Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 1

air, warning of oncoming rain.
    His arms ache and so do his upper thighs, like the muscles have been stretched thin and when still, snap back into place, taut and harder than before. Out of all the guys he's probably the one feeling it the most, but as he glances around as everyone gets back into position for the last play, he sees they're all feeling it. Like always, the game always gets a little too serious, a bunch of stubborn ass guys unable to back down and take a loss.
    Out of the corner of his eye, he catches Cam moving back into the line of scrimmage, pulling his arm across his chest and stretching it as he goes. He's lost his shirt too. Jace's eyes drop to the taut muscles on display, the flex of tight abs and the way the jeans fall a little too low and leave Cam's hipbones on display. He has a mole there. Right on the curve of it, and Jace's eyes fix on it and the sheen of sweat on Cam's skin.
    He drops his head back down, licking his mouth and ignoring the shiver that threatens to slide down his back. He closes his eyes.
    "You all right, Jace? Surprised you're still standing man, thought you would've lost your touch!"
    That's Seth— thank God for Seth's pain in the ass comments— pulling him out of the danger zone his thoughts were heading towards. Jace looks back up with a glare.
    "Do you ever shut up?"
    Except Cam's stopping, ball braced against his damn hip and blocking out the mole there, long fingers curved around the ball. His shoulders shake with laughter; his head is down and hiding his smile.
    "Stop baiting him, Seth, or you're gonna get a ball in the face. Quick temper, remember?" Cam says, still laughing.
    Above them, faraway thunder rolls through the sky, and he feels it in the earth beneath his feet. Time to wrap this up. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just finish this before we end up drenched." He looks up at Cam as everyone else nods and shakes loose before settling into position once more, and for a second he forgets about getting things moving.
    Cam's looking right at him.
    The laugh that had been there only a few seconds ago is gone, and there's an unexpected blankness to his face. His eyes though, the bottle green gone, replaced by an earthier shade bordering on hazel, and Jace feels the weight of it settle heavy on his chest. It's a look too serious to belong on Cam's face and out of place in the middle of their game. Jace has no clue what it means.
    Jace's palms are damp and sweat runs along the line of his spine, tickling his skin and the sky rumbles overhead again.
    That's when the first drops start falling, stark cold against heated skin that has him blinking away and breaking eye contact.
    Cam calls out. "Set! Hut! "
    Then dirt is kicking up as feet break into a run, voices rising high and shouting out demands and reminders of support in short, sharp staccato.
    He has a split second to snap out of it, to push that look from his mind. Cam stays shielded by the offensive line. Jace barely notes the soreness on his right shoulder from when he'd hit the ground hard earlier on. He'll feel that one later.
    Another rumble overhead and it's like the fucking sky opens up.
    Someone's swearing and Jace is feeling the burn in his thighs, in his calves, breath beating out of him.
    Jace goes for it. It happens fast. Ro blocks— big guy, mean looking guard— and it's like hitting a damn wall. He gets through, his attention to Cam. Rain comes into his eyes and he's got time to notice the others at his side. Cam's arm lifts, body shifting for the throw.
    He grunts as they hit the ground, grits his teeth together as his elbows scrape against the ground, forearms scratched to shit where the brunt of Cam's weight has fallen.
    Cam's under him, forehead and tightened fists on the ground, a groan deep in his chest. Jace feels the vibration of it against his cheek where his head is resting between Cam's shoulder blades.
    He's too close. Too close.
    But his arms are still locked around his twin brother and being close is good.
    "Jace, move, man. You just gonna stay there?" But there's a smile in Cam's voice, and he's lifted his head up off the ground. "Well, look at that. We won," he laughs and Jace feels that too. Their skin is slick and the laugh slides them together, and they're plastered together, chest to back, Cam's ass snug against him, firm and shifting against him. Jace shudders.
    Cam grunts, managing to get enough leverage to dig his elbow back into Jace, the jab pointy and painful against his