Eventually, we headed upstairs to shower and fell into my bed. I thought about sending Silas home, but he didn’t know his way around his friend’s house and circumstances being what they were, he was better off with me.
Just for the night.
Only tonight.
CHAPTER 6
SILAS
Add waking up naked in bed with a man to my list of firsts.
I gazed at the grizzly lumberjack softly snoring beside me, his lips parted. Yep, this was a new one. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, but I wasn’t nearly as freaked out as I should have been. Yesterday was…well, kind of amazing. Definitely eye-opening.
I’d known I was bi since high school. My body’s reaction to the sight of Pete Jureski’s bare ass in the shower our junior year had been a big fat clue. However, I’d ignored the signs and thrown myself into football with a ferocity that honestly should have alarmed my parents. I’d worked out constantly, kept a stringent diet, and even tried steroids for a hot second before realizing consistency and moderation was a better overall strategy.
Dating had never been a priority ’cause girls had always been available. They’d hung out at parties, cheered on their favorite players at the games, and had no qualms about letting you know they were interested. My dick had loved the attention, but I’d made a concerted effort to block out background noise in those early days—football had come first. And men were off limits. Period.
No flirting, no touching, no staring. Ever.
I’d commended my stellar control ’cause let me tell you, ignoring cute, funny guys with great smiles, hot bodies, and twinkly eyes had been very fucking hard.
However, I’d faltered in college—once with a newly divorced professor and another time with a baseball player who’d eventually signed a contract with the Padres. Neither had been serious. At all. They’d both been safe bets so deep in the closet, they were halfway to Narnia.
There were a couple of other times in dark spaces where I’d barely been able to see my hand in front of my face let alone the guy on his knees sucking my cock. Those encounters had felt necessary albeit desperate. Like I’d had to know for sure I hadn’t imagined the pull.
For the record, I liked dick. A lot. I liked touching men and kissing them. I liked the contrast of stubble and hard bodies to the smooth skin and curves of a woman. If I’d had my way, I’d have spent more time exploring my bi-ness. But like I said, football came first.
I had no regrets. To this day, being drafted was the biggest and best thing that ever happened to me. I’d loved my sport and it had loved me. I’d been paid very well to play football. We’re talking a ridiculous amount. I owned a beautiful house, had a shit-ton of money in the bank, and a slew of cars I drove to fit my mood. And when I met Alli, I’d been positive I had it all.
But that life was gone now. My contract was up, my locker had been cleared out, and the ink had dried on the divorce papers a long time ago.
My therapist had cautioned me not to think of the avalanche of change as an ending but as a new chapter. Well, waking up next to a man I’d licked from head to toe all damn night was a hell of a fresh start.
Cooper blinked to consciousness, eyeing me warily as he stretched his arms above his head. “Smiling before coffee. Are you some kind of lunatic?” he grumbled sleepily. “What time is it?”
I rolled to my side and checked my cell. “Seven o’clock.”
“Still early and—what are you doing?”
I bounded out of bed and drew the blinds. “Letting some light in. It’s like a dungeon in here.”
Cooper covered his face with a pillow. “My eyes!”
“Baby,” I chided. “It’s snowing. I don’t think it’s ever stopped.”
“Hmm. Come back here.” He leaned on his elbow and patted the mattress. I obeyed, letting out a slutty moan when he cupped my dick. “You are so sexy, so?—”
My stomach growled loud enough to rouse the dead. I pulled a sheepish face. “You’re gonna have to feed me first, lumberjack. I’m fucking starving.”
Cooper planted a rough kiss on my mouth. “Let’s fix that.”
He made ham-and-cheese omelets with ingredients I’d purchased at the market. I insisted. I didn’t see myself staying here for more than a few days. If I changed my mind, I could always make another trip to the store…in my rental car.
We discussed the weather and traffic conditions while we ate. Cooper checked his phone several times, and at one point excused himself to take a call. I nibbled a crust of toast and tried not to be too blatant about eavesdropping. Not that he seemed to care about privacy. He struck me as an affectionate father who made an effort to be present for his kids.
My dad had been like that too…sort of. There’d usually been a football element involved with our father-son time, but that had been cool by me. He loved bragging about his kid in the NFL. If possible, Dad was more bummed than I was about my retirement.
I shrugged off unpleasant thoughts and studied Cooper’s rugged profile, his phone to his ear, smiling as he listened to his daughter’s snow report.
