Page 183 of Cross Check

Me

I need some quick advice. Is anyone free for a FaceTime call?

Mavvy

Reporting for duty.

Mitchy

I’m available!

Sully

No.

Huddy Boy

Everything okay, G?

Easy E

I’m supposed to meet up with a girl, and I only have fifteen minutes. Make it snappy, Everett.

Connor

I’m not great with advice, but I’ll do my best.

I lean my phone against a vase in the living room and FaceTime Maverick before adding all the boys to the call.

“What it do, baby boos?” Ethan announces when he gets connected. “Look at all of us together on a day when we don’t have practice. We’re really not beating the rumors that we’re codependent.”

“I am codependent, and that’s why I’m calling.” I run a hand through my hair and look at the faces blinking back at me. Even Liam answered, and seeing his scowl in the bottom right corner of my screen makes me smile. “I’ve been keeping a secret from you all. It’s personal. Like, embarrassingly personal. I never knew the right time to tell you guys, but I need some advice, so I’m going to come clean.”

“Is your dick pierced too?” Ethan asks, and Riley groans. “What? It’s a logical question. I can give you my cleaning routine, G, so you don’t get any rashes. No one likes a rash.”

“My dick is not pierced, and it will never be pierced,” I say.

“Are you sure? The original piercing hurts, but women love⁠—”

“I’m a virgin,” I blurt, and Ethan stops talking. “I’m a virgin, and I have a woman coming to my place soon to… well, have sex, hopefully, and I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do. I mean, I’ve read books and watched movies and understand what goes where, but I… I don’t know what to do.”

“Hang on.” Maverick squints at me. “You’ve never slept with anyone?”

“No.” My cheeks burn. This is the most mortifying conversation of my life, and they’re going to start teasing me any second. “I’ve done everything else, but the act of, ah, penetrative sex is a new concept to me. I’m not going to be very good, and she’s going to have a horrible time.”

“Don’t say that.” Hudson shakes his head. “We were all virgins once.”

“Which means we all didn’t know what to do at one point in our lives.” Riley pushes his glasses up his nose. “It’s like hockey, Grant. The more you do it, the better you are at it.”

“How are you a virgin?” Ethan asks. “I see people at every game wearing your jersey and trying to get your attention. You’ve never slept with a fan?”

“No. The idea of a one-night stand isn’t appealing to me.” I don’t think my cheeks could be any redder than they are right now. “I’ve, um, had a crush on a woman for a few years, and it didn’t feel right to sleep with someone else just to get off when they were on my mind.”

“Damn.” Ethan whistles. “He’s a goddamn romantic, folks.”

“I need to know how to make things good for her.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “I want her to stick around after tonight, and I want it to be perfect. I need your help.”

“Women are simple creatures, G,” Ethan starts. “It doesn’t take much to⁠—”