Page 20 of Moonlit Kisses

“Oh yeah? Are you some kind of expert on soccer?” My mood drops as I remember all the hours spent watching soccer games on television and attending practices and matches for Ethan. “Are you okay?”

I mustn’t have hidden my thoughts well enough. Looking back up at Max, I nod. “Yeah.” I clear my throat, putting a fake smile on my face. “You guys played a great second half and that last goal …” I mime a chef’s kiss. “Beautiful teamwork.”

“You wanna come celebrate with me and the boys at Brady’s Pub? It’s close to here.”

I brush off his offer with a flick of my wrist. I’m sure he didn’t mean to ask. He’s just excited about the win. “I didn’t play, so there’s no need for me to celebrate.”

“You helped us win with your cheering and dancing along the sidelines. You had some sensational moves, by the way.”Is he flirting with me? My hot boss.“You should definitely celebrate with us.” He winks.

“Nah. You go have fun with your teammates. I’ll see you at work in the morning.”

“You coming, Max?” A couple of the guys call out to Max from several feet away, then they tip their heads to me. “Thanks for the entertainment, Blondie!”

I was so caught up in the excitement of the game and cheering the guys on that I didn’t stop to think that I might cause a scene. My cheeks heat and I drop my head to look at my shoes. How embarrassing. “I’m sorry if I caused a scene and embarrassed you.”

“You didn’t cause a scene, and you definitely didn’t embarrass me. Maybe yourself though …” He laughs, leaving the sentence hanging. He waves them off over his shoulder, calling out, “Meet you at Brady’s.” His friends walk toward the parking lot, leaving him behind, and I shuffle on my feet. How am I going to get out of this? “C’mon. See, the guys honestly appreciated your support. One drink and some pizza. My buy.” When I take my time responding, he asks, “Do you have somewhere else you need to be?”

“No, it’s … uh … I don’t want to intrude.” I don’t want to tell him I’ve got barely any money to get me by until payday, because he seems like the type of guy who would give me money and I don’t want him to do that. It’s important to me he doesn’t know about my situation.

“You’re not intruding. You can follow me.” He runs back to collect his things, then drops to the grass at my feet to change out of his cleats. Standing, he pulls his t-shirt over his head, exposing his torso to me at close range. It’s the first time I’ve seen him completely bare. My eyes scan the expanse of toned flesh, pausing above his heart where he has a tattoo. I step closer to get a better look at the inked design in the limited light. My fingers lift without permission to trace over the intricately designed mechanical heart which looks to be inside his chest; the skin having been torn open and pulled out of the way. The muscle in his chest flinches at my touch and I realize how inappropriate it is for me to touch him in this way, so I quickly snatch my fingers back.

My eyes snap up to his. “Sorry. I … I didn’t realize I had actually touched you. I was engrossed in the detailed design.”

He glances down at the tattoo. “It’s okay. I guess I’ve become accustomed to it, I forget it’s there half the time.”

“It’s beautifully detailed in its design. The artist is very talented.” Dropping my eyes away from his, they catch on another tattoo on the opposite side of his body. On his flank, he has an open wound that is bleeding oil instead of blood. I smile as I look back up at his face. “I’m sensing a theme here.” I wave my finger around the general direction of his torso.

“Lincoln,” he thumbs over his shoulder toward the parking lot, “did them for me. He owns a tattoo shop.” He shrugs. “I’ve always loved cars. Looking at them, working with them. It’s in my blood.” He runs his hand over the heart tattoo and then down further across the wound.

I nod. “I can see that.”

He pulls a fresh shirt over his head, stealing my view. “C’mon, let’s go or there’ll be nothing left by the time we get to the pub.”

“Do other women join you guys after your game?”

“Hell, no. No women allowed.”

My eyebrows jump up. “Then why are you inviting me?” I wave my arm down my body and his eyes track the action. “In case you didn’t notice, I’m a woman.”

“Believe me, I noticed.” His eyes slowly make their way back to mine. There’s heat in them, if I’m not mistaken. “I’m nominating you as head of our cheer squad, so you’re part of the team now.” He wraps his arm around my neck and drags me along with him toward the parking lot. “You wanna come with me? I can drop you back here afterwards.”

I push at him, wiggling from his hold. “Ewww, you smell.” Not really, but he was making my tummy flip, and I needed some space to keep myself in check. It looks as though he’s not going to take no for an answer and a slice of pizza and pint of beer sounds awesome right about now. “Sure. That sounds good, but can I trust you not to drink and drive?”

“You have my word. I’ll keep you safe. Promise.” Even though I don’t know him very well, I get the sense he’s a man of his word.

CHAPTER10

–max–

I have to admit;I was completely wrong about Molly. I made assumptions about the girl sleeping in her car that were way off base. Yeah, she’s fucking gorgeous, but she doesn’t shove it in your face and her looks don’t seem to be her priority. She’s a hard worker who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. Over the last three weeks, I’ve found her to be thoughtful, sweet, and friendly, if not a little guarded. Her capabilities in the office have helped to streamline some aspects that I never knew needed streamlining. And tonight, well, that was the icing on the cake. When I spotted her sitting on the hood of her car while I was warming up, I couldn’t stop myself from showing off a little. I’m a decade older than her—not to mention I’m her boss—and have no business trying to attract her attention. But I wanted her to look at me and to like what she saw.

I grab her slender hand as we step over the threshold into Brady’s. “The guys are usually in the back booths in the corner. Follow me.” Not once on the way here did she worry about what she’s wearing or the fact that she had no makeup on or that her hair is actually a mess.It’s fucking refreshing.

Those dimples I love so much, make an appearance as she nods her head. She’s still an enigma. She’s shared very little about where she’s from or what brought her to this city. It’s not my business, but I sense she doesn’t have many people around her, if any at all, and I wonder why that is. I guess I have to be patient and give her time to get used to me, to trust me enough to share her story. And I think she’s going to have quite a story. Sometimes I catch her lost in thought, her eyes glassy and I wonder what’s made her sad.

The boys spot us through the crowd, their faces lighting up at the sight of Molly. There was a fair amount of discussion about her during the half-time break until I announced she was my new office manager and told them to cut it out. For some reason, I didn’t like them talking about her like she’s just a hot body and pretty face. She’s so much more than that.

Finn stands, allowing the two of us to slide in, then he takes his position at the end of the booth. He needs to sit on the end in case he needs to see to anything behind the bar. “Pizzas should be out in a minute.”

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