Page 37 of Third Chances (Men of Manhattan 2)

I laughed. "I am doing him a favor. I'm doing Penny a favor too. They're together so much that it's unhealthy."

"Well, I do think I was right about one thing," said Daphne.

"And what was that?"

"I think that you are scared of commitment."

"I'm committing to you right now. I have at least a dozen cards in my pocket, but I'm choosing to hang out with you."

She furrowed her brow again. "What did you do with your card this morning? Before we met."

Shit. "Nothing that interesting."

"Then tell me."

"You're really bossy. You do realize that right?"

She shrugged her shoulders as she stared up at me. The way the light caught her eyes almost made them look like they had golden flakes. There was no point in lying to her. Either she wanted me or not, and I was pretty sure she wanted me. Something dumb I did before I met her shouldn't matter. Hopefully. Because I had done a lot of stupid stuff over the years.

But I didn't want to tell her. I had been waiting for over a year to talk to this girl. I wasn't going to blow this chance over something I did this morning before I had even really met her. "Let's just say I should have saved my card. I would have much rather used it on you."

"You're disgusting."

"Yet you're all over me."

"Because I have to be. Speaking of which, has it been 20 minutes yet?"

"I don't know, I don't have a watch. I'm not a tool. James!" I yelled over to my brother. "How long have Daphne and I been snuggling?"

"I heard the tool comment, asshole," he yelled back. "If you'll give me my phone, it's been ten minutes."

"No can do."

"Then it's been half an hour."

"Fuck."

"Thanks, Professor Hunter!" Daphne said and quickly got off of me.

James slamming his book shut made me look away from Daphne's ass. He looked kind of pissed that these girls kept calling him Professor Hunter. Which was weird, because I knew for a fact that he got off when Penny called him that.

"So you should probably, you know...go back over to your friends," Daphne said.

"Yeah, I probably should."

She looked disappointed.

I climbed off the chair. "Don't worry, I'll be right back. I just need to check on my super sensitive older brother."

James was glaring at me from his chair. What the fuck had gotten into him? I walked back over toward my friends and collapsed in the chair beside him.

"You okay, man?"

James ran his hands down his face. "No, I'm not okay."

"Is this about calling Penny again? James, you have to learn to live a little. This is your last weekend as a single man. You should be the one over there flirting with a hot girl."

"You're joking, right?"

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