Page 19 of The Hotshot vs The Reporter

“Well, it kind of looks like...” I sigh and look at the picture again, seeing it’s already gaining a lot of attention. My cheeks heat with embarrassment as he examines the photo.

“What?” He chuckles. “Like we’re dating?”

I frown at him, my brows drawn close together. “Well, you see that little rainbow flag on my profile.” I point to it in my bio for him to see. “That means I date men. And I don’t hide it.”

He rolls his eyes at me, ever the diva. “I know that. I’m not dense. My best friend is married to a dude. He has that rainbow flag on his social media too.”

I walk faster to keep up with him. “So then, you know they could assume.”

He shrugs his big-ass shoulders. “If they do, they do. But if they do, they also haven’t been paying attention.”

We go through the exit, and I’m keeping pace with him now. “Oh, you mean the women on your arm.”

“They’re not only on my arm.” He waggles his eyebrows at me in an over-the-top way, and I hate that I laugh.

“There are bisexuals, you know? And hell, Axel had quite a few women on his arm for years.” Axel went through painstaking measures to hide his truth away from the world.

“I know that. But I’m pretty sure your followers know you’re only with me for the story, that I’m straight, and that you’d never want anything to do with me if I weren’t.” The last part is said with so much certainty, I have to stop walking for a moment.

This is not the guy I’m used to seeing.

I expected him to tease me about wanting him bad or something equally douchey in an over-the-top, jock sort of way, but no...

He’s so damn sure I wouldn’t want him.

“Royal...” I start, but he shakes his head, motioning toward the lot with his arm.

“Let’s go. At least traffic won’t be bad tonight, but I’m beat.”

I don’t believe him of course, but I decided not to fight him either.

Instead, I drive him to his house and then drive home in a daze, going over the day.

I even forgot to grab my clothes and end up wearing his all the way to my house. Jenny gave me his number, so I send him a quick text to let him know I’m sorry I forgot them, and I’ll be sure to return his clothes the next time I see him.

He sends me a damn thumbs-up emoji.

Asshole.

I roll my eyes at that and put my phone down.

Okay, Royal Dutton is even more confusing than I thought.

CHAPTER10

ROYAL

I can’t stop thinking about the other day. Worlds of Fun. I can’t believe I told Soren about fucking Worlds of Fun.

The guy is getting to me already. And I don’t like it.

Except I do.

Maybe a little too much. Maybe in ways that are confusing as shit to me. I need to finish my shower, so I’ll be ready for the car to pick me up to take me to the airport, but for some damn reason, my cock has other ideas.

It’s rock-hard and begging for some relief, despite a late-night jerk-off session in bed when I woke up, drenched in sweat, my balls aching, and my shaft so damn hard, it only took a couple of strokes before I went over.

I don’t know what I was dreaming of.

---