Page 34 of Testing the Goalie

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable by hitting on you,” Sasha apologizes, but I’m not sure if he’s talking to Monster or Rio.

“It’s all good,” Monster assures him. “I guess I just wasn’t expecting it. Most people assume I’m straight. I have never been hit on by a guy. I’m used to turning girls down, not vibrant guys like yourself.”

Sasha laughs. “I am a bit over the top,” he admits. “But I’ll tone it down a little for you.”

Monster waves him off. “Don’t change who you are for me. I like that you’re sure of yourself and don’t give a fuck what others think. At least that’s the way I perceived it.”

Sasha beams a little at Monster’s praise. “I am sure of myself, and I don’t give a fuck what others think, but I also respect people. I promise I won’t hit on you anymore.”

“What about me?” Rio asks with a lifted brow.

“Do you want me to stop flirting with you?” Sasha counters.

Rio doesn’t answer but shrugs a shoulder, making Sasha smile.

Hmm, maybe Sasha is growing on Rio already. I’ll have to keep an eye on those two. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Bronny shows up around an hour later, and we start our movie marathon.

I’m happy that Rio didn’t have a game tonight and could talk with Monster. He’s more at ease already, finally figuring out that he isn’t the only one who feels the way he does.

Tonight has been so much fun, and for the most part, I’ve been able to forget about Ian. Of course, that changes once everyone leaves and I’m alone in my room.

When my head hits the pillow and my eyes close, I’m met with the image of piercing blue ones staring back at me.

The man behind those eyes can steal my heart and break it if I’m not careful.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

IAN

My entire house smells heavenly. Strong wafts of a delicious aroma from the sauce the salmon is baking in fill the space, making my mouth water. Hopefully, it tastes just as good.

Besides the wild salmon, which is in the best marinade ever, I’m making rice pilaf and roasted veggies. Not only is the meal healthy, but it’s also full of flavor. Even though this isn’t a date, I still want to impress him, so I whipped up two mini chocolate cheesecakes this morning that are currently setting in my refrigerator. Those aren’t exactly healthy, but I figure it might be nice for Ben to indulge every so often.

A knock on my door announces Ben’s arrival, and I rush to let him in.He’s dressed in a tight-fitting black shirt and a nice pair of dark-wash jeans that cling to his thighs. I bet they accentuate his bubble butt in the best possible way.

“You look good enough to eat,” I murmur, pulling him in for a kiss that I have to cut off far too soon. “Damn, I want to devour you, but I’ve made us a nice meal, and I don’t want it to burn.”Ben chuckles, letting me lead him to the kitchen. “Have a seat, the food is almost done.”

Ben inhales deeply through his nose. “It smells delicious,” he states.

“Hopefully, it tastes good too,” I reply, then cross my fingers, causing a grin to spread across Ben’s face, lighting it up.

“How was hanging out with your friends last night?” I ask, checking on the veggies.

“Really good. We watched a bunch of movies and probably stayed up too late, but they are a bunch of great guys,” Ben supplies.

He obviously has some pretty great people in his life, which is fantastic. I’m happy for him. Even if we were dating, I wouldn’t want to be Ben’s everything. That isn’t healthy.

It’s important to have people who can see things you can’t when you’re blinded by lust or love. Friends are the people who help you to pull your head out of your ass when there are red flags you’re missing.

Not that I’m a bad guy or anything, but it’s still important not to cut yourself off from others when you’re with someone. But I guess that doesn’t happen when you’re with the right person because someone who truly cares for you isn’t going to ask you to do something like that.

Once the food is ready, I dish us both up a plate and set Ben’s in front of him.

“Holy shit, Ian. You didn’t have to go to this kind of trouble,” he whispers, making me second-guess my choices.

“It wasn’t that troublesome,” I assure him. “Besides, I enjoy cooking and trying new things.”

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