Page 101 of Common Goal
“Thank you. It was a bit of a surprise, to be honest.”
“Why? You’ve been playing well this season, haven’t you?”
Eric gently removed the lid to his coffee cup and set it on the table. “Other goalies have been better.Youngergoalies.”
Ah. This.
“Eric,” Kyle said carefully, “did you text me because you’re feeling old?”
Eric’s eyes went wide. “What? No, of course not.” But his brow furrowed in a way that suggested he was considering the possibility.
“I’ve enjoyed everything we’ve done together, and, honestly, all of the time we’ve spent together. But if you’re here because I make you feel young or something...”
“It’s not that,” Eric said quickly. “Youareyoung, but when we’re together I—” He cut himself off. Kyleneededhim to finish that sentence.
“You what?”
“I don’t think about our age difference. I think about it when we’re apart sometimes, but whenever I’m with you I just...forget.”
There was definitely something romantic about that admission, but Kyle did his best to ignore it. It was probably unintentional. “I must not be doing as good a job moisturizing as I thought,” he said dryly.
Eric chuckled. “That’s not what I meant. And I’m not here to feed off your youth. I’m around plenty of young men when I’m at work.”
“That makes two of us.” Kyle sipped his latte. “Is something on your mind, though?”
Eric fiddled with his coffee cup. “I still haven’t told anyone I’m retiring. And the road trips were...hard, I guess. Every arena we played in, I thought about how it might be the last time I ever play there. This might be the last time I’m flying from San Jose to Colorado with my teammates.” He shook his head. “I don’t know why those thoughts bothered me so much. It’s silly.”
“It’s not. You’re about to end an enormous chapter of your life.”
“I know.” Eric blew out a breath and said, “Anyway. I didn’t invite you here to unload on you.”
Kyle waggled his eyebrows suggestively. When Eric noticed, he ducked his head to hide his embarrassed smile.
“Why did you invite me?” Kyle asked.
Eric glanced up. “I found myself...missing you.”
Kyle’s mouth fell open, then curved up in a giddy smile that he tried, but failed, to get under control. “I may have missed you too.” He lowered his voice. “I’ve thought a lot about our last night together.”
Eric held his gaze, and Kyle saw the heat that ignited in them. “Me too.”
He bit his lip, considering whether what he was about to propose was a good idea. It probably wasn’t, but, “Maria just started her evening shift at Starbucks.”
It took Eric a second. “So your apartment is empty, you’re saying?”
“I have it all to myself. If you’re not busy...”
“I’m not.” Eric was already putting the lid back on his coffee, getting ready to leave. “Let’s go.”
Kyle laughed at his eagerness. “You know, if you wanted a booty call, you could have just said. You didn’t have to meet me for coffee.”
“I wanted to see you, not just... I mean, I like talking to you.”
Ugh. Eric had to stop. Kyle was going to get all sorts of wrong ideas if he didn’t stop. He decided to keep it sexy. “How about we talkafterI show you what I’ve been dreaming of doing to you for two weeks?”
Chapter Twenty
Eric was writhing on Kyle’s bed, out of his mind with lust. Kyle had brought him to the edge three times already without letting him come, and Eric wasn’t sure if he’d survive a fourth time.
