Page 89 of Third and Ten

Tenley

That would be great, thank you.

As a reward, I promise to give you the details when I get back.

Loren

Deal

I exhale and shove all those thoughts about the extent of my feelings for JD to the back of my mind before I type a quick response, telling him that he can only come to visit if he promises to control himself at the buffet. He agrees, adding that he’ll be on his best behavior all night, to my relief. Now, if I can only get my own reproductive system on board with that plan.

A little later, I hear a soft knock and a whirring from the card reader. The door opens slowly to reveal JD wearing a ball cap, hoodie, and gym shorts.

“Hey,” he greets me awkwardly and closes the door softly behind him. “Still up for some company?”

I can’t help but allow my gaze to run up and down his body. I’ve seen him in shorts before, but it isn’t often that JD steps out in anything besides his signature khakis-and-a-polo coach look. But he’s unbelievably hot, even with the socks and slides. I’m grateful he’s wearing a bulky jacket to tone down the gun show, at least.

I smile at his expression. He’s obviously nervous, clasping his hands in his front pocket as he waits like a vampire who can’t take another step forward without an invitation.

“Sure,” I answer eventually, patting the spot beside me. He kicks off his shoes and sets his cap on the desk before joining me on the bed, stretching his long legs out in front of him.

“What’s that?” he asks, pointing to the bag of candy in my lap.

“My weakness,” I admit.

“Cinnamon candy?” he asks hesitantly.

“Yeah.” I cringe. “I try to avoid sugar for the most part, but cinnamon candy is my favorite.”

He reaches into the pocket of his hoodie and pulls out an identical bag of Red Hots. “I had a feeling,” he says with a smirk and hands over his offering.

“How…” I’m pretty sure I’ve never eaten candy in front of him.

He lifts my chin before leaning in for a short kiss. “Call it a hunch,” he says after he pulls away.

I feel my face heating up, because I can’t even think about JD noticing the way I taste, and I stare down at the candy in my lap while I attempt to regain my self-control. I clear my throat after a second before offering him the open bag. He meets my eyes as he takes a handful of red candies and pops them into his mouth.

“So, um, how was dinner?” I ask, trying to distract myself because even the way he chews is entirely too sexy.

“We survived. I’m not so sure the good folks at the Golden Corral of Shreveport feel the same, though,” he says with a grin. “My boys were a little…hungry.”

I chuckle. “I bet.”

“Did you get something to eat?”

“I found a salad at the grocery store down the road. And this junk food, of course.”

“A salad?” he asks incredulously.

“It was a tradeoff for the candy,” I reply, embarrassed again. It’s not the first time we’ve broached the diet topic, though I usually just play it off as though I like healthy food. But now JD knows the truth—that I prefer ingesting processed sugar—and I’m sure he won’t be willing to let it go.

“You should eat whatever you want,” he states matter-of-factly.

“Well, I wasn’t exactly blessed with a great metabolism, and you know cardio and I don’t get along, so I have to keep my diet somewhat healthy. Not to mention, I really need to watch my weight now that I’m eating like a Cajun again.”

He smiles and reaches into my lap for another handful of candy. “For the record, I think your body is perfect,” he says before he raises his hand, allowing the red beads to trickle down into his mouth.

I chew on my lip. I’m not good with compliments, especially about my appearance. I can appreciate someone praising my work ethic or my brains, but I prefer to blend in and fly under the radar when it comes to looks. I figure it’s probably a result of being the first girl in my class to develop.

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