Page 145 of How to Win the Girl

Not that I was looking when he wasn’t watching me.

“When I suggested we go on dates, I didn’t say they had to be dates that would raise my blood pressure.”

“If we’re busy, we won’t be thinkin’ about sex.”

“Pfft. That is not a problem for me.”

Drake laughs, rolling his eyes. “Ohokay, you haven’t been thinkin’ about sex with me.”

“Nope.” Yup.

“I don’t believe you, but whatever.” He pauses. “Besides, doin' these five dates was your idea.”

“Right. But I was thinking we’d go on picnics and take walks around the lake and maybe paint pottery or something.”

Drake stares blankly. “In whatworldwould I want to go paint pottery? I suck at art.”

“Painting pottery isn’t art. It’s…painting.”

“Which is art.”

Why is he such a damn know-it-all? “So you’re saying if I wanted to go paint something, you wouldn’t go with me?”

Drake gives me a long look as he bends at the knee, practicing his swing.

“Yes, I would go with you if you wanted to go paint somethin’.” He pauses. “Better yet, we can paint something at your place. Somethin’ like—I don’t know. Your bare titties.”

My mouth falls open.

I close it.

Floundering, I have no idea what to say except, “Or yours.”

Beneath his shirt, he flexes his pecs and wiggles his brows.

Typical.

“You ready to get serious or what?”

“Or what.”

He grins, taking my hand to pull me to the plate, directing my hips into position over the square on the ground, showing me how to hold the bat.

“I know how to hold a bat. I used to play in fourth grade.”

That makes him laugh. “Oh yeah, you used to play in fourth grade, hey? For who?”

“The Cubs. Our shirts were green.” That’s about all I can remember. That and the fact that our coach, Mrs. Leitner, screamed at me once while I was running to first base and scared the shit out of me, ruining my confidence.

I hated baseball after that and refused to join the rec department league again, despite my parents’ attempts at bribery. They wanted me to be active and social and meet people, but all the girls on the team were from school anyway, so why did it matter?

“Well, if you need help, just holler. I’ll stand over here out of your way.”

“Thanks.”

“You ready?”

I nod. “Yup.”

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