Page 9 of Sturdy & Dirty

“Say what now? You have a date with who?”

I felt Marcus’s shocked stare follow me as I moved to the nearby elliptical machine and started a session. He was my best friend, and even he couldn’t believe my story.

Not that I’d told him all the fine details.

Like how Holly gave me a blatant once-over that had me practically panting for her. Even thinking about it now, left me with an ache in my chest and a partial boner.

No woman had ever looked at me like that.

Like they wanted me. Like I was their first choice, and not a backup plan.

But I couldn’t tell how serious she was. She was playful, that much was clear.

I liked that about her.

But it was possible that she just liked to flirt, and it didn’t mean what it felt like it meant.

What I wanted it to mean.

“Let me get this straight,” Marcus said, stepping up to the machine next to mine. “You tackled her to the ground—”

“I didn’t tackle her.”

“Okay. You ran her over, you both ended up on the ground. What would you call it?”

I shook my head. “It wasn’t like that.”

“No, it was a helluva lot funnier if you ask me, Mr. Boot-in-a-bucket.”

My mouth twitched at that. It was only funny now because it led to something good.

“So, you got her on the floor—”

I jerked my head around to give him a warning glare, but he was too busy messing with the machine to notice.

“—and then, instead of being mad about it, she asked you to take her out?”

“That’s the gist of it.”

“Now, are we talking about the same Holly James? Dark hair, 5’6 or so, sister with a bangin’—”

He stopped himself, just shy of revealing what I already knew. Marcus was most definitely into the other James sister.

Good. Because Holly was mine.

Whoa.

The thought lodged solidly in my mind before I could warn myself to be careful. I didn’t know where our date would lead. Maybe nowhere.

But if I had my way, it would take us straight down a road that ended with her in my arms.

Maybe even forever.

Stop doing this to yourself, asshole.

It was true I had a bad habit of hoping for things too far outta my reach. But I was tired of living the solitary life.

And maybe it made me soft, but fuck it, I wanted someone to spend my days with. Someone to smother with affection and dote on. Someone to love, because I had it in me to do that.

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