Chapter Twelve

  “Syyyyd,” JC complained as he dug his fingers in the bowl of popcorn that was nestled between them. “You’re too far away.”
  “Stay where you are,” she said from the other side of the couch. “The game is about to start.”
  He gave her a look. “Syd, come on now.”
  “You are a redskin fan,” she pointed out. “And during the game, you are the enemy.”
  He gave her a cocky grin. “You know it’s going down.”
  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever, who beat who during the first game of the season?”
  He pouted. “That’s different.”
  She let out a laugh. “Different! It was Monday Night Football and the Cowboys kicked some Deadskin ass!”
  “You want me to come over there,” he taunted back.
  “Stay where you are,” she warned. “Its kick off time.”
  He chuckled and then turned his attention to the TV. “I must say,” he said as he popped in a handful of popcorn. “I do enjoy the cowboy cheerleaders.”
  She laughed and then threw popcorn at him. “Your such a pig.”
  “Thank you dear,” he said and then threw a kernel at her.
  “You better behave,” she said as she kept her eyes on the screen and brushed the kernel out of her hair.
  He chuckled. “So are we gonna place a bet,” he said as he poked her thigh with his feet.
  She flinched and eyed him. “Sure. I got confidence in my boys.”
  He grinned. “So what’s the bet?”
  “Hmmm,” she pondered as she tapped her chin with her finger. “The loser has to…run around the condo buck naked.”
  His eyes widened. “Are you INSANE!”
  She chuckled. “What’s the matter? Chicken?”
  “Ahem…of course not…I don’t plan on being the one doing the streaking.”
  “Just wait, cocky boy,” she said as she watched the game.
  “All right it’s a deal,” he said and then leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, before returning to his corner.
  “Wahoo!! TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!!!” Sydney yelled as she bounced in her seat “Get ready to take it off, sweet thang!”
  He groaned as he hid his face with his hands. “What the hell did I just do?”
  “Place your bets boys,” Georgia said as she shuffled the cards.
  “Um, sweetie,” Joey said as he sat down at the table. “You played poker before?”
  She shrugged. “Here and there,” she said and then started shuffling the deck against her hand.
  Greg’s eyes widened. “I don’t want her to play,” he whined.
  “Oh, stop your whining,” Lonnie said as he rubbed his hands together. “You heard the lady, place your bets.”

  “Dammit,” Lonnie cursed as he threw down his cards. “You beat me, I can’t believe it.”
  She grinned as she scooped up her winnings. “Bluffing is my specialty,” she said with a wink.
  Lonnie growled in frustration and then took a chug of his beer. “What’s the score?” Lonnie asked.
  “Twenty-one all,” JC said as he was sitting up on the edge of the seat. It had been a close game the whole time and it was now the fourth quarter. There were only three minutes left and the cowboys had the ball. He was sweating bullets.
  They watched Aikman come out after the snap and threw it twenty yards down. Sydney jumped up when Ishmail leaped up and caught it on the Redskin’s 30. “YES!!”
  “Shit!” JC cursed and buried his face in his hands. “This is not good.”
  Sydney went over to him. “Let me help you take off that sweater, dear,” she teased as she began to lift it up.
  He shooed her hands away. “SO not funny,” he said as his attention was turned to the TV.
  The next play Emmit ran up the middle, but only went a few yards. Aikman tried to throw on the next two plays, but failed leaving it fourth down and five. There were only 10 seconds left on the clock and they were going for a field goal.
  “Oh dear lord, please,” JC prayed as they both crawled on their hands and knees and watched closely.
  The snap was made, and the kicker kicked the football. Their eyes were on the ball and it seemed to take forever, but then it bounced off the edge of the pole and went in. “YYYEEESSSS!!!!” Sydney yelled as she jumped up and down!!! “And we have a winner!!!”
  “FUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!” he groaned as he fell on the floor and buried his face with his hands.
  Sydney laughed as she continued to jump up and down. “JC has to streak, JC has to streak!!”
  Joey laughed. “Man, buddy, that sucks. I should warn you Sydney that it actually DOES shrink when we are cold!”
  JC groaned in embarrassment and hid his red face with a pillow. “This is so not happening,” he muffled in his pillow.
  Sydney placed her feet on either side of him and tore the pillow away. “Come on, hot stuff. It’s time to show us that cute little toushie of yours.
  He eyed her and then held up his hands for her to help him up. “I can’t believe I agreed to do this,” he said as he got up. “This is just all kinds of wrong here.”
  “Awww,” she said as she stuck out her lip. “Pooor, JC.”
  “DO I hafta?” he whined.
  She looked up at him. “Fraid so, babe.”
  “Dammit,” he cursed and then stalked off and grabbed a coat at the doorway and slammed the bathroom door behind him.
  Sydney rubbed her hands together. “Georgia, are you going to watch with me.”
  “I wouldn’t miss it,” she said as she started to get up.
  “Sit your cute little butt down,” Joey said as he pressed her shoulders and pushed her back down on the chair.
  “Ah, man,” she pouted. “You’re no fun.”
  He kissed her temple. “Don’t mean to be a party pooper, but if Sydney lost would you let me look?”
  “Point taken,” she said and then kissed him on the mouth.   Five minutes later JC came shuffling out with only a gray trench coat. “I am SO not a happy person.”
  “Jesus, C!” Lonnie exclaimed. “That is MY coat!”
  He rolled his eyes. “My coat doesn’t go past my butt, Lon,” he pointed out. “I had to use yours. I’ll give it…”
  “Ahh, keep it,” he said and then shook. “Keep it or burn it. Take your pick.”
  JC sighed and then tugged on Sydney’s arm. “Let’s get this over with,” he said and then carried her outside. “I swear, Syd, if a picture of me butt ass naked shows up on the cover of BOP, I’m going to be hella pissed.”
  She chuckled. “You're cute when you're angry.”
  “Oh shut up,” he said and then cupped her face and kissed her long and hard, before he threw off the coat and ran like hell.
  Sydney was about red in the face from laughing so hard and when he finally came back around her laughter stopped. He ran up threw the coat around him, gave her a quick kiss, and then ran inside. Sydney was still in a daze when she walked into the kitchen.
  “Sydney,” Georgia laughed and then trotted up to her. “You’re a little pale honey.”
  Sydney looked up at her with wide eyes. “If they actually shrink in the cold, I don’t even want to KNOW what he looks like when he’s NOT cold.”
  Georgia chuckled. “Go on upstairs and find out,” she teased.
  “Georgia!” she exclaimed.
  “You know you wanna,” she said and then just laughed when she turned red and walked off to join the table.
  Sydney trotted up the stairs and walked through the door but he wasn’t there. The shower wasn’t going, so he wasn’t in there. She needed to get to the bathroom anyway, so she walked in. She gasped when she saw JC laying in the bathtub. “I…I’m sorry, I…”
  He chuckled as he kept his eyes closed and rested his head against the back of the tub. “What’s it matter? You’ve already seen me naked.”
  She let out a giggle. “That’s true,” she said. She was so far back, she couldn’t see anything but his bare shoulders peaking out of the warm water. “Feel good?” she asked as she leaned against the frame.
  He peaked an eye open and grinned. “Very. It was cold as balls out there.”
  She laughed. “You’re a good sport, hun,” she said and then surprised him by walking towards him and leaned over and kissed him on the lips.
  JC moaned against her lips and lifted his hand out of the water, grabbed her arm and yanked her in fully clothed. “Looks like you needed a dip.”
  “JC!” she said in shock. “You’re NAKED!!”
  He chuckled. “Negatory, I’ve got a suit on.”
  She froze. “What?” she asked and then looked down to see that he did in fact have a suit on. “Why the hell did you take a bath with your suit on?”
  “Because I intended to pull you in, hun,” he said with a snicker. “I knew you’d come up just to peek your curiosity.”
  She gasped and then splashed him. “That’s SO not true!”
  “Ah jeez,” he laughed when she saw her turn red. “I saw your face when I came around the corner. You looked like a deer trapped in headlights.”
  She opened her mouth to say something, but she closed it when no words came out. She looked down at his grinning face and just laughed harshly before she cupped his face. “You’re terrible,” she said and then kissed him fully on the mouth. “But I lo…”
  His eyes grew serious when she almost said the words. She turned red again and quickly pulled away and tried to get out of the tub, but JC yanked her back down. “What were you going to say?”
  “Nothing,” she said as she tried to get out.
  He cupped her chin and pulled her head around to face him. “Sydney,” he said softly. “You told me last night, you can say it again.”
  Her eyes widened. “You heard that?”
  He kissed her softly. “Yes, I did. I loved hearing you say it.”
  “Why…Why didn’t you say it back?” she asked as she felt her heart begin to race.
  He tucked a hair behind her ear and looked into her eyes. “Because I knew you were asleep, and I wanted you to be fully awake when I said the words.”
  She swallowed hard when she felt the tears begin to flow. “I’m awake now,” she said softly.
  He smiled slightly and then leaned over and kissed her. “I love you,” he mumbled against her lips. “I love you so much it scares me.”
  She whimpered as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. “I love you too,” she murmured. “I love you so much.”

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