Rooster: A Secret Baby Sports Romance by Abbey Foxx Page A

reacts to it.
    “You can decide that after it happens”, he says.
    “That’s a very confident approach”, I say.
    “Practice makes perfect after all.”
    “Then that means we shouldn’t ever stop.”
    “Not until it’s perfect”, he says.
    “And how long is that likely to take?” I ask.
    “With me and you? Probably not very long at all.”
    “Then what will keep us coming back to each other after we’ve made it all the way there?” I say.
    “The same thing that brought you here today, the same reason I play hurling and the same reason you do anything you love. It’ll be impossible to resist.”
    Now I’m leaning across the table towards him, drinks pushed out of the way so I can give him my challenge without being impeded, chin rested in my hands and full on theatrical. A real girl, making sure.
    “And what if I’m unavailable?” I say.
    Rory sips at his drink and considers me.
    “Are you?” he says.
    “I might be.”
    I’m being purposely vague just to see what he says. There’s Brad, so technically I’m not lying, but the bigger lie is Oscar, and Brad has never been committed enough anyway for me to consider what we have exclusive. If there is a choice, I know exactly where I’ll place my bet.
    “I don’t know if you know this about me”, Rory says, “but I’m very competitive.”
    “Are you making a claim?” I ask.
    “That depends on what’s at stake.”
    I hold his gaze, sip my drink and fold back into the chair. I was going to come here, tell Rory about Oscar and work out some kind of agreement, but I’ve done none of that and I’m not entirely sure why. It could be those perfect eyes, that incredible smile the arms as thick as tree trunks I want wrapped around me, or it could be the possibility of what revealing that secret might mean to us both, now that he’s back here, on a much more permanent basis. I wasn’t looking for a relationship when Rory came up to me a year ago, I was looking for a fuck in a dirty alleyway. A lot changes in a year, though, and right now, with a little baby to look after, family has become a rather important word.
    Babies terrify the hell out of people, though, and if there is a chance of round two before Rory flips his lid and wants to be as far away from me as possible, maybe I should make sure I’ve got that in the bag before telling him. There’s no reason for him to know yet, after all. I’ve got just about enough money to last me until Christmas, which gives me and Mr. Perfect a month and a half to get to know each other before dropping my bombshell.
    It’s not exactly ethical, but ethics might not help me right now. The only tricky thing will be giving enough but not too much so he wants to come back to me and keeping Oscar a secret, while somehow getting enough free time to see Rory.
    It’s clear we both like each other too. I mean, there was definitely an instant attraction before, and if this continues to go the way it is already, Rory proving he can talk as well as he can fuck, things might finally be looking up for me.
    “Do you think this is how it starts”, I ask.
    “How what starts?” he says.
    “You and me.”
    Rory gives me his let me think about that for a moment face.
    “You and me started a year ago, this is where we continue”, he says.
    “And where do we end up?” I ask.
    “Where does anything end up? Our natural conclusion”, he says.
    “Ok, which is what?”
    Rory takes one last look at me before downing what’s left of his pint. “Come on, it’s time to go”, he says.
    I watch him stand up and hold out his hand for me to take it.
    “Where are we going?” I ask.
    “We’re going back to mine to fuck and get drunk. I have a mini bar and a huge fucking bed.”
    I’m stuck for words so Rory fills in the spaces for me.
    “We’ve talked enough for now, which means we have to redress the balance.”
    I don’t know what to say, but that’s fine because I know exactly what to do. I take Rory’s hand and