His teasing made me smile back and I shook my head. “I’ve been called worse.”
“Hmm. I can’t see why anyone would call you anything bad.”
“Well, you’ve never had your ass beat in the rink by me.”
Mateo’s laugh rang through the courtyard. I slipped my camera strap around my neck and stepped up to the fence, leaning next to him and meeting his warm gaze. I swore Mateo had the prettiest eyes. Dark lashes, brown irises that swallowed me right up, light wrinkles at the corner from smiling so much.
I was pretty sure any wrinkles of mine were from scowling.
Maybe I could change that one day.
“I can’t play hockey,” Mateo said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hockey stick in real life.”
“I don’t know why you ever would out here,” I said. “The only reason I ended up playing was because I also grew up in Minnesota. Have you ever visited?”
“Minnesota? Nope.”
Mateo leaned in a little closer, his face close to mine. Close enough that my eyes kept dipping to his mouth, to his mustache, to the way I wanted to kiss him. I could kiss him right here and now.Fuck.
“At some point I want to do a road trip and hit all the states,” he continued. “Would be fun to do with another person, though. Maybe even two people.”
His insinuation didn’t miss me, although I wondered if he was serious. Did he really mean Averyandme? Was I being presumptuous?
“I’ve done some small trips,” I said, my throat suddenly parched.
“With a partner?”
I shook my head slowly, gaze back on his mouth again. “Never. Most of my trips have been for work the last few years. So usually with a group of grown men who just want to drink and get laid.”
“Does that mean you stayed on the bus knitting blankets for kittens?”
I barked out a laugh. “No. It does not.”
“Didn’t think so.” He flashed a knowing grin. “Can’t see you being a nun, exactly.”
“I’m the furthest thing from it.”
“Oh really? I have my doubts.”
I scowled at him. “You’d be surprised by what I’m into.”
“I’m sure I would not be. But let me guess—rolling around in bed with an artist and firefighter?”
Fuck. My thoughts evaporated. I opened my mouth to speak, but wasn’t even sure what to say. The idea of being between whatever was happening the other day at Avery’s hit me, and I bit back a groan, looking away.
“I’m sure the two of you are doing just fine,” I muttered.
“Well, you won’t know until you see for yourself.”
I was a goner. Mateo was going to make me implode. My cock hardened just enough to press against my jeans, all my blood roaring in my veins.
Why did he have to be so hot?
How was I even supposed to respond to him?
Yeah, I’d really like to join both of you and roll around in bed until the three of us are hot little messes?—
But, there were three problems.
