“No, I get it.” He cut her off before she could finish that thought. “Keep me posted.”
She nodded and let go of his arm, then turned to walk back to her car. She paused, glancing at him over her shoulder. “Stay safe out there, Boy Scout.”
A few minutes later, she’d driven away.
Blake let out a seething breath and turned to stare at the firehouse where Reggie was. When Blake strode in a moment later, Reggie was in the kitchen washing dishes.
“We need to talk.”
Reggie glanced back, surprise in his eyes, and dropped the plate. “Oh, hey, man.”
“You’re taking Kristen out tomorrow?”
Understanding dawned in his friend’s eyes, and he gave a short nod. His tone was cautious. “I am. You got a problem with that?”
Yes.
Blake drew in an unsteady breath. “Not if you listen to me carefully. She’s a friend’s little sister. And she’s not very experienced with men.”
“Oh.” Reggie frowned. “Well, that’s cool—”
“No, let me just…be blunt.” Blake thrust a hand through his hair. “She’s a virgin. She’s been looking for someone to hook up with to get a little more experienced, if you know what I mean.”
“Kristen told you all this?” Skepticism was clear on Reggie’s face.
“Yeah. She did. And for the record, this conversation never happened.” No way in hell was he going to admit how he’d ended up as Kristen’s wingman. That Kristen had initially approached him first. “I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into.”
Damn, Kristen would kick his ass to hell and back if she could hear him now.
When Reggie didn’t immediately reply, Blake cleared his throat. “Are you freaking out?”
“Not at all. I read an article talking about how people are waiting longer to have sex. Makes sense. She seems pretty young still. And everyone has to have their first time at some point, right?” He paused. “Do you think she’ll go all crazy on me or something after?”
“No. You’ll be lucky if she calls you again.”
Disappointment flickered in the other man’s eyes. He adjusted his glasses and shrugged. “Okay, so it’s like that. I’ll be cool with whatever happens—whether she wants to get down and dirty or not. She’s a cute, sweet girl, and I’m pretty excited at the chance to go out with her.”
Shit. Reggie was absolutely getting laid tomorrow.
Everything in Blake screamed to not let this happen. To sabotage this again. But you literally couldn’t find a nicer guy than Reggie.
So why did he still want to punch the excitement off his friend’s face?
Blake balled his hands into fists and sighed.
Reggie cleared his throat. “Hey, what kind of flowers do you think she’d like?”
It was official. This was the second circle of hell.
*
“So, it’s reallyhappening? You found the one?”
Kristen tightened the towel around her body and glanced over at Tori, who was sitting on the hotel bed. “I did. It’s so crazy, but I’m excited.”
After thinking it through, Kristen had decided to book a room at a nearby hotel. Bringing a guy back to Tori’s apartment was out of the question, and she didn’t really trust going to Reggie’s place yet. A hotel room had seemed neutral. Tori had driven her here but didn’t seem in a hurry to leave.
Kristen grabbed the bottle of strawberry-scented lotion out of her backpack and applied it to her legs. “I mean, I hope it all works out. He seemed pretty interested.”