Page 61 of Topping the Jock
“Like a Christmas tree, Beck. You’re Santa and Monty’s your big bag of goodies. Ho, ho, motherfucker.”
“I have to go,” I said, stepping over to the counter and grabbing my wallet, phone, and keys.
“Yeah, you don’t wanna be late for your date.” Reed made kissy faces at me.
“Are you going to hang out at my house all night?” I asked, looking over at him as I reached the front door.
“Why, you planning on bringing Monty over?” He stuck his tongue between the side of his teeth and waggled his eyebrows. When I only stared at him, he sighed and took his glass of wine over to the sink, rinsed it out, and grabbed his jacket from the back of the couch. “Fine. I’ll leave.”
I made it to Monty’s house five minutes before six and approached his front door. His neighbors on the other side of the duplex had put up Halloween decorations that consisted of spiderwebs over the windows, gravestones in front of the bushes lining the walkway, and a freaky-looking ghost that hung on a string from the awning over the doors.
Before I knocked on the door, it swung open. My heartbeat kicked up a notch, as did my breathing. Monty looked… well, gorgeous as always but even more so that night. His dark hair was swooped back, his eyes were bright, and damn, he smelled good.
“Hey,” he said, before flashing what looked like a nervous smile. Then his gaze trailed down my body, and a light laugh burst from him. “No way.”
“What?” I looked down at my clothes, worried I’d forgotten to put something on. I used to have nightmares where I forgot to put on pants before going to school, and that slight moment of panic took me back there.
“We’re wearing the same shirt.”
“Huh?” I looked at his face before trailing my gaze down. Sure enough, we both wore a gray button-up. It wasn’t exactly the same shirt, but it was damn close. I laughed too and stepped toward him. “I can always go home and change.”
Outfit number five here I come.
“Not a chance.” Monty slipped his arms around my waist, tugging me to him. “We can be twinkies. I guess that’s the curse of two guys who’re dating. We sometimes end up in the same outfit.”
“We’re not dating,” I said. “This is a test date just to see if I can stand being around you.”
“Uh-huh.” Monty smiled as he nodded. Yeah, I didn’t believe me either. He moved a hand to my nape and angled his face closer. A groan worked its way up my throat as our lips softly touched. The kiss didn’t last long, but it sent my heart racing even more than it already had been. “It’s cute how you refuse to admit you like me.”
His breath tickled my lips.
“Because I don’t,” I lied, taking a step back.
Unlike the other times when I denied my feelings for him, I didn’t expect him to believe me that time. I only kept playing the game because I saw how much he enjoyed playing it with me: me being stubborn about my feelings and him calling me out on my shit. It was kind of our thing now.
Monty stepped out of the house and closed the door before locking it and turning to me. “Ready to go eat?”
With the nerves swirling in my gut, I wasn’t that hungry. But I nodded. “We can take your truck if you want.”
“Okay. Cool.” He beamed with a smile.
It was my way of giving him some control. Showing him that I was serious. I couldn’t learn to trust him if I was a control freak and didn’t give him the opportunity to prove himself. Letting him drive was a small step forward.
“You don’t have to do that,” I said as Monty opened the passenger side door for me. “I’m perfectly capable of opening my own door.”
It was sweet, though. Not that I’d tell him as much.
“It’s called being a gentleman, Specks. Now get in the truck.”
I chuckled and hopped up into the seat, playfully glaring at him as he shut the door. Alone in the cab, I deeply inhaled to steady my nerves. He walked around and got into the driver’s seat, starting the ignition before putting on his seat belt. The drive was quiet as he backed out of the driveway and headed toward the restaurant.
I felt so awkward, not knowing what to say. Before, I hadn’t cared if Monty thought I was boring or bitchy. We had bantered and nipped at each other like cats and dogs. I hadn’t cared about awkward silences. But now, I racked my brain for something—anything—to tell him.
“The weather’s supposed to be nice for the next few days,” I said. “No rain.”
Monty looked over at me. “Yeah?”
“Mhm.”
