Common Goal (Game Changers #4)- Rachel Reid Page 0,39
willing to abstain for his benefit, but it really wasn’t necessary. “You don’t have to.”
Kyle waved a hand. “I don’t mind. Besides, we’re here on a mission. I need to keep a clear head.” He leaned in. “So. Who do you like?”
Eric was caught off guard by the question. And by the answer that immediately popped into his head: he liked Kyle. He liked his clear, blue eyes and his carefully styled hair. He liked the peek of collarbone that jutted from the wide V of Kyle’s neckline.
“I don’t know,” Eric lied. “Everyone here is very attractive.”
Kyle turned to the side and observed the crowd for a moment before returning his gaze to Eric. “It’s a good bar for that. What about him?” He nodded at someone over Eric’s shoulder, which meant Eric would have to turn around to see him.
“Who?” Eric asked, without turning.
“Tall, beard, muscles.”
Eric turned, as subtly as possible, and easily spotted the man Kyle had described. He was definitely handsome, but more in the way Eric’s teammates were handsome, which didn’t do it for Eric.
“Attractive,” Eric agreed, turning back to Kyle. “But not for me.”
Kyle’s eyebrows shot up as he sipped his drink. “Too big? Too hairy? What’s the issue?”
“I think...” God, this was torture. “Too...hockey player.”
Kyle laughed like this was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. Eric buried his face in his hands. “I can’t do this,” he groaned.
“You can. I get it. So we’ll look for someone less macho and athletic.”
“I didn’t say not athletic,” Eric argued. “Just not...that guy. I don’t know.”
“How about him?” Kyle blatantly pointed a finger at the table next to theirs, and Eric batted it down.
“Don’t point!”
Kyle crossed his arms. “Sweetheart. We’re all here for the same thing.”
Eric glanced in the direction Kyle had been pointing and found three men drinking cocktails. One of them was smiling at Eric.
Eric quickly turned back to Kyle. “He looks nineteen!”
“Is that a no?”
“That’s an absolute no.”
“Good to know.”
Eric glared at him. “Was that a test?”
“Not at all. First of all, he’s older than nineteen. And secondly, I dated men about your age when I was younger than him.”
Eric did not like thinking about that. “Well, I’m not interested in anyone that young.”
Kyle looked down at the table, frowning. “What would be an appropriate age, do you think?”
“I don’t know. Thirty at least?” Eric had picked the number because it felt right. It was right, wasn’t it?
“Got it,” Kyle said. It sounded a little icy. “Let’s see...” He glanced around the room. “Okay. What about the cute accountant-type over there?”
Eric found the man Kyle was looking at. He looked to be in his thirties, slim, blond, and clean cut with glasses and a V-neck sweater over a checked shirt. He was, indeed, cute.
“Oh,” Eric said. He looked back to Kyle, who was smiling from ear to ear.
“Did I nail it this time?”
Almost. “He’s very...yes. I like him.”
“He looks smart, but not pretentious,” Kyle mused. “Let’s guess his name.”
Eric scoffed. “You can’t guess someone’s name by looking at them.”
“You can have fun trying,” Kyle insisted. “I’ll bet it’s... Alex.”
“This is ridiculous,” Eric said. “And besides, it’s Justin.”
Kyle laughed. “See? Fun. So Justin the accountant...”
“Did we agree that he’s an accountant?”
“Yes. And he’s from... Wisconsin.”
“Wisconsin?”
“Little Justin left the farm for New York City to follow his big accounting dreams.”
“And here he is.”
“And here he is. About to take an NHL superstar to bed.”
Eric nearly choked on his soda. “He is not.”
Kyle reached across the table and placed a hand on his forearm. “I’m kidding.”
Eric’s skin prickled under Kyle’s fingertips. “You’d better be.”
Kyle leaned back in his chair, removing his hand. “You look hot, by the way. I like the shirt.”
“Oh.” Eric resisted the urge to pick at it. “Thanks. You look good too.”
“On a scale of one to kill me, how uncomfortable are you right now?”
He smiled. “Hovering near kill me.”
“Relax. We’re not going to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. I promise. We’re just talking, and enjoying the scenery.”
“How does it compare to glacier skiing in the Alps?”
Kyle grinned as his gaze followed a handsome dark-haired man who walked past their table. “Reasonably close.”
Eric chuckled and took a sip of his drink, but his heart clenched with something that felt embarrassingly close to jealousy.
“So you haven’t told Scott that you’re bi?” Kyle asked, pulling Eric’s attention away from his confusing feelings.
“No, not yet. I want to.”
“Do you think he’ll be surprised?”
It was more likely, he thought, that Scott would be hurt when Eric