Talia agrees. “True. This group is much better. But Tar-Tar and Jodie are right. You never know this stuff until it’s too late.”
I ask her for more details, eager to divert the conversation from my past. “I sense a story there?”
Sam is the one who explains. “Yeah. Let’s just say that Coach Harrison worked hard to weed out all the bad apples from his roster. He’s had a couple of problems in the past.”
I’m about to ask what's the story there, but I’m lifted off the ground and spun around by two strong arms.
“Hey, put me down.” I giggle.
When my feet touch the ground again, I turn around to look into a pair of dark blue eyes.
But the owner of those mesmerizing eyes isn’t Tucker. “Hey Mack.” I smile. “I’m happy to see you, too.”
He lowers his head to whisper in my ear. “Please stick close to me, please. Gen and her minions just got here and I’m not in the mood for her crap.”
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah. I probably shouldn’t drink, but I think I need some liquid courage so I can tell my ex to fuck off if she tries to ruin my night like she did last weekend.”
I hand my beer to Mack. “Here, have this. I barely touched it.”
“What about you?” He immediately worries, accepting my solo cup.
“I’d rather have water. If they have sparkling, it’s even better.”
Mack wraps his much larger hand around mine. “Let’s go get you one, then.”
Jodie tracks the movement, her eyes wide as she looks at me to check if I’m ok.
I nod in response. “Hey babes, I’m going to get myself a bottle of water with Mack. See you in a sec?”
We get back inside the house. We find a large cooler filled with bottled water and cans of soda on the kitchen floor.
As I grab a sparkling water for myself and one for Tucker, I feel observed.
“I think avoidance isn’t getting you anywhere.” I tell my new BFF. “You should have a heart to heart with her. Have that hard conversation once, so she knows you aren’t interested in getting back together.”
“Don’t you think I did?” Mack groans. “We’ve had that conversation twice. But she’s never cared about what I want. I think there’s only one way to get the message through to her.”
I’m almost afraid to ask. “What’s that?”
“If she sees me hooking up with other women, eventually she’ll get the message.”
The words leave my mouth before I can think about it. “Mack, you’re hot, but I don’t feel that way about you. I’m sorry if that sounds rude, but…”
“I know, Tar-Tar.” His gaze softens. “And I know exactly what you mean. Don’t get me wrong, when I saw you for the first time at Joe’s last weekend, I thought you were a total smoke show. But then something happened. When your top fell off during your audition, rather than finding it hot, I was embarrassed. As if those tits belonged to my little sister rather than a hot, bang-able girl.”
“Gee, thanks.” I can’t help but giggle. “I don’t know if I should feel relieved or offended.”
Mack pulls me into a side hug. “Relieved. You should totally feel relieved. I’m gonna be honest with you, Taryn. Gen shattered my trust in women and relationships. Right now I’m rebounding hard and even if there had been attraction between us, I wouldn’t have touched you with a ten-foot pole. Not because I didn’t want you, but because I really like you beyond the fact that you’re hot. I’m dangerous right now. All I can offer is a fun time between the sheets with no strings attached. And I’d rather not risk an awesome friendship by sticking my dick where it doesn’t belong.”
I respect that. “Ok. What about your hookups though?”
“I never promise anything more than what I intend to offer.”
I take his hand in mine again. “You’re a good guy, Macklin.”
“Thanks, Tar-Tar.” He brushes his lips over my temple. “Besides, two of my closest friends on the team are burning holes into our sides. It looks like you might have a problem on your hands. Because let me tell you, I think that both Tucker and Colsen have the hots for you.”
