Page 22 of Moonlit Kisses

“You sticking around ’til the end?” he asks as he jogs backwards away from me.

I’ve got nothing else to do or anywhere else to be, so I shrug. “Yeah, I figured I’d wait so I could congratulate the other team on hammering your ass into the ground.” I snicker.

His eyebrows shoot up and a sexy half-smile touches his lips. “We’ll see.” He turns and jogs straight onto the field and I can’t believe he left his teammates a man down while he was checking on me.

The last half of the game is intense. Max’s team has upped the ante, scoring three goals in twenty-five minutes and not allowing any past their defense. They need to hold the other team until the end of the game, and they’ll have the win.

In the last five minutes, the other team hits the back of the net, leveling the score. The excitement and energy are palpable on the field and off as Max wins the ball from the center pass and expertly dribbles it all the way down the wing before passing it to their striker. I hold my breath as he lines the ball up and strikes the ball with a powerful force. Only seconds are left on the clock as the ball hits the back of the net. Max and the other guy go ballistic, running toward each other and falling over in an all-out hugfest.

The whistle blows three times, and their other teammates join in, piling on top of the pair, and jumping up and down as though they’ve won the World Cup. I’m cheering and celebrating on the sidelines as though they’ve won the Cup. It’s crazy good!

I’m jumping around like a madwoman when a pair of muscular arms wrap around my body from behind, spinning me around, and lifting me off of my feet. My heart rate spikes until I realize it’s only Max. His smile is wide and his eyes are sparkling with sheer elation. Sweat trickles down the side of his face, his hair sticking to his head, and he looks so freaking good. “I guess you won’t need to congratulate the other team, hey?” He puts me down and I’m disappointed that I’m no longer trapped against his body.

I fake pout, shaking my head. “Very disappointing to see them come undone like that. They showed such promise.”

“Oh yeah? Are you some kind of expert on soccer?” My mood drops as I remember all the hours spent watching soccer games on television and attending practices and matches for Ethan. “Are you okay?”

I mustn’t have hidden my thoughts well enough. Looking back up at Max, I nod. “Yeah.” I clear my throat, putting a fake smile on my face. “You guys played a great second half and that last goal …” I mime a chef’s kiss. “Beautiful teamwork.”

“You wanna come celebrate with me and the boys at Brady’s Pub? It’s close to here.”

I brush off his offer with a flick of my wrist. I’m sure he didn’t mean to ask. He’s just excited about the win. “I didn’t play, so there’s no need for me to celebrate.”

“You helped us win with your cheering and dancing along the sidelines. You had some sensational moves, by the way.”Is he flirting with me? My hot boss.“You should definitely celebrate with us.” He winks.

“Nah. You go have fun with your teammates. I’ll see you at work in the morning.”

“You coming, Max?” A couple of the guys call out to Max from several feet away, then they tip their heads to me. “Thanks for the entertainment, Blondie!”

I was so caught up in the excitement of the game and cheering the guys on that I didn’t stop to think that I might cause a scene. My cheeks heat and I drop my head to look at my shoes. How embarrassing. “I’m sorry if I caused a scene and embarrassed you.”

“You didn’t cause a scene, and you definitely didn’t embarrass me. Maybe yourself though …” He laughs, leaving the sentence hanging. He waves them off over his shoulder, calling out, “Meet you at Brady’s.” His friends walk toward the parking lot, leaving him behind, and I shuffle on my feet. How am I going to get out of this? “C’mon. See, the guys honestly appreciated your support. One drink and some pizza. My buy.” When I take my time responding, he asks, “Do you have somewhere else you need to be?”

“No, it’s … uh … I don’t want to intrude.” I don’t want to tell him I’ve got barely any money to get me by until payday, because he seems like the type of guy who would give me money and I don’t want him to do that. It’s important to me he doesn’t know about my situation.

“You’re not intruding. You can follow me.” He runs back to collect his things, then drops to the grass at my feet to change out of his cleats. Standing, he pulls his t-shirt over his head, exposing his torso to me at close range. It’s the first time I’ve seen him completely bare. My eyes scan the expanse of toned flesh, pausing above his heart where he has a tattoo. I step closer to get a better look at the inked design in the limited light. My fingers lift without permission to trace over the intricately designed mechanical heart which looks to be inside his chest; the skin having been torn open and pulled out of the way. The muscle in his chest flinches at my touch and I realize how inappropriate it is for me to touch him in this way, so I quickly snatch my fingers back.

My eyes snap up to his. “Sorry. I … I didn’t realize I had actually touched you. I was engrossed in the detailed design.”

He glances down at the tattoo. “It’s okay. I guess I’ve become accustomed to it, I forget it’s there half the time.”

“It’s beautifully detailed in its design. The artist is very talented.” Dropping my eyes away from his, they catch on another tattoo on the opposite side of his body. On his flank, he has an open wound that is bleeding oil instead of blood. I smile as I look back up at his face. “I’m sensing a theme here.” I wave my finger around the general direction of his torso.

“Lincoln,” he thumbs over his shoulder toward the parking lot, “did them for me. He owns a tattoo shop.” He shrugs. “I’ve always loved cars. Looking at them, working with them. It’s in my blood.” He runs his hand over the heart tattoo and then down further across the wound.

I nod. “I can see that.”

He pulls a fresh shirt over his head, stealing my view. “C’mon, let’s go or there’ll be nothing left by the time we get to the pub.”

“Do other women join you guys after your game?”

“Hell, no. No women allowed.”

My eyebrows jump up. “Then why are you inviting me?” I wave my arm down my body and his eyes track the action. “In case you didn’t notice, I’m a woman.”

“Believe me, I noticed.” His eyes slowly make their way back to mine. There’s heat in them, if I’m not mistaken. “I’m nominating you as head of our cheer squad, so you’re part of the team now.” He wraps his arm around my neck and drags me along with him toward the parking lot. “You wanna come with me? I can drop you back here afterwards.”

I push at him, wiggling from his hold. “Ewww, you smell.” Not really, but he was making my tummy flip, and I needed some space to keep myself in check. It looks as though he’s not going to take no for an answer and a slice of pizza and pint of beer sounds awesome right about now. “Sure. That sounds good, but can I trust you not to drink and drive?”

“You have my word. I’ll keep you safe. Promise.” Even though I don’t know him very well, I get the sense he’s a man of his word.

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