Page 41 of The No Try Zone
“What the hell, Sam?” he sputters, utterly thrown off.
“Let’s go.” I wave them to go in front of me, and Ollie leads the way, grumbling the whole time.
Colin’s eyes crinkle as he smiles at me. “Good morning,” he murmurs, too low for Ollie to hear.
My stomach does a flip, but I tamp it down. “It was,” I grit out. “And then you showed up.”
He chuckles. “In my defense, I told him to leave you alone. But his admiration for you knows no bounds.”
“His idiocy, you mean.”
He stops halfway down the stairs and turns back to me, his expression earnest. “No, Sam. I mean his admiration. His love for you. He’s a great kid.”
My throat thickens with emotion. I wasn’t ready for such…honesty. Especially from him.
He turns his ball cap around, shielding his eyes with the move. “And I gotta say, I’ll be thinking of the way you answered the door today formonths.” He lifts his gaze so I can see the saucy wink he gives me, then he turns to jog down the stairs.
Of course. God forbid he be sincere for more than two seconds.
“Let’s do this, Ollie,” he calls, pulling his shirt off and tossing it onto the hood of my car to join my brother’s. “Nice, easy pace.”
My mouth dries at the sight of his muscular back, but I manage to keep my shit together. Also, ‘nice, easy pace,’ my foot. If I’m being dragged out here in seventy percent humidity on a morning I’d been sleeping in, then we’re fuckingdoingthis.
I give them the half-mile jog to the pond before I kick into gear. I might be shorter than these arseholes, but I also ran track in high school.
Ollie’s laugh echoes behind me. “Come on, Sam! Give us a break!”
I lift my middle finger and increase my speed, leaving the sound of his laughter behind. But in seconds, I hear the sound of someone else gaining on me.
“Gotta say, I’d rather run behind you and enjoy the view, but,” Colin grins at me as he matches my stride, “I like pissing you off even more.”
I growl and go faster.
He matches. “I’ve been thinking.”
“About the divorce? Me, too,” I huff.
“Getting winded already?” Hetsksat me.
I increase my pace.
“I was a winger, Sam.” He offers this tidbit as he stays right beside me, not the least bothered.
Goddammit.“Of course you were,” I grit. “Fucking pompous little shit.”
He laughs, deep and loud, but still keeps up with the pace that I keep increasing. We’ve left Ollie in the dust, and something inside me reminds me I should care, but I can’t. Because Colin is still laughing, and when I glance over to glare some fear into him, I nearly trip over my feet.
He’s utterly and completely beautiful. The joy that’s spread across his face – joy at my expense, mind you – is captivating. And he’s laughing so hard that he’s forced to slow down, which makes me ease up, until finally he’s stopped and is bent over, howling with laughter.
I come to a stop as well, unable to help the smile that spreads across my face. He looks up, eyes glistening and hands on his knees, and starts chuckling again when he sees my idiotic grin.
“‘Fucking pompous little shit,’” he repeats in a horrific Australian accent, then barks out another laugh.
“I don’t sound like that,” I protest.
“‘Fucking pompous little shit,’” he parrots, sending his voice higher and wiggling his fingers. “Of all the ways I make you mad, I didnotsee my rugby position being one of them.”
I hate him. Probably. It’s hard to think when he’s looking at me like this, as though he’s found a missing puzzle piece. There’s genuine affection in his eyes, and maybe something deeper, and it unlocks a memory.
