Chapter Thirty
Beau
Ipushed open the door to the Garden Arena where the Terriers played and waved Dean inside.
He gave me a nervous smile before he stepped inside, and I couldn’t help but admire how he looked, again, for what felt like the millionth time today.
Dressed in one of my shirts with my name and number splashed all over it, his green hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans that fit him perfectly.
“Are you seriously not going to tell me why we’re here?
” Dean asked as I dropped into step next to him.
What I really wanted to do was hold his hand.
Or wrap my arm around his waist to pull him closer.
But we were still working on figuring out what we were doing. What this was between the two of us.
I grinned. “You’ll see soon enough, Pink.”
“Fine.” He sighed and rolled his eyes before they went wide at the sight of the rink before us.
His gaze traveled over the banners hanging from the rafters of not just the Terriers but of the basketball team that played here as well.
“This is so cool. When your season starts up again, I really have to come to a couple of games.” Dean turned to face me. “If that’s okay with you.”
I nodded. “Yeah, baby, that’s more than fine with me.”
My stomach twisted with nerves and want. I thought maybe that this thing between us was something more than friends with benefits. That I was falling for Dean Frost and that he might feel the same way. I opened my mouth to ask him just as I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.
“Mr. Whitaker, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you!
” A tall man dressed in a pricey-looking suit called out to me as he bounded up the stairs.
“And this must be your friend you mentioned you were bringing. I’m Martin Goodwell.
It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He stopped to stare at Dean.
“You failed to mention that it was Dean Frost.”
Dean stared at me. “Am I going to be a problem? I don’t want to cause an issue with whatever you’re doing to do.” His hands balled into fists at his side in a nervous twitch.
“Of course not.” Martin laughed happily. “Just need you to sign an NDA, like everyone else who will be here.”
Dean’s face had grown white with fear. “Beau, what’s going on?”
“Um, Martin, we just need a minute alone to talk things over.” I gave him a smile that I hoped met my eyes.
Martin nodded. “Sure. Just come down to the locker room when you’re ready.”
When he was gone, I turned to Dean. “Pink baby, are you okay?”
“What is all this? An NDA? I don’t... Why did you bring me here today, Beau?” His entire body trembled, and I realized he was terrified. “I don’t like surprises. Not like this.”
That had to do with his shitty parents and what they had done to him. I hoped that maybe someday I would have the chance to tell them just how I felt about them and how amazing their son was.
“It’s a photoshoot. That’s it. I wanted you to be here while I had my picture taken. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you or scare you. It’s not coming out until the fall.”
“Oh.” Dean blinked in confusion, then he blushed and shook his head. “But an NDA?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, it’s kind of a racy photo shoot. I’ll be naked—”
“Naked!” Dean exclaimed. “Who the fuck is this for? Playgirl?”
That just made me laugh even harder. “You think I could pose in Playgirl, baby? Does it make you jealous to think of other people seeing me naked?” When he pouted, I couldn’t help but reach down to drag my thumb over his bottom lip, which caused Dean to blush a deep crimson.
“The pictures that are being posted in the magazine won’t show me naked.
No one is going to see my junk. It’s going to be covered for the photos, Pink. ”
“It better fucking be,” he muttered and folded his arms over his chest. “What? I don’t want anyone else seeing your cock but me. At least not while we’re together.” His blush turned darker.
My heart filled with pride. I liked that Dean was jealous. It didn’t make me feel so childish that I felt the same way when it came to him. “We’re together now, are we?”
“We’re... Yeah, yeah, we are. Which means no one sees you naked but me.” Dean raised his chin in defiance as he tried to look fierce and angry. Instead, he looked cute and adorable.
I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, press my lips against his, and claim Dean right now.
But I wasn’t ready. Sure, it was probably strange that I chose to bring him with me to the photoshoot, but that was another reason for the NDA.
No one could talk about what they saw here today.
No one could say they saw Dean Frost or that he was watching.
If they did, they would get sued. It was public news that Maverick and Jackson were together now.
That they were engaged and planning a wedding, so it wasn’t too strange that Dean and I were spending time together.
And maybe by the time I was ready to come out, it wouldn’t even matter.
I leaned forward. “Just so you know, Dean, I would kiss you right now if I could. Pick you right up off your feet and kiss you until you can’t breathe. This isn’t just a fling for me anymore,” I admitted out loud for the first time.
“It’s not a fling for me either, Beau,” he whispered.
I smiled. “So, you’re okay? You want to watch me while I get these sexy photos taken?”
“Yes.” Dean nodded. “I’m looking forward to it.”
THE PHOTOSHOOT WENT better than I had hoped, but Dean hadn’t said a word during the entire thing or the ride back to my apartment.
They had taken pictures of me on the Zamboni, on the ice shooting pucks, in the shower holding a giant rubber duck in front of my crotch, eating a popsicle, and the list went on.
Most of them were naked, but there would be no shots of my dick.
One or two of my ass, which I was fine with, and there were some of me in just the bottom half of my hockey uniform.
A couple of times when I glanced over at Dean, I noticed that his pupils were dilated and his lids were hooded.
He’d looked like he was enjoying himself, but now he was so quiet I thought maybe I had read him wrong.
Maybe it had made him uncomfortable. Should I not have invited him along?
“Are you okay, Pink?” I asked softly in the backseat of the Uber. “You haven’t said anything.”
He looked up from where he was picking the polish of his nails. Last night, he and Maverick had taken turns painting their nails black while they giggled and laughed together. It had been really sweet to watch.
“I’m great,” he muttered.
“Don’t pick that off. It looks good.” I grabbed his wrist to link our fingers together. “And you’re lying. Did you not have fun with me today?”
The photographer had snapped a couple of photos of us together afterward. Nothing fancy. Just one of Dean on my lap while I sat on the ice in my full uniform and another of us sitting in the stands after I had changed. He promised we would be the only two who would see them.
Dean shrugged. “I just...” He sighed and met my eyes. “Those pictures were really hot.”
“You liked them, huh?”
“Maybe a little too much.”
I tilted my head. “There’s no such thing as too much.” His eyes darkened, and he licked his lips. “Did it turn you on?”
Dean nodded.
“And is that an issue all of a sudden?” I reached up to tug gently on his ponytail. “I thought you were all right with your bisexuality.”
He blushed and pushed my hand away from his hair.
“It’s not me I’m worried about. It’s everyone else.
The men and women who are going to see you like that.
Look, I know they aren’t going to actually get to see you naked or whatever, but.
.. Never mind. It’s stupid.” He leaned back against the seat and stared out the window.
“Dean, talk to me. It’s not stupid. I want to know what’s going on inside your head right now. Your feelings are valid,” I assured him.
Dean chewed on his bottom lip. “If we were officially out, we could take pictures like that for everyone to see. And I know that people see me half naked, too, when I’m on stage in just jeans, and I’m all sweaty or whatever, but I just don’t like the idea of people getting to see that much of you.
I’ve never been jealous like this before.
” When I didn’t say anything, he turned to look at me. “Why aren’t you talking right now?”
“I’m trying to figure out the right thing to say.” I took in Dean’s beautiful face. His emerald-green eyes, his hair that matched perfectly, and the ink that curled around his arms and snuck out beneath the neckline of his shirt. “No one has ever been jealous over me before.”
He snorted. “I’m sure your late wife was.”
“If she was, she never told me. By the time I was drafted, she was a mother and busy with Cole. I don’t think Trish had time to be jealous, and I never.
.. You don’t have to be either, Pink baby.
I’m not looking to be with anyone else, nor do I want to.
You’ve bewitched me, Dean Frost. From the moment I saw you, it’s only been you. ”
Dean’s lips twitched. “Bewitched you?”
“Pretty much. I took one look at you during practice, and you were all I could see. I had to meet you, but I couldn’t just march over to you at the bar after Jax told me to stay away. It was pure luck that you happened to come over there that night.” And I hadn’t stopped looking at him since.
Dean shook his head as he looked away. “I guess you must have done the same to me.” He let out a long sigh. “I think that I might—”
The car stopped in front of the apartment building, interrupting whatever he was going to say just as Maverick and Jackson were exiting the building. Dean happily climbed from the Uber to say hello to his brother, and after I made sure I had all my belongings, I followed behind him.
“Hey, man.” Jackson greeted me with a fist bump. “How’d it go?” He grinned at me.
I glanced over to where Dean and Maverick were talking quietly. “Pretty good. I think Dean was surprised, but, yeah, it went well.”
“And did you ask him?” Jax raised his brows at me.
I shook my head. “Not yet, but I will.”
I was going to ask Dean to stay with me. Move in with Cole and me to see where this thing between us was going to go. Only if he wanted to. It would bring on a lot of questions about us, but we didn’t have to make a huge announcement or anything.
“I want to meet him, Mav. Please? If you want to adopt him, that means Andy is going to be my nephew, and that’s a huge deal. I promise I won’t get in the way.” Dean pressed his hands together in prayer before he dropped them. “Sorry, that was wrong on so many levels.”
Maverick laughed. “It’s fine, really.” He looked over at Jax, who nodded his head. “Yes, you can come with us to meet Andy if you want.”
“Yes!” Dean wrapped his arms around his brother in a tight hug. “You’re the best.” He pulled back to look at me. “You don’t mind, do you, Beau?”
“You go have fun,” I told him. “I’ll be here when you get back.” And maybe I would work up the nerve to ask Dean to move in with Cole and me.