Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
He chewed, and it brought my attention to his strong, square jawline. This wasn’t how I expected the day to go. There was no universe I could have imagined for myself where Ash would be sitting beside me, eating food off my plate.
“Wow…I knew about you, of course. Everyone in town talks about you, but Beau never mentioned you’d been friends. He actually made it sound like…”
I cocked a brow at Linc for nearly selling me out, and he closed his mouth.
“Like he hated me?” Ash asked.
“Well…now that you mention it…”
“I didn’t hate you,” I cut them off, but the truth was, I had. Or at least I always told myself I had, and in ten years, that hadn’t changed.
“I think that might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Ash winked before eating more of my food.
I was so dumbstruck, I didn’t know what to say, so instead I watched him as he made himself completely comfortable with us. Was there ever a situation where Ash was uncomfortable? Well, except for post-kiss with me, apparently.
“We love our Cranky Campbell,” Linc added. “I have a feeling we’ll love you too. Straight football player eating at Fever Pitch, one of the gayest restaurants in the gayborhood.”
Oh fuck. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind what Lincoln was doing. He was trying to figure out if Ash was straight.
“The gayborhood?” Ash’s brows pulled together. “And wait, there’s such a thing as gay restaurants?”
I shook my head and groaned. This was going to be a long dinner. “No, it’s not really a gay restaurant. I mean, it’s frequented by a lot of members of the LGBTQ community, but anyone can come here, and yes, Fever Street is now basically the gay mecca of Fever Falls.”
“Oh,” Ash replied, and then his brows rose to his hairline as if he’d realized what it meant for me. “Oh.” His cheeks suddenly flushed, making me wonder if Ash was thinking about that night ten years ago, which had obviously been a fluke for him. Unless he kept his trysts with men secret, which was entirely possible. “Congratulations?” he asked, making Lincoln laugh again.
“Oh, honey, you’re cute as hell.”
“Cut it out, Linc,” I told him. The last thing we needed was for Lincoln to fall in lust with Ash. He didn’t do love, but he sure as shit did lust. I looked at Ash. “You don’t have to congratulate me.”
“Yeah…that was weird. Sorry. It just threw me for a second.”
Because I’d kissed him like I’d been straight? I was pretty sure I’d kissed him like I’d wanted to crawl inside him. But then, he’d kissed me back, he’d kissed me first, and clearly it didn’t mean the same thing for him.
“I’m not…gay, I mean. I’m an ally, though!” He said the last part a little too enthusiastically, then looked around the restaurant as though the gays were all going to come and get him.
“Congratulations,” I replied.
“You don’t have to congratulate me,” he said with a smirk.
“Bi?” Lincoln asked, hope making his voice rise an octave.
“Sorry, buddy, straight as straight can be.”
Was it me, or had Ash turned away from me when he’d spoken? Likely, I was looking for signs that weren’t there. It wasn’t an enjoyable thought that my male-first-kiss only did it because he was drunk…that he wasn’t attracted to me…or men in general.
“Damn it!” Lincoln cursed, and thankfully Ash laughed before popping another tater tot into this mouth.
“Ugh. These are cold. How about I order us some more? And potato skins. Maybe we can do some appetizer platters. Do you guys want a drink? Dinner’s on me,” Ash rambled on.
Before I could get the word no out, Linc replied, “I’m in.”
Did I mention it was going to be a long night?
CHAPTER FIVE
Ashton
Ashton Carmichael, licking his wounds, suffers consequences for his actions!
I wasn’t sure what had gotten into me, why I’d ordered food and drinks and basically inserted myself into Beau and Lincoln’s night, other than the fact that I didn’t want to go home to an empty house. I’d been there for weeks, drowning in gossip articles and my failed career. The idea of wallowing in my thoughts, my past, while the pictures lining the walls reminded me that I was utterly alone, was depressing as hell.
Shit. I didn’t want to be alone. That was a revelation. Before all this had gone down, I tried to think of the last time I’d been truly alone, other than for a day or so, and nothing came to me. I was at the gym or training, at practice, at business meetings or endorsements, with friends, fake friends, and women…lots and lots of women. Christ, the thought of being alone, of talking to myself and dwelling on how far I’d fallen, made me sick to my stomach.
And for some reason, being with Wyatt had felt all wrong. There wasn’t anything he’d done, outside of a few misplaced jokes. But Wyatt was so tied to Football Ash, and I wasn’t that Ash anymore…at least I didn’t think I was. In all honesty, I wasn’t really sure who I was.