He nods, looking uncomfortable. I bang my fist into the ball again, watching as it bounces back up so I don’t have to look at him. The tension is tangible, but neither of us speaks. I bite the inside of my cheek as I smack the ball over and over again.
But I can’t take it.
When I look up, he’s watching me, and at the same time, we each say, “Can’t text me?”
It’s like the tension just evaporates, and we’re both grinning. Then, again at the same time, we say, “Jinx!”
Now we’re laughing. “I said it first,” I claim, and he scoffs.
“The hell you did. I was a second faster. You owe me a Coke.”
“No! You owe me one!”
As our laughter fills the gym, he leans on the basket, bouncing on it while looking down at me. “You sleep with him?”
I roll my eyes. “That’s none of your business.”
He gives me a dull look. “Don’t be like that.”
“Did you sleep with Angie?”
He scoffs. “No. My choice completely. Pretty sure she would have done me in front of everyone.”
I give him a “Yeah, right” look, and he grins.
“I’m irresistible. I can’t stop all this.”
When he winks, I groan. He may think I’m joking, but in reality, I’m in distress because I know how hot he is and I can’t have him. Nor can I handle all of it. “Get a life.”
He laughs, but it gradually subsides. “Actually, Aiden told me I couldn’t sleep with Angie.”
I perk a brow. “Really? That’s surprising. I thought he’d come bearing a Costco-size pack of condoms and a bottle of tequila to get things started.”
“One would think,” he says with a grin. “He got weirded out by it. You know he used to watch her.”
I shrug. “So? He babysat all of us.”
“Well, I don’t think he’s trying to do you.”
“But he is doing Shelli, and he babysat her.”
He gags. “Hmm. That’s got me thinking. I wonder if we can sell their love story to someone?”
“We could make millions!”
Asher holds up his hand. “Whoa, now. Maybe thousands, but not millions. They aren’t that great.”
I snort with laughter as I shake my head. “Yeah, you’re right.” He nods as we each look away again. The silence stretches, and like before, I can’t handle it. “I didn’t sleep with Taco, but he does claim he’s changed.”
He rolls his eyes very dramatically. “Into what? A burrito? Or did he take my advice and go with nachos? I’m telling you, nachos are the way to go.”
“For the love of Pete.” I give him a dry look, but he just grins. “He was really good to me last night. He paid for dinner, and he made me laugh. He didn’t get upset that I didn’t want to sleep with him.”
He gawks at me. “Oh, how great that the guy you went on a date with doesn’t get upset when you don’t want to have sex. Wow, that’s amazing.”
“Your sarcastic comment isn’t ne
eded.”