Page 24 of The Games We Play
The urge to end this conversation and deal with Mac head-on wassostrong, but I forced myself to stay present.
“Hot!” I sighed dramatically, dragging my focus back to the call. “That is every girl’s dream.”
Mac stood from my desk, moving enough to catch my attention before casually making his way to the opposite side.
One by one, he started clearing off my desk.
What the hell is he doing?
Every item—my planner, my pens, even my phone stand—moved elsewhere, making space for something else.
“You’re happy,” Aspen said softly, resting both hands on the counter as she peered through the phone.
“I am,” Theo admitted, her smile soft, content. “Rhodes has been so supportive, so kind. Being with him is… easy. I’ve always liked being alone, but being with him is better. He makes me feel understood, heard.He gives me a kind of comfort I haven’t felt in a long time.”
I should’ve been invested in the conversation. I wanted to be.
But my focus? It was fully hijacked.
Out of the corner of his eye, Mac glanced at me as that irresistible smirk spread across his face.
He was taunting me.
“I have to go,” Theo mumbled suddenly, cutting out before Aspen and I could respond.
I blinked, snapping back to reality as Aspen shrugged. “Well, that was?—”
“Ugh, me too,” I blurted, already hitting end before she could question it.
Mac let out a low, satisfied snort because he knew he won. I was intrigued and desperate to know what the hell was happening.
Locking my phone screen, I set it down and finally turned my full attention to him.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, glancing at the bouquet of roses he’d brought me.
Roses.I loved roses.
He knew they were my favorite. I always kept a pitcher full of them on my counter, never letting it go empty.
“Well,” Mac said, strolling toward me as I sat in my desk chair. “I had some time before the bar opened and thought I’d come see what you were up to.”
“Working,” I replied dryly.
Mac stopped in front of me, leaning down, his hands bracing on the armrests of my chair. His face was dangerously close now, eyes locked on mine.
My breath hitched, but I held my ground, staring right back at him.
I shifted under his gaze, my pulse betraying me as I tucked my hair behind both ears—damn it.
“You nervous, Trouble?”
He caught me, just like he always did.
Being nervous around Mac was part of the course, though I never let it show beyond that tick. But he knew. He always knew and he used it to his advantage every damn time.
His hand came up, fingertips skimming my cheek in a touch so soft, so damn tender, it stole my breath.
A shiver rolled down my spine. My body warmed under the simple touch, betraying me completely, but I kept the rest of myself calm and collected.
