Page 114 of 10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love

“He’s dedicated to his career, his family, and his friends. His likes include the smell of sawdust and the ocean, plus watersports of the nautical variety. Not the…other thing.”

Jason makes a choked sound from behind me.

“In his spare time, Joey enjoys flexing at the gym and playing video games with me on his couch. Oh, and he’s also allergic to almonds. So if you have the honor of winning his time, make sure to lock up your nuts.” Brad winks at that.

“This is amazing,” Alex hisses as the crowd chuckles again.

Brad looks down at his paper, pausing briefly before his eyes lift. They meet mine for only a second before he goes on, his voice softer than before.

“There’s a lot I could tell you about Joey. That he has a nice smile and a kind word for everyone he meets. That he truly is a great carpenter, and you’d be lucky to have him work on your house. I could even tell you he looks banging in a tool belt, which is the absolute truth.”

Alex stills.

“But the thing is…none of that adequately describes Joey Delgado. Because his smile isn’t just nice. It’s that feeling you get when the sun comes out and your skin warms and all you can do is turn your face toward the source of that heat because nothing has ever felt that good. Heiskind, but he’s also generous and patient and willing to rearrange his entire world just to make the people he cares about happy. And all I want—” His voice chokes off, and my heart stutters, my own lungs seizing tight as I struggle to understand what this is. Brad takes a deep breath, his fingers running along the edge of the paper in his grip. “All I want is to make him happy, too. Because he’s one of the best people I know.”

“Oh my God,” Alex whispers, looking over at me with wide eyes. “Is he… Are you two…”

It’s then two entirely unrelated things happen at once.

It dawns on me who Alex is, beyond Brad’s friend. He’s Tink, a porn star at Elite 8 Studios. Several of these men work there, in fact. Dixon, Niko, Teddy. Cas did, too, as Himbo. And it didn’t occur to me until just now.

But that realization doesn’t hold my attention for long. Because Brad makes a soft sound of surprise and looks down at his finger.

“Oh,” he says into the mic. “That’s blood.”

“Oh shit,” Jason utters at my back.

Brad chuckles nervously, his color draining quickly away as our conversation from the 5k returns to me like a smack in the face.

“This woman next to me fell and skinned her knee. And that was it, man. I had to bow out.”

“Wait, why?”

“Blood,”he said.“Can’t do blood.”

“That’s, uh… Shoot,” Brad says in real time. “Um, Joey?”

I’m already out of my seat, the crowd letting out a collective gasp as Brad’s knee goes out from under him. My heart is in my throat for the second it takes for me to reach the stage. And as I lunge forward, Brad crumples.

Chapter 29

Brad

“Morning, Greg,” I mumble, shifting as I wake up.

“It’s not morning, bub,” a familiar voice says, soft and sweet. “And that’s not Greg. Just a microphone.”

I still, registering the hard surface beneath my body but the warmth under my head. Blinking open my eyes, I find Joey smiling down at me, my head, apparently, cradled in his lap.

“Are we onstage?” I whisper.

He nods slowly.

“Is everyone staring?”

Another slow nod.

I groan.

---