Page 71 of Flirt
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“Cameron!” Nico snapped hisfingers twice. “Focus. What the hell are you looking at anyway?”
The competition was in full swing, and Cameron knew he should be helping Nico, but he couldn’t drag his eyesaway from the judges table. More to the point, he couldn’t stop glaring at the way Linda shamelessly threw herself at his man right there in front of him.
When Asher had mentioned he thought she wanted to sleep with him, Cameron had dismissed her interest as innocent flirting. There was nothing innocent about the way she licked her glossy lips or ran her painted talons up and down Asher’s forearm. She laughed too much, a loud, fake laugh that grated on Cameron’s nerves. Every time Asher spoke, she’d twirl her sandy-blonde hair around her index finger and stare up at him with big, smitten eyes
Not that Cameron blamed her. He was pretty damn smitten himself. Still, she needed to keep her fucking hands to herself if she wanted to leave with them still attached.
“Cam!” Nico shouted at him again.
“Right, right, sorry.” Uncapping the X-Acto knife, he began drawing shallow, vertical lines down the rind of the pumpkin.
His concentration lasted for only a few minutes, right up until he heard Linda laugh again. He couldn’t help it. He had to look, but damn, he wished he hadn’t.
Asher stood at the corner of the judges table talking to a group of spectators—with Linda Picklesimer pressed right up against his side. She laughed again, holding her shoulders back to give Asher a clear view down her pink, cotton blouse to her ample cleavage. Every time shemoved, her breasts rubbed against his arm, and when she reached up to grip his bicep, Cameron squeezed his own hands into fists.
“Shit!” Distracted and pissed off, he’d forgotten about the knife he held. He remembered damn quick when the blade sliced through the pad of his thumb.
Asher was at his side instantly. “Let me see.”
“It’s fine.”
“Let me see anyway.”
“It’s just a cut, Asher. I’ll live.” He was being a dick, but the green-eyed monster was still choking him. “Go back to your table.”
Asher didn’t move other than to lean in close and drop his tone an octave. “Let. Me. See.”
Sighing, he held his hand out, wincing at the blood that dripped down the length of his thumb and smeared the heal of his palm. The cut went deeper than he’d thought, but it didn’t need stitches or anything more than a bandage.
Right on cue, Nico dropped a small, red box on the table beside them. “Wrap it up and get back to work.”
There had been enough nicks, scrapes, and even burns during previous years for them to start carrying a first aid kit.
“See?” He held up the kit to Asher with his non-bleeding hand and shook it. “This happens so often we’ve come prepared.”
Taking the box from him, Asher removed an adhesive bandage and a couple of antiseptic wipes. He made quick work of cleaning the cut, ignoring Cameron’s squirming when the alcohol on the wipe burned. Once he had it wrapped up in a pre-medicated bandage, he took a step back and folded his arms across his chest.
“Are you going to be okay?”
“I’m fine,” he snapped. Asher arched a brow at him, and Cameron sighed. They both knew he wasn’t fine. “Just stay away from her.”
Asher grinned, and instead of returning to the judges table, he sauntered over to the table beside them, striking up a conversation with the two contestants there. Cameron took a deep breath and went back to his task.
“Better?” Nico asked.
Cameron nodded. He didn’t know what had gotten into him. He’d never been the jealous type, especially not over a woman. Asher was gorgeous. Naturally, people would look and flirt. That didn’t mean anything would come of it, or that Asher even welcomed the attention.
He’d calmed down enough to pull his head out of his ass, but anger and jealousy still simmered below the surface. By Asher’s own admission, this was his first real relationship. Maybe he was bored. Maybe he missed having a different face in his bed every weekend. Obviously, Asher liked men, but maybe he liked women, too. Cameron hadnever thought to ask. Maybe Asher enjoyed Linda rubbing all over him.
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.
Fuck, he was making himself crazy with all the uncertainty.
“One hour left!” Linda called, her voice ringing through the gymnasium.
Gritting his teeth, Cameron shoved his doubts and questions into a deep, dark corner. He didn’t have time for a breakdown or to analyze his insane behavior. He and Nico had a contest to win.
