Page 15 of Touchdown, Tennessee

He leaned back. “I’m not insinuating anything.Doyou have something to hide?”

I shoved the forkful of pancakes into my mouth, my anger rising again.

He wasn’t smiling, but I swore I could see playful amusement in his eyes, like he was pulling my strings and trying to make me his puppet.

“On Monday, I went to class and the gym. On Tuesday, I went to different classes, and the gym again. Wednesday, practice, and class.”

“Exciting.”

“You asked. That’s what I do.”

Gray ran a hand through his dark hair. He broke off from my gaze, looking around the diner like he was scanning the place.

What was he looking for?

What was hethinkingabout?

I saw his eyes land on different groups of people, lingering for a minute on a guy who was wearing a nice suit.

Was Gray staring at his watch?

“Went to my little cousin’s flag football practice on Thursday,” I continued.

“Your cousin?”

I nodded. “He’s eleven. I volunteer to run a flag football club at his middle school. Teach the kids some fundamentals, make sure none of them get hurt.”

“What a big heart you have,” Gray said. “Helping out the kids, volunteering your time.”

I shrugged. “Just telling you the truth.”

“Do you enjoy doing that?”

Prick.

Of course I enjoy doing it.

“Football was the only thing I was good at when I was a kid,” I explained. “I like the idea of helping kids find whateverthey’re good at. There’s a kid on the team who absolutelysucksat running, so he doesn’t do well in the games. He cried a little bit on Thursday because another kid made fun of him. I talked to him a little, found out he’s good at building model cities. He has an amazing strength, there.”

“That’s sweet,” Gray said, and for once it seemed like he actually meant it. “Do you want kids of your own one day?”

“Damn. Personal questions like that, already? We’re not even done with our first date.”

“Our first date was two hours ago, when I watched you lose your football game because you were too obsessed with me,” Gray said, a flicker going through his eyes. “This is our second date.”

“You’re so fucking annoying.”

“You’re so easy to read,” he murmured.

I put an arm onto the leather booth behind me. “Then read me. Do I want kids? What do you think?”

He looked me over, pausing for a second. “I think you do. You want a nice, perfect little family with two kids and a happy dog. White picket fence life.”

I took another bite of my pancakes. “I do want a family, sometime in the future. I want to be a pro football player, do well, make my family proud. I want to have a husband and be a good public example of a gay pro football player.”

Gray’s eyes narrowed. “You care a lot about your image.”

“Image matters.”