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“That’s because we’re a team, lil bro.”

I blinked, scalded by his sincerity. My own tongue goaded by that bluntness.

“You said I was yours.”

He smiled. “I think I was referring to your dick at the time.”

It was a tease, I knew, but my stomach still twisted all the same.

“Oh.”

Jefferson sighed, though the grin remained. “But the rest of you, by extension... yeah, that’s mine, too. The dick, and the hot freshman it’s attached to.”

“Jefferson,” I whined, suddenly self-conscious.

“Am I wrong?”

I wanted to protest the “hot” part; to list off the improvements I had in mind for the rest of the semester and then my sophomore year. To make this into what it’d always become: a totaling up of my body, my muscles, my progress as an athlete. Tangible, measurable things, all so unlike the churn of confusing emotions that threatened to overwhelm me when I thought too much about my feelings for my teammates. About my feelings for one teammate in particular.

“No,” I said, softly, instead of all that. Knowing he’d understand what I was not denying.

He kissed me again - lighter, this time, a period to the heavier turn the conversation had taken - and then smacked me playfully on the ass.

“You need a shower, lil bro,” Jefferson declared, ignoring both my yelp and the murderous look I was giving him. “Hopefully everyone else is still down by the bonfire.”

Chapter Thirty-Six

Everyone else was not still down by the bonfire. Everyone else had apparently regrouped at the loose ring of tents, a reality I found myself blinking at in sweaty, cum-streaked, disheveled horror, when I emerged wearing nothing but my underwear.

Coach and his boyfriend were studiously looking at their bags, though I was pretty sure I could see a smile on Luke’s face.

Unfortunately - and unsurprisingly - my teammates were less circumspect.

Brayden strutted over, to drape his big arm around my shoulders. Stripped down to his shorts, now, and the scent of the fire clinging to him. He smirked at my wary look.

“You headed out on a jock strap hike, lil bro?”

I chewed the edge of my tongue, wishing I’d put on something slightly less revealing. At the time - my body dripping with my own load, and Jefferson’s doing its best to escape me - the thought of dirtying anything clean had seemed ridiculous. Now, that restraint was coming back to bite me.

I gestured with my towel and wash kit. “I was going to shower.”

Brayden gave an exaggerated nod, then leaned down to sniff at me noisily.

“Yeah, you do smell a little... spicy. Clearly being in nature brings something out of you, lil bro.” He winked. “Or was most of it left inside?”

I pulled away from his arm, hoping my expression said both that I was unimpressed and also unwilling to rise to the bait. Not that it seemed to have much impact on Brayden’s amusement.

“Not exactly soundproof, these tents,” Donny interjected.

His innocent look was no more convincing than Brayden’s attempt at subtlety. Maybe he realized that too, because it quickly broke into a grin.

The tent flap rustled behind me, Jefferson stepping out.

“You left your butt plug at my place,” he declared, casually, tossing the offending item to Donny.

I’d never seen a smile transform into a look of mortification so rapidly. Donny’s face flushed like a tomato.

Jefferson gave Brayden a pointed look, as if daring him to mention any more details about just how the toy had been transported.