Rebound (Seattle Steelheads #1)(47)
“Mmm, a neighbor who appreciates discretion. I like it.” I tilted my head back as his lips made me shiver. “But he still might see…”
“Don’t really care unless you do.”
“Oh, God. Yeah.” I made sure every word dripped with sarcasm. “No, please, don’t let anyone see me getting frisky with a hot man half my age.”
Asher laughed, lifting his head to look at me as he slid his hands down to my ass. “Keep talking like that, we might end up giving them a show.”
I didn’t have to keep talking. One long kiss, and I forgot all about neighbors or being exposed or anything that wasn’t losing myself in Asher’s needy touch and hot, powerful body.
If Asher’s football player neighbor was watching? He definitely got a show.
*
When we couldn’t see each other in person, we fell back on texting or—if my kids weren’t home or if I could do it discreetly—FaceTime. Tonight, he’d been at practice until late, and I’d just come back from a long shift, so even our FaceTime call wasn’t very long. Still, it was always good to talk with him, even if it was just to catch up about our days.
After I’d hung up with Asher tonight, I stayed there for a long time, just lying back on my bed with my phone on my chest. The apartment was completely silent. The kids were at their mom’s, so I hadn’t had to worry about keeping my voice down or just texting. They hadn’t mentioned me seeing anyone since the night they’d questioned me about whether I was dating again, so I had no idea if they thought I was still seeing someone or if that had been the end of it. Conversations were still a bit of a minefield, and I’d been too spineless to bring it up and see where I stood with them.
Exhaling, I rubbed my forehead. I still felt seriously guilty about keeping this from them. They needed time after Marcus, though. And for that matter, I needed some time with Asher before I decided if he was going to cross paths with my kids. I needed to be damn sure about someone before that became an option. So for the time being, we had to keep it on the down-low.
Though God knew how long I’d be able to keep it on the down-low. Athletes’ love lives weren’t usually quite as high-profile as those of actors or politicians, but Asher was a different story. He’d been under a microscope from the moment he’d been drafted into the Professional Hockey League. I remembered that, even if I’d had no clue I’d one day be getting to know Asher, never mind in the biblical sense. It had been big news. A top-tier athlete who was openly gay? The only openly gay pro hockey player in history? Oh yeah. That got some attention.
Which meant it was only a matter of time before we got some attention.
I sighed, staring up at the ceiling as I drummed my nails on the back of my phone. The question was, did I tell my kids I was sort of dating Asher Crowe? Or did I let the media tell them whatever salacious story sold clicks and magazines? Especially since it wasn’t like David and Claire would miss anything that the media said about Asher. They were big fans. Both kids had Seattle Steelheads posters up in their rooms, and David had won a signed photo of Asher in a raffle a season or two ago. Because that wasn’t remotely weird, realizing my kids both had pictures of the guy I was seeing, and they didn’t even know it.
So, if they found out I was dating Asher, would they still be upset that I was dating someone already? Or would they be upset down the line if Oh my God, Dad, please tell me you did not break up with Asher Crowe.
Okay, I was getting way ahead of myself here. There was no telling what Asher and I were doing or how long we’d be doing it. Right now, we were two guys enjoying something that was a nice switch from the shitty relationships we’d had before. That was all it was, and it was all it needed to be.
And right now, the press had no reason to speculate that there was anything between Asher and me. We’d only seen each other in the privacy of his house. If we started going out in public where a camera might catch us, then I’d have a conversation with my kids. In fact, I’d do that before Asher and I went out. First, I’d talk to my ex-wife so she’d know what was going on. And maybe, I wouldn’t admit out loud, so she had some advice about how to have that conversation with the kids without it turning into a disaster. She was always better at that than I was.
So I sent the call.
“Hey, Geoff.” Mahmoud, Valerie’s husband, picked up. “Val just took the dog out and forgot her phone. She’s on her way back in, though, if you want to hang on.”
“Sure, I can do that. How are you doing?”
“Good, good.” We made small talk for a minute. I liked Mahmoud, so conversation with him was hardly an imposition. A minute later, Val came back, so Mahmoud and I said goodbye and she took the phone.
“Hey,” she said. “What’s up?”
“Hey. I, um… I could use a little advice.”
“About?”
“The three-ring circus that is my love life.”
She laughed softly. “Okay. Tell me what’s going on.”
I didn’t have to give her much background. The kids had apparently both vented to her about my split with Marcus and the fact that I’d started seeing someone new, and she knew the details about what had really happened with Marcus. Really the only thing new was that I was still seeing someone after the conversation I’d had with the kids.