Page 64 of Overtime Goal
I didn’t answer because hehadgotten hotter. He obviously still worked out, and the few extra pounds filled him out in allthe right places. His shoulders looked broader than they used to be, and his chest looked massive through the shirt. He smiled again, the same old cocky grin he’d always had. I couldn’t help thinking about Riley. What was it with me and cocky grins?
Like yesterday, I traced lines in the condensation on my glass. “How long will you be in town?”
“A few more days. Longer if I find something worth staying for.”
I met his gaze, not surprised to see the familiar sparkle in his eyes. Quinn had always been charming. “Still smooth as hell,” I said.
He gave me a nod. “You never seemed to mind.”
I hadn’t, not when things were good. We’d shut the door on the world and go at it like rabbits, but there’d always been something slippery in his smile that made me wonder what he got up to when I wasn’t around. Since I played in Buffalo and he was in Seattle, our relationship had been long-distance. Seeing each other only now and then left a lot of idle time, and Quinn had never been one for restraint.
“You said you have a couple of bars now?” I asked.
He lifted his bottle and took a long pull of his beer. “Yes, and about to open a club. You should consider retirement, Lo. You’d have fewer bruises and more time to chase what you want.”
“What is it you’re chasing these days?”
Quinn’s smile widened. “Some things never change.”
I looked out toward the beach. A kid was flying a kite, and people strolled along the water’s edge with sandals dangling from their hands. I pictured Riley among them the way he’d been the other day: barefoot, shirtless, and laughing, with his sunglasses crooked on his face because he bent every pair he got.
I have to stop thinking about him every damn minute.
“What’s going on with you?” Quinn asked. “Still got that sweet place in Buffalo?”
“Yep.”
“Still like to fuck in the backyard?”
I laughed. “When I get a chance.”
“Hmm. Does that mean you’re single?” His tone dipped enough to suggest he wanted me one way or the other.
I didn’t answer.
His chuckle was low, almost a growl. “Logan, you always did like to pretend you’re more complicated than you are.”
“And you enjoy pretending you’re more honest than you are.”
A few beats passed. “Fair.” He leaned in, resting his elbows on the table. “I know what we had wasn’t perfect. I fucked it up, I own that. But we were good together. A fucking power couple who knew how to make each other come our brains out.”
I tried to stay quiet but couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “You know how to make a lot of people come their brains out.”
“Maybe, but I know more than that about you. For example, I know that look in your eyes when you need to get laid.” He lowered his voice again. “I need it too, Lo. Nobody’s ever fucked me like you did.”
Riley and I had never fucked, which was something I’d always regret. “I think we tend to romanticize things we used to have.”
“Maybe,” he said. “But this time, it’s worth revisiting. What we had wasn’t in your imagination.”
I didn’t argue because he was right, at least about my feelings being real.
“Things could work this time, Lo. I’m not on the road half my fucking life.”
I sighed. I’d never be stupid enough to trust him again, but he was right about one thing. Sexually, we’d been dynamite together. An afternoon in his arms might help get Riley out of my head.
Quinn nudged my foot. “What do you say? I think we should finish these beers, head back to the hotel, and see if we still fit.”
I stared at him. If I did this, there’d be no turning back.
