Page 58 of The Husband Game

He popped an olive in his mouth and chewed slowly and thoughtfully, his gaze never leaving Dustin’s.

Dustin’s blood heated.

For weeks he’d been thinking about Charlie’s lithe, nude body in the shower.

When he’d told Charlie he wanted him to relax and be more comfortable, that was exactly what he’d meant.

But he hadn’t been prepared for what the sight of Charlie, naked and wet, did to him.

While Dustin wasn’t foolish enough to think he was anywhere close to knowing the real Charlie or understanding who he was, he felt like he was beginning to grasp how Charlie responded to things.

They had incredible sexual chemistry and even if they weren’t actually sleeping together, it was probably the best thing Dustin had to work with.

There was a fine line between teasing and actually being pushy about it of course, but flirting with Charlie, using that energy between them, was a good way to get him fired up.

Whenever Dustin did, Charlie glowed and sassed back.

Their poolside shenanigans a few weeks ago had definitely proven that.

On Dominic’s way out of the party, he’d clapped Dustin on the shoulder and said, “so I’m starting to understand where this sudden marriage came from,” with a little wink.

And while Dustin was fairly certain Charlie had far, far more of the upper hand than he ever would, it was still a good starting point.

So Dustin popped an olive in his mouth, his gaze never leaving Charlie’s as he chewed, enjoying the salty, briny flavor. He licked a smear of olive oil from his lip when he was done and watched Charlie’s eyes widen.

“Enjoying your appetizer?” he asked after.

“Yeah. It’s good.”

Was it Dustin’s imagination or did Charlie sound a tiny bit breathless?

After Charlie had declared he’d had enough, Dustin finished off the remainder of the olives.

A short while later, the waiter brought their entrees. A smoked salmon salad for Charlie and pork tenderloin with apricots and mashed potatoes for him.

“So,” Dustin said after a few minutes of eating. “We should probably sync our calendars and discuss our plans for the next few months. I’ll begin training next week. I have a couple of trainers and private coaches I work with on various things.”

“Absolutely yes to sync-ing our calendars,” Charlie said with a nod. “Great idea. And what kind of private coaches?”

He sounded genuinely curious so Dustin told him about his strength and conditioning coach and a figure skating coach he worked with.

Charlie’s eyebrows rose. “Interesting.”

Dustin leaned forward. “I know a lot of what your friend Taylor did for the Otters was about the PR for the team, but I’ve been a huge advocate for working with a figure skating coach for years. It really helps with my footwork.”

“Huh.”

Dustin grinned. “Of course, now that I’m married to a figure skater, maybe I should be asking my husband for tips.”

Charlie went very still, looking down at his plate and clearing his throat delicately. “I uh, appreciate that you think I’d have anything to offer there, but that’s a part of my life I left behind for a reason. I’d prefer to keep it in my past, if that’s alright.”

“Yeah, of course,” Dustin said, confused. Clearly, he’d touched on an uncomfortable subject but he wasn’t quite sure why. “No worries. Consider it off the table.”

“Thanks.” Charlie gave him a relieved smile and seemed to shake off whatever had bothered him. “You can tell me more about your training though.”

“Even the figure skating?”

“Yes. That’s fine. I’m just not interested in talking about my history.” His eyes were wide and clear and his tone was forthright, so Dustin nodded and talked about his schedule for the remainder of the summer.

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