Page 23 of The C*ck Down the Block

“Sure.” Damn. That didn’t sound convincing. Shit.

“But...” She bit her lip in the cutest way. “It didn’t feel like a date, did it?”

“Nope.” Not my best flirting, or... kissing being done in the barnyard. Not by us anyway. “I’m not so sure Foghorn would feel the same.”

Trixie tapped her finger against her mouth and I don’t think she had any idea how she was driving me crazy with the way she kept drawing my attention to her lips. She made a thinking hum and said, “It’s just too easy to be myself with you. Maybe I just shouldn’t go to the reunion. I can tell them that—”

All right, I’d be analyzing the shit out of that whole too easy to be herself with me statement later with the boys. First I had to rally so she didn’t give up on me.

“No way, sweetheart. We are in it to win it. This was just our first practice run, and clearly we’ve got some work to do. But I don’t mind.” Here goes nothing. “I kind of like flirting with you.”

Trixie’s cheeks went pink, and it wasn’t from being in the sun. Good. If she was blushing at the thought of me flirting with her, maybe I wasn’t as far off the right track. God, I was all over the fucking place. I hadn’t ever been this wishy-washy on what to do in my fucking life.

“Did you flirt with me today?” She pursed her lips, trying to hold back a teasing smile.

See? Lips. Again. What I wouldn’t do to kiss them.

“Guess I’m gonna have to try harder.”I shook my head and chuckled, pretending I wasn’t dying to taste her.

When I pulled up in front of her house, I didn’t miss the hint of reluctance from her when we said goodbye. I drove away but not into my own driveway ten yards away. My mind was whirling with confusion and longing. A sensation similar to the jitters I used to get when I first got drafted, when I had to prove myself, skittered through me.

I had to work some of this out and doing something physical, but rote, gave me space to think. I pointed the car toward the training center. Camp wasn’t for another two weeks, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t go get in a workout. Hard, sweaty exertion was exactly what I needed.

I just wished I was getting hard and sweaty with... no, the second I let my mind go south, I was headed for a cold shower instead of a workout.

Why wasn’t I surprised to see Declan’s truck at the training center? Of course he was already training. Probably had been for half the summer. Always trying to get ahead of me.

Declan wasn’t alone, both Everett and Hayes were there too, each doing their own training drills. “Who forgot to call me to say we were working out?”

“Hey, lover boy,” Everett called as I walked in, tossing a football in my direction.

What I should have caught easily almost slipped through my fingers. My mind was still on Trixie, and the way her lips were taunting me.

“Looks like someone’s head isn’t in the game.” Declan threw a knowing glance my way and then at the boys. “How’d it go with Trix?”

“Don’t ask,” I grumbled, tossing the ball back at Everett. “I’m failing miserably.”

Hayes tapped his hands, indicating for Everett to toss the ball to him. When he got it, he gave the ball a shake and pointed it at me. This kid was going to replace me one day with those hands and his quiet ass observations. “No, doubtful. Tell us what happened. We’ll re-strategize.”

“Yeah,” Declan held up his hands and Hayes tossed the ball to him. “And tell you where you fucked up.”

“I’m paralyzed out there. I don’t know how to act around her anymore.” I held up my hands and Deck tossed the ball to me. I sent it straight to Everett but didn’t wait for his ‘be yourself’ advice again. “I did a shitty job making her see me as more than a friend today. I know you told me to take it slow with her, but I have to win her over soon, before the reunion.”

Before this whole charade unraveled and I lost this one chance.

Everett shook his head, disbelief all over his face. Shit. This was why older brothers weren’t supposed to ask for advice from their younger siblings. It was supposed to be vice-versa, and I was shattering their perfect big brother vision of me.

“I told you to be natural, not a fucking lovesick snail. Come on, Chris. You’re the star quarterback.” Everett patted the ball and sent it over to Hayes, but he continued telling me like it is. “You take charge on the field, you make decisions in seconds, you know how to play the game. You did the same with your real estate biz, you do the same when we play fucking board games. Why are you letting this situation intimidate you?”

“It’s different,” I protested, but I knew he had a point. “She’s my friend. I don’t want to ruin that.”

Declan laughed. Fucking laughed at me. “Bro, you’re treating her like she’s made of glass. Stop walking on eggshells around her. Be you, be confident, be bold. If you want her, go after her like you go after a touchdown, or that house on the corner, or Park Place and Boardwalk with twelve hotels.”

Hayes tucked the ball under his arm and nodded in agreement. “Stop playing defense, that’s never been you. You’re Chris fucking Kingman and you play a mean game of offense.”

Fairly sure that’s not my middle name.

Declan grabbed the ball from Hayes, trotted over and shoved it at me. “You’ve been in the friend zone too long, and you’re afraid of what will happen if you break out of it. But if you don’t, you’ll never know how good it could be, dumbass.”

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