Page 63 of Topping the Jock
“I know a little. Reed is a self-proclaimed wine connoisseur and sometimes drags me to wine tastings. I’ve picked up on a few things.”
“Reed sounds like a fun guy,” Monty said. “I hate to say that I barely remember him from school. But if he’s your friend, he must be special.”
“Why? Because I’m hard to get along with?”
Monty chuckled. “You’re putting words in my mouth.”
“Wait ’til later and I’ll put something else in your mouth.”
His eyes flared wide. “Damn.” He quietly coughed and shifted in his seat, the pink in his cheeks deepening. He seemed nervous too.
Was our date affecting him like it was me?
Logan dropped off our salad and bread, along with the bottle of wine which he opened and poured for us. Once we were alone again, we quietly dug into the salad, glancing up every so often to meet the other’s gaze. That always resulted in gentle smiles before we looked away.
“Okay,” Monty said minutes later, wiping his mouth. “This is weird, right?”
“So it’s not just me?” I asked, relieved.
“Nope.” He leaned forward and grabbed a piece of bread from the platter. He dipped it in the bowl of olive oil and herbs before taking a bite. “I’m used to you insulting me or saying dirty things in my ear. And now we’re smiling at each other like two schoolboys on the first day of class. We really want to ask each other out, but we’re not sure how the other one feels, you know? So we just kinda smile and look away.”
I arched a brow. “That was… oddly specific.”
“You get my meaning.”
“Do I really insult you that much?” I asked, my gut tightening. I knew I hadn’t been overly friendly to Monty, but had I turned into a bully myself?
“Kinda, but I like it,” he said, reaching across the table and placing his hand over mine. “I know you aren’t serious when you do.”
I stared at his hand before returning his hold. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For being so stubborn. For leaving so quickly after sex and upsetting you. Just for everything.” My throat tightened as emotion welled up in my chest. “I was horrible to you in the beginning, but you never backed off. You didn’t give up on me.”
“I’m not ever gonna give up on you, Specks. Not when I finally have you here, feeling the same as I do. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this. Even when I dated guys over the years, I’d find myself thinking of you.”
“I…” Fuck, my voice cracked. “I thought of you too.”
And I really had. Sure, those thoughts had quickly been followed by me cursing Monty’s name and calling him an asshole. But on nights when I’d lain in bed alone unable to sleep, I had thought of him. Wondered if he was okay.
When Logan returned to take our order, Monty didn’t pull away. He kept holding my hand, smoothing his thumb along mine. He only let go when he ate more salad.
“What was it like living in Texas for ten years?” I asked, before taking a sip of wine. That achy feeling lingered in my chest.
“Hot and dry. Like sweat your nuts off hot. I went from one extreme to another. It’s always rainy here.”
“Not always. There’s a rare sunny day.”
“About as rare as you smiling at me,” he said. I smiled on impulse, then tried to hide it with my hand. Monty snickered and shook his head. “Thank you for agreeing to go out with me tonight.” I opened my mouth, and he cut me off, “You still don’t like me, I know.”
“Well. I might like you. A little.”
He rewarded me with another goofy grin.
I was falling hard for him. It was unexpected, confusing, but most of all, exciting. It was in that moment when I decided to put the past in the past and to give him a real chance.
To giveusa real chance.
