CHAPTER 003

[THE NEXT MORNING]

RAFAEL

The morning sun had long since risen, but you wouldn’t be able to tell with the darkness in their hotel bedroom.

Rafael was very occupied, his large hand working Oliver’s morning rod. Oliver kept moaning in pleasure, his voice cracking as he begged Rafael to go faster, but Rafael stubbornly maintained his torturously slow pace.

“Rafael, please,” Oliver gasped, his back arching off the mattress as his knuckles turned white against the headboard. “I’m so close, just—”

Oliver tried to move his body, to roll into the friction, but Rafael pinned both of Oliver's hands firmly above his head with one strong grip.

A devious grin spread across Rafael’s face as he looked down at his boyfriend.

“You take what I give, bebê,” Rafael murmured darkly.

He leaned down and claimed Oliver’s mouth, drowning out Oliver’s protests in a hot, messy kiss. His tongue slid deep, tasting him while his hand on Oliver's length finally began to speed up, pumping him with a practiced rhythm.

Oliver was an incredibly vocal partner, tossing his head side to side, whimpering loud sounds of pleasure into the quiet room.

He was hovering right on the edge of a violent release—his hips bucking, his breath hitching—when the distinct beep-click of the suite's front door echoed from outside.

Someone had come in.

Oliver’s eyes snapped wide open in shock. Rafael froze instantly, his jaw dropping.

He pulled his hand away, making Oliver let out an agonized moan of frustration.

“No, no, fuck!” Oliver whined, his voice furious as he covered his eyes with his arm. “I was so close! I’m into edging, but that’s not what I was going for right now! Who the fuck is that?!”

Rafael scrambled out of bed, grabbing his robe from the chair and tying it tightly around his waist. His mind raced through several possibilities before a sudden realization hit him, making him let out a heavy sigh.

“I think it might be Miguel,” Rafael grumbled, rubbing his temple. “He mentioned something yesterday about us going to the gym together.”

Oliver rolled his eyes hard, a dark scowl settling on his face. He hated Miguel. He continuously denied that it was out of jealousy, but they both knew the truth: it was because Rafael and Miguel had slept together once.

Granted, it was a one-night stand. A really, really stupid mistake, to be honest. Rafael had a strict rule about never fucking his teammates, so he must have been ridiculously drunk that night.

“Don’t be like that, baby,” Rafael whispered, leaning down to press a quick, reassuring kiss to Oliver's flushed forehead. “He means nothing to me.”

“Then why is he coming to your apartment at seven in the morning?!” Oliver hissed, his voice laced with rage.

“I’ll handle him and be right back. One minute. Apenas um.”

Oliver rolled his eyes again, turning his back to the door.

Rafael slipped out of the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him, and marched into the living room where Miguel was casually admiring the decor.

“What are you doing here?” Rafael asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Miguel turned around, flashing a casual smile. “I was in the area, so I decided to come see you. Besides, I didn’t forget that we were going to the gym together. Did you?”

Rafael sighed, leaning against the wall. Of course he hadn't forgotten, but... “How did you even know where I was staying?”

Miguel lifted his phone, looking at Rafael as if he were being dense. “We share locations, silly.”

In his head, Rafael made a mental note to turn that feature off the second Miguel left.

“And how did you get the code to my door?” Rafael pressed, his tone growing firmer.

Miguel smirked, leaning back against the counter. “I convinced the receptionist that we knew each other. Plus, I’m handsome, so...”

Rafael rolled his eyes, cutting him off with a sharp wave of his hand. “I don’t have time for this, Miguel. I can’t go to the gym right now. I have… someone with me.”

Initially, Miguel chuckled, shaking his head. “Who could you possibly have—oh.”

Miguel stopped mid-sentence as the realization hit him, his eyes darting toward the closed bedroom door.

Rafael gave him a nod. “Uh… yeah. This is awkward. So, you can’t stay. We were in the middle of something.”

Miguel’s posture instantly stiffened. He forced a fake smile onto his face and nodded quickly. “Oh. Sure. That’s uh… cool. I’ll see you later at training, then.”

He turned on his heel and practically rushed out of the suite, the door clicking shut behind him.

Rafael stood in the foyer, letting out an exhausted sigh. This was precisely why he never messed around with people he worked with. Seriously, how much had he drunk that night?

Shaking his head, he walked back into the bedroom, only for his jaw to drop again. Oliver was standing beside the bed, pulling his t-shirt over his head and reaching for his jeans.

“No,” Rafael groaned, stepping into the room. “Why are you dressing?”

Oliver pulled his jeans up, not looking at him. “You were pretty occupied, so—”

“Don’t be like this,” Rafael pleaded, closing the distance between them. “He’s gone now. We can spend more time together.”

Rafael moved closer, sliding his arms around Oliver’s waist from behind. He pressed his lips to the side of Oliver’s neck, kissing and licking the skin where several dark hickeys had already formed from the night before.

“We can finish what we were doing, meu amor,” Rafael whispered darkly into Oliver’s ear, his hand sliding down toward Oliver's waistband. “Come on, baby...”

Oliver let out a low groan, his body shivering for a fraction of a second before he forced himself to push Rafael’s hands away and step back.

“As much as I want to, I have to go back to my team,” Oliver said. “We can’t slack in practice.”

Rafael rolled his eyes, letting out a bitter sigh. “Of course.”

Oliver froze, narrowing his eyes as he looked up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We never get to see each other, Oliver,” Rafael said, the playful charm completely vanishing from his voice, replaced by exhaustion. “And even when we do, it’s always this... this quick, secret thing. Three years. We’ve been doing this for three years, Oliver. I don’t know... I’m just... tired.”

A flicker of hurt flashed through Oliver’s eyes. He was visibly caught off guard; Rafael had never said anything like this before. In their hidden three-year relationship, Rafael had always been the patient one, the optimistic anchor keeping them grounded.

“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way,” Oliver responded, his voice growing defensive as he pulled his hoodie over his head. “But I have a career to think about. I can’t slack off just because you want me to.”

“I have a career too,” Rafael snapped, his dark eyes flashing. “The same one you have, in fact. Stop twisting my words. I never say I want you to slack off!”

“That’s what you’re insinuating, though!” Oliver raised his voice, pulling his cap low over his blonde hair.

“You know what? Fine,” Rafael said, waving his hand dismissively as he took a step back. “You want to practice? Go. I won’t stop you.”

“Whatever,” Oliver grumbled, grabbing his large glasses from the nightstand. “I was leaving anyway.”

“Good. Have fun.”

“I will!”

“I was being sarcasm,” Rafael muttered, crossing his arms.

Oliver paused at the door, rolling his eyes as he shot a glare over his shoulder. “It’s sarcastic, dumbass!”

“Whatever.”

Oliver grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, but just as he was about to step into the hallway, he paused. He turned back around, looking at Rafael with a reluctant frown.

“So… no kiss goo—”

Before Oliver could even finish the sentence, Rafael closed the space between them in two massive strides.

He grabbed Oliver by the back of his neck and the waist, pulling him flush against his chest, and slammed his mouth over Oliver’s.

It was a fiercely possessive kiss. Their tongues clashed together in a messy tangle, angry and frustrated that neither of them could ever truly walk away from the other.