“All the Steels have great work ethics.”
“There’s a difference between work ethic and being a workaholic. Brad does nothing but work. Me? I believe in balance. I help Dad run the ranching side, and when I’m working, I’m all in. But I take time for fun while Brad lives and breathes work. He’ll probably take over as CEO when Dad steps down.”
“He’ll leave the foundation?”
“Yeah. Henry is primed to run the foundation on his own.”
“So you get it.”
“I do. That doesn’t mean I believe it. The world can think Brad is smarter than I am, but I know the truth. We’re equally intelligent, just in different ways.”
“So you think Callie and I are equally intelligent?”
“I’d stake my fortune on it.”
I smile. I can’t help it. Brock Steel makes me smile. Brock Steel makes me feel good about myself. I hope in some small way I do the same for him. Though he already has an ego the size of the universe.
“So tell me,” he says. “If you’re the pretty one and Callie is the smart one, what does that make Jesse and Maddie?”
“Jesse was a star athlete, as you know. Plus he’s the oldest and the only boy, which already gives him a leg up. Maddie, she’s the vivacious one. The one with all the personality.”
“I’m pretty sure I remember you being vivacious in your day. Ms. Homecoming Queen, Ms. Star of Every School Play and Musical.”
“There’s a difference. I’m an actress. I was acting vivacious.”
“Well, if I’m honest, you are beautiful. The most beautiful in your family. But Callie and Maddie are also beautiful, and Jesse is very good-looking.”
“Something you want to tell me?” I lift my eyebrows.
“No. You’re the only bisexual person at this table. That doesn’t mean I don’t know a good-looking man when I see one.”
Nice. I’m impressed. This is a man who’s completely comfortable in his own skin. Why shouldn’t he be? He’s male perfection.
I smile. “I’m only teasing.”
“I figured.”
The ease of the conversation surprises me once more. I’m telling this man things I don’t normally talk about, especially on a first—or is this the second?—date.
I want to share everything about myself.
Yes, it’s scary, but it also feels good. Really good. It feels almost…right.
What the heck? Let’s go all in.
Chapter Twelve
Brock
“You can ask me about it,” she says.
“About what?”
“My bisexuality. I know you’re curious. Most people are.”
Understatement of the year. I’m curious as hell about everything Rory Pike, but I never dreamed she’d tell me anything about her orientation. “I am. But…it’s a personal thing.”
“True. But it doesn’t feel all that personal to me. It’s just part of who I am. It’s as natural to me as my brown hair.”
I clear my throat and adjust my junk discreetly. At least I hope it’s discreetly. “That’s really interesting. When did you discover your…you know?”
“My bisexuality? You can say the word, Brock.”
“Yeah. Right. Your bisexuality.” For God’s sake, stop acting like a horny teenager.
“Looking back, I think I always knew. Back in middle school, when everyone was having their first crush, I found myself thinking about boys and girls in the same way. I wanted to kiss the cutest boy in the class, and I also wanted to kiss the cutest girl in the class.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Of course I couldn’t tell anyone about it, especially not at that age. I didn’t actually come out until after high school, but you probably know that.”
“In college, then?”
“Yeah. College is a great place for experimentation.” She laughs.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just thinking about my first few times. It’s amazing the sheer number of straight girls I was able to seduce.”
My groin tightens. The thought of Rory and all the cute straight girls on campus… She’s not playing fair. And I’m being immature. Or at least my body is.
“But it lost its excitement after a while,” she says. “None of those girls were interested in a relationship with me. For obvious reasons. They weren’t actually gay or bi.”
“So would you say you were with more women than men in college?” Damn, Brock, shut up!
“I wouldn’t say that. The stuff with straight girls was mostly fooling around. We kissed, maybe did some second-base action. They weren’t willing to go all the way.”
“God, Rory.” I can’t help it. I’m hard as a damned rock.
“What?”
“Do you have any fucking idea how turned on I am right now?”
She laughs, thank God. I haven’t disgusted her with my immature horniness.
“I know what girl-girl does to a red-hot-blooded straight man,” she says, her gorgeous eyes twinkling.
God, is she doing this on purpose?
“Yeah, girl-girl. Boy-girl. Or just Rory Pike. You are the hottest thing walking, babe. And I’m far from the only one who thinks that.”
“Why is it that you’re the only one I want thinking that right now?” she says coyly.
Damn. She’s out of her shell now. No wonder she seduced all the straight girls in college. This woman has mad skills to go with her beauty. My cock grows even harder. Rory’s teasing, of course. I hear it in the tone of her voice. But fuck, her words…