Page 60 of Not That Ridiculous

Coming in at number three on my Reasons Not To Sleep With Kevin list was the fact that, as far as I knew, Kevin was straight. He was awfully interested in my dick and watched a lot of gay porn for a straight guy, but still.

Straight.

At number two was my lack of practical experience in actual physical contact.

I wasn’t embarrassed about it, but if Kevin was looking to take a walk on the gay side, I wasn’t the right man to lead the way.

I was fairly sure he knew more than me at this point what with all the research he’d been doing.

And number one?

I was in love with him.

I was in love with him, and if things just stayed as they were, I couldhandleit. I’d handled being in love with Jasper, hadn’t I? So I could handle being in love with Kevin.

Even if I couldn’t stop thinking about his appalling dirty talk, his overwhelming kisses, and whatever the hell that was with the pastries.

I was a pro at this. I could handle it.

I would not sleep with Kevin.

Simple.

12

As soon as I made it into the changing room, I grabbed my towel and shower things and saw to business. Jasper bopped in while I was shampooing my hair and called out that he’d see me at The Chipped Cup on Monday, and I almost made it out.

I really did.

I was standing by my open gym bag. I’d dug out my change of clothes and dropped my towel when the door opened and Kevin and his friends walked in.

It took herculean effort to play it cool and not to hunch in on myself or shriek and lunge for my towel, but I managed.

I calmly turned my back to them, boxers dangling from my white-knuckled fist, and stared fixedly at the wall as I bent over and stepped into first one leg hole and then the other.

I dragged my boxers up as if I didn’t have a care in the world, as if I didn’t feel Kevin’s searing attention prickling the skin on my arse, my thighs, my back. I quickly slipped my t-shirt on. Then my jeans. My hoodie.

I didn’t turn around until the only things left to put on were my socks, and I still pretended I had no idea he was there. I wasn’tignoringhim. That would be childish.

I just wasn’t looking.

I tossed my sweaty kit into my bag, emptied out the locker, and strode on out of the changing room.

I kept on striding, all the way out of the gym and over to my car.

I congratulated myself on a calm and dignified extraction as I beeped the locks open, and then ruined it by yelping and attempting to leap into the car while it was still shut when Kevin said, right behind me,

“Charlie.”

“Shit! Kevin!Shit!” I whirled around to face him, then reached out and whacked him in the arm.

I wasn’t entirely sure that he noticed. His dark eyes were fixed on mine.

“Sorry,” I said, and patted him where I’d whacked him. “You startled me. Don’t sneak up on people,god.”

“I wasn’t sneaking. I’ve been right behind you since you left the changing room.”

He could have mentioned it earlier, rather than following me in creepy silence for the two minutes it took to exit the building and cross the carpark to where I’d left my car under a row of horse chestnuts.

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