Taking a sip of my drink, I rose to my feet. “I’ll go try to find him.” This was so unlike me to approach someone, and they knew it.
“I’ll go with you,” Lennox offered, but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“No need. I got this. People want to talk to the quarterback, not the center.” I didn’t give either of them time to ask questions as I headed out into the foyer. Just as I hoped, the man I was looking for was in the hallway.
Clearing my throat, I willed my racing heart to slow down. “Uh, hi. I’m looking for my friend. Big guy.” I raised my hands to Evan’s height. “He was talking to the governor earlier, and now he’s disappeared into thin air.”
One side of the man’s jaw turned up in a smile. Dang, he was even more handsome than I thought. “Yes, I know who you’re talking about. There was a mishap with a bourbon, so Governor Gatlin took him away…”
My eyes widened at the opportunity to be witty. Jeez, what was wrong with me? “He’s been abducted by the governor?”
A sexy as heck grin spread across his face as he looked at me. “No,” he chuckled. “He’s been taken to the governor’s office toget a new shirt. Governor Gatlin thought he might have one to fit him.”
I turned to glance at the governor standing at the front of the room, then turned back to look at him with raised brows. “I might be wrong, but I don’t think Evan could wear his clothes. He’s a big dude.”
“Yes, I’m aware. That’s why Ms. Harrison ordered one to be delivered.”
I watched the smile spread across his face, and it reached his eyes. That meant he wasn’t placating me. Nodding, I stuck out my hand. “I’m Mason Kennerly, by the way. I play…”
He cut me off when he took my hand. “Center. Drafted five years ago from the University of Virginia. Go Wahoos.” I grinned as he went on. “It’s nice to meet you, Mason. I’m Thomas Kingsley, Director of Security and Governor Gatlin’s personal bodyguard.”
When he smiled, a dimple formed in his cheeks. And he was still holding my hand. “You do your homework like an FBI agent, knowing all that about me. Do you know my other stats?” Centers didn’t have traditional statistics.
He smirked at me. “I was one of those, too. It’s my job to know things about the people the Governor interacts with.”
My eyes widened. “Even football players?”
“Even football players. You can never be too careful with security. But your pass protection stats are impressive. Nice job protecting your quarterback. Must be why you got that nod to the Pro-Bowl.”
I was gobsmacked that he knew all that. “That’s why I was concerned about Evan. All of that is impressive, Agent Kingsley. You should lead with the ‘agent’ part when introducing yourself. I bet your wife likes it.”Please don’t let him be married.And who was this mouthy weirdo I’d become? I never engaged anyone in conversation like this.
“No significant other.” He rubbed his temples. “Why am I telling you all of this?” he muttered, but the look on his face said he didn’t mind. I knew what regret looked like, and that wasn’t it.
“Because we’re friends now, Agent Kingsley.”
Before he could refute my claim, Evan came walking down the corridor with the little lady I’d seen earlier. Thomas turned to look behind him, then back to me. “See. No abduction.”
“Hey, Mason. Everything okay?” Evan asked, stopping at my side.
Everything was great. “Yeah. Just checking on you. Lennox was afraid you’d ducked out for a hook...” I curled my lips to shut myself up. “Never mind.”
“No way I’d miss this,” he said, then turned to the lady. “Thank you for the information.” He winked at her, then slapped me on the back. “Let’s go, buddy. I’m starved.”
It became clear my friend had been busy making new friends, because all through dinner, I saw him and the governor catching each other’s eye. So much so that after the gala, when we stood to leave, Evan didn’t get up.
“You coming, Ellis?” Carson asked.
“Yeah,” Evan replied. “I’m just gonna speak to the governor. I’ll meet you there.”
Taking one more look over my shoulder, I found my new friend talking to the governor with a dinner plate in his hand. My eyes lingered a little too long as Thomas caught me staring. Again. But this time, he smiled as he sat down alone at his table.
When we got outside, I had taken three steps down the stairs when I stopped. There was no reason for me to rush away. If I wanted to talk to my friend, I could go back inside. “You guys go ahead. I’ll be there later. I want to take a picture.”
Carson frowned, then looked at Lennox. My quarterback studied me, and I assumed some smack talk was getting ready tohappen. But I was wrong. “Okay, Mase. We’ll be at the bar in the hotel.”
Grateful for the reprieve, I turned on my heel to reenter the building. When I got inside, I headed back to the ballroom. Just as I thought, Thomas was still seated alone. Weaving through the tables, I quietly took a seat in front of him. Thomas looked up. “Good evening, Mr. Kennerly. What brings you back?”
I straightened in my chair, my heart pounding a mile a minute. I didn’t do things like this, but something inside told me it would be a mistake not to talk to him a little more. “You. I noticed you were eating alone, and I didn’t have dessert...” I trailed off, suddenly feeling quite stupid. “So, I thought maybe I could have it with you.”
