Page 35 of Tangled Rose

He winks at her. “You know it.” She slams the door shut, waves, and hurries into the store. Max pulls away from the curb, steering us toward the Danbrook home. “So, was that your major burning question?”

I chuckle. “It was one of them, for sure.” I prop my elbow on the ledge of the window and look over at him. “But I’m curious, are you dating anyone?”

“No one in particular, no.”

Hmm. He answered awfully quickly. I’ll let him off the hook—this time. “Cool. Me neither.”

We ride in silence for no more than ten seconds when he glances over at me before shifting his gaze back out the window. “You can tell me if I’m off base, but Beau seems interested in you.”

“Yeah, well…” I let out a big sigh.

“What’s that about? The sigh, I mean?”

“I just got here and everything has gotten really messy really quickly.”

“Whaddaya mean?”

I roll my eyes and smile. “That Mandy chick from our French class? She’s also on the gymnastics team.”

“Mm.” His face screws up adorably as he thinks. “Oh yeah. She’s the team captain, right?”

“She’s threatening to fuck with me if I get in her way.”

He shoots me a disturbed look. “Uh. You lost me. What do you mean by ‘in her way’?”

I give him a duh look. “Beau.” I shrug and point my finger at the house as we approach. “I guess she does not like that I’m living here.”

“Huh.” He stops in front of the garage, putting the SUV in park. He turns to face me and his eyes roam over me like he’s trying to figure things out. “So, when you said things are messy, does that mean you are, in fact, interested in Beau?” He gives a little fake cough and raises one brow. “He does have a nice ass… and wait until you see him in his football uniform.”

I’ve never had a gay friend in my entire life. But suddenly, I see the appeal. Giving him a tiny smirk, I counter with, “Beau has a nice everything.” I suck in a breath, thinking about Beau and his well-muscled body, his kissable lips, and those brown eyes that make me want to drown in them and tell him all my secrets. “And while he’s nice to look at—and kiss—I don’t know what to do.”

“Ah, damn. Already, huh?”

“I’m trying to be serious with you. My spot on the gymnastics team is important to me. I’m here for one reason.”

“What’s that?”

My lips twist as Max stares intently at me. If I’m not mistaken, he senses the seriousness of my answer. Finally, I blurt out, “So I don’t fuck up the rest of my life.”

“That’s not intimidating at all.” He quirks a brow at me.

“Right? Nothing like a little pressure.”

He clears his throat, as if my words have bothered him. “Is it self-imposed? This pressure?”

“Kind of. So…” I shrug. “Anyway, thanks for the ride.” God, I hope I didn’t just say too much.

“Anytime, Tiger.” He taps the steering wheel with his fingers as he hums a few bars of “Eye of the Tiger.”

I roll my eyes at his goofiness and wave.

He shoots me a wink. “See ya.”

Day one, done. Things can only get better, right?

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