Page 56 of Love at First Rep

He loved trivia, and so did Garrett. Or at least, he used to.

Garrett’s gaze said he wasn’t amused.

“If this ends in chaos, remember you’re to blame.”

“I will take every bit of the blame. You can even punish me later if you want.”

Like he hoped, Garrett’s eyes went from annoyed to heated. He couldn’t help but flirt, especially when Garrett looked delectable in a flannel and jeans.

The tables at Hero’s Pub filled for the event, but their friends had already grabbed a table. As they made their way over, Rafe checked the exits and scanned the crowd for any red flags. He didn’t spot anyone suspicious among the diverse crowd, but the night was young. A large bar stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by tables on every side. Cherry wood accents gave the place a welcoming ambiance. Music played loud enough to hear but not so loud they couldn’t hold a conversation.

When he was younger, he enjoyed the nightclubs with the flashing lights and bass pumping so loud it thumped in his chest, but now those places made him feel far too old. Hero’s was the perfect hangout, no matter how old they were.

Somehow, the guys managed to push a couple tables together for their party of nine. As Rafe grabbed a seat at the end of the table across from Garrett, Lucas entered the bar and Rafe waved him over. Lucas had a bounce in his step and a wicked smile on his face as he drew other patrons’ wandering eyes. Rafe couldn’t blame them. Lucas was no Garrett, but with smoky cat eyes, a sheer blouse, a tight tank and super skinny jeans, the man deserved attention.

“Everyone,” Garrett said, only a hint of regret in his tone, “this is Lucas. Lucas, these are the guys from the gym.”

Garrett went around the table naming everyone, and Lucas grabbed a seat next to Garrett.

“Finally, Garrett lets me meet his hunky gym mates. I don’t know why you waited so long to introduce us.”

“I think Garrett might be embarrassed by us,” Riley said. “I can’t imagine why. We’re always so well-behaved.”

Rafe wasn’t sure how Riley managed those words with a straight face, but it drew more than one snort from around the table.

Rafe settled one of his elbows on the paper placemat menu in front of him and tangled his legs with Garrett’s. At his touch, Garrett visibly relaxed, melting into his chair. Perfect.

“According to Garrett, he’s afraid of us being in the same room,” Cole said, rolling his eyes in Garrett’s direction.

“I should’ve brought my squirt bottle,” Garrett muttered.

He’d told Rafe about the squirt bottle he started using at the gym to spray the guys when their behavior got out of hand. He hadn’t had to use it since Rafe got there, but Rafe was excited for it to happen.

“Well, that sounds promising. I think I like you already,” Lucas said, winking at Cole and nudging Garrett with his elbow.

“Easy, cowboy, that horse is taken,” Garrett said, eliciting a pout from Lucas.

“Did you just call me a horse?” Cole asked, his hand clutched against his chest. His head tilted as he reconsidered. “Actually, that makes sense. I’m a total stallion.”

“You sure are, buddy,” Chase said, patting Cole on the head and rolling his eyes. When his gaze moved to Tobias, the two of them shared a sweet smile. According to Garrett, their relationship was new. It was clear they were still in the honeymoon phase.

Luckily, the DJ cut off the conversation, announcing the start of trivia and telling the teams they needed to grab an answer sheet. Josh hopped up and hustled to get one for them.

“What should our team name be?” Chase asked.

“We could always go with Gym Rat Pack,” Hunter said, his long blond hair tied in a low ponytail.

Lucas gasped. “That is too adorable. Works for me.”

Chase eyed Lucas’ chiseled arms. “What do you do to work out?”

“I do bodyweight workouts at home, and I swim. I actually checked out your gym at one point, but I don’t really like people telling me what to do with my body, so I wasn’t into it. Sorry.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Tobias said.

“I’ve been thinking about trying kickboxing, though,” Lucas continued. “I have a lot of rage to get out, but I don’t know how to throw a punch without breaking my hand, so learning how would be useful.”

Rafe figured that was as good an opening as he was bound to get.