Page 54 of Rookie Moves

She scrunches up her nose. “Maybe not everything, but just… Tell me if it’s as good as you hope it’s going to be.”

With a promise to keep her updated, I head back down the stairs and walk over to where Tyler’s parked. Nerves and anticipation churn in my stomach.

I’ve gotta tell him how I feel before we do anything else tonight. It would be wrong of me to have sex with him and continue to keep my feelings a secret.

I let out a long breath before I slip into the passenger seat.

“All good?” he checks, one hand resting on the leather steering wheel, his body angled toward me.

“Yeah,” I reply, putting my bag on the back seat. Once I’m buckled in, Tyler starts the engine and pulls away from the curb. “So, what’s the plan?”

“I was thinking we could go to an arcade, grab some food, then head to the game.”

I snap my head back toward him, mouth dropping open in shock.

“You got us tickets to the game?” I ask dumbly.

“Uh, yeah,” he laughs nervously, then takes his hat off. He puts it in his lap before running his fingers through his hair without taking his eyes off the road. “I mean, we’re sitting pretty high up. I couldn’t afford anything in the lower bowl, but I⁠—”

His words cut off as I lean over and press a quick kiss to his cheek. The car fills with silence aside from the low sound of his music, and a knot of worry forms in my gut.

Did I just fuck up?

We don’t do… this, outside of the safety of our bedroom or a hotel room. It’s not really a “friends with benefits” move to make, but it felt like the most natural thing to do. And it’s not like I could kiss him properly while he’s driving without causing a ten-car pile-up—then Coach Vaughn would definitely find out we sneaked off campus and would result in us having to answer a hundred questions.

“Thank you,” I say quietly. “I haven’t been to a game in a long time.”

He flashes me a lopsided grin before focusing back on the road. “As soon as I saw the Vancouver Steelheads were in town, I knew it would be a good game. I’m lucky I could find some tickets on StubHub.”

“I haven’t seen Beau Rousseau play before.”

He reaches over to knock my shoulder with his fist. “Now you get to see your hero in the flesh before you face off against him.”

“He’s not my hero.” My argument is flat because Tyler already knows how much I look up to Beau Rousseau.

The traffic coming into Boston is hell, and Tyler grumbles about maybe we should have gotten the train, so it’s midafternoon by the time we check in to the hotel. I avoid looking at the woman behind the desk out of habit, keeping my chin tucked close to my chest and playing aimlessly on my phone, trying to make myself as invisible as possible while Tyler hands over his credit card and accepts the key cards. We’re silent on the way up to the fourteenth floor, and as we reach our room for the night, the tension in the base of my neck begins to ease.

Tyler places his bag on the end of the bed, then spins around to face me. I don’t realize I’ve been standing frozen in the entryway, staring at the king-size bed until Tyler clears his throat.

“Are you gonna come inside, or you wanna sleep out in the hall?” he asks teasingly.

I give my head a small shake and step inside, allowing the door to close behind me with a soft click. My eyes travel around the room, taking in the privacy blinds on the window and thick blackout curtains. The hotel he’s booked is a lot better than the ones we stay in with the team, so hopefully that means there’s better soundproofing.

Nobody knows we’re here, except for Stassie. Nobody will know what happens in these four walls unless we want them to know.

“Colbs.”

Tyler takes a step forward, sliding his fingers under the strap of my bag and removing it from my shoulder. He places it down on the bed next to his, then raises his hand to push the hair that’s fallen from my face.

“This doesn’t need to be anything you don’t want it to be. I haven’t brought you here with the expectation to have sex. I wanted this to be a chance to get away for a while. Play some arcade games, eat a burger, catch a game.” Warm hands cradle my jaw. “Be two guys who enjoy each other’s company without having to worry about someone spotting us.” He presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “You’re in control here. I’ll follow your lead.”

His brown eyes shine in earnest, causing my breath to catch. My heart pounds behind my breastbone as I take a leap and whisper, “But what if I want to have sex tonight?”

A smile lifts his lips. “Then we’ll do whatever you want to do. And if you change your mind later, that’s okay too.”

“Should I be worried that you’re trying to get me to change my mind?” I ask lightly.

“I’d never do that.” His thumb traces over the curve of my bottom lip. “I just want you to know that I’d never force you into doing something you weren’t ready for, and I’d hate for you to do something just because you think it’s what I want.”