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“I might be older, but I’m not stupid, Austin. If you haven’t noticed, I have quite a few players on my team who are queer.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Okay, next question.”
I waved my hand in the air at him like he’d done me. “Spit it out, cupcake.”
“Touché.” He raised a brow and returned his arm to the back of the booth. “Have you ever explored your sexuality?”
Wordlessly, I shook my head no.
“Then why tell your family you were bringing a boyfriend? Aren’t you afraid of how you’ll react when I touch you? Or kiss you? That’s what you said you wanted.”
My heart was going a mile a minute, because I wanted those things with him, and only him. “Did I freeze up a minute ago?”
Austin stared at me, his eyes never leaving mine before he answered my question. “No. But that doesn’t mean you won’t when we’re in public.”
It was my turn to smile at him. Shifting in my seat, I leaned forward to make my point. I was feeling bold, like he had all those years ago, and I was taking my shot. “Here’s the thing, baby. I’ve only been interested in one man, and I’m looking at him.”
He ran his fingertips over his lips, mesmerizing me further. I wanted to taste those lips. “And when did you figure that out?”
I leaned back against the seat, then picked up my scotch. After savoring the burn, I sat it down and looked him in the eye. “Fourteen years ago.”
For once, I had the upper hand.
But it didn’t last long.
CHAPTER 10
AUSTIN
“Are you ready for all this?”
I looked out the window at the lush green jungle landscape. Much to my surprise, as we descended from the clouds and caught sight of the crystal-clear blue waters off the northern coast, I found I actually was happy to be here. Costa Rica was known for its biodiversity and conservation efforts, and I wanted to see and experience it firsthand.
There were a lot of things that could help Carter change the way Wentworth Industries did business. I’d been after him for years to seek ways of branching into more environmentally friendly fuel sources. It was time we looked into greener endeavors. But I couldn’t show all my cards to Greer, so I acted like a dick.
“Ready as I’ll ever be. Babe.” I tacked that on at the end for dramatic effect. I’m sure he probably wished he’d asked for Dreamboat instead of me, because I was having difficulty controlling my mouth and my emotions where he was concerned. No one had ever affected me like Greer had. Like a fucking teenager, my unresolved feelings had me wanting to give him a piece of my mind, then fuck him out of my system.
Of course, Mr. Charming tried to hide his smile at my delayed term of endearment, as if I’d said it with heartfelt affection. I hadn’t. Again, I was being a dick, and I knew it. Even though I had lost myself in some of our conversation today, I was as bitter today as always when it came to him.
I should probably see a therapist.
When the pilot taxied up to a small terminal, I unbuckled my seat belt and stood to stretch. We’d spent the last ninety minutes gathering intel, like how he took his coffee, how I liked my steak cooked, and which races were our favorites in a triathlon. Turns out, we both preferred running, then swimming. And then there were the intimate details.
“Have you ever been here before?” he asked as I opened the storage compartment to retrieve our luggage.
“No, can’t say that I have.”
I passed him his bags before gathering mine. His high-end rolling suitcase and hanging bag matched, while I was still using my dark brown canvas duffle I’d had for years. Looking at him, the differences between us couldn’t have been more obvious.
Greer’s eyes stayed fixed on the closet, so I took another look inside to make sure I hadn’t missed something. But when I looked back at him, his eyes met mine with an expression that looked wistful. “I think you’re going to love it. There are so many things to see and experience.”
For just a moment, I allowed myself to really look at Greer as he went on about the things we were going to do this week. Every time he smiled, or described something he was excited about, the soft lines around his eyes made him even more handsome than he already was. I could easily get lost in him if I wasn’t careful.
Looking at him like this was dangerous, so I reached into my bag and took out my sunglasses. Sliding my mirrored aviators into place, I turned for the door, nodding in acknowledgment that I’d heard him. I couldn’t let Greer see all the dumb things I still felt for him, because if he looked hard enough, he could read me like a book.
“And the coffee,” he groaned as he followed me out of the plane. “I swear there is nothing like it in the world. When those aromatic flavors hit your tongue, it’s heaven.” His little groan sent a shot of lust straight to the flagpole in my pants. I’d had it since we left Portland.
When we reached the bottom of the steps, I walked a few paces away and waited for him. He’d stopped in the doorway to talk to his crew.
