Chapter 5
FIVE
EVAN
Holy fucking shit, I was going to Ronan Vale’s house tomorrow, and he was making me dinner.
How did this happen? I strolled with a light step to the valet and offered my ticket.
Talking with Nova tonight had been interesting.
She was easy to talk to, and since she wasn’t in my inner circle of friends, she didn’t have an agenda.
The valet drove my car through the circular drive and stepped out of it.
After I thanked him and gave him a nice tip, I hopped in and headed for home.
As I drove under sporadic streetlights, making the cactus and other desert plants glow on the sides of the roads, I mulled over the term Nova had used…
fluid. I wasn’t attracted to guys. But meeting Ronan had thrown a wrench into my thinking.
Nova had said sexuality was fluid and could change.
She’d also mentioned she had periods of preferring only women, then other times preferring men.
I stopped at a streetlight and powered up my Spotify channel.
The powerful guitars and haunting vocals of Sudden filled the car. Scoffing a laugh, I said, “Jesus Christ.” I couldn’t get away from Ronan Vale, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. He’d made it known he was interested in me. But was his intention with me to just hook up or more?
The light turned green, and I pushed the gas, driving through a neighborhood with sprawling Scottsdale mansions. In this part of town, people had bulldozed most of the original houses and rebuilt or massively added onto and remodeled them.
As Ronan’s voice built to the chorus, warmth flickered through my chest. How might it feel to share something beyond a hookup with a guy like that?
His lifestyle was so foreign to me. While I was all schedules and discipline, he slept in and probably did whatever the fuck he wanted whenever he wanted to.
A smile crossed my lips, and I slowed for my turn for the apartment. Taller buildings surrounded the street, and the bustle of Old Town Scottsdale spread before me. I was getting ahead of myself. Tomorrow would only be a friendly visit with dinner attached.
“Go ahead, ask me.” I sat on a stationary bike, loosening up my legs after an easy morning skate involving some puck-handling drills, and gazed at Lucas. He’d been hovering around me all morning.
“What’s the real deal between you and Ronan Vale?” Narrowing his eyes at me, he planted a hand on the end of my handlebars.
I straightened on the bike, dropping my arms to my sides. “Nothing much. He’s got a home gym and wants my professional opinion on it.” Should I mention the dinner? Nope.
“What?” He barked out a laugh. “You’re not even a trainer.”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “I know plenty about gym equipment.” I curled my arm, showing off my biceps. ““You can’t get this ripped without knowing a thing or two about gyms.”
“But how the hell did you even…” Waving his hand, he scoffed. “Fuck it. I don’t want to know.” He took a few steps and turned around. “So, what, are you two buddies now? Do you have his number?”
“I got his number. I guess you could say we’re buddies.” Falling forward, I grabbed the handlebars. “We’re not going on a fucking date, Hopkins.” My eyes widened. Why the hell did I say that?
“What date?” Ace, wiping sweat from his neck with a white towel, strolled toward us. “Are you dating Ronan Vale now?” A cackle burst out of him.
“I didn’t say that.” Holy hell, start the teasing. I shouldn’t have said anything. “Look, we’ve just become friends, and he’s got some back issues I’m going to help—”
“What’s this? Are you giving Ronan Vale back massages now?” Alex Volkov strutted up behind Ace, a shit-eating grin on his face.
Here we go. Clicking my tongue, I freed a sharp laugh. “Stop it, you guys. Don’t make it weird.” Except it kind of already was. I pumped my legs faster.
“It’s not weird to like a dude, Crosby.” With a smug grin, Ace tagged me with his towel on the top of my ass cheek.
Stinging spread from my ass to creep down my thigh. “Ow, damn it.” I rubbed the sting. “That’s not what I meant.” I had to watch what I said around these guys. So many were out, where on my old team, no one was. Well, except for Lucas after he met Ezra.
“Good. Let us know when you need pointers on kissing guys.” Ace waggled his brows and glanced at Lucas. “It’s amazing, right, Hopkins?”
“Sure is.” Lucas smirked.
They had to insert this shit in my head. I mumbled, “Yeah, fine. Except it’s not like that.” Except it was.
“Fucking hell.” I stood in my bathroom mirror, assessing the fifth outfit I’d tried on—a short-sleeve shirt with a Hawaiian print and white linen shorts.
I looked like a douche canoe. Ronan would look all dark and sexy and I’d look…
like a tourist walking off a fucking cruise ship in the Caribbean.
“No.” This isn’t a date, this isn’t a date, this isn’t a date.
With a growl, I stomped into my bedroom, unbuttoned the shirt and flung it at the pile of others on my bed. I only had conservative shit and workout gear. Why didn’t I have anything cool to wear?
“Fuck it.” I threw on a black, form-fitting V-neck t-shirt and a pair of jeans that women had told me made my ass look amazing.
I trudged into my bathroom again and turned, peeking at my ass inside the snug jeans.
Did I really want Ronan Vale to look at my ass?
If he wants to fuck…shut up, Evan. It’s not a fucking date!
I picked up my phone from the bathroom counter. It was time to go. This would have to do. At least I didn’t look like a tourist, or that I was trying too hard.
I followed my phone's directions to a squarish home with stone and metal accents, stylishly contemporary, with a large portico covering the front door and a circular drive. Goddamn, how much money did Ronan have? All the houses in this neighborhood were on huge, sprawling lots, impeccably landscaped. Ronan’s house had a mix of palm trees, Palo Verde trees, cacti, and blooming desert brush around it.
Behind the house, jagged mountains rose against the clear blue sky.
I parked in the driveway and climbed out of my Jeep.
It looked like a heap of junk in this neighborhood.
What did Ronan drive? Probably some expensive sports car.
As my pulse picked up the pace, I strolled to the front door and pushed the button on the doorbell camera.
This place probably had top-notch security as well. Did Ronan have any stalker fans?
A dog barked behind the door, and then Ronan’s voice filtered through it. There was a click, and then the door swung open.
Ronan, dressed in a sheer black shirt with intricate metal buttons, opened almost to his navel, stood with a black and white French bulldog, the white only showing on a patch on his chest and one front paw.
The dog sniffed at me.
“Hey, Evan. Come on in.” As he waved his arm, he stepped sideways, turning his tight ass toward me, tucked into black skinny jeans, ripped at the knees.
My breath caught. He was stunning, as if he’d just stepped off a stage.
“Hi, thanks.” I stepped inside and scanned the place.
It looked comfortable, with a wrap-around leather sofa in charcoal.
He’d strategically placed thick blankets and pillows around it, not messy but not super neat either.
Tables, fashioned from rich reddish wood, stood near a vinyl record player on a corner console.
A Persian rug covered the wooden floor with muted red and black colors, and thick draperies fell along the sides of the tall windows, looking over the patio and backyard with a swimming pool.
A formidable fireplace centered the main room with the same stonework I’d seen outside. “Nice place.”
He shut the door behind me. “Thanks. It’s where I come to decompress.” As he bit the side of his lower lip, his gaze trailed over me. “I’m putting Bean down now. He doesn’t bite. But he ignores people he dislikes, so don’t be put off.” With a smirk, he set Bean on the floor.
I had a feeling it was important for this dog to like me. I swallowed hard and willed my pulse to slow. Could the dog tell how nervous I was?
With his stub of a tail wagging, Bean stepped to me, sniffed my sneakers, and then wagged his tail so hard his butt wiggled.
“He likes you.” With a curt nod, Ronan smiled. “I had a feeling he would.”
“Yeah?” Bending over, I petted Bean on the head and scratched behind his ears, warmth spreading across my chest. “You’re a cute little thing.” I’d passed the first test.
Bean twisted around and sat at Ronan’s feet.
“So, would you prefer to view my exercise room first?” He tapped his cheek with his index finger. “Or did you want a full tour?”
“How about a complete tour ending with the exercise room?” Hell yes, I wanted to explore every square inch of this place. Maybe someday I’d have something like it.
“Okay, then, we’ll head into the kitchen for drinks.” Twisting around, he sauntered off to the left, where a large, open kitchen rested with modern cabinetry in wood, white marble counters, and high-end matte black appliances.
Bean trotted along beside him, peeking up at him every other step.
I followed him, glancing through the windows into the backyard and the squarish wicker patio furniture. Who picked all this shit out? Him? Or did a designer complete the work? “Did you decorate this all yourself?”
He stopped at a glass jar of doggy treats next to the sink and plucked one out. “I did. During the long hours on the bus, I ordered shit from the road.” He turned to Bean and said, “Sit.”
Bean plopped his ass on the floor.
“Good boy.” He offered the treat to him. “A dog trainer told me never to offer treats freely. He has to work for them.”
“Makes sense.” I breathed in deeply, taking another scan of the room. It was surreal seeing him in his home. It made him look like just another dude, but a rich dude.