Free Backfield in Motion by Boroughs Publishing Group Page B

anywhere. Right now, his actions
affected two friends—Mac and Brett. He loosened his hold on Mac,
allowing her to put a few inches between them. She stared at him,
her lips still parted, and blinked several times, as if she
couldn’t believe her bad luck. Neither could he. What a fine time
for his sense of honor and decency to assert itself.
    “Sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep my
boundaries.”
    Mac’s disappointment was written all over
her flushed face, which was out of character. She usually had a
better poker face than that. She crossed her arms over her chest
and looked beyond him. “You’re not, really. It’s fine.”
    “No, it’s not. We’re friends, and I’m not
the right guy for you.” Bruiser managed a half smile in an attempt
to downplay what had just not happened. “Now, Brett—there’s
a guy who could make a nice girl like you happy.”
    “Brett?” She squinted at him, as if trying
to process his words.
    “Yeah, Brett’s kinda interested.” His
statement had the desired effect of driving a wedge between them.
Bruiser stepped back, putting more distance between them physically
and emotionally. His arms dropped to his sides, feeling empty and
aching for her. He shoved his hands in his pockets.
    “In me?” She pointed at her chest, right at
her cleavage, and he bit back a groan.
    “Sure is,” he managed, though he sounded
strangled. “Has been for a long time.”
    “Isn’t he your best buddy on the team?” She
perched her cute ass on a rock wall and put her shoes back on, He
gaped at her shapely legs until she gazed up at him. Oh, God, he
wanted to bend her over the wall and kiss the hell out of her.
    “Pretty much.”
    “I know you can’t help but be your usual
jackass self, but if Brett’s interested, why were you hitting on
me?” Her accusation punched him below the belt, but his selfish
dick refused to give up its quest.
    “Because I’m truly an ass. I apologize. It
won’t happen again. So will you?”
    She stared up at him, hugging herself with
her arms, as if she were cold. “Will I what?”
    “Go out with Brett?”
    “I can’t answer that, since he’s never asked
me.”
    An unexpected stab of jealousy caught
Bruiser completely off guard. Jealous? He hadn’t been jealous since
he caught CeCe flirting with the quarterback on his old college
team. Damn . He needed to screw his head on straight, abandon
his odd attraction to Mac, and go back to being a player, a role
he’d starred in since puberty. Only hooking up with anonymous women
didn’t hold its usual appeal.
    And despite all his inner bullshit, he knew
the exact reason why.
    * * * * *
    Mac pushed herself off the stone wall and ran
for the bathroom in the pool house as fast as her killer shoes
would carry her without breaking an ankle. She didn’t look back
until she reached the bathroom door. A glance over her shoulder
revealed Bruiser standing alone near the dance floor staring at
her. Dang, uber-confident Bruiser looked adorably confused and
uncertain—a lethal combination.
    Pushing the bathroom door open, Mac shut and
locked it. She rested her forehead against the cool tile wall until
her breathing returned to somewhat normal and her heart ceased
racing down the homestretch. Moving to the sink, she started to
splash some cold water on her face, then remembered her eyeliner
and mascara. Damn, but it sucked being a woman.
    She stared at the stranger in the mirror and
had to admit she did look pretty damn good, which explained
Bruiser’s insane temporary infatuation with her. Kelsie and Co.
were miracle workers, not to mention Shanna and Eunice. She might
even ask Kelsie to show her how she applied Mac’s makeup earlier in
the day. Not that Mac could duplicate the finesse of a master, but
maybe she could manage without doing too much damage.
    She was stalling. Applying makeup was the
least of her problems.
    Mac’s head pounded harder than a drummer in
a hard-rock band.
    Bruiser?
    Brett?
    First, Bruiser’s