Page 27 of Clueless Romeo

"Athlete?" he interrupted, not able to hide his piqued interest.

I hid a smug smile. "Minor league pitcher, actually. You into baseball?"

"Not really." He shrugged. "But it's one date, so these details don't really matter."

But they did. At least for me and hopefully him too once he met Nate. So at least he didn't hate the sport. "If you want to come back to the office, I can show you the rest of his profile and pictures."

CJ rolled his lips as he looked away, staring at the back of a building before sighing. "Fine. Worth a look." He frowned. "I guess."

He appeared anything but convinced. Still, that wasn't a no, even if he agreed just because of the bet, and I could work with that. We both rose from the bleachers, and CJ collected his basketball.

Side by side, we headed down the sidewalk and across the street.

As we turned down the quiet road to the old Victorian home, CJ cleared his throat. "So this guy, he knows the deal, right? I'm not looking for—"

"Anything serious," I filled in with a grin and glanced at CJ, who met my gaze. "I'm perfectly aware of what you're not looking for. I do have ears." Lying wasn't my thing, so I continued to be honest with him. "Nate is looking for a serious relationship. But he hasn't dated in a while, so maybe."

"Maybe?" CJ growled, and my shoulders shook with mirth. He didn't seem to appreciate that and scowled. "Roman, I swear—"

Suddenly the sleeve of my jacket was jerked down with enough force to send me crashing onto the concrete. Instead of the brutal impact with pavement I expected, my fall was mostly cushioned by a muscled body. CJ let out a groan under my weight as I landed partially draped over him, face to face.

"What the fuck?" I asked and straightened my arms to stare down at CJ.

"Leg cramp," he gritted out between his teeth, "and tripped at the same time."

"And you're an athlete," I muttered dryly.

"I hate everything right now, and your heavy ass isn't helping." He wheezed, and I realized I was still half on top of him.

"Shit." I quickly moved off him, rolling to the side, and sat up on the sidewalk.

His hands immediately shot to his calf as he drew his knee to his chest. The tendons in CJ's neck were drawn tight, and his jaw clenched as he began massaging his leg. He really was in pain.

Without thinking, I swatted his hands away and took over, digging my fingers into the obvious knot. "Damn, this is a bad one."

CJ let me work as he spoke between clenched teeth. "Used to happen all the time. Shit never gets easier to deal with." I hit a spot that made him grimace, so I worked around it. "There, right there."

Glancing down, I focused on his muscular leg covered in a dusting of dark hair. A few old scars covered his knee, and a stray freckle on his inner thigh dotted his otherwise unmarked skin, visible where his shorts had inched up his leg. I swallowed hard and looked away, unsure why I was suddenly interested in the minute details of the guy's fucking skin.

Refocusing, I felt the knot slowly loosening with each press of my fingers. CJ began to relax, and when I glanced at his face, some of the tension had bled away. Relieved the pain was subsiding, I continued my soothing massage as he slumped further and further against the ground. I watched his face for any more signs of discomfort, and then his lips parted, a low moan escaping his mouth.

We both froze and instinctively,I swear, glancedat his bulge that was noticeably larger, tenting the mesh fabric of his shorts.

He was hard. Because of me. My cock thickened in my jeans at the sight of him. It made no sense.

Confused by my body's reaction and my slight reluctance to release him, I forced my hands free and ripped my gaze away. We both stood quickly, CJ immediately facing away from me, which I was grateful for. It gave me a chance to discreetly shift the chub in my jeans.

What in the actual fuck had just happened?

After a long awkward moment, CJ cleared his throat. "Thanks. All better."

All better?Avoidance seemed like a great tactic. But redirection seemed even better. My voice was rough when I responded. "So, are you ready to go see Nate's profile?"

That would put us back on track, but CJ shook his head. "If you'll be home in a bit, I can stop by. I need to take a shower." His eyes widened. "To wash off the sweat."

Two things happened at that moment.

One, I was almost positive CJ was going to jack off. Something I found more interesting than I should.

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