Out in Spring (Out in College 6)

Then again, maybe not. We were probably too alike. Not in the looks department, though. I was ordinary. Tall, thin, dark hair, hazel eyes. I’d been told I had nice features, like my lips. Of course, that compliment was delivered in the heat of the moment. “That’s good, baby. Keep sucking. You have a fuckin’ sexy mouth.”

Whatever. It still counted, I mused as the group of jocks blocking the doorway let out a whoop of laughter and a loud cheer. Kendra stood on tiptoes and jumped like a demented kangaroo in a weak attempt to see what was going on. “Oh, good. They’re here. Remember, Colby is the one with brown hair, and Sky is the dreamy blond. And I think Troy’s with them. Act cool, Ned.”

“I’m the epitome of cool,” I drawled, raising my red cup in a mock toast.

Kendra snickered at my James Bond delivery, then waved her hands over her head excitedly. “Colby, Sky! Yoo-hoo!”

A few members of the hockey fan club cast amused glances our way as Colby and Sky headed toward us, pausing for fist bumps and high fives. I observed them clandestinely over the rim of my cup. Damn. They were hot. Really hot. Colby was good-looking in a typical jock way. He had shaggy brown hair, a medium build, and an intense air about him, and his boyfriend literally looked like a model. Sky’s sculpted features put him in another realm.

Not gonna lie, I’d been looking forward to meeting the guys who’d sparked Kendra’s sports mania. She talked about Colby and Sky often enough that I felt like I knew them already. Colby went to Long Beach like us and was a hockey player, and Sky played baseball at a private college in Orange.

They made waves when they came out a couple of months ago. I didn’t know the first thing about sports, but their story caught my attention because let’s face it, two hunky athletes lusting after each other was the stuff of fantasy. The porny kind. And it was romantic too. They’d risked it all for love—their final season, their friends, their reputations…and they came out on top. Honestly, it gave me hope.

“Hey, Kendra. How’s it going?” Sky asked, pulling her in for a quick hug.

“Good. Did Colby tell you we have Environmental Econ together this semester?” she asked.

Colby yelled something over his shoulder, then pounced on Kendra. He squeezed her tight and spun around in a half circle until she squealed. “I tell Sky everything. And before you start with twenty questions, Troy and Logan are right behind me. What do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know, Colby. Think of something clever,” she said, tugging at my sleeve. “This is my friend Ned, by the way.”

I set the cup on the counter, swiped my palms on my khakis, and offered my hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

Colby grinned as he politely shook it. “I’ve heard about you. Our friend Miss Smartypants here likes to talk. And she gets kinda bossy when she has a crush on someone.”

Kendra smacked Colby’s arm playfully. “I don’t have a crush on Ned. We’re best friends.”

“I thought I was your best friend,” he teased.

“No, you’re my hockey hook-up.”

“Yeah, right,” Colby huffed. “Look, I’ve introduced you to Troy a dozen times. I don’t get the big deal. You already know him.”

“Yeah, but I get nervous,” Kendra insisted.

I rolled my eyes and retrieved my cup from the counter, turning back just as someone joined our group and accidentally nudged my elbow mid-sip. Soda sloshed over the edge of the cup and up my nose. Oh…and down my shirt. I set it on the counter again and broke into a serious sneeze-fit. No joke. I think I racked up five in a row. I dabbed at the tears in the corner of my eye and sucked in a deep breath I hoped wouldn’t send me into a new round.

“Hey, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

I nodded mutely, opened my eyes and—oh…wow. The sexiest man alive stood beside me. No joke. He was a couple of inches taller than my six feet. He had light-brown hair, gorgeous green eyes, and the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen. And that body. Holy fuck. Broad shoulders, a tapered waist, and more muscles than anyone should be allowed. I stared like an idiot…then coughed into the crook of my elbow.

He patted my back kindly and repeated the question.

“I’ll be fine. Um…give me a second,” I gasped in between coughs.

“Stay put. I’ll grab you some water,” he said.

Kendra pushed her water bottle into my hands. “Here you go.”

I nodded my thanks, took a quick sip, and looked up to find I had an audience…Kendra, Colby, Sky, and a stranger who quickly introduced himself as Troy. He was roughly Colby’s height and had brown hair, brown eyes, and an even thicker build.