who was an academic like her. Not someone who was on the road half the year and whose only goal was to keep scoring baskets until they dragged his crippled body off the court.
In terms of staying power, clearly Edward was the better choice—though not by much. And it’s not like Tori had the choice of just the two of them. There were lots of other academics in the world who weren’t douchebags. Someone else could give her everything she deserved.
He looked back at his house and pictured his woman snoring into his pillow. “Just wait until fall,” he said softly. “You’ll only piss her off if you badger her now.”
He looked back to where Edward was clearly thinking hard. “But maybe I should stick around? You know, give her the coffee and the bagels? Maybe I’ll find something out about this guy.”
“Trust me,” Mike said, “you don’t want to know. Physically, he’s a god.”
“Really? In Evanston?”
“People work out, Edward. Even people who live in the burbs.” He looked at the guy’s thin legs. “You should try it sometime. You’re going to have to compete against this guy in bed.”
Edward waved his hand in dismissal. “All those steroid dicks are flabby in bed. I assure you, I can compete.”
Having never taken a steroid in his life, he couldn’t speak to that. Though he certainly knew that Edward hadn’t been remotely adequate in bed. In fact, Mike had just decided to spend the rest of his summer making sure no one ever came close to his prowess in that area. And certainly not this lightweight.
Meanwhile, he gestured to the food. “You should go. I’ll make sure she gets these.”
Edward hesitated, clearly undecided. So Mike pushed him over the edge.
“You don’t want to stand next to this man. Physically, man, you just don’t measure up.”
Edward stiffened. “There’re other assets beyond a physique. Things that I have in abundance. I have a good job that pays me well.”
So did Mike. Millions every year. But eventually his playing years would be over, whereas Edward probably had tenure. He’d be employed for decades, well after Mike was a crippled old geezer. And as if Edward could read his mind, he kept talking, rubbing salt into the wound.
“Tori and I understand each other’s fields. We can talk about our professional lives.”
Crap. Tori had certainly been studying basketball, but what the hell did he know about comparative religion? In this particular case, Edward had it over him in spades.
“Plus she likes my friends. And they like her.”
Mike winced, thinking of what she would think of his friends. That they were all big dumb jocks, probably. And crude as well. And though his sisters were well on their way to higher degrees, their background was vastly different from Tori’s ivory tower life. Hell, he didn’t even know his real father. Hers came over for sushi and pie.
“Tori needs to be with me,” Edward said firmly. Clearly the man had just convinced himself it was true.
“So wait until she gets tired of the mundane assets and impress her with your other attributes.”
The man still wasn’t convinced, but Mike was now beyond tired of this conversation. He didn’t make a habit of measuring himself against other men, but Edward was making him do it with an unusually clear eye. Except for the really hot sex, what did he and Tori have in common?
Nothing.
“Look, I’m going to take a shower. You want me to give her those bagels or not?”
Edward gave in with little grace. He shoved the bagels at him and one of the coffees. “It’s all her favorites in there. Even the strawberry cream cheese. This is her favorite mocha. It had whip cream and sprinkles too, but it’s probably all melted.”
Mike grabbed the bag and coffee, doing his best not to throw them at the guy. Jesus, he didn’t want Tori to want this bastard, but he had to let her make the choice. He had to let her live her life even if it meant she chose a dickhead instead of… Of what? Him? Life on the road, hanging out with basketball jocks and their bunny wives? She’d hate all the publicity and the lack of privacy. Sure, she’d handled the one guy in the restaurant with poise. But how would she deal with dozens of them banging on their door every day? He’d seen strong women crack under that kind of pressure.
“I’ll tell her,” Mike said as he turned for his house. And Tori.
“Tell her I’ll