his denim-colored tie.
Casey eyeballed him.
Ethan sighed. “The entire time. Right.”
“We haven’t even had dinner yet,” Casey pointed out. Batting Ethan’s hand away, he fixed his tie, smoothing it against a chest that Casey may have lingered over a little longer than necessary. Ethan was all hard muscle underneath his slim-fitting, navy blue suit and pale blue shirt, and if he was anyone else, Casey would’ve had him in bed a long time ago.
Giving Ethan’s chest a final pat, he looked around the spacious-yet-crowded ballroom. “Who are all these people anyway?” He only recognized Ethan’s teammates and coaches. Everyone else was anywhere between the ages of twenty-five and sixty, but Casey didn’t recognize them.
“Former Mountaineers, mostly,” Ethan said.
And their plus-ones. There were plenty of fancy dresses in the crowd too.
“Most of them are still involved in some way, donating to the Mountaineers scholarship program or to GH Athletics.”
“Think the ones who own the House are here?”
Ethan shrugged. “Beats me. We were just told that the gala was for everyone affiliated with the Mountaineers. I thought it was going to be just the team and coaches and our plus-ones, but I guess they meant literally everybody.”
Everybody who was available on a Thursday night two days before the first game of the season, that was. And who could afford the $175 ticket.
All proceeds benefiting the Mountaineers, of course. Thank God the current players—and their plus-ones—hadn’t had to purchase a ticket. They were just expected to be here, which was good because . . . A hundred and seventy-five dollars for a meal? When he could get one for six bucks in the cafeteria?
“Who are you supposed to schmooze again?”
Ethan squinted through the crowd. “The major donors. They’re wearing GH pins.”
Catching sight of a familiar shaved head stepping through the doors, a blond, bespectacled guy on his arm, Casey elbowed Ethan in the ribs. “Roman’s here with Cody. Was he a Mountaineer?”
“No.” Ethan gave them both a wave. “I guess as a mentor, he’s technically affiliated with the team. Yeah, see. Owen Cotton’s right behind him.” One of Roman’s teammates. “He’s Theo’s mentor. And there’s Harkrader’s mentor too.”
Hand in hand, Roman and Cody headed over to them.
Was it dumb that Casey had a bit of a celebrity crush on Cody? Maybe. The man was married, after all.
But that was what made it safe.
“Hey,” Ethan said once Roman and Cody reached them. He pressed his weight into Casey’s side, wedging them shoulder to shoulder.
Surprised at the gesture, Casey side-eyed him.
“Wasn’t expecting to see you guys tonight,” Ethan added.
“Last minute thing.” Roman squeezed Ethan’s bicep in hello. “Seeing as I’ve only been your mentor for two days. How long do you think we need to stay for?”
Casey choked on a laugh. Man, Ethan and Roman were well paired.
Leaning closer to Roman, Cody patted him on the chest with a murmured, “I’m going to see if he’s here yet,” and disappeared into the crowd.
“Rain.” Coach Abshire appeared between Ethan and Roman, a tall Asian guy in tow. “Meet Chuck Yano, former Mountaineer. Yano, this is one of the promising young freshmen I was telling you about, Ethan Rain.”
Squaring his shoulders at the praise in a way that made Casey want to kiss him silly and pat him on the head all at the same time, Ethan held out a hand. “Good to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Yano said, smile creasing his cheeks. Casey had the vague notion that Yano had gone on to play in the minors after graduation, before retiring to do . . . something. He couldn’t remember. “Abshire tells me you have an interest in coaching.”
“I . . .” Ethan eyed Abshire’s retreating back. “I’m not sure how he knows that, but yes.”
“Before the night is over, let’s talk about your plans for next summer.”
“Wow. Sure. Thank you.” Seeming to remember himself, Ethan slid a hand to Casey’s lower back. “This is Casey, my—”
“Boyfriend,” Casey interjected smoothly, catching sight of Cole Britton from the corner of his eye. He held out a hand, ignoring both Roman’s slight head shake and the way his own heart leaped at the word. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Yano turned to Roman. “Good to see you again, man. Is Cody with you?”
“Yeah. He wandered off in search of—”
“I don’t think he’s here yet,” Cody said, reappearing next to Roman. “Yano! Hey!”
They shared a hug full of back slaps, and as Roman, Cody, and Yano dove into a conversation, Casey felt decidedly out of place among what were obviously friends.
“Do you