Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“You gonna give me the nutritional facts on your dick now? For real?”
“It’s at least 60 grams of protein. More than I can say for that pizza. Talk about dragging ass. Y’all are playing Tennessee this weekend.” Crazy how we’d fallen back into our old pattern of smack-talking each other. Cullen had been occupying my spare room for six days, and as expected, he’d been gone much of the time. They’d traveled over the weekend for a game against Philly that they’d lost, and then he’d spent most of Tuesday afternoon with a Realtor, though he hadn’t found anything he was ready to pull the trigger on. I hadn’t reminded him yet of our agreement on a week. He hadn’t brought it up either. When he was around, we either fell into the old banter or moved cautiously around each other with no pattern, like we couldn’t figure out exactly where we were supposed to be in this strange dance of former lovers and teammates trying to be friends—or at least friendly.
Cullen darted behind me and retrieved the pizza from the shelf as I tossed a bag of frozen broccoli into my basket.
“You’re gonna be begging for a slice in T-minus one hour. Just wait.”
I flipped him off because, in all honesty, he was probably right.
Near the checkout, we got waylaid by a few fans who recognized Cullen and wanted photos with him and one who recognized me as well. I signed the guy’s receipt, keeping an eye on Cullen as he posed. He’d always been generous and friendly with fans, which was probably why they seemed to love him no matter what appeared in the tabloids or how many times he got traded, but I’d worried when he was outed that he’d get a lot more flak. It was nice seeing that not be the case, at least as far as I could tell. Having other players openly out had paved the way, I was sure. Too bad it hadn’t been as accepted back in the day when we were playing college ball.
I mentally crushed the thought underfoot. That was then, this was now, and I could just be happy for a friend without moping over all the shit that had come before when I’d been a fucking wimp.
We walked the block back to my place, twilight giving way to a cold, clear night. In the lobby, I mashed the button and waited. Cullen whistled a few bars of something I didn’t recognize, then cackled until I glanced over at him. “What?”
He gestured between us. “Are you purposely standing that far away?” Okay, there was a good amount of space between us. I’d argue it’d been subconscious, though. “Are you afraid of catching something from me? Do I smell?”
“It’s harder to hear your bullshit from a distance.” I smirked at him.
Cullen took a step closer. “Yeah? How about now? Coming through a little clearer?”
“Oh yeah, much.” I chuckled as he took two giant steps that put him all up in my bubble of space. It was a dumb game we’d played back in the day, and I took a fortifying breath at the close proximity. Closer than he’d been in the past six days.
“You remember this?”
“Yeah.” I rolled my eyes and took another step forward, essentially putting us nose to nose. “I swear, only you and Garrett can suck me into stupid games like this.”
“It’s an honor, then.” Cullen’s breath washed over my lips as he tilted his head, his lips nearly touching mine as heat zipped from my spine to my groin. “All you have to do is take a step backward.”
“Nah, I’m good. You take the step backward.” It was fucking ridiculous how idiotically competitive we could be. Childish, even. It had also once been one of the things I’d loved about being around him. The absolute freedom to be silly. I hadn’t done a lot of it in my life. Now it was a double-edged sword.
“I’m good, too. Guess we’ll just stand here like this until the elevator gets here, then.”
My dick was hard, but I held my ground, focusing on the golden glint of mirth in Cullen’s eyes rather than the lush feel of his mouth so close to mine. “Guess so.”
The elevator dinged, and we both flinched back at the same time. I dipped low to pick up my grocery sack, and then we both nodded to the couple who exited.
Once the elevator doors shut again, Cullen and I looked over at each other and busted up laughing. I loved the sound of his genuine laughter. Not the polite chuckle he sometimes had for reporters or fans but the unbridled, full-throated resonance of genuine amusement.
“I won that round, by the way,” I told him when I caught my breath.
“Bullshit. You jumped about a half a mile back.”