“Damn, I love you.” He kisses me. “And you are awesome for my ego, too.” I slap him playfully, but soon we’re both laughing. “So, what were you trying to make here?”
“Chicken parmesan, alfredo, and biscuits.”
“Are biscuits Italian? I had no idea,” he teases.
“Shut up,” I laugh. “I like biscuits.”
“So do I,” he says, wagging his brows up and down and grabbing my ass.
He swats at me to go shower. I run away from the kitchen and order dinner from the real Italian chefs before stripping off my mess of clothes.
When I come back out, he has most of the kitchen cleaned up except for a couple of the pans that are now soaking to help dislodge the food I burned to them.
I pour a glass of wine for myself and pull a bottle of water from the fridge for Troy. The doorbell rings at the same time as the oven timer.
“You get the door; I’ll get this.” He winks.
I pay the delivery boy and bring the bags to the table. But when I look up, I see Troy pulling what looks like perfect biscuits from a baking sheet.
“Holy shit! Did you make those?” I ask him.
“You said you wanted biscuits.”
“It’s a good thing you already asked me to marry you.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” He smiles.
“Because now that I know you can bake, I’m never letting you go. You’re too precious to lose.”
“Come on, weirdo. Let’s eat.”
24
Fit[ish]: semi fit; kind of fit; someone who likes the idea of being fit but equally likes food
TROY
“Let me get this straight… she lied to you about being able to come to our games, where you—as publicly as humanly possible—proposed to her, which then led to her show being cancelled. Did I get that right?” Dante asks while spotting me in the weight room.
Sitting up, I grin. “Yep.”
“And you’re smiling and happy about all of this?” He’s looking at me like I’m crazy.
“I love that girl so damn much.” I lie back down after adding more weight on the bar. “It’s pretty awesome, isn’t it?”
“Awesome is not the word I would have used to describe any of what you just told me,” he snorts in a laugh.
“I can’t even be mad at her for lying when it led to her agreeing to marry me.”
“That’s… one way to look at it.”
I push through the rest of my reps before we switch places, and it’s Dante’s turn to lift while I spot before we move on to the next set of weights.
“The craziest part is that she isn’t really upset about losing her show. I thought she’d be disappointed or sad, but she’s not. It’s like she has a new level of happy,” I tell him when he starts to lift.
“Y’all are nuts,” he grunts.
“I’m nuts about her, that’s for sure.”
He finishes his reps, placing the bar back on its rest hooks. “Don’t,” he says, pointing at me.
“Don’t what?” I ask, confused.
“Don’t start with the stupid as fuck dad jokes and sayings. You aren’t a dad yet, and even then, I won’t allow it.” He pauses then and looks at me in question. “Unless…”
My brows pinch in confusion again before I understand what he’s asking. “No. She’s not pregnant.” A smile grows on my face then. “Yet.”
He shakes his head at me. “Enjoy your woman. Once a baby arrives, you have to share. Everything.”
He says it like he hates it, but I know he’s just messing around. He loves his little girl and his woman both. And KiKi has her dad wrapped around her little finger.
One day I hope to have that with Juniper. I’m not in a hurry though, and neither is she. I have every intention of doing exactly as he suggested and enjoying my woman. Not just until we have kids, but always.
Walking over to my locker to change my shoes and head out on the field, I check my cell and see I have a message from Juniper.
Ip: I got a call from Connie today.
Me: Good or bad?
Ip: Good.
Ip: I think.
Me: So…
Ip: They want to extend our show.
Ip: And make it more than a podcast.
Ip: They want to make it video.
Me: That’s awesome!
Me: Right?
Ip: I think so.
Ip: I’m not sure if I’m ready for the world to see my ass on camera though.
Me: It’s a good ass.
Ip: You would say that.
Me: I gtg but we’ll talk more tonight.
Ip: Okay, bye!
Lacing up my cleats, I head out to finish the second practice of the day. The whole time, I think about what Juniper said in the text about them turning the podcast into a whole workout video show. I think it would be a really awesome thing for both of us moving forward, but I don’t want to push her into something she isn’t comfortable with.
She’s used to being behind the microphone, using only her voice to describe to her audience what she wants them to see. Video would change that completely.
* * *
“I’m scared about how everyone will look at me,” she admits to me after we finish dinner. We’ve been talking about this show change for the last hour, and I wasn’t letting it go. I could tell she was holding something back.
“Look at you how?”
She dips her head down so I can’t see her face. “I’m not exactly the token fit girl who belongs on the arm of a guy like you, Troy.”
I hate that she views herself this way. I’ve never seen her be anything but confident. Hearing her voice her fears and insecurities guts me. She is beautiful.
“I don’t need a token, Ip. And if I did, you’d be the perfect one.”
With a snort, she looks up at me. “I’m far from perfect. And I’m definitely curvier than the average ‘gym’ girl.”
“You know that you and your curves drive me insane, right? If anyone should be nervous about doing this, it’s me. Guys are going to be watching just to get a look at you and not for workout tips,” I practically growl.
“And you think the girls won’t do the same with you?” she counters, looking at me like I’ve lost my mind before dropping her head again. “I guess I’ve gotten used to not being judged by my looks. I’ve been called a lot of things through the years, but it never bothered me since it was all just from my commentary. I never minded if they didn’t like what I said because that was part of it, me not knowing what I’m talking about. But if they say things about how I look, I can’t really change that. Sure, it’s just their opinion, but it’ll be way more personal.”
“Juniper, look at me.” I wait until she looks up. “Who cares? All that matters is what you think and what I think. And what I think is that you are perfect and sexy and gorgeous. You drive me wild and make me hard every time you walk into the room. It will be us doing our thing, and everyone else is on the outside. It doesn’t matter. But I’m not going to push you to do this if you don’t want to.”
She takes a deep breath. “I have fun doing the show with you. It’s just the added cameras that freak me out. But you’re right. It’s just you and me. Nothing else matters.”
“You want to think about it for a couple days?”
She shakes her head. “No. Let’s do it.”
“You sure?” I question.
“Yeah. It’ll be good.”
* * *
“Hey, guys! Thanks for joining us to watch this guy kick my ass in the gym.” Juniper smiles, looking up at me.
We’re recording a video episode of I Can Gym Too! in the same private room of the gym that we used for the podcast episodes. We both agreed from the beginning that it was the perfect set up, and it’s worked great so far in the past few months.
I clap my hands and then rub them together. “Let’s get started with some warmups.”
I lead us in some stretches before we work our way through the entire h
our-long show that will be edited into segments of warmup, strength training, cardio, and cool down. At least that’s the breakdown for today’s show.
Juniper is still her sarcastic and snarky self the whole way through each recording. I bring the sexual innuendos, and together we’ve proven to be an incredible team. We’re breaking records and coming out on top as one of the most-watched online streaming shows.
“Alright, babe, you ready for some partner work?” I ask her after we finish stretching.
“Always,” she says, wagging her brows up and down.
Without telling her what we’re about to do, I pick her up, and she wraps her legs around my waist like I knew she would. “Hi.” I smile at her.
She pecks my lips with a quick kiss. “Hi.”
“Guys, hold your partner’s hips in place so they don’t move. You can also hold their thighs if that works better for you. Partners, keeps a good hold with your legs around your partner’s back. Hands behind your head and bend back.”
Juniper does what I just described and falls back until she’s hanging upside down. “This seems like a position we tried for a different form of exercise. You sure this is appropriate for our show?”
“Hands behind your head, Ip.” I ignore her remark, knowing it’s only the beginning. “Now, pull yourself up until you’re back to your starting position.”
She tries but halts halfway there. She starts to laugh and falls back down to try again. She does it several times, but what I didn’t think about with trying this was the friction making me hard.
Moving my hand behind her back to help her sit up completely, she gives me a devilish smile, along with another peck on the lips, because she knows exactly what’s happening. “Thanks for helping me up.”
“You help me get up sometimes, so it’s only fair,” I quip.
We somehow manage to finish our workout without me ripping her clothes off. By the time we make it home, I can hardly keep my hands or lips off of her.
I’ve never been happier in life than when I’m with her. She completes me in a way I didn’t even know I needed. And I can’t wait until I officially make her my wife.
Life is never dull with Juniper. We constantly smile and laugh together, whether we’re recording, at home, or even when I’m on the field.
She comes to all my games now, complete with wearing my name and number. Of course, she has to take it one step further and make a different sign to hold up at every game. The media eats it up. I’m positive that at this point they all love her more than me these days.
I’m thankful her insecurities only lasted a short time before she recognized how gorgeous and awesome she is. She embraces it all now. And when someone does say something negative about her, she does one of two things: lets it roll off by ignoring it, or she fights back—for her and for all women. She makes me so damn proud every day.
I’m a lucky man.
The End
Cocky Hero Club
Want to keep up with all of the new releases in Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward's Cocky Hero Club world? Make sure you sign up for the official Cocky Hero Club newsletter for all the latest on our upcoming books:
https://www.subscribepage.com/CockyHeroClub
Check out other books in the Cocky Hero Club series:
http://www.cockyheroclub.com
About the Author
Lindsay Becs has always enjoyed writing as an outlet and a fun hobby. Having pushed outside her box, she wrote and self-published her first book in 2017. Now, she hopes to continue to explore deeper into the world of writing. Tragically beautiful love stories are what she enjoys writing most, but who knows what the future will hold.
Lindsay is also an avid reader, Netflix binger, and never goes far without coffee first. She wishes fall lasted all year long, and peanut M&M’s are her writing fuel. She is from the Buckeye state of Ohio but is privileged to have lived all over the world with her military husband, their three crazies, and nine-year-old puppy.
To find out more about Lindsay and upcoming projects find her here!
Facebook |Goodreads | Book Bub | Instagram | Website and Newsletter | Email
Other Books by Lindsay
STANDALONES & NOVELLAS
MOON | Broken Hearts
ALWAYS SERIES
Always | Always There | Promise Me Always | Always You | After Always
KING FAMILY NOVELS
Hate Nothing | Want Everything
Coming Soon
Crave All
Acknowledgments
My Hubs and kids: I love you. Thank you for supporting me and my dreams.
My Fab Five: JoAnna, Merci, Candace, Stacy and Chantelle, you are amazing! Thank you so much for helping to run my life. I’d be lost without you all. You are my heroes!
Ryleigh Sloan: Thank you for alpha reading for me. For stressing over this process with me and letting me know I wasn’t alone. I’m so incredibly grateful for you and your friendship.
Marley Valentine: Thank you for reading for me, formatting for me, listening to me freak out and over plan, and mostly for being a great friend.
Jacob Chance: Thank you for answering my random questions about sports. For taking the time to read this and give me your awesome insight. But mostly, thanks for always listening to me.
Tricia: Woman, you cannot ever leave me. Ever. Thank you for every comma and suggestion. You make my words perfect.
ARC and Street Teams: Thank you being my biggest cheerleaders. I love each one of you and I’m so eternally grateful for you.
Lovelies: Thank you for giving me a little piece of the internet to be me. I love going there to “play” with you. You are my heart.
Readers: Thank you so much for taking the time to read Mister Dimples. I had so much fun writing Troy and Juniper’s story. I hope you laughed and enjoyed reading it.
Always,
Lindsay
Mister Dimples Page 16