Egotistical Puckboy (Puckboys 1)

“Funny, but, Ez, didn’t we win?” I ask.

“I think we did.”

“So shouldn’t the loser be buying us drinks?”

“That is how it works, I hear.”

Grant flips us off but heads for the bar.

“I think we teamworked again,” I point out.

Ezra shudders. “We have to stop doing that.”

“He’s cool.” I look at where Grant is waiting.

“Uh-oh.”

“What?”

Ezra leans in close. “You gave me permission to flirt. Not the other way around.”

“Aw … would you get jealous?”

“Jealous? You’re cute. Thinking of you and Foster together?” He moans. “Turned on is more like it.”

My fingers bite into his thigh. “Careful. I’m getting the urge to teach you a lesson.”

An evil look crosses Ezra’s face, and I’m certain I won’t like what comes next. And not because I’m against it. But because he already knows how to read me too well.

Grant gets back with the drinks and slides ours across to us. He eyes us strangely for a moment, and I realize I’m still leaning into Ezra’s space and my hand is still on his thigh. I quickly straighten.

“That’s the only round you’re getting out of me,” he says.

“Maybe I could get something else out of you later.” Ezra winks.

“You wish.”

“Your loss. My cock’s basically a good-luck charm. Or like Aladdin’s lamp. You rub it and all your dreams come true.”

“Has that line ever worked before?” I ask.

“It depends.” He turns to me. “Want to try it out?”

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to cockblock Grant.”

Grant lifts his hand. “Solidly taken and committed, thank you.”

We both ignore him.

“You should have heard the guy I was with the other night,” Ezra continues. “Thought my name was Jesus.”

My cheeks heat as I remember exactly what night he’s talking about. We’d fucked so hard and fast I’m pretty sure I lost brain cells in the process. “Maybe what he really wanted was divine intervention to stop him from making a big mistake like sleeping with you.”

“I’ll ask when I meet up with him later. You know, if I can get anything other than babbled pleas in response.”

“Might want to check in with him. I think he just got busy.”

There’s a laugh from the other side of the table, and Ezra and I both turn to Grant at the same time. “Sorry.” He holds up his hands. “Didn’t mean to interrupt … whatever that was.”

“Banter between teammates,” I suggest.

“Right. Yeah, I’ve seen that kind of”—he uses air quotes—“banter between teammates before.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“No, nothing.” And like he can’t help himself, he continues. “Though I didn’t know you were queer. Are you closeted, or …?”

I could deny it. I don’t want to though. “There are plenty of people who know. But they respect my privacy enough not to spread it around.”

He lifts his hands. “Noted.”

“But now that you do know,” Ezra says, propping his elbows on the bar table. “Interested in a threesome? Ohh, a foursome. You can bring your little guy and—”

I grab Ezra’s thigh again in warning. “Stop talking.”

“What are you gonna do, Hayes?”

“Not something I need to hear,” Grant hurries to cut in. “And Zach and I do the monogamy thing. If I saw another guy touch my boyfriend, I’d probably break their fingers.”

“I’m exactly the same,” I say, and it takes me a moment to realize why Grant is looking at me weird again. I quickly remove my hand from Ezra’s leg. “When I have a boyfriend. Which I don’t. But I would be the same.”

I’m failing terribly at being subtle. I don’t know how to do this. How to walk the line between being friendly with Ezra and keeping things under wraps. I might as well have clubbed him over the head and carried him back to my den where Grant is concerned.

Ah, fuck it all.

We don’t stay too long with Grant—just long enough for Ezra to check in with him and catch up—and as soon as we leave the bar to go back to where our team is celebrating, I can’t wait any longer to touch him.

I drag Ezra down into a side alley and push him up against the wall between a dumpster and a fence. Then I kiss him. My tongue surges forward into his mouth, and all the doubts calm. This, I know. Sex between us is easy. It makes sense.

So I pull back from the kiss to undo his belt, then spit into my hand.

“I think I failed at the flirting thing,” Ezra says.

“I don’t know. You went so over the top with it that Grant knows exactly what’s going on between us now.” I slide my hand down the front of his pants and wrap my fingers around his half-hard cock.

Ezra moans. “Yeah, but I was meant to be flirting with him, not you.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m extremely irresistible.”

“Yeah, my favorite quality is your humility.”

I don’t respond, kissing him again, stroking him until he’s fully hard.