Page 11 of The Christmas Plan

A part of her couldn’t believe how light she felt on the court now, no longer dealing with her mother’s looming presence off court. Even an event like this would have been a chance to intimidate the competition for Kim.

And Taylor couldn’t be more grateful to rush across the court with a laugh as she faced off with her lover.

With the scores tied up in the third set, Mac chose a ball from the ball boy and got into serving position. As she did, her lips curled into a smile as she looked down the court at me. Even from here, Taylor could see the hunger in her eyes. She’d expected some of that lust to fade but so far, it was just as strong as the day they ran into each other in the locker rooms at Wimbledon.

Hell, it might be stronger now.Taylor swallowed hard as her eyes wandered down to Mac’s muscular legs, bending as she prepared to leap off of the hard court.

With a loud crack, the ball slammed across the court. Shaking the dirty thoughts from her mind, Taylor hustled to reach the hurtling yellow felt. But she had been too distracted, by the time she made it to the right side of the court, the ball had bounced out of play.

The umpire, sitting in the towering chair and dressed as Santa, called it. “Match, Mackenzie Bennett.”

Shrugging, Taylor giggled as she walked to the net and stretched out her hand to shake Mac’s.

At the net, Mac pulled Taylor closer while shaking hands. With a whisper, Mac winked. “Good game, baby.” She planted a gentle kiss on Taylor’s cheek, sending a warmth from her skin straight down her spine.

Mac walked over to the umpire Santa and shook his hand too. Following close behind, Taylor did the same. “Thanks for volunteering, ump.”

“Anything for the children.” He gave a hardy laugh from under the fake beard and belly.

As Taylor and Mac walked to their bags and started putting their stuff away, Mackenzie walked over to the sidelines and started signing balls. For just a moment, Taylor watched her. Fame looked incredible on her. She was humble as ever and more generous than any other star Tay had seen.

Swallowing, Taylor walked over to the crowd and shrugged. “Do you guys even want this big ol’ loser’s signature?” She winked as she pulled out a sharpie and started working her way down the line of the excited kids.

Each of them squealed as they handed her their tennis balls.

After a moment, Taylor waved goodbye and grabbed her bag from the bench. Mac took her cue and slung hers over her shoulder.

They waved goodbye to the crowd before heading down the player’s tunnel toward the locker. Behind them, the crowd cheered one more time for them. Mac reached down with her free hand and grabbed Taylor’s, lacing their fingers together as they ducked into the tunnel.

Leaning against the wall, Mac’s coach Barbara stood up when she saw the duo. “Well done, you two. You raised some good money.”

Mac nodded and stopped in front of the locker room door. “I’m going to talk to Tommy about potentially matching the money raised. That sponsorship should cover it.”

“True, but you have to save some for yourself.” Babs shook her head as she looked over at Taylor. “She’s too willing to give money away.”

A smile took over Taylor’s face. “Or just the right amount.”

Babs rolled her eyes and gave each of them a pat on the shoulder. “You still looking for a new manager?”

“Yep.” Not wanting to get into the details, Taylor just smiled and turned toward Mac. “Ready to go home?”

With a nod, Mac said goodbye to Babs and pushed open the locker room door. Only once the door was closed did Mac turn around to look at Taylor. “She was just trying to be nice.”

Lowering her head, Taylor sighed. “I know, I just hate talking about it.”

“I hear you.” Mac squared her body with Tay’s, dropping her bag on the bench at the center of the locker room. “Maybe going to the agency party will help – just to give you a few options.”

“Maybe.” Taylor wiggled her eyebrows as she rested her hands on Mac’s waist. The red workout shirt made her muscles hard to ignore. Toned and bulging from the match, Mac’s arms looked like they could swallow Taylor whole.

Mac leaned down and kissed her cheek again. “You know, we could have a few of our own.”

Pulling away, Taylor gawked at Mac. “What? Kids?”

Mac nodded.

Taylor lightly punched her strong chest. “Mackenzie, you’re crazy. We’ve been dating for like five months.”

“And we’ve known each other for ten-odd years. I think it’s a great idea.” Licking her lips, Mac pulled Taylor closer.

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