yeah. Hey, Tyler,” Beau said.
Tyler came up and hugged Marian from behind. “Hey, you! They wanted me to come over so you didn’t think they were ganging up on you or anything.” He pulled away and smiled at her. “I’m too pretty to be threatening.” As far as Cass was concerned, he
was
too damn pretty, with his blond surfer looks. But Cass wasn’t worried. Marian had shown zero romantic interest in the notorious flirt. Ty’s sexual escapades were almost as well-known as Cass’s and Beau’s. As one of the only openly bisexual players in the NFL, he was always under scrutiny. He’d chosen the shameless-whore route instead of pretending to be searching for a monogamous relationship.
“You wanted him to come over so I didn’t feel uncomfortable?” she asked, sounding choked up. Damn Tyler and his big mouth. What Cass had actually told Tyler was to come over and act like it was a surprise, and he was just dropping by. How could a brilliant quarterback who could memorize a hundred-page playbook not remember a simple plan?
“It isn’t that big a deal,” Cass grumbled. “He lives two doors down. Close the damn door,” he told Tyler, rather than answering Marian’s question.
Now it was Tyler’s turn to look uncomfortable. “The thing is,” he started to say, and then another voice spoke from the doorway.
“Hey, Cass,” Tom Kelly said, sauntering in. “Are we having Chinese?”
Cass glared at Tyler, but the quarterback looked unimpressed. “The rookie was hanging out at my house. I thought I’d bring him along.”
“Whoa,” Tom said, halting and putting both hands up in front of him. “I can go. I don’t want to intrude.” He spun around and headed back for the front door.
“Hold it,” Cass called out with a sigh of resignation. “Stay. We have enough.”
He’d invited Tyler over because he knew he had a few kinks and if things went that way with Marian, Tyler could be counted on to join in, watch, or leave without judgment. But Tom was young, just out of college. No way were he and Tyler fooling around. He was big, and looked like he could eat a Honda, but with his buzz-cut hair and dimples he exuded a kid-next-door innocence that meant there’d be no messing around tonight. And even thinking that, not to mention being disappointed about it, made Cass feel like an A-number-one asshole. He caught Beau’s eye and Beau just shrugged. He’d come to the same realization that Cass had, apparently, but Beau tended to be more philosophical about these things.
Tom grabbed a plate and started to climb up on the table. “What the hell are you doing?” Cass asked. Tom froze.
“I thought we were sitting on the table,” Tom said slowly. “Wrong again?”
“Wrong again,” Cass said, pointing to a chair.
Tyler pulled out a chair and sat down and started to empty out the crispy duck container. “Why do you guys get to sit on the table?” he asked.
“It’s a thing,” Beau told him.
“Are you guys a thing?” Tom asked in obvious confusion, waving his fork around to point at the three of them.
“No,” Marian answered quickly and emphatically. Cass just took a bite of duck and stared at her. Beau didn’t say anything either.
“Ooookay,” said Tom. “Whatever.”
“They were just helping me look for a house today,” Marian explained, casually spooning more fried rice onto her overflowing plate.
“How do you lose a house?” Tom asked. It took a moment for Cass to realize he was joking. Tom looked so damn serious he’d almost missed the twinkle in the kid’s eyes.
“What?” Marian asked, looking equally horrified and confused, as if she just couldn’t believe Tom was that stupid.
“You know women,” Beau said, playing along. “Always losing something.”
Marian tossed down her fork in indignation. “Hey! I did not lose a house.”
“Then why are you looking for one?” Tom asked, all innocent confusion.
Tyler blew it. He broke up laughing and then Tom lost
Tyler came up and hugged Marian from behind. “Hey, you! They wanted me to come over so you didn’t think they were ganging up on you or anything.” He pulled away and smiled at her. “I’m too pretty to be threatening.” As far as Cass was concerned, he
was
too damn pretty, with his blond surfer looks. But Cass wasn’t worried. Marian had shown zero romantic interest in the notorious flirt. Ty’s sexual escapades were almost as well-known as Cass’s and Beau’s. As one of the only openly bisexual players in the NFL, he was always under scrutiny. He’d chosen the shameless-whore route instead of pretending to be searching for a monogamous relationship.
“You wanted him to come over so I didn’t feel uncomfortable?” she asked, sounding choked up. Damn Tyler and his big mouth. What Cass had actually told Tyler was to come over and act like it was a surprise, and he was just dropping by. How could a brilliant quarterback who could memorize a hundred-page playbook not remember a simple plan?
“It isn’t that big a deal,” Cass grumbled. “He lives two doors down. Close the damn door,” he told Tyler, rather than answering Marian’s question.
Now it was Tyler’s turn to look uncomfortable. “The thing is,” he started to say, and then another voice spoke from the doorway.
“Hey, Cass,” Tom Kelly said, sauntering in. “Are we having Chinese?”
Cass glared at Tyler, but the quarterback looked unimpressed. “The rookie was hanging out at my house. I thought I’d bring him along.”
“Whoa,” Tom said, halting and putting both hands up in front of him. “I can go. I don’t want to intrude.” He spun around and headed back for the front door.
“Hold it,” Cass called out with a sigh of resignation. “Stay. We have enough.”
He’d invited Tyler over because he knew he had a few kinks and if things went that way with Marian, Tyler could be counted on to join in, watch, or leave without judgment. But Tom was young, just out of college. No way were he and Tyler fooling around. He was big, and looked like he could eat a Honda, but with his buzz-cut hair and dimples he exuded a kid-next-door innocence that meant there’d be no messing around tonight. And even thinking that, not to mention being disappointed about it, made Cass feel like an A-number-one asshole. He caught Beau’s eye and Beau just shrugged. He’d come to the same realization that Cass had, apparently, but Beau tended to be more philosophical about these things.
Tom grabbed a plate and started to climb up on the table. “What the hell are you doing?” Cass asked. Tom froze.
“I thought we were sitting on the table,” Tom said slowly. “Wrong again?”
“Wrong again,” Cass said, pointing to a chair.
Tyler pulled out a chair and sat down and started to empty out the crispy duck container. “Why do you guys get to sit on the table?” he asked.
“It’s a thing,” Beau told him.
“Are you guys a thing?” Tom asked in obvious confusion, waving his fork around to point at the three of them.
“No,” Marian answered quickly and emphatically. Cass just took a bite of duck and stared at her. Beau didn’t say anything either.
“Ooookay,” said Tom. “Whatever.”
“They were just helping me look for a house today,” Marian explained, casually spooning more fried rice onto her overflowing plate.
“How do you lose a house?” Tom asked. It took a moment for Cass to realize he was joking. Tom looked so damn serious he’d almost missed the twinkle in the kid’s eyes.
“What?” Marian asked, looking equally horrified and confused, as if she just couldn’t believe Tom was that stupid.
“You know women,” Beau said, playing along. “Always losing something.”
Marian tossed down her fork in indignation. “Hey! I did not lose a house.”
“Then why are you looking for one?” Tom asked, all innocent confusion.
Tyler blew it. He broke up laughing and then Tom lost
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