Page 103 of The Games We Play
Pausing to catch my breath, I bent over, hands on my knees, lungs burning just a little from the sprint.
“If someone had a gun to my head and told me to pick the friend most likely to be late,” Theo said, strolling over with a teasing smirk, “I’d pick you every damn time.”
I laughed, holding out my gift bag and purse for her to take. “What an honor.”
Theo was wearing baggy cutoff shorts that were unbuttoned and a dark blue bikini, her tattoos on full display. Her hair was braided into two playful pigtails, and her smile was pure mischief.
She took my things with ease, then pulled me into a tight, familiar hug. I melted into it, still breathless.
“Please tell me you brought the baby,” I said as we walked toward the group gathered off to the side. “I need a hit of that new baby smell.”
“Oh myGod,” she laughed, shaking her head. “No baby today. My mom all but begged to keep her for a few nights. She took some time off work and swears there’s no better way to spend it than with her granddaughter.”
“Well, your mom isn’t wrong,” I said with a grin.
As we approached the rest of the group, Boone turned toward me. “You know what I’m getting you foryourbirthday, Penny?”
I stopped and placed my hands on my hips, scanning the familiar faces. My gaze caught onhimimmediately—Mac, already looking at me like he knew every thought in my head. That slow, crooked smile of his made heat rise in my chest.
“Let me guess, something time-management related?” I said, leaning down to hug Aspen from behind.
She was sitting on a rock, cheeks puffed as she blew up a bright pink floaty, her eyes wide as she gave me a thumbs-up mid-breath.
“She’s fine,” Aspen said when she ran out of breath and needed a break, defending me like the angel she was. “We all know to build in the buffer.”
I kissed her cheek and murmured, “This is why you’re my favorite.”
I stood and scanned the area for an open spot. There was only one, which was an old log that had been turned into a makeshift seat. It just so happened to be right next to Mac.
Before heading over, I peeled off my oversized T-shirt to use it to brush away any dirt from the log. The sun filtered through the trees above, dappled light kissing my skin, warm but not harsh.
As I walked past him, Mac lifted a bottle in my direction—offering it wordlessly, the hint of a grin still tugging at his lips.
That smile, that look… it was all there, leaving me even more breathless.
I took the bottle from Mac’s hand, letting my fingers brush his on purpose—just lightly, just enough.
Electric.
He felt it too. His jaw ticked, that almost-imperceptible shift in his shoulders, like he was grounding himself against the jolt of it.
“Thanks,” I said, my voice softer than before. Almost shy, which wasn’t like me. Not usually.
I had to keep myself in check today because our friends still didn’t know what was happening.
I don’t know why I still hadn’t gone to Aspen to help with the mess inside my head. Maybe a part of me felt silly for not cutting things off for good, for giving him the chance to yearn and grovel his way back into my life.
Mac tilted his head, watching me. “Hot pink, huh?” His gaze dipped for the briefest second, enough to make heat crawl up the back of my neck. “The color of angels.”
I rolled my eyes, but I smiled anyway. “You sound like you thought hard about that one.”
“I didn’t.” He leaned back on his palms, his thigh brushing against mine as I sat down next to him on the log. “But Ihavebeen thinking about you nonstop in less than that since the other night.”
That earned him a sharp inhale from me, and a heartbeat that stumbled in my chest.
“Mac…”
He didn’t say anything right away. Just looked ahead at the water glimmering in the sunlight, the ripple of movement from the light breeze. The sound of chatter fell into the background from our friends next to us.
