NEVER HAVE I EVER: HAD A BROMANCE WITH A TEAMMATE

Never Have I Ever – Book Three

by Willow Dixon

Cover & Excerpt Reveal

Release Date: March 9, 2023

Cover Design:






Cate Ashwood Designs

Genre: M/M College Sports Romance

Trope: Best friends to lovers

Synopsis

How could one kiss change everything between me and my best friend?

 

Jax has been my best friend since the day we met. We not only share our passion for baseball, but we train together, play on the same team, hang out together, even sleep in the same bed half the time.

I feel safe with him, and he gets me like no one else. Yeah, he’s gay and I’m straight, but that doesn’t matter.

Until it does.

Until one stupid dare to kiss each other leads to the most amazing, epic kiss of my life.

Until I suddenly can’t stop thinking about him, about what he awakens in me.

Until all I want is him.

Our bromance evolves into something much deeper, something that neither of us can define. I explore new territory with him and discover sides of myself I never knew I had.

But with not only our future in baseball on the line but also our friendship, how can this thing between us ever be more than temporary? A bromance between besties doesn’t have to change anything, right?

Matt and Jax’s story is a best friends-to-lovers romance between teammates who discover that a bromance between besties is exactly what they’ve always wanted but never thought they could have. Expect lots of bff banter, some serious steam, and tons of sweetness as these two oblivious jocks navigate the line between boyfriends and bros. It is the third novel in the exciting Never Have I Ever series but can be read as a standalone.

 

Excerpt

“Bonus round.” Aspyn sat up straighter, her eyes sparkling.

“Bonus round?” Matt and I said together.

“Yup.” She looked between us. “I dare you to kiss each other.”

“But we’re playing never have I ever…” Matt said.

“I know. But if you do it, you get to take a full shot.”

“You just going to give away all my booze?” Elio turned to her.

“You know it.” She gave him a cheeky smile.

I turned to Matt to tell him that this was a dumb idea, but the challenge in his eyes stopped me before the words formed.

Matt and I might be best friends, but I was also a healthy twenty-one-year-old gay man with eyes. He was ridiculously hot. I’d managed to keep him in the friend zone for the past three years by not thinking about him as anything other than my bestie.

“You want to?” I asked as he dropped his gaze to my lips.

“Why not?” He lifted his eyes. “Afraid I’ll be better than you?”

“Fuck no.” I put my cup on the floor. “Bring it.”

Matt placed his cup next to mine, and leaned in.

His kiss was brief and chaste.

“No fair. That wasn’t a real kiss.” Aspyn grabbed the bottle and held it on her lap. “No shots until you do it right.”

Matt got up on his knees so he was taller than me, hooked his hand around the back of my neck, and tugged me toward him. The force of the move surprised me, and I had to grab his thighs to stop from crashing into him.

This time, when his lips met mine, the kiss was slow and tender. The contrast between the rough way he was handling me and the softness of his kiss was disorienting, and I didn’t respond for a few seconds.

Matt parted his lips, and my entire body came alive as his tongue brushed my bottom lip.

Fuck.

This is Matt, your straight bestie.

I repeated that over and over like a mantra as he angled his face and deepened the kiss.

Goddamn he felt good. His lips were firm, his kiss commanding but still soft. His stubble scraped across my skin, and the heat from his hand on my neck seeped into me.

I gripped his thighs hard. Not because I was in danger of falling, but because my palms itched to run all over his big, beautiful body.

Matt sighed against my lips, the sweet slide of his tongue against mine sending shockwaves of desire and awareness through me.

Then, he moaned low and deep. It was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard.

My dick was rock hard and my heart pounded in my chest as he gently bit my lip.

Holy goddamn shit.

This is Matt, your STRAIGHT bestie.

“Wow.”

Matt pulled away as a voice penetrated the little haze I’d fallen into.

“Wow,” Aspyn repeated as she held the bottle out to us. “That was so hot.”

“Yeah,” the twins chorused.

“Fuck, I think we’re all a little gay after that.” Elio glanced at Brendan, who nodded.

Matt took the bottle and lifted it to his lips. “Told you I’d be better than you.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to remind him which one of us had moaned, but held back as I took the bottle from him. I didn’t want to embarrass him, but more than that, I wanted to keep that little moan just between us.

“You were passable.” I took a big swig.

“Passable?” Matt grabbed the bottle out of my hand. “Do over. Then I can prove I’m better.”

“Obviously I’m better if you can’t get enough of me,” I said sweetly, falling back into the role of best friend.

The kiss had been a dare and nothing more. Matt might have enjoyed it, but it would never mean anything.

I’d always hated the stereotype that gay guys couldn’t have straight friends they were attracted to. My best friend from high school was straight and hot as fuck, and there’d never been any weirdness between us.

Same with Matt. He might be my type, but he was off limits.

“You wish,” he scoffed and pulled one of the flasks out of his pocket.

“Dude, you’ve been holding out.” Elio held his hand out for the bottle.

Matt passed it to him, then returned his gaze to mine. “This flask says I kiss better than you.”

“How are we supposed to judge that? Obviously, we’re just going to pick ourselves. It’s a guaranteed stalemate.”

“We let the girls decide.” He glanced at them. “You in?”

The twins nodded eagerly.

“Hell yeah.” Aspyn fanned herself. “Watching two hot guys make out is my kryptonite.”

“Same,” the twins said.

“You’re insane,” I said when Matt turned back to me.

“It’s okay if you want to back out.” He smirked. “Better to concede than lose.”

“This is the weirdest game of gay chicken ever.” Brendan looked between us.

“Is it gay chicken when one of them is actually gay?” Elio asked.

“Totally counts.” Matt waved dismissively, his eyes bright with both challenge and adrenaline.

Matt was the most competitive fucker I’d ever met, which was one of the reasons we got along so well. We could turn anything into a contest.

Including kissing, it would seem.

“Fine. But I’m not holding back,” I warned.

“Do your worst.” Matt licked his bottom lip, leaving behind an irresistible shine.

This time, I was the one who grabbed him behind the neck and dragged him forward.

 

About the Author

What can I say about myself? It’s kind of like being the new kid in school and being asked to tell everyone a bit about yourself. Anyone else forget everything they’ve ever liked, thought of, and even their name in those moments?

 

A few facts about me; I’m a veteran, I’m Canadian, and I love books! I’ve been writing my own stories since I was eight and wrote my first novel at sixteen. I’m the first to admit those attempts weren’t my best work, but they started me on a journey of creating stories that has led me to fulfilling my dream of becoming an author. I’ve written and published in several genres under different names, but MM is by far my favorite, and I’m so happy to be able to share my stories with people today.

I currently live on Canada’s east coast with my kiddo and my cats. I have a shoe collecting addiction, and I enjoy taking long walks, discussions with friends, and reading anything and everything I can get my hands on.