I waved them off. “It’s called being in a good mood.”
Kai smirked. “Uh-huh. Sure, bud.”
We ended up in the players’ lounge with sandwiches and drinks. Sunlight streamed through the windows, matching my mood. For once, we all relaxed because the schedule wasn’t eating us alive.
Kai sprawled in the chair opposite me. “So, your trip to San Francisco kept you from helping us lose to Pittsburgh. Anything fun to report?”
“We worked an event.”
Jace snorted. “Yeah, and I’m a monk.”
I opened my mouth to chirp back, but a rush of memories stopped me. Pack’s voice in the morning, the way he’d kissed me. Jesus, how he’dfuckedme. I tried again to wipe the loopy grin off my face.
They noticed, and the jokes became gentler. After we finished eating, Noah looked at me and said, “Be careful, okay?”
I raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged. “Packy’s figuring a lot out at once. Sometimes, straight guys freak out.”
His tone was light, and it didn’t sound like he was giving me a warning. But he was concerned.
Theo nodded. “It happens. Remember Wayne, the fucker Kai dated last year? Broke his heart.”
“Go to hell!” Kai banged a fist on the table. “Why would you bring him up? Paquette’s nothing like that. From everything I know, he’s a good guy. Even when he and Nico were on the outs, he was always friendly to the rest of us.”
“Since when is being careful a bad thing?” Theo asked. “When a man’s always been straight, he can be unpredictable.” He pointed at me and winked. “Rosco may be into him, but being screwed over is one way he doesn’t want to… well, get fucked.”
I laughed along, but my mind was already racing. Even while we played the latestGod of War, their words wouldn’t let go.
I stopped to pick up groceries on my way home. By the time I reached my apartment, the cold air and busy sidewalk hadpushed the guys’ warning out of my mind. I was putting things away when my phone buzzed.
PACK: Hey Nix. Just got back to the hotel for lunch and a nap but wanted to text first. Missed our morning call.
Another buzz.
PACK: Could we talk tonight after the game? Might need help winding down.
The Warriors were in Vegas, three hours behind us. I was already grinning as I typed a reply.
NICO: Hey! Been missing you bad. Tonight sounds perfect, and I’m sure I can help you burn off your excess energy. I’ll be watching the game, so score one for me.
PACK: Do my best! Wish we were together.
NICO: Me too.
After a long nap, I made a grain bowl for dinner and managed three bites before my stomach clenched.
Sometimes, straight guys freak out.
I set my fork down. Pack wasn’t the kind of man to play me. I knew that. But knowing he wasn’t an asshole didn’t tell me what he wanted long-term.
He liked me. Enjoyed the sex. Called me his boyfriend. But did he want a future with me? I had no fucking clue.
Pack had spent his whole life thinking he was straight. I saw it in college. The bragging, the parade of women, and the noise when he brought someone to the room that had me buying noise-canceling headphones. If he was bi, and I believedhe was, then everything he thought he knew about himself was changing.
I knew what that was like. When I finally admitted I wasn’t bi, I had to face the truth that I’d dated women not because I desired them, but because I wanted to fit in with the guys and needed to get off. I thought I was losing my mind. I’d spent years fucking women while thinking about men.
What if Pack was doing the reverse? What if he needed to test it? My throat filled up. What if he already had?
I shoved the bowl away and put my face in my hands. I wanted him completely, but I had no fucking idea if we were even walking the same road.
