Page 32 of Sportsball is for Lovers

“You know,” Yoni says, casually sipping his drink. “He’s single.”

My eyes flash to his. “What?”

“He’s single. You’re single,” my rat bastard assistant says.

Lu smirks.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to sleep with your brother,” I tell him, conveniently ignoring the fact that I already have. If Jared hasn’t told him about our hookups, I’m not about to, either.

Yoni shrugs. “You could. I wouldn’t care.”

“Babe. We’re sharing a room.” Like that’s the real reason why I’m objecting.

“I mean, I don’t want to smell the sex fumes. I’ll bunk with Lu. We can snuggle,” he grins.

My traitorous best friend nods in agreement, pretending like she doesn’t absolutely detest cuddling.

“You’re something else,” I mutter under my breath as I sip my drink.

My skin prickles with awareness, and I feel Jared come up behind me. He doesn’t touch me, he doesn’t make a sound, but his presence envelops me like a warm blanket fresh from the dryer. He settles between me and my assistant, a reusable water bottle in his hand.

“Hey,” Yoni greets his brother. “You want a drink?”

“I’m good, thanks,” Jared says. “You look great.”

His eyes are on me. I feel the weight of them like the delicious pressure of my weighted blanket when I’m on the verge of a panic attack.

“Thanks,” I murmur.

I’m not anxious, though. I mean, not really. A tiny bit, yeah, because it’s been a long day and I’m overstimulated and worn out. Mostly, though…

I’m trying to think of all the reasons it would be a bad idea to sleep with Jared Aviyente.

Again.

Because let’s face it, he’s hot, he knows how to use his fucking cock, and he made damn sure I had a good time.

Every—fucking—time.

So…

“Did you have a good time today?” Lu asks Jared.

“Yes. It was… enlightening,” he says carefully.

“I saw you talking with Katja,” I comment casually. “I didn’t take you for a sapphic high fantasy reader.”

He shrugs. “I’ll try anything at least once.”

Katja and I aren’t friends, exactly, but we aren’t enemies, either. We’re just neutral. She’s hit on me, I’ve turned her down, and life goes on. We’ve done a few promotions together to support both of our books. Our readers don’t often overlap, but at the end of the day, queer readers tend to like queer books.

As Jared, Yoni, Kyra, and Lu converse around me, I sip my drink and let my mind relax. I’ve been go-go-go all day, and even though I had a few hours off for a nap, I don’t feel rested.

The alcohol helps… for now. Later, I’m going to crash. I might sleep for a week, or at least a solid eight hours.

A few people come up to our table and chat. I’ve spent the last twenty-four hours talking. My voice is on that scratchy precipice between sexy and hoarse.

“What are your plans for tomorrow?” Jared asks his brother.