Page 13 of Striking Heat
I shake my head. “What is he even doing here? This is wherewehang out.”
“I think that’s the whole point of him being here,” Cassidy says. “He’s over talking to Kelly and Kristy.”
My head snaps around so fast that I’m pretty sure he’s going to spot me. But he’s too busy leaning over and talking to Kelly. Or is that Kristy? It’s hard to tell them apart. They swear they aren’t sisters, but you’d never know. Their looks are similar—both tall, blonde, and so graceful in their movements both on and off the soccer field. People underestimate them and then they shine. They are two of our midfielders and they do a great job working with Cassidy on the field.
“You look a bit jealous,” Andie points out. “Something you want to share with the rest of the class?”
The girls break out into a fit of giggles.
“No,” I say, shrinking back a bit. “I just hate that he’s here. The Backwoods Bar is our place. He doesn’t get to just show up everywhere we go.”
“Uh-huh, well, if you want to kick another soccer ball at his face, I think I might have one in my car.” Cassidy giggles from behind her appletini.
“I did not do that on purpose.”
“I think you did. Watts thought that you did too.” Andie shoots me a wink. “Why would you want to hurt that gorgeous face?”
I stare at her, mouth agape. “Are you kidding me? Didn’t you read the things he said about me and the team?”
She nods. “Yes, Mac, I remember. We all read the article. But all of that stuff aside, he’s quite a spicy little dish. I don’t think he meant anything by it. I think he was just trying to get a reaction out of you. And he did—two, in fact.”
“How do you figure?” I ask.
“I would say he got more than two,” Hendrix points out.
“More than two? What do you mean?” I ask. I shake my head like a fog has settled back into my brain. A fog that I thought I cleared earlier when I saw him.
“There was the time you challenged him all feisty in the pressroom,” Hendrix says, ticking it off on her finger. “The second one is when you shot that ball at his face. And I would say that the third one might be when you winked at him.”
“I did not wink at him,” I say a little too loudly. A few of the players around us and the bar patrons all look in my direction. Something about the change in the air and the way the hairs stand up on the back of my neck tells me that he’s near me. “I didn’t,” I repeat when no one has spoken, and they’re all staring at me.
It takes me a minute, but I realize they’re not actually looking at me but over my shoulder. Their eyes are wide, and they have naughty little smiles on their faces.
“Fuck,” I say, laughing and putting my head in my hands. Someone taps me on the shoulder. I refuse to turn around. “Go the fuck away because we are not at the stadium, and I am not required to talk to you.”
“Yeah, it’s probably best we don’t talk right now,” he replies. “There’s no handler here to keep you on your leash.”
I can almost feel the vibration of his voice up and down my spine. I spin around so quickly that I almost fall off my stool, but his strong arms reach out to steady me. He doesn’t touch my shoulders or even my arms. Instead, Danny’s hands find my waist. My breath hitches as he digs in just a bit. The bite of his touch and the musky smell of his cologne overwhelm my senses. My body tilts toward him just a bit as he angles closer to me. I almost think our lips might touch.
“Not gonna happen,” he whispers lowly, and I’m sure we’re the only two who can hear his words. “Not until you beg me to touch you. Because you and I both know you want me to.”
“I—” But the rest of the sentence refuses to fall from my lips. I want to tell him that I don’t, but I can’t. I just stand there, mouth open, with his hands on my waist. It’s not until a throat clears beside him that I realize we’re still locked in that position.
“You guys wanna go get a room or something?” the man asks.
Danny drops his hands from my waist, and he playfully punches the man. “Fuck off, Nick. I just had to help out the damsel. You know, she was in distress and all.”
The two men snicker.
“Yeah, well, this was lots of fun, but if you’ll excuse me.” I turn my stool around, pick up my glass, and down the rest of my beer in quick chugs.
“Easy there, buttercup,” Cassidy says. “You have to walk home. Unless you’re going home with talk, dark, and dangerous back there.”
I hear a chuckle from behind me. I’m guessing it’s the man who came up and broke the trance. Nick, I think he called him. My face reddens and I look down at my hands, hoping and praying that he takes this opportunity to get the fuck away from me.
But he doesn’t.
“You’re blushing,” Danny says. “Does the thought of going home with me get you hot?”
