Page 39 of First Puck

I’d wanted to come and make sure Alex wasn’t being taken advantage of, and I guess I got my answer. Because I couldn’t trust Lance further than I could throw him—which I’d already done a few months ago, and it fucking hurt because he dragged me with him.

I should have stayed and protected Alex. Just full–on wedged myself between them. But Alex said he’d be back by ten, and I was sure Alex didn’t fuck on a first date.

Well, kinda sure, since he’d never been on one before.

It turned out Alex didn’t just have a terrible taste in shirts…

I’d go back to the house and wait it out. If I stopped them before they fucked, then my mission would be complete. I was just praying Lance hadn’t reserved a hotel room or something.

Alex would come back home and we’d lock ourselves in his room, have a laugh about it, and then, somehow, I’d find a way so he would never,eversee Lance again.

Alex

Lance pulled his car up outside our house, shooting me another grin.

“You had a good time, though? I wasn’t a total failure?” he asked.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a failure. You got what you wanted, didn’t you?” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye as his eyebrow quirked.

“Hell yeah, I did. And leaving my jacket in the bathroom will just make everything better.”

“I really don’t understand how making Tommy even more pissed off with you is going to help.”

“It’s all these tricks of the trade, my son. You learn as you go along.” He pressed his hand against his heart, sighing deeply. “One day, you, too, might be as brilliant and excellent as me.”

“I shudder at the thought,” I said with a blank face, which only made him shine more.

I could never tell if he was being honest when he said stuff like that.

I reached for the door handle, but Lance shot out a hand, grabbing my arm.

“Wait.” He stopped me, his voice suddenly serious. My attention swung back to him, my brow furrowed as I met his intense gaze. “I can’t take you on a date and not act like a gentleman,” he said, throwing me a wink.

Within seconds, he was out of the driver’s seat and running around the side of the car. He opened my door, offering me a hand like he was some noble lord.

“Next you’ll be laying your jacket down over a puddle for me.” I laughed as I slid my hand into his, letting him guide me out. With my height and size, most people would struggle, but Lance was one of the strongest guys on the team.

“You didn’t have to drive me back,” I murmured as he kept hold of my hand.

I didn’t even know why he bothered to drive us. It literally took a minute to get back to the house. Or maybe it was all part of his secret plan, too.

It was dark enough that I couldn’t see anyone out on the street. The houses of the various sports teams were in one big row outside the campus. At 11PM, there were probably people wandering back from clubs and parties, so we might still be spotted, even between the car and the house.

I might be comfortable being open about my sexuality with Lance, but it had been hard enough in high school with all the rumors. And the ‘dating’ part of the fake dating was meant to be kept as quiet as possible.

But, I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye, and my stomach flipped with nerves as Brad’s curtain fluttered. It was a flimsy white thing, and his silhouette remained behind it.

“What is it?” Lance asked as he followed my gaze.

It was the perfect opportunity to make some headway with Brad. We’d already faked it in front of Tommy this evening, so it shouldn’t be too hard to do the same thing with Brad.

“He’s at the window,” I murmured as I stepped away from the car door. We kept our hands clasped as I met his growing smirk.

“What are you thinking?” he asked silkily.

“This,” I replied, tugging on his hand, startling him enough that he dipped forward, and I pulled him to my chest.

He let out aoofof surprise, and I instantly wrapped my other arm around his shoulder, making sure he stayed close. It was an awkward position, but Lance quickly got the idea and copied me. With one arm around my lower back, his other clasped in mine, his breath brushed the curve of my neck as his hair tickled my nose.

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