Page 39 of The Locker Room

Page List

Font Size:

that way, because he already felt like a walking hard-on for the guy.

“I plan on finding out,” Chris said, with a waggle of his eyebrows,

and Xander laughed in agreement. A year and a half. They had a year

and a half until graduation, and they would probably have maybe half a

dozen opportunities like this one. Maybe, by the time they could actually

sleep together, like grown-ups, he would have learned to trust, and Chris

might never have to know how very scared it made him to think about

laying back in his Chris"s arms and giving himself over to love.

Xander trusted on the court—that was for damned sure.

Running the boards, heknewChris would be there for the bounce

pass, with the defense, to catch the rebound or return the lost alley-oop.

Xander Karcek was the superstar, and he hated it, but even the papers

and the colleges acknowledged that he wouldn"t have been who he was

without Christian Edwards.

He loved that.

34

Amy Lane

IT DIDN"T take much nudging for the two of them to get offers from the

same school. It was out of state, which was exciting for Chris and not a

problem for Xander. Neither of them had ever been to North Carolina,

and their odds of being recruited by a pro team doubled when they went

there, as opposed to someplace local. (They both deplored Los Angeles,

so UCLA was right out.) By the time their junior year ended, UNC had

them both in its sights: Xander would get a free ride, and Chris would

get tuition and books. His parents had enough saved to set him up in the

dorms for a year or two, and in the summer before his senior year, Chris

went to work right next to Xander, to ensure that as long as they could

play the game, the two of them could stay side by side, the way God

intended.

Working together was almost like playing ball. Chris would do