Page 50 of Seizing Mack
Chapter Twenty-Three
~ Nick ~
Nick watched the exchangefrom across the room. What the hell was Emerson up to? Just last week he’d been bragging to anyone who’d listen how he’d hooked up with Delilah.
Nick didn’t care about that. In fact, he thought Kent and Delilah were perfect for each other. What hedidcare about was the way the guy had been looking at Mack.
And about whatever he had said to make Mack go all deer-in-the-headlights like that.
She looked good today, even better than usual, and he wasn’t the only one who noticed. Guys who normally wouldn’t have given her a second glance now couldn’t seem to take their eyes off of her.
“What are you looking so smug about, Emerson?” Nick asked, walking over to where the other detective was now knuckle-bumping a few of his buddies.
“Kent just asked Mack out,” said one of the other guys with a look of awe on his face.
“And she accepted,” said another.
Nick kept his features carefully neutral, despite the fist clenching around his intestines and twisting. “I didn’t know you had a thing for Mack.”
Kent grinned back at him, too arrogantly to mean anything good.
“Kent’s going where no man has gone before,” his buddy joked. “Dude, you are the master. I can’t believe you are going to get a piece of that.”
A deadly combination of disgust, rage, and jealousy washed over Nick. He didn’t like them talking about Mack that way. Forcing his fists to unclench before anyone noticed, he said, “I take it Mack doesn’t usually date guys from the gym?”
A dark-haired guy named Zane looked surprised at his question. “You’re new here, so you wouldn’t know.”
“Wouldn’t know what?”
“Mack doesn’t dateanybody, man. We all kind of figured she was, well, you know...”
“No, I don’t know,” Nick said with a tight smile. “Why don’t you explain it to me?”
“Come on, Benning. She was in the service. Runs a gym. Never see her with a guy, other than that gay dude she lives with. Do the math.”
Nick did do the math, and the numbers just weren’t adding up. “So if you are so certain she prefers women, why ask her out? I mean, Emersonispretty, but still.”
Rather than be offended, Kent laughed and slapped his shoulder. “You’re all right, Benning.” Without answering his question, Emerson and his buddies headed for the locker room, leaving Nick with a bad feeling in his gut.
Something wasn’t right. What the hell had happened while he’d been away? Just a few nights ago, he’d been feeling really good about this thing with Mack. Now she was going to a public event with Emerson?
Instead of seeking out Mack like he’d intended, Nick left shortly afterward and went to pick up his own ticket to the charity ball.
