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My eyes scan the top-of-the-line equipment, the wall of floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and the view beyond the window that goes on for miles. It makes me realize that I haven’t ventured to this side of the house yet.
“It’s pretty sweet, isn’t it?”
“Something tells me that it’s nicer than the Vipers’ gym.”
He chuckles. “Not quite. But I’m working on it.”
We spend a couple of hours working out, and watching him get all hot and sweaty is just as good as I was hoping it would be. I’d be lying if I said I was fully focused on the task at hand. I couldn’t help it; he was too good a distraction.
After we’d showered, he surprised me by taking me out for breakfast—only, he chose the place this time. It was just as remote and discreet, but it was equally as good. Better, actually, because he was more relaxed.
By the time I got home later that day, I was feeling all kinds of positive.
As expected, the apartment was empty, but as soon as I heard noises from upstairs, I headed up to see if my future brother-in-law wanted to hang out.
He was already playing on his Xbox, battling—and winning, apparently—against Rett, who was on the other end of the headset.
Calvin invited me in and handed me the controller for the next game. I attempted to figure out what I was meant to be doing, but I’ve never really been a gamer, and it wasn’t coming naturally. It didn’t take long for Rett to discover there was someone worse than him, and suddenly, I was his new best friend.
One by one, the rest of the guys joined, and I was soon sitting in Calvin Keller’s living room gaming with a bunch of NHL players.
Mind. Fucking. Blown.
“So, you spent another night at your new man’s house, huh?” Calvin asks a while later once the guys have all logged off, leaving us alone.
“Glad to know you’re keeping tabs on my whereabouts as well,” I tease.
“I don’t have a choice but to know. Do you know how much Sienna talks about you and your mystery man?”
I groan.
“It’s cool, man. She’s happy for you. Nosey as fuck, but happy,” he explains as he grabs two beers from the fridge.
“Some things will never change,” I mutter.
“Staying the night, though…Things must be getting serious,” he says as he hands me a bottle and drops onto the other end of the couch.
My chest tightens as I think about all the things that make it seem that way. How Cooper has opened up to me about his past and his family. How easy it is to be around him. How much his touch lights me up. How I’m not even close to getting bored of him yet. But despite all that, despite all the reasons I could convince myself that it could be something serious, I know it’s not.
And it never will be.
“Nah, it’s not really like that. We’re having fun, but it’s not going to be a forever thing.”
“You seem very sure about that.”
“Because I am. He’s…not in a position for it to be any more than what it is right now.”
“Is he married?” Calvin asks, just like Sienna did.
“No, he’s not married. He isn’t cheating. There’s nothing untoward going on. He’s just…”
“In the closet?” Calvin finishes for me.
My breath catches at how quickly he came to that conclusion, and my mind immediately jumps back to last night in the arena.
Was it him? Was it him who saw Cooper and me kissing on center ice?
“Uh…yeah. He’s not ready for the world to know yet.”
