Page 141 of Coach
Shane reached out to brace him.
Mrs. H squealed and clapped her hands.
And poor Jeremiah stood and stared as water rolled off his borrowed flannel.
A wolf sensing fear and weakness, Sisi began the chant, “Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!”
When Omar and Matty joined in, I knew the snowball was rolling downhill. By the time Mrs. H joined the cheers, Jeremiah had no choice but tobegin to unbutton his shirt.
Squeals erupted from the women—and Matty.
When he reached the bottom button, and most of his chest was visible through the now-parted fabric, one could’ve heard a pin drop. It felt as though all of Gay America held its collective breath for the unveiling of what we all knew would be Santa’s glorious gift this Christmas.
And when he tossed aside the shirt, angels and elves joined and sang hymns of the season—and more of “It’s Raining Men.” Jeremiah was even more stunning unveiled than we’d imagined. Hell, I’d seen him in his work shirt, the one that looked like his muscles tortured it for fun, and I still wasn’t prepared for the glory that was his naked torso.
“Holy shit. We have Shane, Dane, and now Jeremiah,” Omar muttered.
“It’s our very ownMagic Mikeshow,” Mrs. H added.
Sisi’s eyes roamed the table, landing on Shane, then Dane.
“Not a chance,” Shane said, a preemptive rejection of the chants he knew were bubbling behind her eyes.
She winked and chanted anyway.
Dane stripped quickly. It took a few minutes, but Shane reluctantly peeled off his flannel and puteveryone else to shame, his muscles gleaming in the candlelight. As hot as Dane and Jeremiah were, Shane was a beast among men, a statue gifted by the gods themselves so men might gawk and know their glory.
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.
