7. Tyler

Aswig of whiskey washed away the bitter taste in my mouth, the time ticked by as the flames in front of us flickered in the bitter New England weather. Though the alcohol and the fire weren't the only things heating up my insides. It took a lot of energy to keep my eyes on the fire, to avoid the gaze that poured gasoline over the one raging inside me.

"Dude, what did you do to make Hunter Graves look at you like that?" My gaze followed Cals, finally locking eyes with the person I was trying hard to ignore.

"Ugh, other than exist? The guy literally knocked me to the ground, took one look at me, and decided he hated me." Cal looked from me to Mr. Broody and back—then burst into laughter.

"The guy has the hots for you, that's why."

My head whipped around so fast it made me dizzy. Cal was no longer moping over the fact that his boyfriend publicly cheated on him, nor was a blabbering mess from our first encounter. After hours of sharing life stories in a drunken haze, his cheeks were flushed and smile bright.

"You're kidding me, right? The guy is as straight as an arrow. He talks about banging women every day in the locker room. Last time it rubbed me the wrong way so it didn't end well."

"Oh, this is too good—you find him hot." I didn't care for the mischief hiding behind his eyes.

"Well, yeah. He's… something. But he's my teammate. And I don't think I could handle it if I hit on him and he is straight."

"I get you, but I promise you're not barking up the wrong tree with that one."

My brow furrowed as my focus returned to the man who'd been nothing but a bindi in my side since I got here. After almost a month of being scrutinized under his glare, he's left me feeling uneasy in more ways than one.

"He has a girl sitting on his lap, nibbling on his ear while his hand is on her…" One of his hands had disappeared under her shirt to knead one of her breasts while the other slipped behind the waistband of her jeans.

My attention was recaptured by Cal's howling laughter next to me—and he didn't even attempt to stop as I whacked him on the arm., "Sorry, you know you can say pussy right? Hotty hockey boy over there is bi. His girl loves multiples, so they often have a third, who can be male or female—someone who can give them both pleasure."

I blinked, eyes raking over the couple. The girl was fully entranced by Hunter's touch, but Hunter… Those eyes never left mine. A shiver wracked my body. "And you know this… how?"

Cal shrugged. "I may have been their third once, but once Kinsley realized I only batted one way, it didn't happen again. Though she didn't mind playing voyeur for one night." Cal's smile turned sensual at the memory

"Was… was it..." Curiosity was getting the better of me, though my stomach flipped making me second guess myself.

"I got to ride him while she rode his face. He was… let's just say he knows what he's doing. If you want to dip your toe into the gay pool—secretly—he would be a good place to start. And from the fireworks crackling between the two of you right now… you'll find out that sex can be anything but boring."

I broke my stare-off with Hunter to look at Cal, my blood suddenly pumping a lot harder.

"The way I see it, big guy, is this is your chance to call the shots. You have one night to see if men really do it for you. We both know he's hot, and well… I suppose Kinsley's attractive too, so you can experiment there too."

I tightened my grip on my glass, surprising myself as I seriously contemplated it.

This is the whole reason I came to the party, right?

"Gimme your cell." I dropped my phone into Cal's outstretched palm and watched as he entered his number. "Call me tomorrow and we can catch up for coffee—which we'll both need after all this alcohol. I'm going to find my soon-to-be ex and tell him to shove it where the sun don't shine. Which he probably will: right up that little punk's ass. But hey, maybe next time you can be my wingman." Cal stood, tapped my shoulder, and strutted off. I wanted to call after him not to leave me here. To be honest, I walked here, and I was in no state to walk back to my dorm alone. I was kind of worried to get up at all.

I was unsure how long I simply sat there, staring into the bonfire. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I jolted when a presence made itself known.

Just like on the ice, I knew it was him.

His presence made my body temperature shoot up. He sat beside me, so close that our thighs brushed together. I swallowed hard. I only realized then that things had gone quiet. No one was outside—not even Kinsley.

Then he leaned in close. "I can keep a secret you know." His low, husky voice sent a shiver down my spine. My skin buzzed as the warmth of his breath tickled my cheek. A shudder wracked my body when his fingertips brushed the small of my back. Then those confident fingers snuck under my jacket, then under my shirt, once he pulled it free from my jeans. The slide of rough calloused fingertips had my skin pebbling up. My gut tightened as desire pooled low in my belly. The catch of my breath was visible in the cool night air.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Hunter." My voice came out hoarse and husky to my own ears. I closed my eyes for a beat, and my mind swam with images of what his hand would look like against my skin, intensifying my reaction.

"Is this why you hate it when I talk about women? You bat for the other team?" He was so close, I fought the urge to turn and look at him, because it would mean millimeters would separate our lips.

"I like women… I just don't feel the need to make them sound like meat."

He hummed, the sound shooting straight to my crotch. "I like women too, but there is something else. I saw you cozying up with Cal even though you could have your pick of any woman here. Though I get it, Cal has a movie star quality about him."

My loose, drunken lips spill without thought. "Baby Captain America." That had Hunter laughing, which lit up my libido. The sound alone had me hard as a rail. Not gay at all, Tyler.

"I can see that. Is that your type?"

I shook my head, staring blankly at the house in front of me, the only anchor keeping my arousal in check. "I don't know," I admitted all too honestly. Maybe I should have walked back to my dorm. Fingers met my chin, their touch hot against the cool of my skin. It only took a gentle tug for me to turn my head. His lips were right there, his golden eyes striking in the flames, dark hair mussed and falling in his face. My fingertips itched to reach out and brush it back.

"So, a baby bi then?"

I nodded, unable to lie under the deep scrutiny of his gaze.

"I can look after you baby," he purred. "I can make you feel good. You're safe with me. You can tell me what you like, what you don't, what's too much, what's not enough. Let me take care of you, Tyler." His words were a soft caress, my name rolling off his lips like a prayer. He was the snake in the grass tempting me to take a bite of the forbidden apple, and under my whiskey-soaked haze, I found myself nodding, my lips grazing his.Electricity flooded my system, and I was short-circuiting. I had never felt this—she hadn't felt like this. The anxiety that flooded my system all those years ago was clouded by lust and desire.

"I need your words, baby." His hand flattened on the bare skin of my back, and pictures came to my mind, of him taking control, pleasuring me from behind and a whimper left my lips.

It wasn't lost on me that the man touching me was the very same one who had the ability to make me angrier than a kicked hornet's nest. But through the fog, the only thing I could see was a man asking for my permission—something no one else ever had done. He had no idea what that was doing to me.

"Just for tonight, then—"

"We never mention it again." My heart pounded in my chest as he finished my thoughts for me.

I nodded, and then his hand moved, fingers lacing through mine a little too perfectly. I lazily followed behind him as he guided me through the sliding doors of the house. As we got inside, the realization of what I was about to do jolted my feet to a stop. I was about to protest, thoughts about the team rushing through my mind.

As if Hunter had a direct line to the shit show of thoughts in my head, he squeezed my hand. "Don't worry, everyone's turned in for the night. Kinsley is already in my room."

I stiffened. Cal said about Kinsley being a part of Hunter's… sexcapades, but hearing her name was like dunking a bucket of ice water over my head. The one simple word had fear flooding my body once more.