Mack met me in the hallway, holding a glass of water and two pills. “Take this first.” I did as he asked, then we both went into his room to change.
“I’ll have to go through my clothes and make space for your things,” Mack said easily, stripping from his sweats and throwing on a dark pair of jeans.I’d almost forgotten Mack had asked me to move in with him. I was more than willing at the time, but the thought made me uneasy. Would living together work out for us? Our relationship had been so hush-hush and fast paced, that the small quirks we both might have could cause for living together to become unsuccessful.“I won’t make you put your things in the spare bedroom,” he teased, pulling me out of my thoughts.“We’ll figure it out,” I smiled, snatching my jeans from the floor and wiggling into them. I didn’t have any underwear, so going commando would have to do. “How fancy aI flushed, recalling the evening. Mack had brought me to his fantasy night, and I was terrified of what I would be walking into. You can imagine my surprise when I the condo was filled with dudes drinking beer and holding magazines with players’ names and pads of paper. I’d never heard of fantasy baseball until that night. I’d seen a completely different side to Mack Craft. He was sweet and gentle, not the typical crass and harsh Mack Craft I’d dealt with at the office every day.“I’d like to come with you,” he murmured. “To Kansas, if you’ll have me.”I gulped before responding to him. “You’d be missing Portia and Gary’s party.”He side-eyed me. “You know I don’t care about parties. Especially if you’re not going to be there.”“What about car rides? It’s a twelve-hour drive.”He crinkled his eyebrows. “Or a three-hour flight.&r
Mack sat on the stool next me, anxiously watching Sharon go to work. “What was that you put in her head?”“Just a little numbing. It’ll be out of her system quickly.”Mack nodded, then set his hand on my lower back while Sharon pulled out her stitching equipment. He seemed more nervous than I was.Sharon caught Mack’s attentiveness out of the corner of her eye. “Still not a fan of needles, are you Mack?”“No, not at all.”Cody rounded the kitchen island and peeked over his mom’s shoulder. “You should ask Mack how he got that scar on his hip.”“That’s not necessary,” Mack grumbled.Sharon grinned while she slid the needle through my skin. “It was an easy patch job.”Cody leaned over the counter, his typical wicked grin in place. “He tried to catch a fly ball during a family softball game, and completely biffed it, landed on a
MackIt was almost 10am by the time we got back to my condo.Our condo.I’d have to get used to referring to us as one, and Kelsey would have to figure out the next steps to get her things here and how to break the lease on her apartment. I’d be happy to help her financially if that were an issue. I was ready to give her a credit card and pay the bill so she could buy whatever she wanted.Kelsey Craft… It had a great ring to it.Convincing her to go visit her dad and bring me along was going to be my next priority. I could tell by her expression she missed her father and that he was important to her. Meeting her family didn’t scare me, if anything, I was eager to shake their hands and tell them how crazy I was for their daughter.I still didn’t understand why Kelsey was so uncertain about introducing me.“You should call your mom,” I said softly once we were in the elevator and he
She pulled her hand back from my thigh and put it in her lap, tension brewing in her forehead. “I told you, my mom isn’t like yours.”I shrugged. “So, tell me what she’s like?” Her brows knitted, and I reached for her arms, pulling her so she was snug against my side. “Nothing she could do would change my intentions toward you.”Kelsey’s slipped her arms around my waist and nuzzled her head against my chest, hiking her leg over my thighs to get comfortable.“Nancy Neely is…bitter.”“About…?”Letting out a long breath, she finally spilled. “Ever since my dad left, she’s been resentful.”“He left you both?”“Sort of, I was young, I close to six, and at that age, I didn’t know what to believe. He wasn’t around for a good few years, only calling on holidays and birthdays. My mom would gripe and complain that
“We should take it easy the rest of the day,” I said softly, gently touching my thumb to her cheek where the bruise was forming.She frowned. “Mack Craft, are you turning down sex?”I smirked. “Only because you’re using sex to get out of something you don’t want to do.”Her frown flipped into a grin. “I guess you do need more than an hour to get the job done,” she goaded.I chuckled and ran my tongue along the top of my teeth. Shrugging, she kissed me on the cheek and began to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist and stopped her. “You want a quick fuck?”Her eyes widened and she licked her lips, then nodded. “Yes.”The answer was breathy when it left her mouth, her chest beginning to rise at a rapid rate while my eyes roamed up and down her body. I gave her wicked grin, the yanked her back to me, flipping her around so her front was against the window. She moaned whe
Mack cocked his head. “You don’t just walk into your mom’s house?”“I told you, we aren’t like your family.”What felt like ages, the woman who raised me opened the ten-foot door, a subtle smile spread on her pale skin, the green of her eyes soaking me in from head to toe. Her hair was no longer blonde, but silver, cut short and to her shoulders.“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” she greeted in her monotoned voice. She opened her arms to me as an invitation.“Merry Christmas,” I said as we hugged awkwardly. Nancy did her best to be maternal, but displaying affection wasn’t one of her qualities. When I leaned away from her, the cut above my eye had caught her attention. She gently touched it, her eyes narrowing while her mouth formed a thin line. “Come inside,” she ordered, then continued to examine my head before I could take off my shoes.“You weren’t joking w
Mack“Whoa, whoa, now wait a minute,” Kelsey pleaded, standing alongside me. “I’ve seen that look before. This isn’t a business deal, Mack. My mother is not one you want to go toe to toe with.”Setting my hands on her biceps, I met her gaze, attempting to calm my features. “I’m not going to go toe to toe with her, I’m just going to let her know the truth.”Kelsey cocked her head, her eyes narrowing. “Be careful how truthful you’re going to be.”Refraining from rolling my eyes, I reassured her. “I promise I won’t bring that up.” Her mother might burst if she knew Kelsey was pregnant. I stroked her cheek. “We’re going to have a good evening with your mom, alright?”The way she was scowling proved she believed otherwise.Unfortunately, I understood the moment Nancy opened her front door why Kelsey was so apprehensive to introduce me. He
KelseyI’m not sure what was said between my mother and Mack while I went to fill the water goblets at the dining room table, but the tension seemed to disperse the moment we sat down for our early Christmas dinner. My mother even patted Mack on the back when we said goodbye.“Now, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Mack said once we were halfway down the driveway.“I must admit, that went way better than I thought it would. Then again, my dad was never mentioned, that’s typically a recipe for disaster. I think she might even like you.”Mack chuckled and reached for my hand. “If not, she’ll come around.”“What did you say to her to change the mood?”Mack scowled, indicating he didn’t know what I was talking about. “Don’t do that,” I warned, squeezing his hand. “I know you two had words, I just don’t know what was said. I tried really hard to listen wh