Page 24 of Overtime Goal (Buffalo Warriors Hockey #4)

logan

Riley and I were still tangled in the sheets at nine the next morning, our skin sticky from sleep and everything that had come before it.

Morning light streamed through the French doors leading out to the terrace, and a light breeze blowing through the windows carried the scents of jasmine, lemon blossoms, and the Mediterranean.

In the distance, the sea was as blue as sapphires and already dotted with boats rocking on the waves.

We both came to life when footsteps sounded on the house’s tile floors.

Riley sat up. “Who the fuck could that be?”

“Not sure,” I said, “but I’ll go find out.”

The young woman I found in the kitchen was Giorgia, the housekeeper. After we introduced ourselves, she said, “Most days I come about noon, but today I have an appointment. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

“No problem. We were awake.”

She pointed at a box on the counter. “Since it’s your first day, I brought breakfast. I can make cappuccinos for you. The machine here is good.”

I looked inside the box, and my stomach growled at the sight and smell of beautiful pastries. “This is nice of you, and a cappuccino sounds amazing. I’ll get my friend.”

Riley and I ate sfogliatellas and cornettos on the terrace and talked about our day.

“The beach looks beautiful,” I said. “Should we go down there for a while?”

He swallowed a bite of sfogliatella and yawned.

I pointed at his mouth. “Cream on your lips.”

“Shit.” He wiped it off with his napkin.

“Want more?” I raised my eyebrows. “Wouldn’t take me long.”

He blushed the color of the scarlet bougainvillea clinging to the trellis. “Maybe after she leaves,” he whispered, nodding toward the kitchen.

I made the okay sign with my fingers and winked. “It’s a plan.”

He tilted his head. “You’ll reciprocate?”

“You’d better believe it.”

“Then it is a plan.”

I finished my cappuccino and asked, “So… what about the beach?”

After swallowing another bite of his sfogliatella, he carefully wiped his lips. “I’d love to go down there. Then we could knock around for a while, get the lay of the land. We should also pick up a few groceries.”

“Good idea.” I pushed a brochure I’d found across the table. “They rent Vespas here. Want to sign up for one, maybe later this week? If we like it, we’ll have time to do it again.”

He nodded. “It looks fun as hell. And I want to rent a boat one day.”

“No problem, but let’s sign up for one of the boat tours first. Once we take a tour, we’ll be in better shape to explore the high seas on our own.”

For some reason, I’d used a pirate accent. Riley leaned back and laughed. “Who are you? Captain Kidd?”

“Yes, I like that,” I said. “You can be Calico Jack.”

Before he could answer, Giorgia appeared with two more cappuccinos. She set them in front of us and smiled at Riley. “You still look sleepy. Did you come from America yesterday?”

“Yes.” Riley sat up and turned on one of his megawatt smiles. “Will you be the one coming every day?”

Though it’s possible I imagined it, she blushed. “I am off on Mondays, but my sister comes instead. Maybe I could show you around one day. There is so much to see in Positano.”

“Maybe,” he said, glancing quickly at me, then back at her. “It could be fun.”

While she talked about the wonders of Positano, I got an uneasy feeling.

They were about the same age, and she was pretty, with long dark hair, brown eyes, and tanned skin.

In fact, she looked a lot like the woman in the restaurant the night before, and I had the definite impression she wanted to give Riley a private tour of herself.

Worse, he looked like he might be interested.

Fuck, and we were just talking about giving each other blow jobs. Will it be like this every day? Will he ever come home at night?

Acid burned through my stomach while I waited for them to settle on a time. Riley liked women, something that wouldn’t change. A month in Italy meant plenty of chances for him to find someone, and inevitably, he would. I had no doubt he’d end up in her bed, no matter what he’d said last night.

However he felt about me, and whatever I was to him, couldn’t change his instincts. I’d known that from the start. It was time to accept it and put up some kind of wall to protect myself before it was too late.

To my surprise, when Giorgia left us alone, they hadn’t set up a date. Riley picked up his new cappuccino, still smiling.

I couldn’t help asking, “Is she hot?”

He pulled the cup away from his mouth. “What? Why are you asking?”

“Just curious. I’m gay, so I’ve never figured out what men see in women that makes them hot. I can tell she’s pretty.”

“She’s pretty hot,” he said, chuckling at his own joke before finishing his cappuccino. When he set the cup down, his expression changed. The smile disappeared, and he scrunched his forehead into deep creases.

“I think she’s into you,” I said.

He nodded. “Probably, but that doesn’t mean I’m?—”

“Do what you need to, Riles.” My stomach balled into a knot, but I forced myself to go on. “Like I said before, I know you’re attracted to women. It’s a part of you, the same way wanting men is for me. I don’t want you resenting me because you feel like I’m standing in your way.”

“Okay,” he said, then looked toward the sea. “I’ll keep that in mind.” After a long moment, he turned back and met my eyes. “But I don’t want Giorgia like that. She’s friendly, and I was only trying to be the same since we’ll be seeing her every day.”

“That makes sense.” My stomach didn’t relax. I believed him, but if not Giorgia, it would be someone else. After seeing him with women for years, I had a clear idea of what to expect.

He leaned across the table, looking uneasy. “We came on vacation together, and I want to be with you.”

I nodded but said nothing.

“Logan?” He tilted his head. “Do you want to find men here? Is that why you came?”

Why the hell would he think that? “No. I asked you to come along because I want to spend time with you. It’s just that…

” I wondered if I’d taken what Riles said the wrong way.

Maybe he hoped I’d be interested in other men so he wouldn’t feel bad about picking up women. “Goddammit, why is this so hard?”

He used his hand to signal me to keep my voice down. “I think you’re reading into this situation,” he half-whispered. “It doesn’t have to be hard. Do you want to spend the day with me or not?”

“Yes.” I was almost confused enough to cry. “I’d like that more than anything.”

The lines on his forehead relaxed, and he gave me a smile that started melting the tension in my gut.

“Then try to stop worrying so much,” he said. “We’ll have a great time.”

I glanced inside where Giorgia was mopping the kitchen. Picking up my cappuccino, I said, “I’ll finish this, then let’s head to town. We’ll have to save the other thing for later.”

He gave me a dubious grin. “As long as we don’t wait too long.”

I finished my coffee, and my phone buzzed before I set the cup down.

GABE: You made it safely? I stopped by to check on your house, and everything looks fine there.

Since Gabe and I both lived in Williamsville, we kept an eye on each other’s places when one of us was gone for a while.

LOGAN: Got here just fine. Positano’s going to be a great place to relax. Thanks for checking the house.

GABE: No worries. You and Riley are there together, right?

We hadn’t told anyone that, not that I wouldn’t have loved to. Gabe was my oldest friend on the team, but if I told him, it wouldn’t be long before everyone knew.

LOGAN: Sorry, someone’s here. Talk soon.

He could make of that what he would.

After quick showers, we put our beach clothes into canvas bags and slung them over our shoulders.

The path to town consisted of winding trails broken up by ancient stairs cut into the cliff, the stone worn smooth by centuries of feet.

Although the sun beat down from a flawless sky, a sea breeze took the edge off the heat.

The salty air was alive with scents of lemon, lavender, and sweet wisteria.

Riley wore a loose white linen shirt and blue shorts that showcased his muscular legs and ass. Aviator sunglasses were a dashing touch. I struggled to keep my eyes off him as we joked our way down toward the water.

The amazing sex we’d had the night before was never far from my mind, and I couldn’t help fantasizing about what it could mean. Could was the keyword. After watching him flirt with the housekeeper, I wasn’t sure where things stood.

The conversation after she’d gone inside hadn’t settled much.

In fact, it left us with more questions than answers.

The only certainty was that we wanted to be together today.

Even that came with an ache because I couldn’t stop wondering about tomorrow.

I had the sense I hadn’t said what he needed to hear.

He hadn’t given me what I was hoping for either, though I wasn’t even sure what that was anymore.

Would it help if he said he loved me and I was all he wanted, forever and always? It would, but deep down, I wasn’t sure I’d believe him. The question wasn’t whether he would mean it, but could he ?

Although I knew he liked me, I wasn’t sure he could ever match the way I felt about him. Was it even possible for him to fall in love with a man? I was afraid we were just friends who got off together, and I was the only one who hoped for more.

I kept saying I didn’t want him to resent me, and that was true.

But if I wanted him to believe it, I had to get myself under control.

I’d rather be heartbroken with him as a friend than heartbroken and alone.

If I wanted the best possible outcome, there could be no more smart-ass comments.

I’d have to mask what I was feeling, grit my teeth, and let him do what he needed to.