“I just don’t want him jumping the gun and being cut,” Lincoln admitted. “He’s a good college player, but I’m not sure he’s ready for NAFL yet.”
“He’s ready,” I repeated with more authority in my tone. If he wasn’t, Teddy wouldn’t be asking me to find a way to help him on the down low. Teddy didn’t take risks when there could be potential fines or other sanctions from the league.
But there was something about Hunter, something he thought he wanted on his team. Unfortunately, I couldn’t breathe a word of that to Lincoln. I wanted to, as his friend, but that was a line I wasn’t willing to cross. I needed to change the subject, because the longer we talked about Hunter, the more I felt like I was keeping important information from Linc.
“Want to head into the locker room and say hey to Kendricks? They’re going to be heading out as soon as possible. Big day tomorrow.”
“You sure it’s okay for you to stay in town tonight?” Lincoln asked. Interesting, seeing as I hadn’t mentioned my changed schedule to him. A weight settled on my shoulders. Had Linc gone behind my back to get Teddy to agree to me staying here for an extra night?
I didn’t know who to trust. Couldn’t even trust myself, because there was a chance I was trying to create issues in my mind where none existed. Maybe Teddy truly believed I needed a night off since it’d been one hell of a training camp. I’d worked harder, worked my players harder, than I could remember in any previous season. I was determined to help every single one of those men reach their full potential.
And Linc had always given me breathing space when I asked for it, even if it killed him. Killed the potential for us. Yeah, I was definitely blowing things out of proportion in my own mind. This was all a happy coincidence, even if there was some well-meant meddling going on.
“Yeah, it won’t be a problem,” I assured him. As I worked to force myself to relax, I could even admit it’d be nice to have one night away from the team.
They wouldn’t be my entire life forever. Eventually, I’d retire, too damn old or too burned out to keep going, and up until this point, I’d set myself up for a life of solitude down the road. Reconnecting with my friend, even if that’s all Linc ever was, would be good. And this time, we wouldn’t have the distraction of team drama to help me avoid really talking to him. “I’ll have to head back first thing in the morning, but for tonight, I’m all yours.”
All his.
That thought perked my dick right up. I couldn’t be the man he wanted in his life forever, but if we had privacy tonight, maybe we could be exactly what each other needed for now.
One night.
But one night would never be enough with Lincoln, and that realization terrified me. I wanted all the nights. Even though I hadn’t meant to suggest he come up to Wilmington to get away from life for a little while, I’d been able to think of little else since the words slipped out of my mouth.
I wanted him to be there when I moved back into my place at the edge of town. Wanted to wake up next to him and sit beside him as we drank coffee and watched the sunrise. Wanted him beside me while I took my morning run, which was truly bizarre since I hated running with anyone. That was my alone time. The time when I thought about where my own life was headed.
Lincoln must’ve had a similar reaction to my statement. He tried— and failed— to adjust himself and get more comfortable. The movement drew my eyes to the jeans that could’ve easily been tailored to fit his body, they were that perfect on him. And yep, there was a definite bulge just to the right of his zipper.
Damn.
Linc cleared his throat before he spoke, but his voice was deeper and smooth as whiskey. “Let’s quit wasting time then. If the boys aren’t ready to leave, I’ll give them cab fare.”
We both knew that was a lie, but it was nice to feel like he wanted to make me the priority in his life for today.
I turned my back while Lincoln called his son, laughed when he let out an exasperated sigh. “Sounds like Hunter’s made some new friends. They were looking for me to see if I’d be okay with them heading to a party. As if I’d be able to stop them.”
“True, but Hunter respects you. If you were opposed to him going, I bet he’d leave his friends behind.” It felt important to remind Lincoln of this, because there were going to be times when Hunter listened to his input and times when he didn’t.
He wasn’t a child; he was a twenty-one-year-old man who needed to make a life for himself. Still, he knew, deep down, that his dad always had his best interests at heart.
My anxiety ramped up without the buffer of knowing Hunter would be somewhere in the house while we were trying to talk. We’d have privacy. Teddy had made it abundantly clear I was to take the night off from dwelling on the team.
Tonight, it was just Lincoln, me, and a mountain of issues between us. The time had come for each of us to examine what we were willing to give up in order to be with the other.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Lincoln agreed as he pushed off the stack of racks and started walking back the way we came.
I followed, allowing myself to freely appreciate the taut globes of his ass. So many times, I’d dreamed of what it would feel like to grab that firm backside and pull him against my body, grinding until we both came.
Lincoln glanced over his shoulder, stifling a snort of laughter. “You’d better get your eyes back where they belong or someone’s going to figure us out.”
I gaped like a fish trying to breathe on land, because there was no retort that wouldn’t be a lie. Instead, I quickened my pace and tried for small talk. “Hey, if you want, we could probably duck into the locker room so you can say hi to Zach.”
“Only if you need to check in before you take off.” Lincoln’s pace quickened. “I’m pretty sure there’ll be time to catch up with him later. Right now, I’d prefer to take you out to dinner and then back to my place so we can talk. I’m not trying to push you, but I know you well enough I’m certain if I don’t give you a nudge, we’ll never talk at all.”
Again, there was nothing I could say because any defense would be a lie. Yes, I’d told myself I was going to call him earlier this week, but I wasn’t sure I’d have gone through with it if not for Teddy’s urging. Because of Hunter. As long as I reminded myself he was only meddling because he wanted us to carefully watch out for a potential member of our team, my blood pressure wouldn’t spike in irritation at him sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.
And now that Linc mentioned food, I could go for something to eat. I didn’t eat much before games because food tended to settle like concrete in my stomach when I was standing out in the sun. Since this was his home turf, I followed him out to his car and told him to take me to one of his favorite places.
