Beginners luck, p.11
Beginner's Luck, page 11
“Come, I’ll introduce you to my sister.” Jay splayed his hand on Aaron’s lower back and nudged him in the right direction, leaving it there even when the destination was obvious and the steering no longer required. Aaron didn’t mind. He loved Jay’s heat burning through the thin fabric of his shirt, wanted it there permanently.
Jay’s sister looked a lot like Jay—the same warm complexion, the same dark eyes under long eyelashes. She did a double-take when she noticed them, a sly smile slowly spreading across her face.
“I’m Jasmine.” She thrust her hand out before they came to a stop. Aaron introduced himself, taken aback by her eagerness.
“I’ll take it from here, Jas. I’ll get someone to watch the boys, so you can take off and get ready for your date.” Jay’s touch never strayed from Aaron’s back, soothing his earlier anxieties.
“Oh, I think I’ll stay for a while.” Jasmine drew out the words, eyeing Aaron with curiosity.
Jay stared at her, unamused. “I recall you saying you’d rather read a phonebook than watch soccer.”
“Yes, but now I have some company,” she purred and threaded her arm around Aaron’s elbow, pulling him away from Jay. Impressed by how effortlessly she manipulated the situation, Aaron decided he liked her style.
“Jasmine,” Jay sighed. “Go home, take a bath, do your hair, whatever it is you do before you woo your husband. Leave Aaron alone.”
“Fine, I’ll only stay for a bit. Can’t I watch my brother enjoy his hobby?”
Jay opened his mouth, most likely to argue, before giving up. “Be nice.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “Go warm up. Get lots of touchdowns.”
Jay rolled his eyes and mouthed, I’m sorry, to Aaron before jogging away to join his team. His powerful muscles flexed as he jogged, and Aaron didn’t realize he was staring until Jasmine cleared her throat and pulled him toward the bleachers.
“So, you and my brother?”
She wasn’t wasting any time, launching into an interrogation before they even sat down.
“We are…friends?” Aaron said the word carefully, trying it on for size, and flashed a big smile to cover up his hesitation.
“Yeah, Layla filled me in on the mysterious furniture-shopping friend.” She didn’t even try to hide her smirk. “How did you meet?”
Despite the innocent question, the mischievous glint in her eyes told Aaron this was a trap. No doubt she’d already asked Jay the same question and wanted to compare their answers.
They should have prepared for this.
“At a bar,” he said nonchalantly, glad for the years of practice hiding his emotions behind a professional mask.
She quirked her eyebrow. “Wow, you got your stories straight and everything.”
Aaron’s relief was short-lived before more questions followed. Thankfully, Jasmine mostly asked about his life, so he didn’t have to worry about getting anything wrong.
The match kicked off, and their attention shifted. Aaron quickly got into the spirit of the game, cheering for Jay’s team whenever they managed to take control of the ball and move it in the right direction, and jumping to his feet in celebration the two times Jay scored a goal.
Even someone who didn’t know the first thing about soccer would be able to tell this wasn’t a professional event. The players dashed around with wild enthusiasm, missing most of their shots, and Aaron loved every second of it. No one played out of obligation or as a chore—the men and women on the field clearly enjoyed the chaotic energy of running around and the thrill of connecting with the ball and moving it toward the net. There were significantly more goals than in a typical soccer match, and each one was celebrated as if they’d just won the gold medal at the Olympics.
The atmosphere was infectious. Even Jasmine got into the spirit, whooping and clapping along with the crowd. Jay’s nephews stood at the sidelines, eyes locked on the action, vibrating with excitement. A few feet away, a small group of children kicked a ball back and forth in their own version of the game.
Jay jogged up to Aaron and Jasmine during a break, sweat dripping down his face, the damp fabric of his shirt clinging to his chest. There was something about broad, sweaty men that got Aaron’s motor running while simultaneously breaking his brain. A drop of sweat trickled down the hollow at the base of Jay’s throat, beckoning to Aaron, tempting him to lean in and taste the salty skin. To his horror, a soft, needy moan nearly escaped him at the prospect of licking Jay’s neck, and he quickly cleared his throat.
“Shouldn’t you be talking strategy with your coach or something?” he asked, doing his best to keep his eyes on Jay’s face.
“That’d be pretty difficult considering we don’t even have a coach.” Jay laughed and lifted the hem of his shirt to dab at his forehead, putting his glistening abs and a flash of thick chest hair on display.
Aaron’s throat went dry. He was quickly losing his tenuous grasp on self-control. Another ten seconds, and he would embarrass himself by lunging at Jay and trying to climb him like a tree.
“This is actually a lot more entertaining than I realized,” Jasmine said, inadvertently saving him. “I’m sorry I called your hobby the most boring thing in the world. I wish I could stay till the end, but I have to go now if I want to be ready in time for our dinner reservation.”
She put an arm around Aaron and squeezed him in a side hug, making him promise they would see each other again soon. When Jay pretended to move in for a hug, she jumped back with a squeal. “Don’t you dare!”
Laughing, she turned to her sons and called them over.
“Behave for Uncle Jahan, and maybe he’ll get you pizza for dinner. I love you. Be good.” She bent down to plant a kiss on their foreheads.
Aaron snapped his gaze to Jay, lifting an eyebrow in a silent question. Jay shrugged, waving his sister off before turning back to Aaron. “Do you mind keeping an eye on them? Dave’s wife said she’ll watch them, but just in case they’re determined to run away and start new lives in Canada, I’d feel better if someone else was paying attention.”
“Do they even have passports?” Aaron quipped before nodding. “Of course. I won’t let them out of my sight, but I don’t think we have to worry about them moving a muscle. They seemed completely captivated.”
“Alright, boys, come meet Aaron.” Jay ushered his nephews forward. “This is Cyrus and Darius, some of my favorite nephews.”
They glanced up at Aaron for a single second before shifting their attention back to Jay. “Uncle Jahan, are you gonna score more goals? Can you score a goal from all the way across the field?”
“I’ll try, how about that?” He ruffled their hair and turned to Aaron. “Will you stay until the end?”
“Of course.” Aaron offered a soft smile. “I simply must see you score a goal from all the way across the field.”
Jay gave a mock salute and left to join his teammates in a huddle, leaving Aaron alone with two children staring up at him. He had zero experience with kids of any age, and the prospect of trying to make conversation with someone thirty years younger than him was slightly horrifying.
“Do you play soccer?” the taller boy asked. Aaron was pretty sure that was Cyrus.
“No, I don’t. I’m just here to cheer for your uncle.” He gave a thumbs-up, immediately realizing how awkward the gesture was.
“Do you play video games?” the other boy asked.
“Uhh, not really.”
“Do you work with computers like Uncle Jahan?”
“Sometimes.”
Wow, he was worse at this than he’d realized. The boys took turns asking questions, unperturbed by his boring answers.
“Are you boyfriends?” Darius asked, his face the epitome of innocence.
“No, not boyfriends. Just friends.” Aaron cast about for a new topic of conversation. “Look, they’re about to start.”
The boys rushed back to their earlier spot, as close to the action as possible. When Aaron warned them not to run out onto the field, they responded with two identical eyerolls. He sighed and sat right behind them, close enough to keep them in sight.
Watching over children was a panic attack waiting to happen. Aaron had a sudden surge of respect for parents everywhere, resolving to send his mom and dad something nice as a token of gratitude. Maybe one of those luxurious gift baskets or a new dishwasher.
The sharp blast of a whistle cut through the air, pulling Aaron’s attention back to the present. Without Jasmine’s interrogation, he could really focus on the action—specifically, on Jay. He’d been invited here to cheer him on, after all, and that required close observation.
Jay stood out as one of the better players, moving with an effortless grace. Quick bursts of speed sent him darting far ahead of his teammates and opponents, always a step ahead.
His deliciously defined muscles flexing with every stride were mesmerizing. When he pivoted to take a shot, the tension of his poised body was palpable, and Aaron’s muscles tensed in solidarity. He held his breath as Jay glided in slow motion, intensity etched into every movement.
Others may have followed the arc of the ball as it swept into the net, but Aaron’s eyes were glued to Jay’s legs, tracing the corded muscles up his thighs and under the shorts. He allowed himself to imagine Jay’s raw power and brute strength directed at him, those animal instincts taking over as he towered over Aaron, still wearing his uniform.
He banished that mental image from his brain, saving it for later. For when he was alone on his bed, writhing on his largest dildo and yearning to taste Jay’s skin.
Jay gave him a quick wave as he ran past, and Aaron smiled, determined to cheer for his friend on instead of picturing him naked.
By the end, Jay had scored five goals—his personal best, according to his teammates’ loud hooting. The relaxed atmosphere lingered past the game’s end, no one seeming to care about who won and who lost. The players meandered around, high-fiving each other and planning future matches.
“Sorry it took so long.” Jay came up just as Aaron considered pulling a book out of his messenger bag and settling in. “Everyone wanted to talk to the MVP.”
“Oh, so you had to wait in line for a while?” Aaron faked a look of concern.
“Ouch.” Jay clutched at his heart and dropped down to his knees to hug his nephews.
“Did you guys have fun?” he asked, staying at their eye level.
The boys burst into overlapping chatter, exciting plans of being future soccer stars entwined with equally exciting plans of pizza for dinner. Jay nodded solemnly, agreeing with everything they said.
He had painted himself as the fun uncle in earlier conversations, but he was so much more than that. Supportive. Nurturing. A real role model.
“You’re welcome to join us for pizza,” he offered, but Aaron shook his head. This was Jay’s time with his nephews. They would find their own time later.
“I’m going to roam around the park for a while, I think,” Aaron said. “Maybe find a nice dinner spot nearby.”
“You really love parks, don’t you?” Jay cocked an eyebrow at Aaron. “You’ve mentioned it before, but I figured it was more of a passive ‘parks are nice’ thing, not a whole ‘spend time in the park for the sake of spending time in the park’ thing.”
“You truly have a way with words.” Aaron chuckled. “I love being surrounded by nature. Living in the city is fun, but being surrounded by high-rises and honking cars starts weighing on me after a while. The smell of grass, trees everywhere you look, little squirrels running around… It’s soothing.” He hadn’t meant to go off on a tangent. “Let me walk you to your car first.”
They moved at an easy pace while the boys raced ahead. Aaron enjoyed the companionable silence, punctuated only by the soft, rhythmic sounds of Jay’s breathing and the dreamy, golden light of the setting sun painting the sky.
Jay clicked his key fob when the small parking lot came into view, letting the boys climb into the backseat. Stopping a few feet away, just out of their earshot, he turned to Aaron.
“Thank you for coming.” Jay smiled with gratitude, a trace of vulnerability dancing in his eyes. “It was nice to have you there cheering me on.”
“Thank you for inviting me,” Aaron replied earnestly. “I’m glad to see a different side of you.” With a playful smile, he added, “Meeting your sister, of course, was the highlight of my day.”
Jay sighed. “Sorry about her. My sisters have turned discussing my life behind my back into a sport. Was she horrible?”
“She was fine. But!” Aaron clapped his hands in excitement. “She was very suspicious that both of us said we met at a bar. She thinks we’re lying, and since we are, I’m proud of us for keeping our stories straight.”
Jay studied Aaron for a long moment. Aaron couldn’t decipher what he was thinking, but the intensity of the gaze jolted his memory. He had something for Jay.
“Almost forgot.” Aaron reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a single red rose encased in layers of crinkly cellophane. “I’m sure it’s not tradition to present winning athletes with flowers, but you can think of it as a performance. And as the lead in today’s soccer play, you get a standing ovation and a rose.”
He was rambling. The idea had seemed cute and charming when he’d carefully tucked the fragile flower into his bag, but now, standing in front of the sweat-slicked, muscular god, it seemed almost silly. Almost. Deep inside, he knew it would mean something to Jay.
Jay stepped in, close enough for Aaron to feel the heat radiating off his skin, and cradled Aaron’s hand with both palms. “It should be tradition,” Jay said with awe in his voice, eyes locked onto the rose. “Thank you, Aaron. This is the nicest thing I’ve ever gotten after a game.”
His fingers lingered as they traced along Aaron’s, each movement slow and deliberate, before finally curling around the stem. Charged silence passed between them before Jay shook his head as if to clear away his thoughts. “I would hug you goodbye, but I’m completely drenched in sweat.”
That was not the hardship Jay imagined it to be. Before he could overthink it, Aaron licked his lips and stepped forward, whispering a soft Yes, please into Jay’s ear, then melting into the embrace, pressing into the warm, damp skin for a few extra seconds before pulling back. Jay’s eyes gleamed with fierce desire, his expression completely transformed.
He had interpreted Aaron’s comment correctly.
Aaron flashed him a cheeky smile and sauntered back into the park.
Chapter 15
JAY
Between his sisters insisting Jay had to ask Aaron out as soon as possible, and the memory of Aaron’s soft voice in his ear as their bodies pressed together playing on repeat in his brain, Jay’s next steps should have been clear.
He no longer had the luxury of an excuse that Aaron wasn’t into him. The way he’d devoured Jay’s body with his eyes, that sweet pink tongue peeking out of his mouth and trailing along his firm lips, as if demonstrating what it wanted to do to Jay’s skin, the heat of their embrace, the subtext of the whispered Yes, please—everything about Aaron’s behavior pointed to him being interested in Jay.
It was time to ask Aaron on a date.
Except every time Jay tried to picture the next move, his mind went blank. He was completely, utterly paralyzed. The sense of ease from the soccer game had evaporated, replaced with restless anxiety.
He still responded to Aaron’s texts. With hours to obsess over every word, he managed to send off two, maybe three messages a day. Thankfully, Aaron was busy with work and hadn’t noticed Jay’s sudden change, but the weekend was drawing near. Soon, Jay would see Aaron in person, possibly wearing the sexiest skirt in the world. Would he finally get over himself and do something, or would he stand by and watch someone else sweep Aaron off his feet?
He was saved from having to answer these questions when Aaron messaged him Thursday morning.
AARON: Do you want to grab a drink tonight? I feel like between work and the club, I haven’t had any alcohol in ages. Also, are we even friends if we’ve never gotten drunk together?
Jay read the message three times in a row before breathing out a giant sigh of relief. Nothing in Aaron’s text hinted at this being anything more than a friendly outing, but Jay could work with that. He was ready to start taking baby steps toward something bigger—now that Aaron had opened the door.
JAY: You read my mind. There’s a great happy hour spot just a few blocks from your place.
AARON: Would it be super unhip of me to admit that I’d rather go to a nice quiet cocktail bar where we can sit down and hear ourselves talk?
JAY: You drive a hard bargain. Would your majesty also prefer somewhere without sticky floors?
AARON: What if I promise to pay for the drinks?
JAY: Say less. I know a place with a three-page menu of craft cocktails. Their ice cubes are obnoxiously round and clear.
AARON: You’re a treasure trove of useful information when you’re properly motivated.
AARON: I’m not working late tonight for once. What time works for you?
JAY: I’m remote today, so I can be there around 5:30?
AARON: Can’t wait :)
Jay sent Aaron the name of the bar and checked the time. He had hours to go, and his mind was already running away from him, imagining best- and worst-case scenarios.
The night could end in explosive sex or in the crushing disappointment of rejection. Possibly in a chaste kiss with a promise of more. Or maybe in a polite brush-off.
But it could also end with the status quo intact—and that was the scenario that scared Jay most.
He could handle disappointment. At least with the sting of rejection, he would finally have an answer. But if the night simply stopped after a few drinks and a handful of stolen glances, Jay would be in the same situation he was in now—uncertain, suspended in time, delaying the inevitable.
