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We’ll see how tonight goes, first.
My mind changed when Christian picked me up for our date. He was wearing jeans and a tight-fitting Colts polo shirt, with leather boots and a matching brown belt. He was a different kind of sexy than Braden. Calmer, more resolute. The leader of the Colts, with the full weight of responsibility on his shoulders. A sexy shiver ran up my spine.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he said with a small smile.
I gave a little spin. “That’s nice of you to say, even though I’m in jeans and a T-shirt.”
“Sometimes simpler is better. You’re every bit as beautiful as you were in the dress at the charity event. Maybe even more so.” He looked like he wanted to kiss me, but then opened the passenger door of his Jeep for me.
Suzie gave us a big wave from the other side of the fence.
“So, where are we going?” I asked as we began driving.
“The fanciest steakhouse in town,” he replied, deadpan. “Don’t worry, this place only hasoneMichelin star.”
I playfully glared at him. “You’d better be joking.”
The tiniest little smile touched his serious lips. “I promise I’m joking.”
“I’m glad you took my request seriously,” I said. “I was afraid you’d show up in a suit and try too hard to impress me.”
“I’m glad you were serious with your request,” he replied, the muscles of his right forearm taut as he gripped the steering wheel. “Part of me was afraid yousaidone thing, but secretly wanted a fancy night out.”
“God, no. I like getting dressed up for a night on the town sometimes, but usually I prefer casual.”
“Noted. You’ll like where we’re going, then.”
“Give me a hint?”
“Nope,” he said bluntly. “You’ll see when we get there.”
I was genuinely clueless about our destination until Christian pulled into the Spare Times Bowling Alley. “Bowling!” I blurted out when he parked the car and turned off the engine.
“Is thistoocasual?” he asked.
“No! I love it! I haven’t been bowling inyears. You’re not, like, super good at bowling, are you?”
“Nope,” he replied. “I used to play for fun when it wasn’t football or baseball season, but I’m not very good at all. It’s still fun, though.”
One strange aspect of my relationship with Christian—and Braden—was that I saw them as normal guys, rather than the superstar athletes that they were. It was easy to forget that they were some of the most recognizable people in the country. I was rudely reminded of this fact as soon as we walked inside the bowling alley. A middle-aged guy who was leaving the building stopped in his tracks and gawked at Christian. One teenager over by the arcade interrupted his buddy’s game to shake him by the arm and point. The friend complained about his game being ruined… until he saw us. I heard one of them say, “No freaking way!” as we passed.
By the time we got to the check-in counter, there was a small crowd around Christian. I might as well have been invisible. Christian held up his hands to calm the people down.
“I’ll make a deal with everyone,” he announced. “For the next five minutes, I’m all yours. You can take as many selfies as you want, and I’ll sign any autographs. But you have to promise not to post anything about my location until after we’re done bowling. That way we can bowl in peace. Deal?”
Everyone agreed, and Christian stepped aside to appease his fans. While he did that, I paid for our bowling lane.
“What size shoe do you wear?” I asked him.
“Size fourteen!” Christian shouted above the crowd. “I’ll meet you over there in a minute!”
The teenage clerk retrieved our shoes and slapped them down on the counter. “Your total is twenty-six fifty. Are you, like, his date?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I handed him my credit card and said, “I’m just a friend.”
He looked me up and down, then glanced over at Christian. “Huh. Lane fourteen.”
I knew what he was thinking: I wasn’t hot enough to be dating a superstar like Christian Baker. It didn’t bother me. Braden’s compliment was still firmly ringing in my head: I was hot as fuck. That kept my self-esteem higher than it otherwise would have been.
