“We?”
Cam made a face as the elevator doors dinged open. He walked down the hall to his apartment. As expected, it was indeed cold and empty, that sliver of Lake Ontario barely visible out of the window.
He told himself it was fine. He wouldn’t give himself away the moment he said Dawson’s name.
“Me and a bunch of the guys. Aidan and Levi. Nate. Trevor and Lane. And Dawson too. Of course.” Then he’d had to make it awkward by tacking Dawson’s name on at the very end and treating it like him being there was special.
He flopped down on the couch, setting the phone on his stomach and turning speakerphone on.
“Dawson, huh?”
Cam groaned in the back of his throat. “Dad.”
“Just saying. He’s cute, you know? Little older than you—”
“I’m not going to propose marriage to him,” Cam interrupted.
“I wouldn’t think so. Not yet anyway. He just got divorced, didn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Cam said. Told himself to fucking shut up. But he didn’t. Of course. “Notthatrecently.”
His dad just laughed. “So it’s like that, huh?”
Cam groaned again. “Daaaad,” he whined. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“This just a crush on a hot older guy or . . .” He trailed off.
“Or what?”
Finally, his dad sounded even a tiny bit embarrassed. “You really want me to say it? I kinda thought you didn’t.”
“I don’t. Idon’t.” But he wanted to talk about it. Last night had been so unexpected, but so good. Cam had hoped that they’d eventually end up in bed together—once Dawson had actuallyseenhim, it was like he couldn’t stop looking; their chemistry so intense, soreal—but he hadn’t imagined it would happen so soon.
“Kinda sounds like you do,” Shane teased gently. “We can talk about it if you want. I know you don’t have many friends there yet.”
He wasn’t wrong. Cam did have other friends, though. Guys he’d played with. Some of his ex–friends with benefits. But even though Dawson had never really hidden his interest in both sexes, Cam felt like with everything that had happened to him last year, maybe he wouldn’t appreciate Cam spreading his private business. Even when it was only to friends who’dprobablykeep their mouths shut.
But he knew his dad would.
Besides, who was his dad gonna tell, even if he was inclined to? Mav, the bartender down at the Wagon Wheel Grill and Bar? His veterinary clients?
“It’s . . .we slept together last night,” Cam said in a rush.
“He didn’t—”
Cam knew what his dad was going to ask before he even got the whole question out. “No,” he said firmly. “It wasn’t like that at all. We’d both had a few drinks, but I wasn’t drunk. And he didn’t push me. I . . .Iprobably pushedhim.”
Shane laughed. “’Course you did.”
“And,” Cam added, “we hadtalked about it, a little. Before last night. So he knew I was . . .you know.Interested.”
“Kiddo, you’ve been crushing on that guy forever. I remember how excited you were when he signed with the Thunder this summer.”
“That was just a competency kink. He’ssogood.” But Cam heard how dreamy his tone had gotten.
It was probablynotjust a competency kink, anymore. Or if it was, it wasn’t just because Dawson was so damn good at kicking a football, it was because he was that good of a kisser and so fucking amazing with his hands . . .and his mouth . . .and his dick was just really, really great . . .
“Yeah, we get it. He’s real dishy.” His dad was laughing now. “I’m happy for you, Cam. You deserve a good guy in your life.” There was an unspokenfinallyat the end of that sentence.
