Page 33 of Long Shot

“And I’ll take a vodka soda, on her tab.” Taylor winked at the bartender.

Before they could walk away, Mac raised her finger. “Actually, you might want to check her ID, I can’t imagine she’s older than 21.”

Taylor rolled her eyes. The bartender laughed. It was clear from the light wrinkles playing at Taylor’s temples that she was past being underaged. Even if she still looked exactly the way Mac remembered her.

Shrugging, the bartender played in. “Yeah, she’s right. Something doesn’t look right.”

Taylor grumbled under her breath, as she passed the card to the bartender. “You’re a dumbass.”

Maybe it was the lighting, but Mac could swear there was a blush on her cheeks.

“Looks legit.” They joked as they left to get the drinks, holding out the card to whoever could grab it faster. Mac snatched the card just fast enough.

She scanned the words quickly, turning it toward the brightest light in the room. Squinting, Mac raised her eyebrows. “Taylor… Bennett?”

Swallowing hard, Taylor tapped her fingers against the bar. “It’s a common last name.”

Mac sighed. “Right. No coincidence there.” Her heart was beating out of her chest. There was no way that Taylor was pretending to have Mac’s last name. They hadn’t even spoken in ten years…

14

Taylor

Well,that’s mortifying.Taylor looked up at the ceiling as she tried to avoid Mac’s smirk.

“What were you doing at my gym?” Mac leaned on the bar and turned toward Taylor. She couldn’t stop her eyes from wandering down Mac’s neck. It was glistening with a light layer of sweat, leading down to her defined collar bone and bare chest.

Taylor’s throat tightened at the sight. She couldn’t count how many times her lips had kissed that sensitive spot, the way that Mac’s skin rose under her touch.

Shaking her head, Taylor flicked her eyes back to Mac’s dark gaze. “I needed a change of routine. And I can’t afford to let you get that close again.” She tried to harden her gaze, clenching her jaw.

The clinking of glasses next to them startled her. Pouring tequila in each glass, the bartender slid Taylor’s drink over to her.

Taylor couldn’t be more grateful to have a drink in her hand.

Mac laughed. “I’m sure Kim loved that.”

Rolling her eyes, Taylor sipped from her glass. The bitter taste made her suck her teeth. “She wasn’t crazy about it.”

Mac leaned in, her shirt parting a little more as she lowered her voice. “Well, if she asks, tell her that your game is weak because your hitting partners are scared to actually play you. They’re going easy on you. You’ve forgotten what real force is. And I’m going to show it to you.”

Taylor felt her chest rising and falling as Mac’s scent wafted into her nose. The smell alone could have sent her back in time – their legs wrapped up in sheets, Mac’s skin on hers.

But Mac continued, “And tell her I said hi.”

Before Taylor could come up with a witty reply, Mac had carefully positioned each shot glass in her two hands. She carried them through the crowd with ease, the crowd moving for her without being asked.

As soon as she was gone, Taylor felt her stomach drop. Every time she came out, a part of her hoped that Mackenzie would be there –that there would be a reason for them to talk again. But it was never enough. None of it would be.

After a minute, Taylor polished off her drink and set it on the bar. She strutted across the bar and leaned against the threshold between the bar and the dance floor. At the center, Mac’s friends were partying like it was their last night on earth.

Taylor licked her lips as she watched Mac move. Her body was freer than it was when they’d last been close. There was a fluidity to her that she must have discovered in the last few years. But it didn’t carry into her game. Taylor crossed her arms, waiting for Mac to feel her eyes.It’s worth a shot.

It only took a few seconds for Mac to scan for her, their eyes meeting again.

With a slight tilt of her head, Taylor pointed toward the bathroom. Mac looked down to the floor, trying to stay onbeat. Turning on her heel, Taylor headed toward the single stall bathroom. With each step, her stiletto stuck to the bar floor.

She closed the bathroom door behind her, leaving it unlocked as she waited.

---