“But I’m serious.” I pressed my lips together. “Do you… has this been something that’s been on your mind? Do you want to talk about it?”
He grabbed my thigh and squeezed. “No.” The look he gave me weaved heat through my insides until I was shifting on my seat. “Z, I don’t care what junk you have. I’m not going to worry about it. I loveyou. Was it strange to have feelings for you? Yeah, but not because you’re a guy, but because you’re my best friend. I was worried about hurting you.”
“It took a while for you to want to fuck me,” I pointed out, not cruelly, I hoped.
“Because I didn’t want to hurt you and what we have. I didn’t want to rush this and make it about sex. Before I made love to you, I wanted to make sure I could do this without being another guy who broke your heart.”
“I would never think you’d hurt me,” I said. I grasped his hand and raised it to my mouth, then placed a kiss on the heel of his palm. “I love you, too. But it’s okay if you want to talk to Slater about it.”
He sent me a warm smile. “I will, only because I’m curious how he felt. It’s not a big deal for me, but I do have to wonder how he handled it. He may not want to talk to me about it.”
“You never know.”
Dare pulled the car into the gravel parking lot of the Sauce Pot and stopped beside Madden and Slater. They seemed to be in a hurry, so we rushed to get out. Madden waved at us to follow him as he bounded toward the door.
Slater rolled his eyes. “He loves bars,” he said nonchalantly.
We laughed and let him lead us inside. A few of the guys were already there, staking their claim on the usual row of tables they’d shoved together.
Kwan was squashed between Nicky and Harley again, with Brad on Harley’s other side. Brad waved at us as we headed over to take seats beside them, and Madden and Slater sat across from us.
“So, did you enjoy your first game?” Brad asked, grinning widely at us. I liked him. He was sweet and gentle, not the type of person who could easily scare someone, like Slater.
“It was great,” Dare answered. He laid his arm on the back of my chair and tugged me closer, and it was nice. We were a real couple. “But damn those Dolphins can play.”
“Right?” Brad shook his head. “They kick our asses every time. Worse than theGrizzlies do.”
I didn’t miss the way Kwan perked up at the name of the bear team. His eyes widened, and he shifted closer to Harley and glanced farther into the bar. I followed his line of sight and smiled when my gaze hit a few Grizzlies who’d obviously come to the game just to hang out. They were talking to a couple of the women we’d played against, laughing. One of the bears looked very familiar, and it took me a second to realize it was the same one Kwan had been eyeing up when we first went to a game. He was big, like all the Grizzlies seemed to be, and had honey-blond spiral curls that flopped around as he gestured to emphasize something he was saying.
“I… need a drink,” Kwan said quietly, but neither Nicky or Harley moved. Kwan didn’t wait for an answer as he slid out his chair, then headed to the bar. He kept glancing in the direction of the Grizzly, though.
“Who’s that?” I asked Harley, gesturing over Brad’s shoulder.
Harley followed where I was looking and chuckled. “That’s Boyd. He’s Nicky’s and Kwan’s boss.”
I thought I remembered Nicky telling me that before, but sometimes my memory for new people was terrible, especially if I’d never spoken to them.
Brad and Dare stopped talking and focused on us.
“Kwan’s got a crush,” Nicky said, leaning forward so we could see him. Glitter sparkled across his cheeks, making him appear bedazzled. “And Boyd’s got a soft spot for Kwan, too. You should see them at work. Dancing around each other like virgins.” He threw his head back and laughed, bouncing in his seat. “It’s so adorable.”
I shook my head. Now that I had Dare, I wanted other people to have their happy-ever-after as well. Everyone deserved it.
Shouting ripped our attention to Kwan, who was huddled up against the bar, arms over his head and cowering. A man stood over him, palms up and eyes wide. Silence fell, and it was so quiet I could hear the guy muttering, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
Harley, Brad, and Nicky were on their feet and over there at lightning speed. Harley curved his body over Kwan’s as though he was protecting him. Boyd, the bear boss, stood as well. He stalked over and grabbed the stranger’s shoulder, dragging him back.
The stranger stumbled and said, “I only asked if I could buy him a drink. I didn’t do anything to make him react that way.”
Kwan’s shoulders shook, and my heart ached for him. I didn’t know what had happened, but fear was etched on his face and in how he flinched away from the man.
Boyd’s cheeks were red, and he stepped between the stranger and Kwan. “Walk away.”
The stranger shook his head, muttering something I couldn’t hear, and spun on his heel. He stomped back to a table of men in the corner and kept glancing over his shoulder and glaring.
Dare and I didn’t move. We didn’t know what had happened to Kwan, and we knew it wasn’t our right to interfere, either. Harley and Nicky were already ushering him out the door, with Boyd watching pitifully, like he wanted to follow them but thought better of it.
Brad patted Boyd on the shoulder and walked over to us. He smiled sadly. “Sorry about that, guys. It’s time for us to go.”
