“Hey, you good? I’m gonna stretch my legs a bit.” Ramsey shot him a mischievous look. “And maybe show off for the super hot guy who brought me here.”
Nate nodded. “And the super hot guy is pretty sure he’s going to be very impressed.”
“Pretty sure?” Ramsey confirmed.
Nate didn’t have to see any of Ramsey’s skills to know, without a doubt, that he was great, but it was still fun to paste a skeptical look on his face and watch as determination flooded Ramsey’s features.
“You got it, baby,” Ramsey teased and took off like a shot, suddenly whizzing around the rink with quick, efficient movements. Dazzling Nate as easy as breathing.
Then he did it backwards, a shit-eating grin on his face as he passed by Nate.
“Impressed yet?” he called out.
“Very,” Nate said, and Ramsey’s smile softened. Took on that private tilt to it that Nate hadn’t seen him give to anyone but him.
And, not for the first time, he thought—but really, genuinely started to believe—that this thing between them might not just be something, but might beeverything.
Chapter 16
“Ican’tbelieveyouwouldn’t get me the inside scoop,” Nate grumped good-naturedly as Ramsey moved around the kitchen, preparing his chicken parm for the second time on a night before a game.
“I think even if I asked Brody to pump Dean for info on the game, he wasn’t going to give it tome. Not since we started dating,” Ramsey said as he stirred the sauce.
When Ramsey had offered, Nate had slyly suggested that not only should the chicken parm be a home game tradition, but a blowjob in the kitchen too. Ramsey had only shot him an amused look and promised he could do one better.
Anticipation was simmering at the thought, right along with his tomato-basil sauce, but he wasn’t going to give away the game just yet.
It was too fun teasing Nate.
“But you didn’t eventry,” Nate said. He was so cute like this. Ruffled and soft, hair messed up from Ramsey’s fingers when they’d kissed hello. Sitting on one of his barstools, looking atRamsey as he cooked then dinner, like he was the greatest thing in the whole universe.
Maybe Ramsey wasn’t the best at this dating thing, but he wastrying. At least Nate didn’t seem to have very many—orany—complaints. Ramsey wasn’t naive enough to think that was a permanent situation, but for now, he’d take it.
“Are you saying you need me to get you an inside scoop to beat Dean and the Riptide?” Ramsey asked archly.
Nate shook his head emphatically.
“Good,” Ramsey said. “Because I didn’t start dating a football player only for him to not be the greatest football player ever.”
Nate laughed, the sound tugging at that brightness that seemed permanently lodged in Ramsey’s chest these days.
He was specifically not asking himself what that feeling was. Not because he was scared of the answer. Nope. That wasn’t it at all, because Ramsey didn’t shirk from things. He’d never shirked from things. He’d always faced even the most difficult situations head-on, and this was no different. Didn’t matter if both Wes and Brody kept telling him he was delusional. Brody would see himself, tomorrow night.
“I’ll beat the Riptide for you, baby,” Nate promised.
Even though they both knew that the Riptide was a tough opponent and that Nate couldn’tactuallypromise that. It still made that warm place inside Ramsey burn a little hotter.
“You’d better. I gotta hold my head high with Brody, after.”
“Oh, speaking of that.” Nate slipped off the barstool and headed into the living room. Coming back a minute later with a package. “I got something for you.”
He slid it across the counter and the bashful excitement in Nate’s face had Ramsey setting the wooden spoon down and coming to investigate immediately.
It was from the Thunder team store, and Ramsey had a feeling he knew what was inside, before he opened it.
“I know you’re not a football fan,” Nate said, “but I thought, for the game, because your friend Brody will be there—”
Nate stopped, as Ramsey shook the jersey out. As expected, it had Nate’s name and his number on the back.
