I think Dad knew I’d always be his shadow, so he made sure both of us were aware we needed to watch what we did and said at all time.”
“Good plan,” PJ agreed as he ushered me over to the photographer. “Honestly, I’m glad we didn’t have to worry about social media when I was young and dumb. You guys can’t do anything without the whole world knowing within the hour.”
“You make it sound like you’re a grizzled old man,” I teased.
He patted my cheek and made some comment about me being cute before huddling with the photographer, whom he obviously knew. When they separated, he looked much more relaxed than he had been.
“Okay, so here’s how this is going to go,” he informed me. “As much as the marketing crew would love to spin this into a love is love story, that’s not going to fly for me. So the story is you bid because you’re a huge fan and wanted to hang out.”
“Um, there’s one big problem with that,” I pointed out. There were a handful of issues with his cover story, starting with I couldn’t lie for shit, but I got the impression our time before we were inundated with questions was limited. “If they expect me to know anything about baseball, I’m screwed.”
PJ laughed, but he looked offended that I’d just admitted I didn’t know anything about the sport he loved. “No worries, kid. We’ll get through this somehow. Maybe have your brother on standby in case we need to be rescued.”
Someday, the suggestion that someone would need to rescue us would be funny, but tonight wasn’t that night.
3
Pj
Nate wasn’t lying when he said it had been a roller coaster of a night. By the time we finished posing in front of the camera, I was ready for a hell of a lot more than the bottle of wine that’d been promised with dessert. Another glass of the twelve-year-old Irish whiskey I’d had last night would be a good start. The second and third would likely fend off my anxiety.
Luckily, the event photographer was another friend of Clint’s, so he made sure he got photos that would make Bryce and the marketing firm he was working with happy without giving anyone the smoking gun they’d need to prove to the world that I’m gay.
Then again, every time I worried about someone confirming the truth, I inched closer to taking out a billboard in Times Square just so no one could hold it over my head any longer.
“You ready to get out of here?” I asked as Cody moved on to the next lucky couple.
Nate motioned for me to wait while he talked to Zach. Now that I knew they were brothers, I was surprised I hadn’t seen the resemblance sooner. Nate was much leaner than Zach, but I supposed that went along with his brother being the athlete. Where Zach’s light brown hair was cropped close to his head, Nate wore a casual, beach bum style that brushed the collar of his shirt. Zach shaved, while Nate sported a few days’ scruff. He was far from my usual type, but there was something about Nate that begged me to drag him up to my room and fuck him until the sun rose.
When Nate returned, his brother followed. He was doing his damnedest to mean mug me, but it didn’t work. As Nate stepped to the side to make introductions, Zach held out his hand and went a bit fanboy. “PJ Nolan, it’s great to meet you. Aww hell, I swear I didn’t mean to sound like a ten-year-old meeting his idol, but damn, it really is great to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I responded, trying to keep from laughing at his rambling. “Are you joining us for dessert?”
As soon as the words were out, I regretted them. The thought of squeezing myself in the middle of a Kendricks brothers sandwich would provide jerk off material for the foreseeable future, but the inexplicable attraction was only there with Nate. Strangely, it wasn’t the one who’d first made my dick twitch. Zach was hot, but I didn’t feel the same pull to him that I felt with Nate.
“I’m sure we’ll see you down there,” Zach informed me. “All of the couples had dessert and wine as part of the package. But I’m still waiting on my date to get done socializing with her friends.” I stifled a laugh caused by the way Zach stumbled over the word date. It seemed