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Usually, all he really wanted out of a stop on the road was a bed that wasn’t too uncomfortable HVAC that didn’t swing between extremes in temperature. But he was too caught up and excited about his own greatness earlier in the day, and he wanted to celebrate. Even if it was just a stupid dunk in the pool.
The problem was, there would be people downstairs. It amazed him how many fans followed them on the road. Yeah, it was flattering, but it wasn’t awesome when they came up and asked for autographs in lobbies and acted offended when you were too tired to chat.
He picked up the phone and dialed Chris’s room. He took a long time to answer and snapped, “What?” when he finally picked up.
“Hey, I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” Javier tried to look sincerely concerned at that prospect. Sure, Chris couldn’t see the expression over the phone, but he might be able to hear it.
“I’m in for the night, man,” Chris said, preemptively cutting off any attempt to get him out of his room.
“Elderly.” Javier hated himself, but he asked anyway. “You happen to know Zach’s room number?”
“Zach? I don’t know, twelve-fourteen?” Chris made an impatient noise. “Look, I’m on the other line with Maggie.”
So that’s why Chris was staying in. Not that he didn’t usually stay in. It was just awfully cute that he was staying in to chat with his girlfriend.
Javier held the phone in his hand, one finger pressing the switch hook as he considered. If he called Zach, what was the poor guy going to think? That his ex was booty calling him? That’s exactly what it would sound like to Javier, if their roles were reversed.
It wasn’t that Javier wouldn’t love to fuck Zach again. In fact, ever since they’d kissed, he’d been basically consumed with thoughts of fucking Zach. Some weird, possessive part of him wanted to know that he was better than Hollywood, that there really was something between the two of them. But not like this. Not when it would be just a random road trip fuck, while Zach’s heart still belonged to someone else.
Javier slid the phone back into the cradle. He got about two steps from the desk before he was back, grabbing up the handset.
Zach answered on the first ring. Had he been expecting a call? Javier wiped his suddenly sweating palm on his jeans. “Hey, man, it’s me. I was wondering… I’m not really feeling like sleeping right now. You wanna order a pizza and hang out?”
“I don’t know about pizza.” Zach sounded like he was stretching as he spoke. “I ate way too much at the clubhouse. But if you want to come to my room, we can catch the end of the Hawks/Pioneers night game.”
Great. They could get together after the game and...watch a game. Still, it was better than staying in his room alone.
Before Javier stepped out the door, he stopped in the bathroom and quickly brushed his teeth. He dabbed just a little cologne behind his ears. It wasn’t something that he did if he was just going to hang around his male friends, and Zach would pick up on that. Javier would let him assign his own motivations.
Zach’s room was ludicrously close, three doors down on the opposite side of the hall from Javier’s. It was going to be damned difficult not to take a mental trip down that hallway later that night. He knocked on the door, and when Zach called, “On my way,” from inside, Javier had to inhale slowly to calm the thrill that straight from his heart to his groin. Zach opened the door with a lopsided smile, and Javier stepped in, making sure to leave ample space between them in the narrow entry.
Zach was wearing gray jersey cotton lounge pants that sunk low on his hips. Javier almost groaned and bit his damn lip. Was Zach testing him in the same way, just to see how Javier would react?
Who would make the first move? Was there even a first move to make?
Inside, the lights were off, the bed mussed in the blue glow from the television. Zach padded over to the standing lamp in the corner and switched it on. “I’m glad you called. I was about to fall asleep, and there was going to be something on TV Domenic wanted me to see.”
“Oh yeah? What is it?” Javier couldn’t care less what Domenic wanted, but if it meant he got to see Zach like this, tousled auburn hair and strong, freckled shoulders in the warm light of a hotel room lamp, Javier would read Domenic’s autobiography if he had to.
Zach shrugged. Was that worry that flickered across his face? He picked up his phone from the bed and flicked the screen. “I don’t know. He was kind of cryptic, actually. Said there was something I ‘needed’ to see. He does that sometimes when he wants to surprise me. He probably just knows they’re going to be sharing some juicy gossip.”
