Page 9 of Hidden Plays (Desert Football #1)

“Right now.” JJ slipped his phone from his pocket and held it up. “Here. You take it.”

“Okay.” I opened the camera app and aimed.

JJ broke out in a wide grin, throwing his hands in the air and swaying his hips. “Do I look like I’m having a good time and dancing?” He giggled.

“Sure.” I snapped a few shots and eyed the door. “Done?” I couldn’t leave soon enough. It would take a few days to process everything that had happened tonight.

“Sure.” JJ took his phone and peered at the photos. “We should get a few more at the bar, maybe with a beer in my hand?” He twisted around.

“Wait.” He couldn’t just leave me here. Snatching his hand, I pulled him back. “Wait for me, damn it.”

He stopped, gave me a wicked smile, and squeezed my hand. “Of course not. It would be like leaving a lamb with the wolves.”

Following him to the bar, we found a pair of open stools and sat down. Did I dare order another beer? I should probably have water.

When the bartender strolled toward us, JJ ordered two more beers.

I elbowed him. “Hey, I shouldn’t drink any more. I have to drive home.” I lived only a mile or so away, but still.

“Leave your car. Take an Uber.” JJ paid as the bartender set our beers down. “This one’s on me.” He lifted the beer. “To new boyfriends.”

With a huff, I tapped my beer against his. “New fucking boyfriends.” After drinking the beer, heat radiated over my back. What the fuck now?

“Hey, handsome,” a deep voice said behind me, tickling the hair on my neck.

I turned.

A muscled man in leather shorts and a harness stood next to me, giving me a coy grin. “I haven’t seen you in here before.” As his gaze roamed my body, he licked his lips.

“That’s because this is my first time here.” Fuck, was I giving myself away? Where was JJ? I peeked behind me.

JJ watched with a smirk settled on his lips.

The fucker wouldn’t help me. “I, uh, I have a boyfriend.” Might as well put it out there. Damn, was this how women felt in straight bars? Guys could be leeches sometimes.

“So?” Leather Man glanced at JJ and up-nodded at him. “He doesn’t seem to mind.” He landed his big palm on my thigh and slid it upward, his pinky brushing my balls.

Jesus fucking Christ. Would my dick react to this, too? I breathed in deeply. Nope, nothing. So, only JJ brought it to life? What the hell?

“Dude, I do mind.” JJ hopped off his stool and stepped around me, coming chest to chest with Leather Man. “Lay off.” He shoved the man’s shoulder.

Leather Man narrowed his eyes. “You’re a rude little fucker.” He stepped closer to JJ, who was taller, but this guy had at least fifty pounds of muscle over JJ.

“Yeah? Why don’t you just leave us alone?” JJ’s jaw clenched.

Fuck, I knew that look. JJ was about to start a fight. In a fucking gay bar? Grabbing JJ’s shoulder, I yanked him back. “Hey, let’s drink our beer and forget about this.”

“No.” JJ shrugged out of my hold and stepped to Leather Man again. “You haven’t left yet?”

“I’m enjoying the show.” Leather Man crossed his arms over his massive chest. “What’s with you two?” He eyed me a moment. “He’s not gay, is he?” He sniggered. “My gaydar is registering nothing with him.”

“He’s bisexual.” JJ stood his ground. “And what’s it to you?”

“Why are you fooling around with a curious straight guy?” A sharp laugh erupted from Leather Man. “Don’t you know it never works out? He’ll play you, and as soon as you catch feelings, he’ll come to his senses and dump you for a chick.”

I stared at Leather Man. “No, that’s not true. I…” I what? Liked fucking JJ? No, I wasn’t bisexual. I was straight. I liked chicks. Chicks are hot, they’re soft, they’re everything JJ is not . I rubbed my temple. JJ is everything they’re not . I needed to get the fuck out of here.

“Whatever. You think you know everything, but you don’t. Get lost.” Scoffing, JJ stomped to his stool and sat.

With a harrumph, Leather Man walked into the crowd.

“Drink your fucking beer, so we can go.” JJ took a few gulps of beer. “I’m done with this place.” He slipped his phone from his pocket and held it to me. “Come on, let’s finish the photos.”

I grabbed the phone and aimed it at him. Thank God he was ready to leave.

“Do you see why I don’t enjoy coming here?” He held his beer next to his face and gave me a broad smile.

I clicked a few shots off. “Yeah, guess so.” He’d been fine when the guys were hitting on him, but as soon as one hit on me? He’d gotten pissed. Why? I handed him his phone and drank my beer, facing the chalkboard. Maybe if I ignored them, they’d leave us alone.

“Just so you know, I’m not into casual hookups.” Mirroring me, he rimmed his beer glass with his index finger.

“Yeah?” Didn’t most guys love casual hookups? I certainly did. If a good-looking chick wanted sex, I’d take it any day over a jerk-off session. JJ was different. “What do you like then?”

“It sounds a little stupid, but I enjoy connecting with a guy before we jump into sex.” He glanced at me, his cheeks pinking. “Sex isn’t as awkward and weird with a guy who’s into you.”

“Why? Are you into some kinky shit?” I pursed my lips. Did I really want to know?

“Not more than usual. I have my share of toys.” He gave me a sly grin. “Want to find out?” He raised the edge of his mouth.

“Uh, no.” Even as I shook my head, my cock jerked. I didn’t even know what toys gay men used. Why would my cock react to that? I sipped my beer.

“I suppose you have girls lined up to date you.” He hung his head.

“Not really. I mean, I have a couple I talk to and go out with sometimes. But I don’t have time for a relationship between school and the training gig.” Come to think of it, I hadn’t heard from Melissa or Emily in a few weeks. Maybe they’d found boyfriends?

“Yeah, I don’t have time for it either.” He downed the rest of his beer. “Come on, let’s go get an Uber.” He slapped my arm .

“Okay.” I gulped the rest of my beer and followed him out of the bar, down the metal stairs and onto the still-bustling street sidewalk. Slipping my phone out of my pocket, I checked the time. It was midnight, the witching hour. “When will you load those photos?”

“Now.” JJ tapped on his phone’s screen. “So, tonight was interesting, wasn’t it?” His gaze swung to mine.

“Yeah, interesting is a good word for it.” I held my phone with my Uber app open. I wouldn’t call one until he did. I could get Arden to bring me back to my car in the morning. “Should we talk about it?” I’d kissed him tonight. But it meant nothing, even if my dick thought it did.

Peering at me, he said, “Want to grab a pizza at Four-One-Four? They have karaoke and serve food until two.” He chuckled. “It’ll be more our style.”

I sucked in a breath. Coach said I should get to know him. “Okay.”

“Come on.” He snatched my hand and pulled me along the sidewalk.

“Um, we’re not pretending to be boyfriends anymore, right?” I glanced at our entwined hands. Some people in the pizza place might know me.

“Oh, sorry.” He freed a short laugh and released my hand. “It’s a habit now.”

Strolling beside him, I rubbed my fingers into the palm of my hand. Holding hands hadn’t felt too weird. But it was time it stopped.

JJ halted at the pizza place, filled with younger people and a terrible rendition of Bye, Bye, Bye by NSYNC floating in the air. “We’ll go in the back. The booths are always empty there.”

He must come here often. “Okay.” I followed him inside the dark bar, snaking through people, eyeing me and smirking.

The place had some fun paint splatters on the yellow concrete floor, along with drawings and song lyrics written on the dark walls.

I’d forgotten I’d dressed for a gay bar. Did these people think I was gay?

Dropping onto a red vinyl bench seat in a booth at the back wall, JJ said, “I told you there’d be seats back here.”

“Yep.” I sat across from him, resting my forearms on the black table. If I started drinking water now and ate some pizza, I might not have to leave my car.

A server stopped by, left a menu and we ordered waters.

Maybe JJ had the same idea regarding the water. Holding the menu to my face, I studied it. “What kind of pizza do you like?”

He chewed his lower lip. “How about the Arizona Pizza? It’s got hot ranch dressing and chicken with bacon and shit.”

“Uh, okay.” I usually went with the standard pepperoni and sausage. “That’s new to me, but it sounds tasty.” As I put my menu on the table, the server dropped off our water.

JJ ordered the pizza, and she left again. “Tell me, what did you honestly think of the gay bar?”

He was being…pleasant? “It was an eye-opening experience.” In more ways than one. I took a sip of water.

“You seemed to enjoy parts of it.” He hooked a brow and smirked, leaning against the seat back, focusing on my mouth.

Could he feel my boner on the dancefloor? I took a hard swallow. I’d felt his, so of course he had. “Bodily responses are just that.” I was being vague, but he was smart enough to know what I meant.

“And the kiss? It was nothing, right?” His grin faded, and he unrolled his silverware from his paper napkin.

“I…” I had felt something. But he didn’t need to know. “Nope, nothing.”

He winced, setting his napkin on his lap. “Of course, because you’re straight.”

“I’m not homophobic, though. Is that settled?” I shifted. I had to steer this conversation toward the original purpose of tonight.

“I’m not quite convinced.” His smirk returned with a vengeance. “You seemed pretty uncomfortable in that place. ”

“Yeah? Well, you told me you didn’t like it because you felt uncomfortable there. Does that make you homophobic, too?” Touché. I drank more water.

“Of course not. Don’t turn this back on me.” With a tsk, he shook his head. “You insist on being right, don’t ya?”

“What? No, I can be wrong. If I’m wrong, I admit it.” But hadn’t I been telling him lies about how tonight felt? I studied him. Did he know somehow?

“Could have fooled me.” With a scowl, he drank his water.

And just like that, we were back to hating each other. I slumped my shoulders. Getting to know JJ could be infuriating.

The server dropped off our pizza and some small plates.

“Good, can’t wait to eat and go home.” He pulled a slice off the pizza, the melted cheese pulling, and set it on his plate. As his gaze found mine, he licked ranch dressing from his finger, his tongue taking a long stroke.

My cock took notice. Oh, fuck me. Everything JJ did was a turn on for my dick. It was so confused. I slipped a slice of pizza onto my plate. “So, we’ll be cordial on Monday, right? I passed your little test, and now you can trust me?”

“I suppose. I don’t know if I trust you all the way, though. You still sabotaged my high school stats.” He bit into his slice.

“I did not.” I huffed a breath. What would make him trust me? Maybe he never would. “So, but you’ll do the stretches I gave you and you won’t fight me on shit.”

“I’ll try. Maybe I’ll get a second opinion.” A wicked grin spread over his lips. “I’m allowed to do that, right?”

“Sure, whatever.” I bit into the pizza, the chicken doused in spicy ranch leaving heat on my tongue. Drinking some water, I peeked at JJ. The games with him were over. “But in the end, you’ll have to listen to me.”

He ate more pizza and then wiped his fingers on his napkin. “Look, I’ll give it two weeks, the stretches and exercises you want me to do. If my IT band isn’t better by then, I’m going back to what Stacey gave me. ”

“Fine.” I had two weeks to prove to him I knew my shit. The memory of the kiss flowed through my mind. “And stop the bullshit about me being homophobic. I don’t need the rest of your friends hearing that.”

“Fine.” JJ ate more pizza, and his phone buzzed on the table. He picked it up and chuckled. “Looks like our gay bar date worked. Casey wants to know who took the photos.”

“You can’t tell him.” Jesus, if this got out…My gut knotted.

“I know.” He tensed his jaw. “What, do you think I’m stupid?” He threw me a quick glare and then tapped on his phone.

“So, what are you telling him?” I ate more pizza, and a wave of exhaustion rolled over me. I needed to go home and sleep.

“I’m telling him my date took the photo. That’s all he needs to know.” He set his phone next to his plate and stuffed pizza into his mouth. “We’re cool now, right?”

“Yeah, we’re cool.” I watched him eat. We’d see how things progressed at practice this week. And then we had an away game against UCLA coming up.