Page 28 of Body Check

Before dinner, Jesse had assured Dakota there were numerous vegetarian choices at the restaurant, but it seemed like he’d probably missed out.

Dakota glanced at Gavin, fork poised over his plate of grilled pineapple. “Oh yeah, I’m stuffed. I just can’t stop eatingthis. It’s incredible.”

“Good. I wondered.”

Dakota shot him a small smile. “Yeah, I did fine. The grilled vegetables were amazing, and with all of the side salads, cheeses, and lentil rice, I got plenty of protein and I’m happy.”

“Good,” Gavin said firmly.

“You want to try the pineapple? Seriously, the cinnamon brown sugar mixed with the smokiness of the grill is next level.”

Gavin waved it off. “Too high carb for me.”

“Mmm.” Dakota shot him a look across the table. “Okay.”

“What’sthatsupposed to mean?” Gavin asked with a laugh.

But before Dakota could respond, Jesse rose to his feet. “Okay, up next for anyone who is interested, we’re going to WeHo.”

“What the hell is that?” Crawford asked, wiping some beer foam from his moustache.

Jesse grinned. “West Hollywood! Santa Monica Boulevard is supposed to have the best clubs for dancing. The one we’re going to is a gay club, but everyone is welcome.”

“Yeahhh,” Crawford drawled. “Not my scene.”

“We know, we know,” Jesse retorted. “Go get on your hookup app or find a biker bar or whatever.”

Gavin shared an amused smirk with Dakota who smiled around another bite of pineapple.

“But,” Jesse continued, “I mean it. Anyone who wants to come with us is welcome.”

He pointed at the end of the table where Gavin sat. “And I do mean anyone. You too, Mr. GM. The club we’re hitting up has a bar and lounge area, along with the dance floor. So you’re welcome to find a spot to hang out and relax, if dancing isn’t your thing.”

Gavin considered it. He didn’t usually socialize with playersquitethat much outside of the practice facility or arena but well, it had been a long time since he’d gone to a gay club and enjoyed himself. And there was no reason he couldn’t discreetly find someone there to hook up with.

Besides, he was incredibly curious to see how the team would handle things now that there were a few more openly out players.

“So,” Jesse said. “Who’s in?”

Obviously, Connor was going with Jesse. Tanner was an enthusiastic yes. But, to his surprise, Graham also nodded. “Sure. Why not?”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend?” Bobby Tucker asked, looking confused.

Graham looked at him. “There’s a woman I’ve been seeing, yeah. But we’re not exclusive.”

Bobby gave him a slow blink, like he was trying to process the words and struggling. “But you’re not into dudes. Why would you go to a gay bar?”

“Because I like dancing,” Graham said slowly, like he was speaking to a child. “And I can dance there.”

“Yeah, but withdudes?” Bobby shook his head. “No thanks.”

Crawford snorted.

Graham scoffed. “Wow, well, unlike you two, I’m not an insecure man-baby. If a guy hits on me, I can politely decline. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“Yeah, fuck that,” Bobby scoffed.

Across the table, Gavin caught a glimpse of Dakota’s eye-roll.Seriously.

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