“So, what is this hot girl summer list you speak of?”
“Tell them, Mack.” Dean positioned himself next to me, instead of sitting on the other side. It was tight, and our thighs pressed together. Not a single room for a hair between us. He moved his arm to the back ledge, so it rested right behind my neck, and his finger grazed my ear so quick I thought I imagined it.
That little motion sent a flurry of butterflies from my neck to my toes, taking a detour on the way straight to my nipples. They tightened with an aggressive need and wowzers.
“Well, I’ve been focused on soccer and practicing. I know my life is gonna get even stricter this year. My friends and I came up with a list to make sure I experience all the things I need to before senior year starts.”
“And one item on the list is joining a game with strangers,” Dean said, nudging me. “Which she did by joining the darts game.”
We looked over, and the trio nodded at us.
“I’m obsessed with this idea,” the red-haired girl said. “I’m Hattie. The blonde is Heidi and black-haired beauty is Bea. Seriously obsessed. How do we fit in?”
“I wanted to join her hot girl summer challenge, but that means I have to do everything too.” He shrugged. “Your game looked fun.”
“Oh my god, this is amazing. What else is on there?”
I pulled out the list, my face tingling from Dean’s stare. Hedidn’t try to hide the fact he watched me with a little smirk on his face. I loved and hated it. I had no idea what was happening, but this list had introduced me to six people I never would’ve met otherwise, and I was enjoying it so, so much.
Look at me, Emily, living it up!!God, I needed to get over that, but it was hard when her words haunted me all the time.
“I’ve done a few at this point.” Pride had me sitting up straighter.
“Damn. This is sick.” Heidi pointed at the body shots. “I mean, I’m happy to help with this one if you need it.”
“Oh. Thank you.” I blushed. “I think that one is taken care of already.”
“Fair. If Dean Romano was going to put his tongue on me, I’d choose that too.”
I snorted to cover up the sheer embarrassment of how much that comment made my skin tingle with electricity. Dean’s mouth on me? I’d die. I’d combust like a phoenix, right in front of everyone. “Yeah, well, no, it’s…two is good for one night.”
“I want to create a list. Why don’t we have a list?” Heidi asked.
“Because we aren’t strict athletes?”
“Let’s do one.”
“Well, we need to help Mack Mallinson and Dean Romano first, then we can make you a list of whatever you want.”
“My Horny Hattie list. It sounds great.”
Dean laughed and nudged his shoulder into mine, the lines around his eyes softer than normal. He seemed relaxed and friendly. I liked this version of Dean. I also enjoyed his swagger and dominance on the field, but he’d lost a little of the playboy, flirt with everyone personality, and this calmer one was nice. “Hey,” I said, leaning closer to him. “This is awesome.”
He bent down, his mouth almost touching my forehead before he said, “I agree.”
For a moment, it was just the two of us in the bar. The thuds of the music and laughter from the crowd faded, and it was Dean and me. His breath hit my face. His eyes moved along my jaw, stopping on my mouth. His thigh tensed next to mine. My lips parted as breathing became a challenge. Sucking in oxygen was asking too much. The moment captivated me, and I gasped, choking on my own breath.
“You okay, Mack Mallinson?” Bea asked.
I waved a hand in the air, my face turning fifty shades of red for the millionth time. “Wow, yes, breathing is hard.”
“It really is.” She laughed. “Okay, we’re playing Kings Corner. You in?”
Ignoring the magnetic pull to Dean, I focused on the instructions as she dealt the cards. The game was easy enough, and honestly, it was more fun just chatting with them. They had a million questions for me about playing soccer, the team, what team I wanted to play for after college. Hattie’s family had hosted for a team one year, and that was what made them become such huge fans.
Thirty minutes went by when the game ended. Dean won, annoyingly, but the time was so worth it. I thought they were mean girls and would make me feel like crap, but instead, I’d put myself out there, and it felt… fucking amazing.
Pretty girls like that don’t care about tomboys like you. You think you can play soccer? Then prove it.
