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Yeah, that would never happen. He’s too possessive for that. The blond guy from the nightclub comes to mind. He dared to put his hand on my arm and got beaten up for it.
And Aiden? Would he share?
Can’t see that happening either. And why am I thinking about this? The plan is for Tiero never to find me and to keep Aiden at arm’s length.
Yeah, good luck with that, the annoying little voice pipes in.Oh, would you just shut up?
I can do this. If I willingly tore my heart out leaving Tiero, I can keep my attraction and libido in check for a man I just met, right?
After freshening up, I make my way out to the party again. I carefully glance around and spot Aiden with his friends behind the bar. Good, he’s occupied. Without looking in his direction, I walk over to where Gary, his wife, Helen, and Marni are huddled together, talking expressively.
I sit down next to Marni, who points at Gary with her knife. “You’re wrong. He was brilliant. It wasn’t his fault he lost the match.”
“Of course it was his fault. Who else is to blame?” Gary replies, amused.
“What are they talking about?” I whisper to Helen as I watch Marni angrily cut into her steak.
“Tennis. Marni is a huge fan. Especially for Jonah Linford. She’s just been to the US Open where he played in the final.”
“And let me guess… he lost?”
“Yep. And Marni isn’t happy.”
“But the US Open was weeks ago, in early September.” I think back. That grand slam usually coincides with the Monza Formula One race.
Helen covers her mouth with her hand and whispers, “She still hasn’t recovered,”
“I can see that,” I whisper back, leaning forward.
Marni turns to glare at us. “You know I can hear you two?”
Helen drops her hand and smirks. “It’s okay, Marns,” she placates. “There’ll be plenty of matches for him to win.”
“Damn straight,” Marni says, scowling at Gary. “He isn’t number one for nothing.”
“Well, he didn’t show it in that final.” Gary continues to stir her up. “His nerves got the better of him. That guy is too high strung. He needs to focus on something other than tennis. Get a bit more balance in his life. He needs a girlfriend, or a boyfriend if he swings that way.”
The cutlery clatters onto the table as Marni’s hands fly to her hips. “Jonah Linford is not gay! Have you looked at him? He’s too alpha to be gay.”
Oh, someone seems to have a crush. Helen and I grin at each other.
“So you think there are no gay alpha men?” Gary questions.
“I’m sure there are, but Ford isn’t one of them.”
I feel like I’m watching a tennis match, my head moving from side to side as I follow the banter between those two.
“Ford?” I whisper to Helen. She’s my on-court commentator, knowing all the backstories.
“It’s Jonah’s nickname.” Right… I wonder how he ended up with it.
“Are you sure about that?” Gary teases. “He’s not been photographed once with a woman. It suggests that—”
“No,” Marni interrupts. “It doesn’t suggest anything other than that he’s focused.” We all try to hide our smirks as Marni passionately defends the tennis player.
“I propose a change of subject,” Helen says, lifting her tulip glass of beer. “This new flavor of witbier is fantastic. It’s fruity and spicy at the same time.”
“Does it have a name?” Marni asks.
