Page 9 of The Triple Threat

I turned to him and frowned. “They’re your oldest friends, why the hell are you nervous?”

He glanced out of the side window to where Jojo was inching her catsuit from the crack of her ass and heaved out a sigh.

“Ten minutes.” I groaned. “And then I’m going home.”

Pop grinned and clutched my shoulder to give it a squeeze. “Thanks, son, appreciate it.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later and I was still shooting shit with Pop, Jim and Henry while the ladies hung around in the kitchen to keep watch on Darcy’s starter.

“You don’t think the Cowboys will get to the Superbowl final this year?” Jim asked me incredulously. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I nodded and took a swig of the coke which Darcy had given to me, because I was driving, and because she still thought I was twelve. “Their defense is shit.”

“Yeah, but they have one of the best wide receivers in the NFL,” Henry added.

“Hunter is right.” Pop slapped between my shoulder blades. “It ain’t their year.”

When the three men continued to argue, I decided that was my cue to head out and I slipped from the room. I was almost to the kitchen, when I bumped into Ellie who was leaving one of the rooms off the hall.

“Hey,” I said and gave her a nod. “You visiting with Bronte?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “But she drives me crazy.”

Ellie whirled her index fingers around by her ears and crossed her eyes. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her.

“What’s she done now?” I asked.

“Internet dating,” Ellie huffed out and leaned with her back against the wall, her palms flat against it underneath her ass. “She’s about to message some weirdo who wants to wear her underwear while he pinches her nipples.”

My eyes bugged out and I almost choked on fresh air. “Say what?”

“I know.” Ellie let her head drop back and she let out a strangled groan. “Ugh, she needs help.”

“She’s not going to meet up with him?” I asked, concerned that Bronte was about to land herself in hot water.

“No, I don’t think so. She just knows it pisses me off when she does crazy things and thinks it’s totally hilarious. God, if it’s not your d—” She stopped speaking and slapped a hand over her mouth, her wide, horrified eyes watched me.

I laughed and poked a finger against her shoulder. “I know all about Bronte being hot for my pop, Ellie.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I do. I caught her rifling through our laundry hamper at my birthday party. She was looking for a tee that smelled of him and was going to take it home.”

Ellie’s face dropped. “Shit, it’s worse than I thought. It’s so much worse.”

She looked real troubled about what I’d said and I wondered if maybe I should have kept quiet. To be honest though, I thought it was pretty funny that a girl a couple of years younger than me was crushing on Pops. If nothing else, it proved how damn hot he was, and I liked to think that I looked like him.

“Ellie,” I soothed and took a step closer to her. “It’s all good. It’s just a crush.”

Ellie’s eyes snapped to mine. “She stole his clothes, Hunter, just so she could smell him. It’s not all good.”

I rumbled a low laugh as Ellie began to pace up and down the hallway. After I’d watched her do three passes, I decided to pull her to a stop.

“Hey.” I grabbed her hand and wheeled her around to face me. “Cool it, it’s not like Pop is going to return any feelings she has, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

She stared at me and I could almost hear her brain whirling. “I know that, but it does mean that she’ll do everything in her power to either a, forget him, or b, which is so much worse, make him jealous.”