Page 16 of The Fun Part
I incline my head. “Good to see you both.”
“Have a seat,” Nathan says, pushing out the chair across from him with his foot. “We were just wrapping up our meeting.”
“Cool.” I take a seat. They both stare at me. Nathan’s chill, but Mackenzie looks about to bolt. “Was it a business or personal meeting?”
At Mackenzie’s widened eyes, I quickly amend, “None of my business.”
“New client brief,” Nathan says. “We run Brooks Campbell Security along with Owen Campbell, but Mackenzie here is the glue that keeps us together. We’ve got a complex work situation with two clients—”
Mackenzie cuts him off. “He doesn’t want to hear about work stuff. Speaking of work, I should go. Lots to do.” She stands.
“Sit a minute with us; then I’ll go with you,” Nathan says. “I’ve got some papers I need to give you back at the office.”
“Just tell me where they are.”
“What’s the hurry?”
Me. I’m the hurry. I take a sip of coffee and watch Mackenzie over the rim of my mug. Her cheeks are flushed, and that makes me think of last night, her lusty sigh, the way she reached for me, eager to join.
I look away, pushing lust down. My neck feels hot. Nathan stares at me. Mackenzie takes her seat, and he stares at her, too.
“Something going on with you two?” Nathan asks.
“No,” I say at the same time as Mackenzie exclaims, “Don’t be silly! We just met!”
The woman is not chill. She may as well announce it—we had sex!
Nathan cocks his head. “Hold up. Did your mom try to set you up with the new single guy in town?”
“Just the opposite,” I say. “She warned her away from the player with commitment issues.”
Nathan laughs. “Aren’t we all? Hey, what was it like to play triple A ball? Was it as cool as it sounds?”
“Playing your favorite sport as a job. Doesn’t get any better than that.”
“I used to follow the Hartford Yard Goats.”
I grin at the funny name. “The Goats. Buddy of mine played shortstop for them before he was called up.”
We start talking baseball. That goes on for so long that I finish my coffee and suddenly realize Mackenzie’s falling asleep sitting up. Her head rests on her hand, her eyes closing for longer moments. Looks like our late nights are catching up to her.
“I’ll let you get back to work.” I stand and fish my business card out of my wallet, handing it to Nathan. “Open for business March first. I’ve got a background in corporate law, but I’ve been reading up on Gabe’s cases to make myself more useful in town.”
“Cool. Thanks.”
Mackenzie wakes up. “I hope we don’t need a lawyer. No offense.”
My gaze lingers on Mackenzie’s beautiful face. There’s something about her eyes—intelligence shines there but also spirit. A pulse beats in her throat. I love to kiss her there and breathe in her sweet scent. I mentally shake it off and force a neutral expression. “I never take offense when someone says no offense.”
Nathan laughs. Mackenzie fights a smile.
I lift a palm. “Nice to see you both again.”
Mackenzie flashes a bright smile. “Bye! Good luck with everything.” She says it like I’m just the new guy in town. No special naked connection.
I leave, the cold winter air a relief after that strange encounter. No way we can keep this thing a secret in a small town for long, and that was the only way she agreed to do anything in the first place. Mostly because her mom warned her away from me for being a player, and Mackenzie doesn’t want to deal with her mom’sI told you so, even though I never was a guy to do casual hookups until Mackenzie, and she came on to me! This is so fucked up. I trudge back toward the inn.
“Cal!” a familiar feminine voice calls.
