“Right, right, six or seven people out of ten.”
“Exactly. I’m also not the kind of guy that can just have cheap, meaningless sex. We’ve been through this.”
“Hey, that didn’t stop you from riding Space Mountain!”
Okay, I nearly laughed out loud again, but not because I found it funny. Kayden actually managed to outdo his own idiocy, which was no laughing matter.
“That was only because I lost control,” I said. “It happens to the best of us. Now that the smoke has cleaned, I feel in control again. For the first time since all this started, I know exactly what to do.”
“Oh yeah, and I guess you’ll want me to show up to your house with flowers and shit?”
“Pull your head out of your ass, Kayden. I didn’t say anything about that.”
He squeezed his eyelids shut and groaned. I’d checkmated him and it was driving him crazy. I didn’t mind, though. It meant I was in complete control of the situation.
“I’m not looking for anything huge,” I said. “Something simple, so we can at least say we did it.”
“See if it goes somewhere?”
“Right.”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t gay?”
“Uh huh.”
“Help me out here. You’re not gay, but you’re sexually blackmailing me to go on a date.”
“It’s not sexual blackmail, Kayden. Besides, you said you’re not gay, but you slept with me once, and are practically begging for another round.”
“Fuck you, bro. I’m not begging.”
When he aimed a finger at me, a laugh spilled out of my mouth. I swear I wasn’t trying to antagonize him, Trust me, he’d done plenty to cause animosity between us. Besides, all I’d done was tell the truth. It wasn’t my fault if he couldn’t handle that.
“I don’t like where this is going,” he said. “I’m worried about what going on a date will lead to.”
“What are you scared of? That it’ll lead to us going to bed together?”
He froze like he didn’t know what to say. Of course he didn’t. Guys like him never had witty comebacks.
“This is stupid,” he said. “You know no other guy on the team would be so difficult.”
“You’re saying our teammates have sex with other guys?”
“No, I’m not. I’m just saying…” He paused, like he had to swallow his next words before they left his mouth. It was all he could do not to scream. “You know no self-respecting hockeyplayer would turn down easy sex—especially when he fucking wants it just as badly as the other person.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“Oh, right. You’re the guy with standards.”
“Take it or leave it.”
When I walked away, leaving him in the proverbial dust, I realized I’d gotten the last word again.
Some things never get old.
18
KAYDEN
