Tied Up in Knotts Ch. 12

Penn glanced around the street. It was busy and probably not the place to get touchy-feely but what we had was new and I wasn't concerned about anyone but him. A blush crept up his face and he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"When did you realize you were attracted to me?" He was fishing. Lucky for him I was easily baited.

"Fourth of July when we spent the day on the boat. You weren't all that chatty but there was something about you. Plus, you were killer on the water. It's hard not to be attracted to such raw talent."

He blushed. "What about when we danced together?"

"Well, yeah, that was pretty hot. You know who else danced with me, Cam."

"Yes, I remember." His expression darkened. "I wanted to murder her. She knew how I felt about you and she was being shameless. I didn't talk to her for a few days after that."

"I actually felt kind of bad that your wife was kind of a slut."

"It's part of her charm. She can do anyone she wants except you. You've always been off-limits," he growled, pulling me back into the street by my hand.

"It's so weird. thought you didn't like me for longest time." I told him as we wandered around the city. Penn looked at me like I was crazy. "It's true. You always looked annoyed when I was around. When we all went to dinner after the playoff game, you came late and the second you saw me, your whole demeaner changed and you barely looked at me."

"The only people I was annoyed with were my brothers for inviting you everywhere. I could see what they were doing and it was embarrassing. There's nothing like having the guy you like flaunted around in front of you. If I came off angry, it was because I didn't know how to act around you. I was scared of being too obvious."

"I promise, you were anything but obvious."

Penn laughed. "Actually, I think you're just blind. I was plenty obvious; you just weren't paying attention."

He was probably right. I really wasn't paying attention. I had other things to worry about. I gripped his hand and walked a little closer. We were just walking now; the vendors were a think of the past.

"Why didn't you tell me about Cam earlier?"

"Hmm," Penn hummed. "Because I didn't think you actually thought we were married. I thought you were joking. Then there's the fact I worried what you'd think. You are unlike anyone I've ever met. You never would've made a rash decision like Cam and I did. What if you judged me for being so stupid? What if you thought to yourself 'Man, I could never date someone like that.'"

"What if you looked at me and thought 'Man, I could never date someone who couldn't see what was going on right under his nose, what an idiot,'" I countered.

"That's ridiculous," Penn scoffed.

"Exactly. And you could've saved me a lot of confusion by slipping in the fact that you and Cam weren't really married and you fancied men."

"Hey Nash," Penn said oh so causally. "Cam and I aren't really married, not the way it matters. And I fancy you."

I laughed and kissed Penn's hand. Could he be any cuter?

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. Tired of the hostels with their twenty-something loud patrons and thin walls, we opted for another hotel room with a bigger bed and private shower.

We made out a little and talked a lot. Then made out a lot and talked a little. We didn't go much further than that.

Not returning Penn's feelings had been hard on him. He wanted me to detail every second of the last nine months. He wanted me to recall every time my heart sped up because of him, how I felt when I looked at him, or each time I got a boner because of him. He was especially pleased if he thought any of these happened while I was with Lee.

Well, whatever he wanted, I was happy to give him. The biting of his lip and the blush the crept up his next was worth every bit of information I could muster.

****

Seeing as much as possible fell to the wayside. Everything was different now. The tides shifted from quantity to quality. We'd started the trip by covering the maximum distance possible in the least amount of time while staying in the cheapest hostels to not giving a shit about anything except the time we spent together.

So, we drove on. Penn's arm around my shoulder and mine on his thigh. Only this time, there was no excuses. Everything was out in the open.

I still had questions and we still had a lot to talk about, but we'd get to that. One question/conversation at a time. That's how these things worked.

Even a disgruntled email from Lee, threatening to fight the divorce because blah blah blah, didn't bring me down. I simply forwarded them to my lady lawyer and also to his boss, Eric Chambers. He could pitch a fit if he wanted. The only thing left between him and I were things. I might've needed the money to survive but I no longer cared enough to carry that burden on my shoulders. The future I had waiting for me was worth more than what was left between us. I let the lady lawyer know she had my blessing to do as she pleased regarding the divorce. If Lee wasn't going to be civil, then neither did I.