22. Drew

CHAPTER 22

DREW

The remaining three weeks of preseason flew by in a rush of preparing the players and treating injuries as they came up. They were just days away from their first regular season game, and the suits in charge had scheduled them playing at home.

Drew didn't always see Lee during the week, but whenever he did, he usually stopped and stared for a while. Full stop. There wasn't anything usually about it. He stopped, he hid, and he stared until Cutter, Dr. Rosie, or another player or staff member came up beside him, nudging him, making kissy noises, or teasing him in some way. He was kinda surprised he didn't have a perpetual rosy glow going on with how often they liked to embarrass him.

How Lee never noticed, Drew had no clue, and he thanked every deity he knew that everyone else kept their mouths shut. His right hand was getting an extra near-daily workout along with the rest of his body. Imagining Lee right beside him, and more often than not, Mac was on the other side, or some other erotic combination of the three of them required Drew to keep a full bottle of lube and a box of tissues beside his bed.

Peeking at Lee from across the cafeteria where he sat with Cutter and the rest of the medical team while the object of his obsession sat with the defensive line, Drew pondered ‘Why now?' He'd given up on Mac years ago, or so he'd thought. Mac was his best friend, but after one disastrous make-out session, they opted to never go down that route again.

So why was he dreaming of the three of them?

"You're going to burn a hole in him if you keep staring like that?" Cutter nudged him.

Khalil, another of the medical trainers sitting across from him, snickered. "You're cute when you blush."

Like that wouldn't turn him redder than a tomato. "Shut up," Drew muttered.

"Uh-oh, here he comes," Cutter mumbled.

Drew looked up in time to see Lee making his way across the room, straight for him. "Hi." He stood behind Khalil, speaking over the man's head. "Just confirming dinner tonight. Mac said he can be there by seven."

"Yeah," Drew croaked, cleared his throat and tried again. "Yeah. Seven's good."

"Great." Lee turned when Jakes called his name, but then spun back and flashed him a wide smile that melted Drew's insides. "See you later."

Drew pointedly ignored the teases of his fellow trainers as he watched that tight ass jog out the door. He wouldn't miss that show for anything.

He arrived at Lee's that night at quarter to seven. Sure, he could have waited for Mac, but he wanted a few minutes of Lee's full attention. He knocked and entered, as had become custom when they were eating at Lee's place. Drew was slightly jealous of the upscale apartment which was heads and tails better than his crappy campus apartment with its dated appliances, cramped space, and less-than-stellar air-conditioning. If it wasn't because Drew knew Lee kept his second bedroom free for his mom and aunt to stay in when they visited, he would have already asked to move in.

"Hi, it's—" Any further words stuck in his throat at the sight that greeted him. Lee in nothing but a long-hanging pair of loose shorts that showed off his abs and the cut vee of his waist was mouth-watering.

Lee cleared his throat, snapping Drew's gaze from those inspiring southern shores to his face. He could feel his cheeks heating… again. "Fuck," he mumbled.

"You know…" Lee drawled, reaching for his T-shirt lying on the back of the couch. He slipped it over his head, covering the impressive expanse of chest and shoulders from Drew's view. "I've caught you staring a couple of times, and it's flattering, but we had this conversation. I like you and Mac. I mean, I really like you both, but I have to focus on my job. I?—"

"We understand," Mac interrupted, slipping inside and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Drew.

It took all of Drew's control to not look down at where Mac's fingers lightly touched his wrist and palm. Holy cow… Was Mac actually thinking the same thing he was? Had he had the same erotic dreams? They told each other everything… but not this. They'd both kept quiet, both probably fearing the same rejection.

Lee deflated. "Good. I love being your friend. You guys have made moving here a thousand times better. I mean, I like my teammates, but all they want to talk about is sports, injuries, and their girlfriends. Or trash-talk while they play video games. That gets old fast." He walked backward toward the kitchen, beckoning them to join him.

"I bet," Mac said, sliding a fingertip along Drew's forearm as he followed Lee.

Drew, however, was frozen in place. His world had turned upside-down and sideways. Mac was always demonstrative, giving plenty of hugs, fist-bumps, and winks, but never had there been a delicate touch that had Drew's whole body thrumming.

"Drew?" Mac said from where he stood next to the counter stools.

Never had he wanted to stride across a room, cradle someone's face in his hands, and then devour them in a fervent kiss, like some porn-worthy steamy TV moment. But holy fuck, he did just then. Thankfully, Lee's back was to them because the heat between him and Mac turned scorching.

They had to talk. Later. Tonight. Drew refused to let another day pass without knowing what the hell was going on with his best friend.