Page 23 of Wicked Flirt
She straightened abruptly. “Why was that stupid?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Because a man in love does stupid things. Moved to Vegas for a year—that’s where we met, I know, I’m a walking cliché—and I got some crap job at a casino. Blew most of my savings spoiling her. Long story short—it ended. Moved back home and started all over again.”
“Why did it end?” she whispered. Like whispering would make it easier for him to say.
“That’s not something I talk about with the guys.”
She batted her eyes. “Can I be a girl just for this talk?”
He gave her his sexy half-smile. “Sure, darlin’. None of your sweet-ass business.”
She laughed and offered him a fist bump, so he gave her one. “See ya.”
“Hold up. The check.” He quickly wrote out the amount, folded it in half, and gave it to her.
She peeked at the check and looked up at him. “Marcus, this is very generous.”
He tapped the table. “And I expect a kick-ass event in return.”
She beamed a smile at him. “Thank you so much! You won’t be disappointed.” She left the booth and strode toward the door.
He turned to watch her go, striding with purpose, and found himself smiling. He was in the friend zone, but somehow it didn’t matter. Because he was no longer numb with a woman like he’d been since his divorce four years ago. He felt everything—her jabs, her warmth, her delight. There was only one explanation—
He adored her.
~ ~ ~
Marcus drove to Ethan’s place back in Eastman late Sunday morning, looking forward to working out with Ethan’s weights. He’d just come from his mom’s house. The bad news was she hadn’t called the psychiatrist; the good news was she was no longer against him seeing Lexi. Not that he would’ve let that stop him after getting to know Lexi better. He’d been numb for so long with the women he’d dated. Flirt and charm, dinner and wine, bed and gone. It had gotten old, but he hadn’t changed what he did. Why was that? Too busy or…maybe he just didn’t know any other way to be.
Ethan’s fiancée, Ally, was working her part-time gig this morning, so it’d be bro time. It still baffled him how Ethan had gotten himself engaged—given he was a tough hard-ass—when Marcus had gone out of his way to be a charmer. And all Marcus had gotten for his efforts were a few laughs and a lot of emptiness.
Geez. Was it so much to ask? Why couldn’t he find someone like Ethan had? Why couldn’t Lexi be that someone? He deserved that much, didn’t he?
Maybe he didn’t. Maybe that was why it had never happened.
What the hell did Ethan have that Marcus didn’t have? They had similar fucked-up backgrounds, similar upbringings with the Campbell family, similar practical outlooks. Growing up, Ethan had been tough with no respect for authority. It was their honorary dad, Joe Campbell’s influence that had set Ethan on his career path as a cop. Good thing too. Punk-ass with a chip on his shoulder wasn’t much of a career. But with Ally, Ethan was different—smiling, laughing, lit up with pure joy. How did Ethan get from point A to point B? Marcus felt stupid asking. Everyone knew he never had a problem getting a woman. But lately he’d realized it wasn’t just any woman. It was therightwoman.
By the time he got to Ethan’s townhouse, he was so agitated that Ethan took one look at him and immediately steered him toward the treadmill. His friend’s dining room was a home gym. Pretty sweet setup with a treadmill, barbells, smaller dumbbells, and a rowing machine.
“Get a hard run in,” Ethan said. “It’ll make you feel better.” Ethan’s short dirty blond hair was already damp with sweat, so he must’ve gotten a head start.
Marcus went to the treadmill, and Ethan took a seat at the rowing machine, quickly getting into a steady rhythm.
He started the treadmill slow for a warm-up run, glancing over at his friend. Ethan was only a year older than him, his expression dialed to hard, authoritative, anddon’t fuck with me. Not surprising given his training as a cop. Marcus amped up his run, working hard, trying to get out of his head. Ethan silently rowed across the room, completely focused on his form.
By the time Marcus finished a hard run, his heart rate was up, tension was down. He slowed the treadmill for a cooling off period. Screw it. He was here, Ethan was here, it wouldn’t hurt to ask for a hint about getting a woman to adore him. But if Ethan laughed at him, there’d be a smackdown. It could get ugly. Ethan was not someone anyone messed with, especially now that he was trained to subdue criminals. Marcus didn’t care. He couldn’t take being laughed at for such a serious problem.
Summoning all the casualness of asking about the weather, Marcus posed the question that might unlock all of his future happiness. “Hey, Eth, how’d you get Ally?”
Ethan glanced at him and went back to rowing. “What do you mean how did IgetAlly? You don’t get a person.”
“I mean, uh, how did you hook her? She looks at you like you’re…I don’t know, like she adores you. She lights up, you know?”
Ethan stopped rowing and grinned, his whole face lighting up with that love-happiness he wore like a second softer skin. “I love the way she lights up. You asking for Lexi? I saw the way you look at her.”
Admit nothing.He didn’t need that kind of pressure, the guys watching him go for it and possibly fail. “I don’t know. Just in general.”
Ethan smiled some more. “I’ve only ever loved Ally. But I guess what I did could work for you. First we did the friend thing. I invited her to do stuff I like. You know, to see if we were compatible.”
