Page 57 of Pick Me

I shrugged. “I don’t know, but I keep hearing from the ladies that they’re the next big thing. Liam tells me his DMs are full of women looking for a stocky British man to feed them bangers and mash.”

She peeled the banana, her lip curling as she said, “I don’t think that has anything to do with rugby. It’s the constant thirst traps he posts.”

“Thirst traps? How do you kno—” She gave me a smug smile of satisfaction before taking a large bite of her banana. “Wait, did you look him up?!”

“Didn’t have to. He found me.”

I would kill him. He knew Thea was off-limits…didn’t he?

“I can’t believe you.”

“Why?” She dropped her jaw in mock shock. “You said we’d get along, and you were right. He DMs me all the time now.”

I was officially cutting ties with Liam. He would be removed from my channel immediately. I didn’t need him to be successful. I could put some eyeliner on and look just as pretty.

“He’s got a girlfriend.” I lied because I could. She wasn’t going to check.

“Does he? Oh well. I guess I’ll just have to admire his abs from afar.”

“Good idea. He’s pretty serious with her. She’s a baroness or some kind of rich British girl. So she’s got an accent.”

“Not really an accent for her, is it?”

“To me it is. There’s no way he’d ever come to America when he has her and a contract with the Richmond Rugby Team.”

“Good for him. Is there a reason why you’re telling me Liam’s entire back story?”

Good Question.

“No. I was just making small talk.”

“Well, if this is your small talk, no wonder you can’t keep a girl past the second date.”

There goes my dick again. Throbbing away because I loved when she threw barbs my way. It was hell of a lot better than flirting.

“Oh, believe me, Pyro. My small talk isn’t what they’re after.”

She took another bite of her banana, going so far down my mind was having dirty thoughts.

“If you come over here, I can show you.”

She stopped chewing, her chest rising. Fuck, did I want to show her everything. To lavish her with attention and prove to her no one else would ever be as good to her as me.

She swallowed, taking her time to gain her composure. She’d never seen this side of me, but now she was the only person I wanted to show it to.

“I think I’m good.” She tried her hardest to look unaffected, but I’d lived with Thea long enough to know when her cage had been rattled. That was my plan. Keep poking her until she pushed back. She could feel the tension as much as me, she just didn’t want to admit it. Not yet, at least. I was there, so I needed to drag her in the right direction.

“Okay, well if there’s nothing on and you don’t want to see what I have to offer, what do you want to do.”

“Nothing with you.”

“So, you just want to sit and stare into each other’s eyes? I’m down.”

“No. We’ll find something else to watch.”

“Or we could play a game,” I suggested, watching every muscle in her face to gauge her reaction.

Her jaw tensed ever so slightly and her eyes narrowed. Flat-lipped, she glared at me with so much fire I was surprised I hadn’t spontaneously combusted under the scrutiny. I didn’t care, though. I would wear Thea down until she finally admitted what we both knew.

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