I scoffed under my breath. It was a slick, show-off move but it wasn’t going to help Christy in the race.Moron.
“All right.” She let out a nervous laugh. As she climbed up the tires in her shorts, which were way too short, he watched and I could almost see the dirty thoughts playing in his mind. Man, she did have great legs though. She wobbled at the top and squealed.
He reached out and caught her toned thighs with his ginormous palms, laughing. “I gotcha.”
I bet you do, Randy.
I needed to chill. Knox was my buddy. At least he had been until ten minutes ago. Then again, being buddies meant I knew the way he talked about women. And it was not something I’d want my mother to hear. Or my girl to experience.
She’s not my girl, I reminded myself.
“Okay.” He stepped back. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
But I was pretty sure from the look on her face that Christy had nothing.
She reached for the first ring, wrapped her petite fingers around it, and almost fell before she was ready, only hanging onto the tires by the tips of her tennis-shoed toes. Knoxreached up and wrapped his hands around her tiny, flat waist, which was peeking out from beneath the hem of her tank top. And I swear his beefy left thumb rubbed a quick circle on her stomach.
I was going to break his stupid face.
Once she’d pulled herself back up, and got resituated, she dropped off the edge with too much thrust. She never made it past the third ring. But I was pretty sure that’s what Knox had been hoping for. He caught her in his arms, right against his bare chest, and set her blithely on the ground.
“Why don’t you give it another shot. And this time, don’t come off the tires quite so fast. Just let yourself gently drop off.” Which is the opposite of what he had done.
Pfft.
After two more spectacular fails, and Knox catching her in his arms, Christy climbed the tires again, looking a little defeated. I’d already figured out the problem, but I wasn’t sure she’d want my input. If Knox was actually trying to be helpful instead of using this to make her swoon, he’d know too.
And if his hand slipped up under her shirt one more time, she was going to get a lot more than my input. She was going to get a show. Two idiots fist-fighting like we were in a bar. And I fully intended to come out as the winner.
“Whatcha doing?” Silas whispered, suddenly next to me. I hadn’t realized he’d finished his loop. Or that I’d completely left the spear throw and was now standing twenty feet behind Knox like a self-proclaimed obstacle course judge.
I scratched my forehead. “Uh. Knox is teaching her how to do the rings,” I said as if it wasn’t obvious.
“Yes,” he agreed. “And why are you standing here watching when you’re supposed to be running?”
I scratched my jaw. “Because.”
“Because?”
“I don’t want to leave him alone with her, Tweedledee,” I seethed. He knew how Knox was with women.
“Well, Tweedledum. You can’t have it both ways. You don’t get to dump her, treat her like gum on the bottom of your shoe, and then hover like a jealous boyfriend. That’s not how that works. You have to pick. And from what she said earlier, I think being her boyfriend is now off the table.”
I glared at him. “And you’re here talking to me when you should be running, why?”
“Because you look a little dangerous and I want to make sure you don’t get your butt handed to you after you tackle Knox to the ground.”
I snorted. “Whatever.”
“C’mon little brother. Whatdya say you make your first smart decision of the day and we take a lap before you go all fisticuffs and get half your teeth knocked out? Mom and Dad paid a lot for that pretty smile.”
“No.” My jaw clenched. “I’m not leaving her alone with him.”
He sighed and stayed put.
The next time Knox caught her, my fists balled and I blew out my breath, trying to burn holes into his skull with my glare.
“Yo, Knox,” Silas called with an under-the-breath chuckle. He tipped his head for Knox to come to us. “I’m going to save you from your stupid self,” he muttered as Knox walked over. “Go,” he ordered, tipping his head toward Christy who was dangling from the second ring.
