I did as he asked. “You and Jackson been playing together long?” I wanted to get back to the age thing.
Beau clucked his tongue against the roof of his tongue. “You’re curious about how old I am.” He dragged his fingers through my hair, causing me to bite back a moan. “I’m thirty-eight.” His hands paused on my head. “Does that bother you?”
“Should it?” I turned to look at him, his blue eyes hooded with desire. “You think being with someone older would be a problem for me?”
Beau shrugged. “It’s more than a few years. Turn back around so I can finish.” I did as he asked, and neither one of us spoke again until he was done. “You need to wait thirty minutes before rinsing this out.”
I felt him move away from me, and I stood up, then turned around. “I’ve been with older women,” I blurted. Beau’s back went rigid. “Age is just a number, man. I don’t care.”
His eyes met mine in the mirror again, but he didn’t say anything as he peeled off the gloves, then washed his hands in the sink. Then he left me standing alone in the bathroom.
Chapter Two
Beau
Ihad to calm myself down before I did something stupid. Like kiss this obviously very straight man standing in my hotel room. It wasn’t like I had kidnapped him and brought Dean here against his will. I knew that this was a bad idea. That if we fooled around, both Jackson and Maverick were going to be upset. Dean and I were going to have to see one another again. My teammate was engaged to his brother. There was the wedding to think about, games that Dean was more than likely to attend, and—
“Everything all right?” Dean asked.
I turned. He was standing in the living area of my hotel room in nothing but his jeans and sneakers. I let my gaze sweep over his muscular shoulders, taking in his thick biceps, and down his chiseled chest. He had a flat, toned stomach, and when my eyes moved back up, they picked up the glint of silver shimmering in both of his pink nipples. Holy shit. He hadn’t mentionedthose.
I shook my head. “This was a mistake, Dean.” I dragged both my hands through my hair. “I shouldn’t have invited you here, approached you at the celebration party, and I think you should probably leave.” I was terrified of what might happen if I touched him. That I wouldn’t be able to control myself.
His brows shot up. “Like this?” He pointed to the dye in his hair. “I can’t just go out there with bleach in my hair, man. Can’t I at least wash it out first?”
“Yeah, sure, fine.” I kept my eyes on my feet. “I’ll let you do that by yourself.”
Dean shuffled closer. “Did I say something wrong? Or upset you somehow?” When I finally met his green eyes, I saw concern in them. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything,” I assured him. “Don’t apologize for something if it’s not your fault.”
A smirk spread over his face, and shit, he was hot. I saw the resemblance to his brother, but Dean was in a league of his own. Maverick had a more feminine, beautiful look to him. Not Dean, though. Dean was all man, with a sharp jawline and more muscles on his body. Just the way I liked them. He was shorter than me, but I was used to that. I preferred it.
“Are you trying to parent me right now?” He chuckled. “Is this like a kink? You want me to call you Daddy?”
Lust pulsed in my veins as I pictured for a moment what it would be like to be with him. The way his skin would feel beneath the palms of my hands. Letting me fuck him into the bed until neither one of us could breathe.
“Don’t,” I growled.
He closed his mouth with a snap. “I’ll just go wait in the bathroom.” He turned and left me alone with my thoughts.
I had done the curiosity thing with men before. More times than I wanted to admit, and it was always the same thing.Thanks, but no thanks. I’m just not into you like that, Beau. I scrubbed my hand down my face. Dean wasn’t going to be any different. He would break my heart just like the others before him, only this time I would have to see him again. His brother and my teammate were together. Hell, they were engaged now, and I would have to face Dean at their wedding, get togethers, and anything else I was invited to.
“Fuck.” I sighed before I found myself following him.
Dean was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, scrolling through his phone. When he looked up at me, he gave me a shysmile. “Come to kick me out?” His face softened, and it made him look much younger than he was.
“I shouldn’t... That was uncalled for,” I told him. “I invited you here and offered to help you. I’m a man of my word, so I’ll finish what I started.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “That’s not what I meant. We, we can’t happen.”
Dean stood up. “Did Jackson text you again or something?” His green eyes narrowed. “He has no right. I’m a consenting adult.”
“No, Dean, it’s me. I don’t want to end up hurt when I can’t have you. Not the way I want.”
“I wouldn’t hurt you.”
I nodded. “Maybe not on purpose, but it’ll happen. You’re straight. Probably had a high school sweetheart back at home? One you shared all your firsts with?” He blushed, and I felt my stomach dip. Yeah, absolutely not. “Friends, then.”
“What about what I want, Beau?” My name on Dean’s lips made goosebumps break out over my skin. “What if I want whatever this is between us? I don’t... You just... Fuck, you make me feel weird.”
