Page 6 of The Hookup (Firsts and Forever #13)
Ryder
As much as I would have loved to linger under the covers with Hal the next morning, that wasn’t an option. Instead, I slipped out of bed and got ready for my day before taking a seat on the edge of the mattress.
I woke him by gently caressing his cheek. He half-raised his lids, and when focused on me, a drowsy smile curved the corner of his full lips. “Damn, you’re dressed already,” he muttered. “I was hoping to start the day getting naked and sweaty with you.”
“I would have loved that, but I wanted to make sure there was enough time to take you to your hotel before I have to be at the tournament.”
He sat up and pushed his dark hair back with both hands. “I can call a Lyft. You don’t have to go out of your way.”
“I really want to drive you.”
“You sure?” When I nodded, he swung his legs out of bed and said, “Okay, I’ll be ready to go in five minutes. Is there a spare toothbrush I can use?”
“There’s a pack of toothbrushes and some other toiletries in the bathroom cupboard. Help yourself to anything you need.”
He gathered his things on the way to the bathroom, and while he was gone, I made the bed and straightened up a little. Almost exactly five minutes later, he returned smelling like mint and looking perfectly pulled together.
I suggested swinging by the kitchen for some coffee on the way out, and he held my hand as we went downstairs.
Most of my teammates had partied hard the night before, so only a few of them were up and trying to function.
I spotted two guys out on the patio, slumped in their chairs as they clutched mugs of coffee and regretted their life choices.
Maybe it was petty of me, but I was secretly delighted when I saw who was in the kitchen. While I didn’t love continuing to play on the same rugby team as my ex and my former best friend, what happened next made it much more bearable.
When they saw Hal, their mouths literally fell open. Even though they’d both encouraged me to get back out there, they clearly hadn’t expected me to find someone this stunningly attractive.
“Oh, hey guys,” I said, trying to act casual as I grabbed a couple of paper cups and lids. “Hal, meet Greg and Craig. Boys, this is Hal.”
After the three of them shook hands and said hello, I poured two cups of coffee and offered Hal a granola bar for the road.
When he declined, I told my friends, “I’ll be back in about forty-five minutes.
If the rest of our team doesn’t materialize in the next fifteen minutes or so, please wake them up.
They’re probably going to need some time to get it together before the tournament. ”
Craig mumbled a distracted, “Sure.”
At the same time, Greg asked, “You’re leaving already? We didn’t even get a chance to talk to your new friend.”
I was still trying to play it cool, but I might have sounded a little smug when I told him, “Don’t worry. He’ll be back tonight.”
Hal took my hand again, and he called, “Nice to meet you,” as we left the kitchen. He waited until we were outside to ask me, “Okay, so what’s the story with you and those two teammates? You’re right on the cusp of smirking.”
“That’s them,” I said, as I unlocked the rented SUV and opened the passenger door for him. “The two guys I told you about, my ex and my former best friend. I know it’s a dick move to show you off like a shiny new toy?—”
“Oh my god, I wish I would have known who they were! I would have laid it on thick and tried to turn them green with envy.”
“Really?”
“Of course! Even if you’re all mature about it, I hate what they did to you. I want to show them that not only are you doing just fine without them, you’re thriving and sleeping with former models. And yes, I realize that sounds conceited, but whatever.”
I chuckled and told him, “You’re awesome.”
Once we were in the SUV and headed toward the Strip, he asked, “Which is which?”
“Craig, the brunet, is my ex-boyfriend. Greg, the blond, was my best friend.”
“Did they have matching goatees when you and Craig were dating?”
“No. That’s a recent development.”
“That’s so douchey, and don’t get me started on the cutesy almost-matching names. Gross.” He took a sip of coffee before saying, “I can’t believe you still play on the same rugby team. Isn’t that awkward?”
“Sure, but what was I going to do, ask them to quit because they fell in love? Everyone would think I was a jerk.”
“Yeah, I guess you couldn’t really do that. And you obviously didn’t want to leave the team, either.”
“No way. The team means the world to me. I’m pretty isolated out at the ranch, and this is how I get to socialize.
During the season, I drive into Austin one night a week for practice, and again on Saturdays for our games.
We usually go out afterwards. That’s about the only chance I get to talk to people and have fun,” I said.
“It goes deeper than that, too. My teammates are my family. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them when my grandparents passed. ”
“I meant to ask earlier,” he said. “How’s the tournament going?”
“Really well. We won our matches on Thursday and Friday, so we made it to the playoffs. If we win our match this morning, we’ll be in the championship game this afternoon. We’re up against a great team, but we’re going to give it our best shot.”
“Are you the only all-gay team?”
“This year, yeah. There are other gay teams out there, and some of them come to the tournament from time to time. But this year, it’s up to us to represent the LGBTQ community.”
He asked, “Does that feel like a lot of pressure, or like you have something to prove?”
“It used to feel like that when we were first starting out. Austin is pretty accepting overall, but when we started playing teams from other cities, we’d get a lot of comments I don’t choose to repeat.
” I grinned and said, “But after beating the hell out of those teams year after year, they learned to respect us, sometimes begrudgingly.”
“That had to feel pretty satisfying.”
“You’re not wrong.”
“How are the other teams and the spectators at this tournament?”
“Fine, for the most part. We won the tournament two years ago, which earned us a lot of respect. And really, even when we don’t win, we’re a good team. I think that goes a long way toward shattering stereotypes and shutting down the haters.”
Hal smiled at me. “I was never into sports, but you’re making me rethink that. The idea of a team full of big, burly gay guys kicking ass and taking names is making me so happy. I wish I could come and watch your game, but I have to help my friends today.”
“Yeah, of course. You came to Vegas for a reason.”
“What time are you going to be done with the tournament?”
“Around eleven if we lose, three or four if we make it to the championship match.”
Hal pulled his phone from his pocket and asked for my number.
After I recited the digits, he sent me a text so I’d have his number too, and my phone dinged in my pocket.
“I’m not sure what time I’ll be free, but I’ll text you with updates,” he said.
“Vee and I need to help Embry find a wedding venue and a cake, which might take a while. We’re going to go look at the Elvis wedding chapel and others along those lines.
Then the plan is for the ceremony to take place sometime this evening.
Feel like being my date for a fake wedding? ”
“Sure, but what’s fake about it?”
“Bryson’s grandfather is holding his inheritance hostage until he gets married. Embry and Bryson barely know each other. They’re just doing this for the money.”
“That’s surprising,” I said. “They seemed like they were really into each other when I met them at the club last night.”
“They did. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with those two.”
We pulled up to the main entrance of Paris, Las Vegas a few minutes later. Hal unfastened his seatbelt and planted a lingering kiss on me, which left me breathless. He smiled and said, “See you soon,” before picking up his coffee cup and climbing out of the SUV.
I watched as he strode confidently to the glass doors with his head held high. After he disappeared inside, I whispered, “Damn.”
What a wonderful, incredible, sexy human being. I couldn’t wait to see him again. I put the SUV in gear and pulled away from the curb, my lips still tingling from that mind-blowing kiss.
Hal texted me a few hours later: Hey. How did the game go?
I replied: We lost by one point. We were up by two, but then they scored a drop goal with six seconds remaining.
Tank was sitting beside me, and he leaned in and tried to read my screen. “Is that Hal?”
“Mind your business.”
“This is my business. You wouldn’t have met him if it wasn’t for me.” He had a point, but I still didn’t feel like telling him everything.
Hal wrote: I’m sorry to hear that. What are you doing now?
I took the team to lunch. We’re just finishing up. How goes the search for a wedding venue?
He typed for a long time before the next message popped up: Not good.
Even though it’s a fake wedding, Embry still wants it to be nice for the photos.
Everyplace we’ve seen so far has been pretty cheesy, and we’re running out of options.
We even considered asking a wedding officiant to meet us at a park, but we’re worried about getting in trouble without a permit.
I replied: Yeah, that’s probably not the best idea.
Hal’s next message said: I know this is a lot to ask, but do you think we could use the backyard at your rental house for the ceremony? I only caught a glimpse of it, but it looked nice. We could be in and out in fifteen minutes. Feel free to say no if I’m totally overstepping.
I called out to my teammates, “Does anyone have a problem with our friends from last night getting married at our house this evening?”
Boomer chimed in with, “That sounds fun! I love a wedding.”
Someone else called, “Will there be cake?”