Page 27 of The C*ck Down the Block

We made our way up to the middle deck to where I’d bought our seats, and Trixie looked around at the people still milling about. We weren’t headed up to the more private box seats where celebrities and big shots usually sat. “Here? Are you sure?”

She knew the Kingman family usually stayed out of public places simply because we were constantly getting mobbed by fans. I loved my fans, but today wasn’t an appearance.

Seats right in the middle of the crowd were not something I’d normally do, but with my Mountaineers baseball cap pulled down low and just a plain t-shirt and cargo shorts, I wasn’t projecting sports star vibes. I hoped. It was risky, because if I was recognized, it would draw attention to us before I wanted it to.

I had a contingency plan for keeping over-excited Mustang fans at bay though. A plan called Declan, Everett, and Hayes. They had seats strategically placed around mine and would swoop in if necessary.

“Yeah, it’ll be okay.” I shrugged and pulled my hat down a bit. “Nobody knows we’re here and it’s not like the paparazzi are going to be lurking behind every corner waiting to take pictures of us.”

After our last fake date, we needed someplace public so we didn’t simply fall into old friend zone patterns. It was too easy for us to just act like we did with each other on a daily basis. This had to push us both to behave like we were together.

“Let’s get snacks, yeah? Dogs? They have the vegan ones. You want a beer?” I pointed to the concessions stand that was on the way to our seats.

“Yep, hit me with the good stuff. But no onions, this is a fake date. Can’t have spicy breath.”She was teasing, but the fact that she could possibly be thinking about kissing me did a number on all things south of my belt.

So far, so good.

“Right, so no nachos with jalapeños either, huh?” She didn’t even eat cheese. Which I knew. Why did I suck so bad at flirting with her?

Because this was more than just hanging out. She might be on a fake date, but I wasn’t. And I knew what was coming during the sixth inning. Fuck, were my palms sweaty?

No. Dammit. I was romancing her, she was having fun, we were going to have our first kiss. Stick to the plan, Kingman.

I grabbed the snacks and had to tip the guy working the register a hundred bucks with a shh-finger to my lips when his eyes got big, recognizing me. With my cap pulled a bit lower, beers and dogs in the handy-dandy carrier, I grabbed Trixie’s hand to walk to our seats.

She gave me a surprised look and the sweetest blush flashed across her cheeks.

“We’re practicing, babe.” I squeezed her hand. “If you gave me that look at the reunion, we’d get busted for sure. Couples hold hands, so I’m gonna hold yours.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah. Practice.” She looked down at our hands and gave mine a soft squeeze. “I just... I don’t think any guy has ever held my hand in public like this before.”

What the hell kind of fuckboys had she been dating? I’d like to smash every one of them under my fucking balls. That probably wasn’t going to happen, so instead I’d concentrate on being such a great boyfriend that she’d forget the rest of them had ever existed. Fuckers.

“Out in the open?” she asked, when I pulled her down the steps to the very front row of the deck.

We shimmied past a nice looking family with a couple of kids, who all very kindly stood so we could get past. They were fully decked out in Mountaineers gear, so hopefully they weren’t big Mustang fans. Which was not something I’d ever hoped for in my life.

“Trust me,” I said, grinning back at her. “These are great seats. Most of the foul balls come this way, and we’ve got a good line of sight to the jumbo screen to see, uh, replays and, you know, the mascot’s shenanigans.”

“Did you just say shenanigans?” Trixie sat and took the snacks from me.

“I’ll have you know I love all forms of shenanigans and participate in them as often as possible.” It took a minute to get my ass into the chair. These plastic fold down seats were not made for professional athletes. Which meant they weren’t made for lush hips and thick thighs like Trixie’s either.

I glanced at said thighs, and yeah, they were pressed against the sides, but she put her feet up on the railing in front of us and didn’t seem bothered. I’d be more aware of the seating for our next date. I didn’t want her uncomfortable just because the world wasn’t designed for bodies like hers or mine.

If my plans didn’t hinge on us being exactly where we were sat, I’d make a quick call and get us into a box upstairs. Fuck. Maybe I should anyway. I’d figure out another way to—

Trixie poked me in the arm and laughed in such a joyful and teasing way. “You’re a shenanigan.”

OK, she was fine. We were fine. I was still gonna be more cognizant of the spaces I took her though. “Wanna know what else is a shenanigan?”

She giggled again, because this was a game we’d played with each other since we were kids. “Your face.”

“No, your face.” I chuckled and handed over her dog and beer. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my brothers lurking under the shade of the deck, trying to look inconspicuous. I shot them a quick nod, assuring them that everything was under control. So far.

When I turned back, I caught Trix taking a huge bite out of her hot dog and needed an instant distraction. Or a program to cover my lap. The guy selling peanuts was nearby and I flagged him down. I passed some cash down the line, and he passed the peanuts back. The mother of the family reached across the empty seat between us and gave me a little wink.

Uh oh. I pretended I didn’t see that. Hopefully she was a co-conspirator and not going to out me. The whole stadium would know I was at the game soon enough. I just needed to make it a few more innings.

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