23. SHANE
TWENTY-THREE
SHANE
I think I’m living the dream.
I tear off a chunk of breadstick with my teeth and chew on it happily.
We’re finally winning games—locked up the series with this afternoon’s win—I’m getting regular orgasms, all my favorite people minus Mom are gathered around this table, and now I’m about to eat so much I risk throwing up because the Never Ending Pasta Platter at The Tuscan Table is back. So, yeah. Life is fucking great.
Tonight’s our last night here before we move on to our next series in Virginia.
No game tomorrow, just travel. Which means no need to hook up tonight.
My spent dick is kind of grateful for the break.
I went from no sex for like four months to sex every day for four days.
Gotta build that stamina up again. Especially considering the next series is six games.
But I will rally. It’s for the sake of the team after all.
I’m nothing if not a team player.
I snicker.
The waiter puts down a plate of Fettucini Alfredo in front of me, and I shoot him a smile in thanks.
My second dish—the night is young, baby.
Laughter and chatter and the occasional snort by Shelby filters in and out as I twirl my pasta.
Paulie’s brother is in town for a work conference, and Maddy and Shelby are only an hour from Hartford, so they drove up for dinner too.
The pure joy is contagious—winning, getting to see loved ones.
“Shane.”
My vision focuses on Shelby, whose small frame is dwarfed in one of Paulie’s sweatshirts.
Every time they see each other, Paulie gives her a new one and she gives him a t-shirt.
That way they have something that smells like each other to sleep with while they’re apart. Be still my fucking heart, right?
I hook up my smile. “Yeah, Shelbs?”
“Goodness, where did you disappear to? I said your name three times.” Her eyes are narrowed, and I don’t like that calculating look.
Paulie, who’s sitting on Shelby’s left, frowns. “And you usually dominate the conversation. Your mouth never stops. Yet tonight I don’t remember the last thing you’ve said…”
Too much attention on me. “Just basking in the happy vibes, that’s all. Gotta absorb all that positivity and take it with us to Virginia, you know?”
“Or he’s daydreaming about all the things he wants to do to his roommate.” Maddy’s face splits into a grin. He leans forward and lifts his eyebrows. “How is it, rooming with Jed Stone Junior? Getting to see all that up close and personal. It must be torture.”
Yes, torture. Such terrible torture.
Maddy glances at Easton. “Been there, done that.”
Easton shifts, and even though I can’t see it, I know without a doubt he just put his hand on Maddy’s thigh under the table.
“It’s the worst,” I say. Especially the orgasms. The horrible, horrible orgasms.
“I still can’t believe that,” East says. “I guess it makes sense since the skipper wants you two to find your rhythm, but the fact that you’re all hung up on him and then you get assigned as his roommate. I’m sorry, man.”
I shrug a shoulder and give them a lazy grin. “It’s no big deal. We just crash out after each game anyway.” After rushed hand jobs or a hasty frotting session. And let me tell you. I. Love. Frotting.
Shelby leans over and whispers something to Frankie, who’s sitting on her right. He glances at me over his glass of red wine, then looks back at Shelby and nods.
“What are you two conspiring about?” I ask.
“Your and Stone’s game has been impressive,” Shelby says, completely ignoring my question.
“It really has,” Paulie chimes in. “I still can’t believe one night of hanging out changed it that much. The chemistry you two have now is unreal.”
“Kind of reminds me of when you and I used to play.” East shoots Maddy a small smile.
Maddy’s expression melts into a complete sappy mess. “Miss playing with you, babe.”
“You two were best friends, though. You’ve known each other practically forever,” Frankie points out. He leans forward, attention back on me. “So, what could you and Stone have possibly done to get so in sync?”
Shelby plants her elbows on the table, shoulder leaning into Frankie’s. “Yeah. What did you two do on your little mandatory hangout?”
I do everything in my power to stay outwardly calm, but, um, what’s with the interrogation? Is it warm in here? I think it’s warm in here.
“We went to a bar,” I say and then take a gulp of my ice water. “Played some pool.” He fingered my ass until I orgasmed harder than I ever have in my entire life and then he came all over me. “You know. Typical night out.”
“A game of pool did it?” Paulie looks surprised, but he at least seems genuine. Unlike the other two instigators who clearly think they know something.
Nothing to see here.
“Yeah. We got to know each other pretty well during it.” Like Jed Stone Jr. actually knows how to smile. How to have fun. To joke.
“Where’d you guys go?” Shelby asks. It’s almost like she doesn’t believe me.
I open my mouth. Hesitate. It doesn’t give anything away that we went to a gay bar, right? That doesn’t somehow equate to us hooking up. “A bar.”
Frankie swirls his wine. His whiskey-brown eyes highlighted with a sweep of eyeliner bore into me. “So you said. Did this bar happen to have a name?”
Urgh. “Cox and Company.”
Maddy frowns. “You went to a gay bar? That’s an odd choice considering you’re”—he does air quotes—“straight.”
I chuckle. Stone’s thoughts exactly. “Stone was trying to scare me off. Wasn’t he surprised to find out I was completely at home there.”
The table falls silent.
My smile fades. “What?”
“Oh, Shaney-babe,” Frankie says, shaking his head with a knowing look.
I don’t like that look. I don’t like it at all.
“You outed yourself to Stone?” Maddy asks, eyes wide.
“Who said that? No one said that.” My gaze pings around the table.
“You just did,” East points out.
Shit. I did? Shit. I did! Oh, God.
Frankie’s smile is wolfish. He leans back, ivory silk blouse pulling taut over his muscled chest, the thin fabric offering a faint peek of nipples underneath—an effect I know for a fact he aims for. “So, he was surprised when you told him?”
“Uhhh, yes?” He was definitely surprised when I stuck my tongue down his throat.
Shelby snickers.
Frankie bites his lip, his eyes dancing. “So, how was the sex?”
“What? You all are so off base.”
“I don’t know,” Shelby says. “Sounds like you two were covering a lot of bases. Where did you end up? Third? All the way home?”
My cheeks are on fire. Which is really not helping me look innocent.
“Oh. My. God.” We all turn to Paulie, who looks like he’s seconds from bugging out. “You slept with Stone?”
“No. Dammit, Paulie, keep your voice down.”
Shit. How do I dig myself out of this? I can’t imagine Jed will be happy with others finding out. Considering his no-teammates rule. Considering how adamant he was it only be one night. And now I understand why he fought me so hard. Because look at me go, folding after a minor interrogation. Fuck.
Frankie lets out a huff. “I’m still waiting for details.”
“There are no details. Because nothing happened,” I grit out.
Maddy studies me. “Yeah, no. I’m with Shelby and Frankie. You two totally hooked up.”
“And now you’re roommates,” Easton points out. Because he’s not my best friend.
I glare at him. I hope he can hear the you suck I’m sending his way.
Paulie’s gasp echoes around the table. “It happened more than once?”
I swear to God, it’s like a furnace in here. I hold my water glass to my cheek. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Shane.” East’s voice is soft, but it grabs my attention even more for it.
“Ignoring the surprise this news might have given us, you know you’re safe to share with us, right?
We won’t judge, and we sure as hell won’t say anything.
” He glances at Maddy. “We know how to keep a secret. We know how important that is.”
“I mean. I might judge. If I don’t get some fucking details.” Frankie lifts his eyebrows and gives me a little head toss.
Fuck.
“Please, please, don’t in any way give Stone the impression that you know.” My attention bounces between East and Paulie. “He was so against it. Like he is really good at trying to shut me down.”
Frankie grins at me. “So, what you’re saying is, you totally slutted yourself out to him. How’d you convince him?” He is way too excited about all of this.
I shoot him a warning look. Details are not happening. “The next game…we won. And you know I’m superstitious as fuck. I…convinced him that a repeat was a good idea. And maybe talked to Dominguez about switching up our rooming assignments so we could, ah, bond more.”
Maddy chokes on his pasta, Paulie snorts into his water and starts coughing, and Shelby dissolves into giggles.
“Oh my God.” She fans herself. “This is so much better than I was expecting it to be.”
“I’m glad my life is so amusing,” I deadpan.
“Oh, please.” Frankie rolls his eyes. “Woe is me; my friends are making fun of me for getting regular sex from a hot professional athlete. Like can I be you?”
I drop my flaming face in my hands. I suppose he has a point.
“So, I take this as meaning you…uh…confirmed you’re into men then,” Easton prods. “That’s big, Shane. I’m happy for you.”
Oh, Easton. He is the best kind of person.
I lift my head and catch his blue gaze, shooting him a soft smile.
“Yeah. Can confirm, very much enjoy being with a man. Bisexual all the way.” I glance around the table, and I mean, at this point, what the hell.
I let out a helpless whine. “And the sex with Stone.” My eyes flutter shut. “So fucking hot.”
And the sex is probably disappearing. I might be disappearing. Jed’s going to kill me, but I have to tell him. Looks like we have a really fun conversation ahead of us.
Bye bye sex. Bye bye winning baseball.