realized exactly what he’d just said. “Uh, well, so maybe you haven’t invaded China yet, but with that attitude it’s just a matter of time.”
Josh looked hopelessly confused. “Invaded China? What the hell are you talking about? Your brain is weird sometimes.”
And thank God, Ryan’s out-loud brain burp meant that Josh was back. The Josh who Ryan knew, not the stranger who’d been sitting rigidly in that chair a minute ago.
“There’s no need to be insulting just because you can’t keep up with the lightning speed of my synapses,” Ryan said.
“I think the problem is the speed of your mouth. It outruns your brain.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining about my mouth earlier,” Ryan reminded him, remembering just how Josh had gone to pieces under him as Ryan had given him a drawn-out and extremely thorough blow job on the bed as payback for the one in the shower.
With that, they were back on familiar ground, and the slight discordance was swiftly pushed to one side. But as Ryan lay next to Josh in bed later, sleep didn’t come quite as easily as usual. He’d seen a new side to Josh tonight, and he hadn’t liked it. Although, as Josh, already fast asleep, nuzzled against his shoulder like it was the comfiest pillow he’d ever had, Ryan couldn’t remember quite why he’d been so unsettled. He cursed Josh out for the stubble burn he was causing, but quietly, so he wouldn’t wake him. When Ryan finally fell asleep, he was holding Josh close.
R YAN had a match-free day, so after practice, he watched Josh beat Tommy again—it really was Tommy’s bad luck to
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