Page 5 of Man Advantage

I was hard-pressed to imagine him being like that, though. Yeah, he was a rich and famous athlete now, but he was still Trev. Some of the guys from high school were still in touch with him, and they’d never had anything negative to say about him (well, aside from Jake, who was still salty that Trev had signed with Pittsburgh instead of somewhere on the West Coast).

Trev was also offering me a promising path to getting back on my feet. A place to live, a paycheck, and a car? Hell, I’d have taken him up on it even if wehadbeen bitterly estranged exes.

Send me the details. I’ll leave as soon as I can.

Thank you, Cam. You’re a lifesaver.

I smiled to myself. He was a lifesaver, too.

And what could I say?

I was thrilled to be seeing my old friend again.

It was one thing to be aware that my childhood friend was now a famous athlete and a literal millionaire.

It was another thing entirely to pull into the cobblestone driveway of a huge-ass house and have my GPS tell me,“You have arrived at your destination.”

“Holy shit,” I murmured as I eased my dilapidated Honda to a stop in front of the fancy brick house. Everything from the enormous windows to the manicured landscaping was flawless and just…big. I couldn’t imagine living here as a single guy.

Which meant this was probably the place he’d bought with his ex, intending to raise their kids here. Even then, it seemed way too big for four people.

But was I going to look this multimillion-dollar gift horse in the mouth? No, I was not.

As I was getting out of the car, the front door opened, and I very nearly tripped and fell on my ass.

Holy. Crap.

Trev had always been incredibly fit. Playing hockey had kept him in tiptop shape, and he’d been goodlooking even through those awkward junior high years. He’d looked amazing in high school and college.

The man standing in the doorway now? Oh my God. That blue henley stretched snugly across ripped abs and pecs, and his biceps and forearms were mouthwatering. When my gaze landed on his narrow hips and holy-shit-are-you-kidding-me thighs, I had to force myself to meet his eyes instead. He’d been so lanky as a kid, and while he was still leaner than a football player or a power lifter, he was—fucking hell, most of my personal training clients would’ve sawed off limbs to look like that.

He’d also lost a lot of that youthful softness in his face. His jaw and cheekbones were more prominent now. Back in high school, he’d bemoaned his lack of anything to shave, but now he had a respectable dusting of dark stubble that just made him even prettier.

That perfect smile, though—that hadn’t changed a bit.

“Wow,” he said as he stepped outside, arms outstretched. “I can’t believe how long it’s been!”

“Right?” Dazed, I stepped into his hug. “It’s beentoolong.” Those words were even truer when he embraced me so tight I could barely breathe.

How did I go this many years without one of your hugs?

I almost got choked up, but I managed to hold my composure, and as I stepped back, I cleared my throat. Gesturing at him and grinning, I said, “Didn’t you say you’d have a hockey smile by thirty? Looks like you still have all your teeth.”

He laughed, which… oh God.

When did you get so hot? Who gave you the right?

“Actually,” he said, tapping the left side of his jaw, “I’m missing two.”

“You are?”

He nodded as a blush crept into his cheeks. “The one in front is capped. The molar—I’ll get an implant there after I retire.”

I whistled. “I thought your old coach told you not to stop sticks with your teeth.”

“Hey now.” He pushed his shoulders back and feigned offense. “I’ll have you know the one in back was from stopping a puck.”

Grimacing, I shuddered. “Um. Ouch?”

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