Title: The Jock Script
Series: The Script Club #3
Author: Lane Hayes
Narrator: Alexander Cendese
Publisher: Lane Hayes
Release Date: Sept. 24, 2021
Length: 250
Genre: Romance, Bisexual, Jock and Nerd, Romantic Comedy, Coming Out, Humor
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Synopsis
The nerd, the coach, and the hookup…
Asher-
Swipe left, swipe left, swipe left. Sure, the idea of a quick, no-strings intimate rendezvous via hookup app sounds oddly thrilling, but it’s simply not me. Or maybe it is me, because it happened…and I liked it. Until I realized he looked familiar for a reason. A bad reason. Now I’ve made a faux pas with the sexiest man on planet Earth, and my internal karma system requires me to fix it. Help!
Blake-
I may seem like I have it together, but the truth is, I’m a hot mess. I’m so deep in the closet that I can’t remember my real name some days. That’s okay. The benefit of one-night stands is anonymity. Until Asher. Not a total surprise. I’ve always had a thing for geeks, but I’ve never met anyone like him. He’s a pint-sized dynamo on a quest for perfection who can help me come out…if I follow his script.
Hmm. I’m in.
The Jock Script is an MM bisexual, geek/jock romance starring a bowtie wearing nerd, a sexy lacrosse coach, and a shenanigan inducing script!
“What’s an Allen wrench?”
I tore open the plastic bag included in the packaging and held up a thin wrench. “This. Okay, step one, we insert the cam screws into the upright panel where the shelves go.”
“What’s a cam screw?” he asked, worrying his bottom lip.
I held up the screw and the screwdriver and showed him how to tighten it. “Want to try it on the other bookshelf?”
“Oh, I don’t think I’m ready for that. I’ll watch you.”
“You mean ‘help me.’ That’s what you wanted to do, remember?”
Asher grunted. “Yes.”
“Hey, this is the fun part. It’s just a matter of following directions. Roll your shoulders back and relax.” I gave him a quick sideways glance. “Want to take your shoes off?”
He hesitated for a beat before nodding. He made himself comfortable and scooted close enough that I could smell his cologne. We’d been around each other most of the day, but my awareness of him felt heightened somehow. I didn’t get it. Sitting on the floor in my living room surrounded by boxes, tools, and bookshelf parts wasn’t sexy in the slightest. In fact, nothing we’d done today had been remotely romantic. But it had been surprisingly fun.
This was fun too. I didn’t know what it was, but something in the air had changed. The note of anticipation was stronger than ever. I could feel the charge between us like a buzzing live wire.
And damn, I was tired of ignoring my attraction to him. I’d agreed that we could only be friends, but my body was not a fan of that idea. I wished I could push this shit aside, pull out my old comics, and hold him while he geeked out to his favorite space adventures. I wished I could massage the stress from his shoulders, kiss his neck, and breathe him in.
“Now what?”
“Uh…” I coughed and cleared my throat. “We have to attach the kickplate and align the screws at the holes.”
“And push them in?”
“No, we screw them in.”
“That sounds like sex,” he blurted before covering his mouth.
I scratched my head with a groan. “Pay attention. You’re doing that one on your own.”
Asher cast a wary gaze at the unopened box nearby and sighed. “Okay. I’m listening.”
Forty minutes later, I was the proud owner of two well-put-together bookshelves. Spoiler alert…I did all the work.
In his defense, Asher tried, but he couldn’t quite work up the muscle required to tighten bolts and hoist boards into place. He was a little embarrassed by his effort, but I assured him I didn’t mind. I liked his company, and this was the sort of project I could have done with my eyes closed.
“Well done. They’re nothing fancy, but they look good,” I commented, smacking the top of each of the short bookshelves.
“Yes. You did well. Where did you acquire these skills?”
“My dad likes to build stuff. I always got roped into helping him when I was a kid. I didn’t mind, though. It was fun.”
“Fun,” he repeated in a kind of daze. “I’m never going to be able to build my mother’s bookshelf.”
“I told you I’d help you. Just tell me when.”
Asher cocked his head. “Thank you. I’ll talk to her. There’s a chance she hired someone, and it’s already filled to the brim with books and knickknacks.”
“If not, call me.” I brushed my hand on my shorts and smiled. “I should take you to your car before they lock the gates to the school parking lot. Ready?”
He stared, unseeing, into the kitchen, then nodded. “Yeah, I—what now? Are you ready to come out? Is my job over? Will I see you again? It’s fine if I don’t—well, that’s not true. It would be nice to…”
I let him ramble on about cultivating friendship or something like that. His hands moved like an orchestra conductor’s as his speech gained momentum. He was nervous and that made me nervous. I didn’t like the idea of us feeling uneasy around each other. I wanted to assure him that we didn’t have to make any big commitments or relegate friendship to a schedule. We could go with the flow and see where this led and—damn, he was still talking.
I stepped into his space to get his attention. When he looked up at me with those big blue eyes, I forgot how to speak, so I acted instead. I cupped his chin and fused my mouth to his.
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Lane Hayes loves a good romance! An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016, 2017, and 2018-2019 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a not quite empty nest.
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