Damn this man and his sideways smile.
I scoured what was left of our smorgasbord. Tucker had already downed an entire sushirito and chased it with a Fruity Pebbles milkshake. The pickle ice cream was an immediate no, as was the twice-baked potato slathered in garlic butter and lobster. I had the sensitive stomach of a fifty-year-old soccer mom. Unless I wanted to spend the rest of the evening on the toilet—and my friend, Beau, would have my ass if I missed his show tonight—it was best I stay away from all seafood, sweets, and meats.
That left the grilled (macaroni and) cheese.
“It’s the mac and cheese sandwich, isn’t it?”
Arrogant asshole.It was like he’d known the answer to the question before it was asked.
Generally, I didn’t fuck with lactose, but cheese was my kryptonite. That and cocky athletes with dimples made for fucking, and Johnathan Tucker was a dangerous combination of both.
I had dreams about cheese—delicious,naughtydreams guaranteed to make arealvegan weep. Call it a hot take, but I would take a plate of sliced cheddar and crackers or a honey-drenched brie bake over sex any day. Then again, that probably said more about the subpar quality of sex I had been having—or not having, if I was really being honest with myself—as of late.
“Finally.”
Tucker’s grayish-green eyes sparkled with amusement. They reminded me of the sea glass my sisters and I used to pick up from the beach near our family’s cabin on Whidbey Island.
“What?” I asked him.
“It’s good to know that something gets to you, Heller. Even if that something is just cheese.” He sat up, resting his meaty elbows on the table. “For a while there, I thought you might have accidentally wandered out ofWestworld.”
I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to give him the reaction he clearly craved.
“Sorry, I forgot you’re a millennial. MaybeTerminatoris a better reference, or2001: A Space Odyssey?”
“Okay, asshole, I’m notthatmuch older than you.”
His laugh reverberated across the table, attracting the attention of every man, woman, and child within earshot. It seemed nobody was immune to Johnathan Tucker’s charms, least of all me.
I had the sweaty palms and hard-on to prove it.
This was the first time we had spent any time together outside of the field or press room—and theonlytime we had been one-on-one—and yet, there was something about him that made me feel safe and comfortable. Like I could tell him anything, free from judgment, something I had never experienced before with another person—not even my family.
It hadn’t taken long to realize that there was something special about Johnathan Tucker, and it had nothing to do with his star status. It washim. His energy was magnetic, a gravitational force that drew in anything and anyone in its path. It washisworld; the rest of us were just lucky to be living on it.
Needless to say, it was easy to see how he had garnered the reputation he had. And yet, for the past hour, his focus had never wavered from me. Not once.
“Tell you what,” he said, his voice light and playful. “As much as I would love to see Portland’s favorite podcaster deepthroat a BLT eggroll, I’ll let you off easy this time.”
He didnotjust mention deepthroating to me. At this rate, my cock might actually bust through my zipper before we made it through dessert.
He slid the cheesy sandwich across the table. “Eat half of that and we’ll call it even.”
I didn’t hesitate. “You’re on.”
He watched with rapt attention as I tore into the gooey noodles smashed between grilled sourdough. I didn’t overthink it. The embarrassment would kick in any second, but it would have to wait—I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“Sweet fucking hell.” I moaned between bites.
“Toogoudato be true?”
That was an understatement. I swallowed before answering him. “Youfetabelieve it.”
This time, we both laughed.Fuck.Johnny Tucker was making it unbearably difficult to resist his charms. The only thing hotter than a jacked dude doing yoga with puppies was a jacked dude with top-notch cheese puns and pop culture references.
“You know, I think it’s my turn to ask a question.”
I should have known there was a catch.
