“I mean, okay.” Grady looks skeptical, and I feel myself blushing. “So what has you freaked out is the different body parts in this threesome? And that you have to see me all the time after the fact?”
“No. And no. We see the other girl all the time. Or we did. She worked at the Jamba Juice by our house in L.A., too, and we were all fine. Pleasant even.” I reach for my drink at the exact same moment he puts his down, and our knuckles bump. The brief contact is more satisfying than this meal, which is actually delicious.
“So you’re feeling shame over the fact that…” He looks pained. “That it was a guy.”
“Fuck no.” I can’t even let him think for a second I’m homophobic or have gay guilt. I don’t. “I’m feeling shame over the fact that I liked it more than I liked fucking my girlfriend. My hand on your cock and your tongue in my mouth was… the best feeling I’ve felt in years. Fucking years. And yeah, I feel like an utter asshole for thinking that. For feeling that way.”
The room is filled with nothing but the hum of the air conditioner. Grady stares, wide-eyed, fork frozen in mid-air, a very small dollop of ranch dressing sitting on his bottom lip precariously close to where his beard begins. I reach out and wipe it away with the pad of my thumb, and heat soars through me.
Grady’s voice is hoarse and rough when he finally speaks. “I don’t know what to do with that.”
“Welcome to the club.”
“Can we just be like we were with Kendra? Normal. Just power on like I didn’t just say any of that, and you don’t remember what I look like naked.”
“I’ve known what you look like naked for over a year now. Perks of the job,” Grady quips and he winks as he adds, “And you were never normal.”
I flip him off. He laughs. The fog of tension and awkwardness lifts after that. We both go back to eating, and the topic shifts to the upcoming game. And then, after we clean our plates, he moves to sit beside me on the couch and we look at a few rentals he’s considering. None of them is right for Grady, and I tell him that.
“Why?” he questions, pinching his ginger eyebrows together. “I mean that loft has killer views of the harbor and a gym too.”
“Yeah, but… your place in West Hollywood was just so… you. These places don’t have that… I don’t know what.” I shrug, and he looks at the listing on his phone again and then drops it on the armrest. “Keep looking. There’s no rush. Honestly.”
He looks like he’s ready to argue, but then my phone vibrates in my back pocket and I pull it out to see that Angie is video calling me. “Do you mind if I accept?”
“Go ahead.”
I accept the call, and Angie’s face illuminates my screen. She’s frowning, and at first it looks like she isn’t wearing anything, but then I see the edge of a towel just above her chest. “There’s no hot water.”
“Fuck,” I hiss. “Okay. I know the tank is on its last legs. Shit.”
“Yeah, shit. I have an appointment with an interior designer, Landon. I can’t be late.”
“Why?” I’m confused. She never mentioned this to me.
“Because she’s the best Maine has to offer and I only got the consult because she had someone cancel,” Angie explains. “Can you tell me how to fix it? Quickly?”
“Ah… no,” I say. “I think we have to call a plumber. Text my uncle Holden. He might be able to fix it or at least know a plumber.”
“That will take hours!”
“Could she shower at Winnie and Holden’s right now and deal with it after her meeting?” Grady suggests.
As if just noticing him for the first time, Angie’s eyes slide to him on the screen. Her manicured brows furrow for a heartbeat, and then she smiles. “Hey, Grady! You two hanging out?”
“Yeah, we’re on a lunch break,” Grady tells her.
She nods slowly. “It’s a day off today, right?”
“Yeah,” I answer. She knows days off don’t mean we sit around doing whatever we want. She’s been a hockey girlfriend all of her adult life.
“Oh, I meant to tell you, a bunch of us are going to a steakhouse for dinner tonight. Please come,” Grady says and grins. “You know they’ll ditch me with the check because newbie and all. I mean, it’s a trade, but the same stupid game will apply. They’ll all leave before the check. If you come, at least we can split it. Plus, it’ll be fun.”
“Yeah. Of course. I’d love to come.” I need to start bonding with my new teammates anyway. Although I dread the check. These guys eat like oxen.
“Hey! So I should go and harass your aunt for a shower. I can’t miss this meeting.”
“Why do we need a designer?”
