“I can see the heat being a factor.” She set her wine down and pressed her pink lips together. “You two are really close, huh?” Her gaze flicked to mine.
“We are. We’re best friends.” I laid my arm across the back of the couch, angling toward her. “We met at football camp back in high school, and we clicked.” I’d come here to forget about Malik and clear my head, not to talk about him.
The server left my wine on the table, and I drank it, the oak and cherry flavor washing down my throat. It was excellent. She might know her wines.
“I’ve never seen two guys so affectionate with each other.” She arched a brow and huffed a chuckle. “In fact, Riley wondered if you two were more than friends. Malik’s bisexual,right?” She picked up her wine and swirled it in the glass before drinking it.
“He is, but I’m not.” How much had she seen of us outside? It had been dark, and it wasn’t like we’d kissed out there. Not like when I’d turned into a raving lunatic in my bedroom and attacked him. My gut churned. What was he thinking right now? I had to get her mind off this. “Anyway…” I brushed my fingers along the back of her neck and curled my lips into a charismatic grin. “What about you? Didn’t you say you were from Paradise Valley?” Shit, I’d barely remembered anything she’d told me. I hadn’t thought I would ever see her again. But here I was.
“Yes, I went to a private Catholic high school, Paradise Valley Preparatory.” She lifted her chin. “Are you Catholic?”
Great, a nice Catholic girl. But my experience said they could be very naughty in bed. I focused on her lips, waiting for my cock to take notice. Nope, not a fucking thing. Had Malik broken my dick last night? “I’m, uh, not Catholic. I grew up Episcopalian, but I no longer go to church.” What the hell would my faith say about my encounter with Malik last night? It seemed to me it was a liberal faith. There’d been openly gay couples in our congregation.
“Oh.” With a nod, she sipped more wine. “Well, I don’t go anymore either. I don’t have time.” A smirk formed on her lips.
“Do you work?” I knew the answer was no, but it was worth asking. As my gut grumbled, I scanned the restaurant. I needed food.
“No, but I’m working on getting a substantial social media following on Instagram. I like content creation. I have over ten-thousand followers.” Her tongue swiped across her lips.
“Do you?” I brushed my fingers up the stem of my wineglass. Note to self—do not let her take photos of us together for her IG account. I didn’t need the entire school thinking I had a girlfriend. “Are you hungry? Shall we order some food?”
“Oh, yes.” With a sharp giggle, she straightened her spine and flagged down our server.
After our lunchand following her through shops in the heat, I walked Carrie to her car, still in the parking lot of the wine bar. I’d had enough of the temperature fluctuations between the sweltering outside and the cold-as-a-freezer air conditioning in the shops. It was enough to make a person sick.
She stood at her Mercedes sedan in the parking lot, holding the door open and waiting…for something.
I had to kiss her now. She’d expect it. “I had a great time with you today.”Lies, all lies. And it hadn’t confirmed a damn thing about my sexuality. I was obviously with the wrong girl. I placed a hand on her slight shoulder and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. As I pulled away, I swiped my tongue around my mouth, a fruity flavor filling it. Women always did that, had sweet-tasting lipstick or gloss. Malik had tasted like masculinity in a bottle, like heat and leather and bourbon, even though we hadn’t drunk bourbon. My dick woke. Fuck me. I had to quit thinking of him that way.
“I had a great time with you too. Want to get together again this week?” With her lips quirking on one side, her brows lifted.
“Um, let me see what my schedule looks like. We start football practice next week.” And I’d feign exhaustion if she texted about it. At some point, I’d just ghost her. This might be the last time I’d ever see her, unless she appeared in one of my classrooms. I pursed my lips.
“Oh, sure.” She swayed a moment, biting her lower lip, her gaze raking over me. “We could, um, go back to?—”
“Uh, sorry, but the heat is getting to me. I’m tired and want to go to bed early tonight. I need to adjust my schedule anyway for practice. We’re up early.” It seemed I was already using the exhausted excuse. “I’ll see you around though, okay?” As she stepped aside, I opened her door. I had to move this along.
“Sure, we’ll be in touch.” She climbed into her car, throwing her purse onto the passenger seat. “See you.”
“Yes, see you.” As I confirmed she was all the way in, I shut her door, took a deep breath and strolled toward my car. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Malik. I was looking forward to a cold shower and maybe delivery Chinese for dinner.
I arrived home,parked in the garage and rested my forehead on the steering wheel. Malik’s SUV sat parked in front of the house. He was home. How would I face him? I worried my lower lip as my pulse hammered in my ears. I had to pretend everything was normal. He couldn’t know that I hadn’t blacked out last night.
With a sigh, I lifted my head and clenched my jaw. Knowing him, he’d be careful around me and wouldn’t push it. I stepped out of my car and entered the house.
Malik and Tex sat on the sectional, playing a game of Madden. Tex gave Malik a knowing look, hooking a brow, and Malik winced as his gaze met mine. “Hey, dude. How was the date?”
That I could answer. I stepped through the kitchen and stopped behind the couch. I should play this up. “Great. Turns out Carrie’s a nice girl.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets. How many more lies would I tell today?
“Yeah?” His throat bobbed with a hard swallow, and he focused on the game. “Glad to hear it,” he said tightly.
Tex frowned at him and then paused the game, twisting to me. “Where did you go?”
Shit, had Malik told Tex what happened? But why would he do that? “Some wine bar called Postinos. It’s a nice place. The quality of the wine there surprised me.” Striding into the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade from the refrigerator and unscrewed the cap. “It was hot as fuck out there though today. I need a shower.” That was my way out. I rushed past them and into my bedroom, leaning my back against the door after I shut it, taking a deep breath as my nerves frayed. How would I get through the next few days?
An hour later,knocking cracked through the air of my bedroom. “Fuck.” It had to be Malik. But I couldn’t hide in my bedroom all night. Maybe I should have accepted Carrie’s invitation and gone back to her place. But I couldn’t stomach hooking up with her again. “Yeah?” I strode to the door, swung it open and my breath snagged.
Malik stood there, dressed to the nines in a sheer, form-fitting black shirt and short shorts, his dark hair looking bed-mussed in the best way. “Hey, Tex and I decided to hit the gay bar on Mill tonight. You’re welcome to come with us, if?—”