Page 100 of Fair Catch

I meet Oakley’s gaze on the hand off. “I have no doubt you did. Just like I’m sure he told you to shove it and did it anyway.”

“Nail on the head, as always.” Oakley smirks, nodding to me before adding, “Glad to see you, Hayes.”

I nod too, a tight smile on my face as I mutter, “Likewise.”

I’m about to formally introduce the two of them to Kason when Q makes a buzzing sound with his lips and glances between me and his boyfriend. “We’re not having any of that shit this week,” Quinton gripes. “Everything is fine, it’s all water under the bridge, and I’m happy. But I’d be a lot fucking happier if my best friend and boyfriend would do a little more than tolerate each other’s existence.”

Oakley and I stare at each other briefly, eyes wide as we wait to see if ragey-Quinton is gonna make an appearance.

He doesn’t, thank God, and instead turns to Kason. “I hope you know what you’ve signed up for with this one, football star,” Q warns, smacking him on the back of the shoulder before motioning toward me. “He holds grudges like no other.”

“A mild exaggeration,” I mutter before linking my fingers with Kason’s as we all head to their car in short-term parking. “Is it too late to take you up on the whole movie and sex marathon thing back in Chicago?”

Kason chuckles, his eyes glittering with amusement. “Absolutely not. Drama is kind of fun to watch when it’s not mine.”

“Hey, I heard that,” Q calls from where he and Oakley are a few paces ahead of us. He glances over his shoulder to look at Kason with a menacing glare. “I also hear you’re attempting to steal my best friend, so you better watch it. Otherwise you can sleep in the garage next to my bike.”

Kason’s eyes widen comically when he looks at me, the wordshelp meetched in his features so prominently, they might as well be tattooed on his forehead.

“Aw, c’mon, babe,” Oakley chides. His flashing to us as we stop behind their Navigator, popping the hatch to load up our bags. “He could at least sleep in the car.”

That makes Kason laugh, glancing into the opening of the luxury vehicle. “This thing is about the size of my bedroom growing up, so you wouldn’t see me complain.”

After tossing our bags in the back, the four of us load into the vehicle; Oakley driving, Quinton in the passenger seat, and Kason and me in back.

“I thought you lived in Jersey?” I ask when I catch Oakley heading for the tunnel to Manhattan.

Q glances at me from the passenger seat and shakes his head. “We got a place up between Greenwich and SoHo about a month after Oakley got traded. It made more sense since he wouldn’t have to commute to Philly like we originally thought.”

I frown. “And you didn’t think to tell me that?”

“What? And let you be the only one keeping secrets in this friendship? I think not.”

“Oh my God, it’s like there’s two of you now,” Kason whispers, a little grin on his face as he looks between Quinton and me.

“I’ve always called him my brother from another mother,” my best friend supplies, clearly eavesdropping.

I scoff. “You have never called me that in your life.”

“In my head, I have,” he rebuts, turning to look at the two of us in the back seat. “And trust me when I tell you, I’m the one who is a lot more fun. And better looking.”

Kason’s gaze moves to me before holding out his hand, which I take instinctively. His palm is as warm as his eyes, and he gives me a smile that does something stupid to the neurons firing in my brain.

“Sorry, Quinton. I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one.”

“It’s not too late to just take them back to the airport,” Q says, looking at Oakley now. “There’s not a chance in hell I wanna ring in the new year with this spoilsport.”

My lips curl into a devilish grin, my attention still focused on Kason as I say, “Funny. I’ve called him that once before too.”

“Huh. Isn’t that something,” Quinton murmurs while Kason shoots me a warning look, telling me he knowsexactlywhere my mind is right now.

Oakley, on the other hand, has no idea what’s happening other than that his boyfriend is being a little bit of a dick. And from the frown on his face, he’s not amused.

“We’re not taking the guestsyouinvited back to the airport ten minutes after they land.”

Q slumps back in the passenger seat, glaring over at Oakley, who keeps glancing between him and the road with one of those looks that’s some mixture of confusion andare you fucking high right now?

A look that only intensifies when Quinton snaps, “Quit looking at me like that, or I’ll butter your asshole.”

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