I’m pressed up against Mack on the bench, and happy to stay here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m just as red-blooded as every other American. I follow football and yell at my screen every Sunday, just like everyone else. However, right now, I’m a bit more interested in the sexy guy to my left.
I sneak a peek at Mack and let my eyes wander over his rugged features. His brown hair is tousled just like when we were kids. But that’s where the similarities to the boy I once knew end. Sitting next to me, with tattoos sneaking out from under his white tee is a man. No question. My gaze falls down over his muscles and my mind wanders to how his hard body would feel against mine once I ripped that shirt off him. And those jeans. They’d have to go.
I glance back at his face and feel my cheeks run hot as Mack watches me, smirking. So much for a subtle glimpse.
“Are you bored with the game?” His voice is like velvet and makes me want to feel his arms around me as he whispers in my ear. “Or were you distracted by something?” His eyes twinkle mischievously. He knows damn well I was checking him out. He’s loving this.
“No, I was, um,” my mind races as I try to save some face here. I’ll give Mack a lot of things, my body, my heart, my future, but I’ll never give him the upper hand. “I was just going to ask you how you got tickets this good. These seats are amazing.” I lie. Well, it’s not a total lie. I mean, those thoughts have crossed my mind in the past five hours. Just not when he caught me eye-fucking him.
“Uh-huh. Tickets, huh? That’s why you were undressing me with your eyes? More like you were wondering how you can get tickets, to the gun show.” He lifts his arm, flexing his bicep jokingly. Even though he’s just kidding around, I have to remind myself to slide my eyes back over to his face when I see his cut muscle flexing tight against his sleeve.
“Oh, give it up!” I nudge him with my elbow gently. “Not every look from a woman means she wants to sleep with you.” Why are his lips so distracting? Is there no safe space on his face or body that I can rest my eyes anymore?
“Maybe not every woman, but you do.” His smile broadens like he’s just won the Super Bowl. God, he’s so arrogant. God, he’s so right.
“Seriously, how’d you get these seats? This is amazing,” I sweep my hand out toward the field. I almost feel like, if I’m not careful, I might bump one of the players.
“I have my ways,” he answers slyly. I bet he does. He probably got them from one of his little bimbos. Not that I care. Except, I do.
Luckily, with only forty seconds left on the clock, the Buffaloes score a touchdown and the crowd erupts into deafening madness. Somehow, above the cheering and yelling, I can still hear Chelsea freaking out.
I guess I made the right call inviting her.
Mack and I stand up and join the crowd in their riotous screams of joy. On the other side of me, my son is happily jumping like he’s stolen a pogo stick from a small child.
“Did you see that, Mom?” he screams over the noise. “This is awesome!” It does my heart good to see him so happy. After the year we’ve had, I was starting to wonder if he’d ever be happy again.
Lieutenant Rogers did us a solid by getting him into that group therapy session. I took him to his first one on Thursday, and I feel like I’m already seeing a positive change in him. Between the therapy, and the way he and Mack have been bonding, I’m starting to settle into this once unfamiliar feeling of hope.
“I saw,” I answer him, but he’s already back to watching the field. With the clock counting down, it’s obvious that the game is over, but Chris doesn’t want to miss a nanosecond.
The timer erases numbers until it hits zero. The game is over, the Buffaloes won. This couldn’t have been a better day. When Mack first talked to Chris about taking me on a date, I was a little annoyed at how he played his hand. Going through my son to get a date with me was a bit sneaky. Now, I could kiss him for having such a great idea. And kiss him for having such sexy lips, and eyes, and abs … My eyes snap back up to Mack and he’s smiling down at me. Caught red-handed. Again! If I’m going to keep working with him at the hospital, I’m going to need to step up my game a bit.
“Ok, let’s pack it in,” I ignore Mack’s knowing smile and direct my attention at Chris and my sister. “Traffic is going to be a nightmare, so we might as well make our way to the car.” I gather up my water bottle and check to see if I’m leaving anything behind.
“Wait a sec,” Mack puts his hand on my arm and a tingle shoots through my skin.