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“Nope,” I said instantly. “There’s not a chance in hell I’m going over there. I already suffered enough for one lifetime.”
“Don’t be such a pussy,” he said, grabbing his keys off the counter. “We’re going.”
“Why would I go over there? She’s got Andrew.” I practically spit his name, feeling a little petty at the moment.
In a flash, Brock was on his knees, pouting at me like a little kid. “Please? Lee asked me to help, and if I do, she’s going to do unmentionable things to me. I don’t know what unmentionable means, but I want to find out. Don’t cockblock me.”
“You know you can go over on your own,” I grumbled.
“Nope, she said I needed to bring you, so get off your ass.”
Helping out the woman that I had a massive crush on was the last thing I wanted to do, but at the same time, I knew Brock would do itfor me if I asked. It was a guy thing. If you could help your friend get laid, you put in the time and made it happen.
“Fine, but if that roughneck is there, I won’t be able to help myself.”
“What, are you gonna beat him up?” he teased.
I snorted at that. “Are you kidding me? He’s a roughneck. There is no world in which I win if I do that.”
“Because he’s too strong?”
“Because he’s full of oil and muscles,” I spat, not liking it one bit. “He’s right the fuck up there with mechanics. And believe me, I saw his muscles. There’s no competition.”
“You forget that you have muscles too,” he pointed out.
“It doesn’t matter if I have muscles and tattoos and dirt smeared across my skin. Women look at men like him differently. It’s not right. I could put out a calendar. I could take a close-up picture of my hands gripping my gun. Do you think that would compete with him holding his oversized wrench?”
With a heavy sigh, he shook his head at me. “Man, you are taking this way too seriously. Besides, you don’t stand a chance if you don’t try. If you really like her, you have to show her that you’re willing to be there for her. Develop a friendship, and eventually, she’ll come around.”
“You think?”
He pulled a comb out of his pocket, sliding it through his hair. “Of course. Take it from me. There’s a reason the ladies flock to me.”
I cocked my head at him in confusion. “Didn’t Miranda run out on you twice?”
“Hey, that was a case of…really bad luck.”
“Really bad luck where you didn’t get laid twice.”
“Whatever. Just come with me. I don’t want to have to carry all that shit by myself.”
I grinned at him, finally getting the bigger picture. “So, this is about the amount of work you’ll have to do.”
“You know, you’re right. We should get everyone else involved. Yeah, we can make it a town cleanup thing, and then everyone will have to help or they’ll look like pussies.”
I sighed, pushing the footrest down. “Me included.”
“Exactly.”
“Fine, I’m coming,” I mumbled. “But I don’t like it. It’s not right that you’re making me see that woman when you know I want to fuck her.”
“Maybe you’ll meet some other homeless chick in need of rescuing.”
“I wanted her,” I pouted.
“Well, you’re not gonna get her sitting on your ass. If you want her, get up and fight for her.”
He gripped my shoulder in that comforting bro-hold kind of way. It didn’t make me feel better. If anything, I wanted to grab his arm and yank it out of the socket. I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing her again and keeping my distance. I was so fucking attracted to her, and that never happened.