“She deserves better than a player like you,” Dave spat.
He’d seen Griffin on plenty of tabloid covers at the supermarket with models in bikinis. Steph was more beautiful than any of them. And he’d been lucky enough to see her in her underwear, so he knew. This guy was a complete and total moron not to see what he’d had in Steph. Plus she was smart and nice, which was also important to a guy seeking a partner, not just a fuck buddy, though he still wanted to be both to Steph. Badly. Dammit. Why did Griffin have to show up before Dave had managed to get Steph into bed? Him and his stupid morals. What kind of chance did he stand against a famous rock star? Rock stars could do whatever the hell they wanted and get away with it.
He was still mentally berating himself when Griffin snapped his fingers right in Dave’s face. Dave met his eyes and scowled.
Griffin crossed his arms. “I said,” he drawled, “game on, geek.”
Dave's hackles rose. He was very competitive and always won the online chess and scrabble games he played with the best players the Internet had to offer. “Game fucking on!”
“Dave!” Steph exclaimed.
Dave glanced at her and went back to staring down his opponent. “I'm not afraid of a little competition.” Bluffing was very important in one-on-one male confrontations. He lifted his chin to look down at the enemy. “I was a mathlete in high school.”
Griffin burst out laughing.
Dave shoved him. Caught off guard, Griffin stumbled back.
“You’ll pay for that,” Griffin said, charging toward Dave.
Dave quickly took refuge behind the sofa. Griffin leaped over it, grabbed him, and they hit the floor with a thud.
“Griff!” Steph shouted. “Get off him this minute!”
“Ahh,” Griffin moaned, grabbing one of Steph’s hands. She had both her hands in his long hair and was pulling pretty hard if his eyelids lifting into weird, curving slits was any indication. He got off Dave, assisted by Steph’s grip on his hair.
“Both of you get out,” Steph said, hustling them toward the door. “There's a ridiculous amount of testosterone in here. I can't believe two grown men are acting this way.”
Griffin grabbed his jacket. “This isn't over,” he told Steph before walking out the door.
After the door shut behind Griffin, Dave turned to Steph to explain his manly display. “I can't let him treat you that way.”
Steph shook her head. “Just go.”
“I’m not giving up,” Dave said fiercely. “He doesn’t deserve you.” He would fight for the woman he loved. And he would win.
“Bye, Dave.” She pushed him through the doorway and shut the door in his face.
He stood there for a minute, calculating his chances of getting back into her apartment, decided they weren't good, and headed downstairs. Thankfully, the limo was already pulling away. He needed time to formulate a plan. The most romantic sweep-her-off-her-feet plan that didn't involve money or rock-star sex appeal.
That should come easily, he didn't have either.
Chapter Four
Steph collapsed on her sofa with a Lean Cuisine for dinner later that night, completely dumbfounded that the two men in her life were actually fighting over her. First, the fact that Griff thought he even had a chance with her was laughable. No communication for years, and then he suddenly claimed his rights as a husband. Ha! And Dave going all caveman and in Griff's face was shocking. She'd never seen him act tough or macho the entire time she'd known him. He'd always been a perfect mild-mannered gentleman. What had gotten into him?
When she'd first met Dave at the state teachers' conference, he'd been running a workshop on the new math standards and how to implement them. Steph had felt it especially important to attend his workshop to prepare her fifth grade students for middle school math. He'd been adorable at the podium, wearing a navy blue T-shirt with a giant pi symbol on it. That had caught her attention right away in the sea of business-casual outfits. And he’d been so enthusiastic too, with big hand gestures as he spoke.
“Hi, I'm Mr. Olsen,” he said with a wave, “but all of you past puberty can call me Dave.”
She giggled. A teacher joke. The rest of the teachers stared blankly at Dave.