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As she scrolled through message after message from willing, eager females a few things became evident. First, she really had no game when it came to texting or sexting or whatever it was called. These women were at a pro level. Second, he really hadn’t hooked up with anyone in months and even though Billy was basically turning everyone down, he always did it in a classy way. He responded to each and every message even if it was mostly just to reiterate that he wasn’t interested. And lastly, she didn’t have any idea how he kept all these women straight. The sheer numbers and redundancies were staggering. For example on one day he’d heard from three Heathers. Heather H., Heather B., and Heather M.
“How do you keep them all straight?” She heard herself asking aloud the question she’d thought internally.
“I have a good memory.”
“You would have to.”
As she continued swiping her thumb, seeing text after text, jealousy started to rear its ugly head. It didn’t make any sense that the green-eyed monster was visiting, considering all evidence pointed to him not dating any of the women that had contacted him, but just the fact that he had been with them and they still wanted to see him was not a fun thing to be faced with.
“So what’s the deal? Have you decided to join the priesthood or something?” She handed the phone back to him.
As he reached for the phone the roughened pads of his fingers grazed the back of her hand. “Or something,” he answered with a grin that spread on his too-handsome face, reaching all the way to his expressive, honey-colored eyes.
His smile, his stare, his touch all conspired together, acting like lighter fluid dousing the flicker of lust that was always burning just beneath the surface whenever Billy was near. What had started as a small flame now roared into an out-of-control inferno of heated desire.
This was why she dated guys like Simon. At much too young an age, she’d witnessed what happens when you gave into out-of-control.
On instinct she jerked her hand back, snatching it out of his grasp. If Billy noticed her odd behavior, he didn’t let it show on his face.
“What about you?”
“What about me?” Maxi’s voice quivered.
“What’s your deal?”
“My deal?” she parroted.
“With you and Simon.”
“We broke up.”
A wrinkle appeared between Billy’s brows. “When?”
“Last night. When we were saying goodbye.”
She hadn’t given it a second thought since it had happened. He’d asked if he could see her next week and she’d said she didn’t think it was working out. It was that simple. He hadn’t looked happy about it but he certainly hadn’t looked heartbroken either.
Billy’s grin grew wider as he rested his arm on the back of the couch, making himself at home. This entire scene was far too intimate for Maxi. The sight of Billy lounging in her condo after they’d shared a couch, a run and breakfast together was too much. Sure, logically she knew that he wasn’t here because he wanted to be, but emotionally it felt different. It felt real.
But it wasn’t real. She had to remember that.
***
“How long had you two been seeing each other?”
When Billy had handed Maxi his phone his intentions had been pure. For some reason he’d needed her to know that he wasn’t involved with anyone. It was a move that could have backfired on him as she could have easily been disgusted by the number of women sexting him. He hadn’t weighed the risk to reward ratio and if he had he may not have done it. But he was damn happy he had because he’d just inadvertently created an opening to ask her why she had given the limp-dick douche that hadn’t even held the door open for her the time of day.
“A few months.”
“What the hell did you see in him?” Subtlety wasn’t really his strong suit.
“What the hell do you see in the girls you date?” she shot back.
Whoa.If he didn’t know any better he’d say that she was jealous. Which was crazy. He’d been very upfront about the fact that he was attracted to her for years now. He flirted with her every chance he got. He hadn’t let the fact that she was “off-limits” because she was Charlie’s daughter, or the fact that she’d made her own personal rule against dating fighters, or the fact that he’d struck out each and every time he’d gone up to bat slow him down. Because contrary to popular belief, he didn’t play games. If he wanted something, he went after it. And he’d wanted Maxi for a long time. But other than a lingering stare and the flush of her cheeks whenever she accidently brushed up against him, she’d never given any indication that she was the least bit interested.
“I asked you first,” he countered.
When she didn’t answer, he figured she was going to ignore his question or change the subject, but instead she took a deep breath and her eyes dropped to her hands. After a few beats she said the last two words he would’ve expected. “He’s safe.”
