“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.
After 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. At 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 attention knocked her on her ass, then Brett wanted to ask her out? She’d suspected that the quiet backup quarterback might actually be interested in her even though he never showed any outward signs. Brett was a nice guy, a good-looking guy, the type of guy any decent woman with half a brain would love to date. So why wasn’t she excited? This stupid-assed crush she had on Bruiser would never amount to anything. Hell, she so didn’t even want it to go anywhere. It was just a safe, harmless crush.
Tonight, something had changed between them, and she was afraid they’d never go back to being casual friends. Not that she had much time for even casual friends, not with her brother missing and her father on the verge of a breakdown.
Why did things have to be so complicated?
Steeling herself, Mac stood up straight and strolled out of the bathroom as if she hadn’t a care in the world, then stopped dead when she heard voices and her name was mentioned. Holding her breath for fear of being caught, she stood there, exposed to anyone who rounded the corner. Backpedaling, she plastered herself against the wall behind a large potted plant.
“Really, Bruce, a gardener?” Veronica was incredulous.
“She’s a groundskeeper, and a damn good one. Plus, she knows her plants.” Her heart warmed at Bruiser’s defense of her.
“If you needed a date for tonight, you could’ve asked me. I would’ve set you up with any number of appropriate females. She’s not in keeping with the image the team expects you to portray.”
“Not the team. The image you expect me to portray. Besides, I think she looks damn good.”
“That much was obvious. You were salivating after her like a teenage boy at the prom with the head cheerleader.”
He shrugged.
“Bruce, you’re the face of our team. Women worship you. Guys want to be you. You need to keep up that image.”
Bruiser snorted. “First of all, who I choose to spend time with is none of your business. Mac and I are friends. She wanted to come here to show you another side of herself.”
“Oh, now I understand. This is a pity date.”
“I wanted to do this. Take some time to get to know Mac better. She’s a hard worker and dedicated to her job.”
“What are you, her campaign manager?”
Mac closed her eyes. This was so not going well.
“She’s applying for the staff scholarship. I want you to consider her.”
“The facilities director is endorsing Vince. If he’s not convinced she’s the right choice, why would I override his decision?”
“Mac’s the best person for that scholarship. Her continued education would be a great benefit to the team.”
“And you know this how? It’s not like
