Page 48 of Seizing Mack
Chapter Twenty-Two
~ Mack ~
“What!?” she asked Kentirritably, letting her voice convey the annoyance she felt at being so openly ogled. But she was kind of pleased, too.
She lowered the weights and reached for her water. Detective Kent Emerson was one of the hottest guys in the gym. Lean, roped muscle, bronze skin, and penetrating blue eyes. His sandy blonde hair always looked as if a woman had been running her fingers through it just moments earlier — and probably had, if the rumors were true.
Mack had never been particularly drawn to him, but they got along well enough. The man was serious about his personal fitness and generally friendly. He wasn’t Nick, but he wasn’t exactly dog food, either.
“You look different, Mack.”
He studied her as if she was one of those “I Spy” picture books, looking for hidden things. She almost laughed at the serious concentration in his expression, biting her tongue to keep from telling him not to strain himself. One of the things Jay told her was that her blunt, often colorful utterances were red flags to a guy who might otherwise be interested, and that she should practice verbal restraint, at least at first.
“You did something with your hair,” he said finally.
She arched a brow, neither confirming nor denying his guess. She had, in fact, had it cut into soft layers. She had even allowed Marcus to add some subtle highlights and lowlights. And the fifty-dollar shampoo and crème rinse she’d used that morning really did make her hair look shiny and healthy and smell rather exotic.
His eyes travelled down the length of her body and back up again, his gaze not lewd, exactly, but appreciative and assessing. She was wearing the same workout clothes she always did ... sort of.
Mack bit back a smile, sensing the wheels turning in his head. Yes, her shorts and tank were the same color and general style, but instead of being genuine military-issue, this outfit came from a designer and was a size smaller than she normally wore. The snug shorts and subtly-fitted T made the most of her toned assets.
She had also spent a good part of her free time in her bathroom with an all-over depilatory crème, pumice stone, and a moisturizing bronzer. As a result, her skin was smooth, sleek, and glowing, and not because she’d just run five miles on the treadmill.
Too bad the wrong detective was noticing.
“Something you wanted to say, Kent?” she asked, hands on hips, drawing his attention from where they’d stalled briefly on her breasts back down. Hips that looked damned good, if she did say so herself.
“Uh, yeah,” he said, his Adam’s apple visibly bobbing. His voice sounded a little rougher than usual. Mack’s confidence grew.
Kent shifted his weight to his back foot, using the small towel he had wrapped around his neck to wipe some of the sweat coursing in rivulets down from his neck and into his muscle tank. Without conscious thought, Mack’s eyes followed the movement.
“Do you have a date for Friday?”
Her eyes snapped up to his. “Excuse me?”
“A date. For Friday. You know, the big shindig?”
“Oh, right,” she said, averting her eyes. Every year the town hosted a community ball. Everything was donated by local businesses, from the decorated hall to the sumptuous food. Tickets were a bit pricey at a hundred dollars each, but all proceeds were split among local charities. Mack bought a ticket, as always, but had no intention of going. Well, she might have considered it if a certain new-to-town detective was going, but she hadn’t seen Nick all week.
“Youaregoing, right?” he pressed.
She shrugged and used a towel to blot the sweat from her neck, hoping she didn’t smell too offensive. Her deodorant soap usually did the job, but she’d gone with the moisturizing body wash and matching scented body mist this morning instead. A discreet sniff assured her she was still fit for being around others. “Wasn’t planning on it.”
“Why not? Do you have something against having a good time?” His teasing, roguish grin set her just slightly off-balance. She wasn’t used to people she didn’t know well asking her personal questions. Fitness-related stuff, sure. But this?
“Fancy parties aren’t really my thing.”
“What exactly is your thing, Mack?” he asked, his eyes twinkling.
Was heflirtingwith her? Men like Kent Emerson didn’t flirt with women like her. To them, she was ‘one of the guys’. Except Kent’s gaze probably didn’t surreptitiously scan the length of the other guys’ bodies like his was doing to hers at that very moment.
Holy crap.It seemed like Marcus’s make-over might have worked a little too well. Was this what it felt like to be Dee?
She couldn’t completely stop the blush from rising in her cheeks, cursing her body for allowing it to happen. If she was lucky, maybe he’d just think she was flushed from her workout.
Sassy Mack rose up and took over when Girly Mack came close to fluttering her eyes. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” she smirked instead.
“Yeah, I would,” he said, further shocking her.
