What would you do if all your dreams came true on Christmas morning?<br><br>Michael Pappas has been dating football superstar Tre Griffin on the sly for nearly a year. Unfortunately, the demands of Tre’s career often keep them separated and alone.<br><br>But Tre has a plan to change all that, and showing up unannounced in Miami on Christmas Day is just the beginning of his surprises ...

First and Always

It wasn’t a long drive to the hotel, and Tre took the time to fill Michael in on the status of his ankle. The one thing Michael hated about watching Tre’s games was the possibility of injury. Every time it took him more than a couple of seconds to get up after a hard hit, Michael’s heart leapt to his throat and fear made his spine tingle. But Tre never seemed terribly worried about the possibility of serious, life-changing, career-ending injury, so Michael tried not to bring it up.


While Tre went to check in, Michael waited near the elevator. From his vantage, he could see his lover across the lobby. He wasn’t the only one watching Tre. Several people scattered from the doorways to the gift shop had their attention fixed on him, though for Tre’s part, he didn’t even seem to notice. He moved through adoring crowds all of the time and it didn’t affect him, though it was a good reminder of why Michael had to wait on the other side of the room.


Chapter 9