Disclaimer I Like Boys

Chapter Two

One of Riley Sanders’s favorite things to do was watch his best friend swim. Nothing compared to the magnificence of Easton in a pool. It was like watching performance art. The way his arms sliced through the water, each stroke pulling him forward with speed and precision. The way his back muscles flexed was mouthwatering. His signature stroke—the butterfly—made it seem like he flew up and down the lane effortlessly. It took Riley’s breath away. It must be the closest someone could get to the perfect balance between physicality, endurance, and concentration.

He sat riveted on the bleachers at the edge of his seat. School was out, but the swimming team’s coach asked Easton to come in because scouts from several university teams wanted to see him…again. He’d already declined their offers in favor of attending Loyola—a school only thirty minutes out of Cedar Falls and the one Riley wanted to added. Still they kept coming in the hopes he’d change his mind.

Riley’s heart stopped the moment Easton finished the hundred meter butterfly. He removed his goggles and swimming cap in one smooth pull. Hardly panting, he looked up at his coach, who informed him he’d broken his personal best time…again.

Easton’s potential never ceased to amaze Riley, yet his best friend refused to go to a school like Berkeley. They had the best swimming team in the country—at least that was what Easton had told him. He couldn’t understand why he insisted on staying in Cedar Falls. Easton could make the Olympic team if he went to any of the schools that came all this way to see him swim for the thousandth time. The second he pushed up from the pool, the scouts converged around him. Crazy. Like paparazzi on a celebrity.

The pounding headache he’d woken up with returned. Rubbing his temples, he cursed all the beers he’d had last night. Too much partying…ugh! All the texts he’d been getting since waking up said the same thing: Easton to the rescue.

He only vaguely remembered what had happened until the video. Because, of course, someone thought to immortalize the moment Easton white-knighted it and gallantly defended his virtue. He rolled his eyes at his over-protective friend. But he had to admit that the fireman’s carry off the dance floor was a nice touch. His inner drama queen approved.

Plus, how hot was Easton?

Images of him shirtless in just the yellow trousers and red suspenders firemen wore eased some of the racket a fire alarm created inside his head. He bit his lower lip as he wondered how he could manipulate Easton into the getup. Then the thought hit him like a sucker punch. If he asked he was pretty sure Easton would say yes without complaint. The reality of it broke Riley’s heart.

Anything he asked for, Easton gave without hesitation. As much as he wanted to return the favor, there were always strings attached. The guy he’d known all his life wanted something from him he couldn’t bring himself to give. Riley loved him the way a best friend should. Bury a body. Take a bullet. But Easton wanted more. So much more. It physically hurt to have to deny him every time he initiated something.

Yet Riley could never put any distance between them. Since they were kids, he needed Easton as much as Easton needed him. They were drawn to each other. Knew how to find one another in a crowd. Could feel each other out in a room full of people.

He wounded him more than he deserved. Riley knew this, especially with every new guy he dated. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to let go of Easton. He needed his friendship too much, especially after he dumped said new guy. Having his solid presence in his life always reassured him that no matter what, everything would be okay. Was that the definition of selfishness?

“Hey, you here to stare at my ass again?”

The question knocked Riley back to his senses. Easton stood at the foot of the bleachers with a silly grin on his face while he rubbed his body dry with a towel. Riley’s gaze followed the line the terrycloth made from the back of his neck to his shoulders then across the wide expanse of his chest and down the tight ridges of his abs. The tip of his tongue curled over his front teeth behind his lips, begging him to lap up the beads the towel had missed.

“Ri?” Easton paused, concern beginning to form on his features.

If Riley didn’t respond soon he would be up the bleachers in seconds. But the damn swimsuit he preferred—jammers, he called them—drove Riley to distraction. They started at his hips and reached all the way to above his knees. The way the material emphasized the V his flat stomach formed was enough to drive anyone insane. And his ass looked way too good.

“You okay?”

He blinked when Easton’s face hovered inches from his. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth, preventing speech. Not that his brain was capable of sending the right signals anyway. Each inhale sent the drugging mix of chlorine and the body soap Easton used into his lungs. The scent was signature Easton—salty and sweet and everything male. Riley knew he wouldn’t be able to find a sexier smell. Most of the guys he’d been with preferred way too much cologne.

Not thinking of the possible consequences, Riley reached up and twirled a wet strand of hair that had fallen between his fingers. The black pin point in the middle of Easton’s eyes dilated, swallowing most of the beautiful green, as he sucked in a breath.

“You need a haircut,” he said absentmindedly when he finally found the brain power to put four words together.

“Ri,” Easton said, voice hoarse. He swallowed and Riley’s gaze followed the bob of his Adam’s apple along that delicious neck. The urge to kiss that bump was almost enough to snap his control. “You need to stop or I won’t be able to keep myself from kissing you right here.”

The heat behind Easton’s words and the conviction in his expression dissolved Riley’s fantasies. He turned his head away from lips only inches away and pushed against a rock solid shoulder with the hand he’d used to touch his hair. An uncomfortable laugh left his throat at the same time his cheeks burned.

“Go wash up,” he said, keeping his head turned away. “I owe you lunch for bringing me home last night.” Easton’s sigh touched his cheek like he’d been kissed. When his skin pebbled, he realized he was still touching sculpted shoulder and retracted his arm as if he’d scalded his palm.

“You don’t have to buy me lunch,” Easton said, disappointment clear in his tone.

“But that’s what best friends do.”

Disappointment flashed into pain for the briefest second before he blinked it away. An invisible weight settled in Riley’s chest as Easton schooled his features into a smile. “I could eat. Give me ten minutes.”

***

Easton confessed his feelings their junior year. Riley had thought it was a joke at first. That maybe Carter had dared him to do it. Then the kiss. He had cornered Riley in the locker room before gym, told him he loved him, and wham! Lips on lips. He’d kissed his fair share of boys, but nothing ever came close to the unraveling Easton’s lips did to him. Damn the boy could kiss. It shocked Riley into a weeklong daze. He couldn’t speak to anyone properly, much less Easton. That was the first time he’d hurt his best friend. Like hurt him deeply. He’d lost the hundred meter butterfly during qualifiers because of it. Since then Riley made it his mission to avoid any other encounters between them that involved confessions of feelings of any kind. But he should have known better.

At their favorite restaurant, he brought the coffee cup to his lips while Easton ordered. Riley never ordered for himself, knowing how much Easton ate after training. The calories he had to consume to maintain that body was staggering. So Riley preferred to pick off his plate instead. A fry here. A bite of pizza there. Their usual waitress wasn’t surprised anymore when Easton ordered almost everything on the left side of the menu. She rattled off the list on her tablet, tapping the tip of the stylus against each item while Easton nodded his confirmation.

“Will that be all?” she glanced at Riley.

“That’s all, Natalie,” he said with a smile. “Thank you.”

“Oh and mozzarella sticks,” Easton added as an afterthought.

“Would you like the single or the family?” She grinned.

“Do you have to ask?” Easton grinned back. A fluttering began inside Riley’s stomach that he associated with the hangover. He needed food.

“Family it is.” Natalie tapped in the order into the tablet and sauntered off.

Easton leaned back on his seat and picked up his own cup of coffee. “Can I just have a normal summer?” he grumbled after taking a sip. Like Riley, he liked the brew as black as the midnight sky.

Riley chuckled, unfolding the newspaper Natalie had handed him upon arriving. “I don’t think potential Olympians get a normal summer.”

“Hopefully this is the last time the scouts show up.”

“I don’t think so. You’re a prime catch.”

“Oh yeah?”

He glanced up at a devastating eyebrow arch from Easton. His heart skipped. Dropping his gaze back to the paper, he scanned through the society pages. “Have you thought about which events you want to attend this season?”

The clink of cup on saucer came abruptly. “Every year you keep asking me the same question when you already know the answer.”

When he glanced up again, this time from a gossip column, he was met with a frown and crossed arms. He knew that look well. This wasn’t about attending the season’s events. Sighing, he made a show of folding up the newspaper before setting it aside. He’d hoped they didn’t have to discuss last night, but from the intent way Easton looked at him from across the table there was no avoiding it. Doesn’t mean he couldn’t buy himself some time. He brought the half-empty coffee cup to his lips and took a deliberate sip.

“Riley,” he growled.

Unfazed by the aura of annoyance wafting his way, Riley set the cup down slowly. He crossed his own arms and legs, leaning back against his chair. Only then did he meet Easton’s gaze head on.

“Did you know there was video of that little stunt you pulled last night at Amber’s house?” He pursed his lips.

“You call saving you from a junior about to molest you in public a stunt?” Easton slapped the table, rattling the cutlery. “You were drunk!”

The clink of utensils on plates paused around them.

Riley leaned forward and said through his teeth, “Lower your voice before you make a fool of yourself. I’m not discussing this further if you don’t calm down.”

Raising the hand he used to slap the table to his head, Easton raked agitated fingers through his still damp hair. When wet the strands looked darker, which gave him a harsher appearance. He turned his head away as the tips of his ears reddened. Riley waited with all the patience in the world as the hum of hushed conversation resumed. He loved how passionate Easton could be, but when he crossed the line because of it, Riley had to be the one who remained in control. The last thing he wanted was to destroy years of friendship all because Easton wanted to move them away from the friend zone. Not going to happen.

The tense silence stretched on until Natalie arrived with all the appetizers Easton had ordered, including the mozzarella sticks. Riley reached for a stick and made quick work of it. Maybe the cheese and oil would soak up the last of the alcohol still lingering in his system. Easton started on the Buffalo wings, extra spicy. He dipped a wing into blue cheese sauce and stuck the entire thing into his mouth. When he pulled the bone out, barely any meat was left.

“Must you always eat like a Neanderthal?” Riley teased. Easton’s answering grin told him they were over the worst of it. He could always count on his best friend to reign in his temper. Grabbing a celery stick from the chicken wing platter, he chose his words carefully while he chewed. “Thank you for saving me last night.” That got him a grunt. Neanderthal. He mentally rolled his eyes. “I know I stop thinking after my second cup of beer.” A snort this time. “I’m glad you were there. I really am.”

“Consider yourself lucky then.” Easton tackled the baby back ribs with gusto.

“Oh, I do.” If only he knew, but he kept that to himself. A vague memory decided to make an appearance. “Did I ask you to kiss me during this heroic rescue of yours?” The pause in Easton’s eating told Riley everything he needed to know. “And did you make good on this request?”

Easton swallowed. But before he could respond, Riley’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished out the device and stared at the screen.

“It’s Carter,” he told Easton before swiping his thumb across the screen and bringing the receiver to his ear. “What’s up?” he asked jovially, but he quickly sobered. He listened for a minute then said, “I’ll be right there.” He pushed away from the table and stood up. Easton moved to do the same but he waved him off. “Stay. Eat. I’ll call you later.”

“But I can help,” he said.

“I know you can, but we came here in separate cars. Carter just needs me to pick him up at Coward’s Cliff for some reason. I don’t see the point of going there together in two cars.” His smile was met with another flash of hurt from his best friend.