Page 296 of Coach
And he was mine.
I grinned, watching their reactions, especially Matty’s. He nearly passed out for real when Shane’s nipples appeared. I couldn’t blame him. It’s how I felt every time he undressed before me. Damn, I was a lucky guy.
“More drinks!” Sisi declared, tearing herself away from the half-naked men to lead a conga line into the kitchen for refills.
That’s when I noticed Mike and Elliot staring at each other. Mike wasn’t gawking at Elliot’s pecs or naked abs. No, he was staring into his eyes, as though the rest of the world around them had vanished. It felt as though we’d all barged in on a very private moment between the two men.
“One year ago,” Mike whispered. I was so fixated on the pair that I could easily read his lips.
Elliot’s smile widened, and I couldfeelthe love flowing between them.
“What’s with those two?” Shane whispered in my ear, his breath hot.
“A year ago, over a meal not too different from theone we just wrecked, Elliot surprised us all—specially Mike—by dropping to one knee and proposing.”
“Holy shit,” Shane muttered.
I nodded. “Elliot’s a lot like you. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, it’s something. That moment was one of the most romantic, emotional scenes I’ve ever witnessed.”
Shane’s arms wrapped around me, and I could feel the warmth of his bare chest press against me from behind. When he pressed a kiss to my neck, Sisi noticed us.
“Oh, boy,” she said, motioning to Matty and Omar. “Come here, guys. I think we have a holiday tradition about to repeat itself.”
“What tradition?” Jeremiah asked.
Sisi ran fingers down his bare chest, eliciting a satisfied grin. “Baby boy, we had a marriage proposal at this very table last year. Looking at Shane and Mateo, it looks like—”
“Sisi! No! We haven’t even said we’re boyfriends yet. We’re not taking that plunge.”
Sisi cocked a brow, but not at me. She aimed her gaze directly at Shane.
“Is this true? Are you just hooking up? What are your intentions with our boy, Shane?” Her glare was withering.
“Sisi,” Mrs. H whispered, a weathered hand landingon Sisi’s arm.
She shrugged it off. “Well?”
Shane glanced at me, then back to the group. Far too many eyes blinked back in anticipation.
“Mateo is mine,” Shane declared.
No one spoke.
Even Matty’s toe-tapping stilled.
Shane squeezed me tighter into him, as if to underscore his point.
When he didn’t offer any more, Sisi clapped her hands twice and said, “Well, that clears nothing up. Who wants dessert?”
Chapter 45
Shane
Iwasn’t sure when it happened—somewhere between Mateo stealing my fries at every meal and me pretending to be mad about it—but somehow, the man had fully embedded himself in every part of my day. The vast majority of my life had been spent avoiding close contact with the human kind; and yet, there I was, daydreaming about spending more time with someone, feeling his hands on my skin, his lips brushing against my own.
We spent every waking moment together through the holidays. If he wasn’t at my place—barefoot, with tousled hair and humming some old Italian tune while he raided my fridge—I was at his, dodging flying laundry or watching him scribble plays in a dog-eared notebook like he was mapping out a war campaign.
Basketball season hadn’t slowed him down. In fact, it was just revving up.
