Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
~MAC~
The whole team is headed out to the bar.
We may have lost, but that’s okay. It was just a scrimmage, one that many of us were questioning if we should have been playing in the first place.
I’m not sure what Cromwell was thinking when he scheduled it, but I think it might have something to do with ego.
Either way it’s weird to have a scrimmage in the middle of the season.
I would have rather enjoyed the bye week.
The only thing anyone could really agree on is that we could all use a drink.
So, we shower and get ourselves ready to head over to The Backwoods.
I’m looking forward to the night out. It’ll be the first time I’ve been able to go there and include Danny.
Usually, I can’t. It’s one of those things where we would just stare at each other from across the crowded room.
I couldn’t touch him, and he couldn’t touch me.
I will miss the dirty texts he’d send me.
I smile and head out of the locker room to find him waiting for me.
Cassie bumps my shoulder. “Look who’s waiting for you.”
I giggle. “Yeah, it’s kind of nice to see him after that rough game.”
“Did Coach say much to you after your soft red?”
“Not too much. Just not to worry about it and move on to the next game. But to make sure that I mind my pushing and keep my hands behind me for the next few games because refs remember that shit.”
Cassie nods. “Yeah, they do and I’m sure you’ll be a target for the other players too because they know your buttons can be pushed.”
“I guess I should have kept my cool,” I tell her.
“What’s done is done. Now you just need to worry about doing that hot man over there when we leave the bar later tonight.” She giggles and pushes me in his direction.
Danny pulls me in, and his lips capture mine before I can say anything to him. I sigh into his kiss and pull him closer to me.
“This is what my post-game walkouts have been missing,” I tell him breathlessly when we pull apart.
He winks at me. “I’m happy to do this after every single game you have, baby.”
“You just can’t travel with the team anymore. But I don’t think that will be a problem for me.”
I smile up at him. “Are you okay?” I’m worried about him. He seems so casual about losing his job. I wonder if he’s just hiding it. Did he know all along that the article on me would be the last one?
“You headed to the bar with us?” Amelia calls over to me.
“Yep, we’ll be there,” I call back to her.
“Oohh. We. I like the sound of that.” She winks at me and heads to her car.
“Are you riding with me or am I taking you?” Danny asks me. His arm is currently around my waist. He hasn’t stopped touching me since I reached him. I like it. I like that we can be free and out in the open without worrying about getting caught.
“I never realized how much it bothered me that I had to hide you from everyone,” I say as we walk hand in hand over to his car.
“Really? Do you not remember how stressed you were? After the first night you spent at my house, you made me drop you back at the bar so that you could walk home. I would have loved to have taken you straight to your door, like the gentleman that I am. But no, you made me drop you off blocks away.”
“Okay, okay. I wanted to make sure that all of this didn’t happen. And that you didn’t get fired,” I remind him. “Are you really okay with all of this?”
He sighs, turning me toward him. “I’m fine with it, and I don’t want to talk about this tonight. It’s going to be fine. All of it. All I’m really worried about is that this doesn’t negatively impact you. I can get another job. You can’t necessarily get another NWSL team this late into the season.”
I nod. He’s right. I know he’s right. But I hate that I appear to have come out of this unscathed and he lost his job. “Okay, fine, but we’re going to have to have a real conversation about this at some point.”
“I wonder how often I can shut you up with kisses or sex. Or better yet, my mouth on your pussy.” He smirks at me. “Now, come on, let’s get to the bar so that you can hang out with your friends.”
“Are you looking forward to meeting them as my boyfriend?” The word rolls off my tongue before I can stop it. My head instantly shoots over to catch his reaction.
He chuckles. “I think we’re old enough to call each other boyfriend and girlfriend without having to worry about the “talking” phase like we’re teenagers. You’re my girlfriend and I’m your boyfriend. Enough said.”
I giggle. “I would think that after all I cost you, you should be okay with it.”
“Stop. We’re not going to be talking about this anymore tonight. Let’s go have fun.”
I agree as I slip into his Tesla, and we head to the bar.
Once we arrive at The Backwoods, I look over and see that John is hanging out at the bar, talking to some guy.
“Did you ever talk to him?” Danny asks me, noticing John, and follows my eyes back to John.
I shake my head. “No, I kinda ignored him. Didn’t answer his texts or anything.”
“Wow, you’re cold,” he replies, pulling me close.
“I didn’t do it to be cold. I just wasn’t sure how to handle him. So, I ignored him. I’m not good at confrontation.”
Danny laughs a little too loudly for my liking. “Are you fucking kidding me? Do you not remember the way you reacted when you first met me in the pressroom? You were tearing my head off with that stare. There was actual ice in your veins when you took me on.”
I shake my head. “I wasn’t that bad.” I look over at him and smirk.
Judging by the loving look on his face, he’s about to pull me in for another kiss.
This is like the third time he’s done it since I saw him after my game.
I think he’s enjoying the fact that we can be out in the open.
I don’t mind it either. I would let him do it all day long if he wanted to.
“Mac! Over here,” Amelia calls out.
“It’s time to really meet the girls,” I tease him as I pull him over to the table.
“Ladies, I would like for you to officially meet Danny Taylor, my man.” I grin. There are a few whoops and hollers at my announcement. I turn to Danny. “Danny this is, Amelia West, Hendrix Monroe, and Cassie Simmons.”
“Ladies,” he says, doing a little bow in front of them. “It’s nice to officially meet you.”
They all grin at him.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Cassie says with a giggle.
“Why?” Danny looks over at me confused.
“Girls, be nice. No interrogating Danny tonight. Got it?” I glare at each one of them.
“Oh, I never agreed to that,” Hendrix says. “And I’d like to see you try to stop me.”
“How about I start out by getting you ladies another round while I get Mac and I something to drink?” Danny laughs.
“Thank you,” I tell him.
Danny looks at everyone’s glass and then heads back to the bar to get drinks.
“Can we be nice to him tonight?” I ask them.
“Yes, we can be nice,” Amelia says. “We just might tease him a little bit. Considering this is the first boy you’ve ever brought around us.”
“Oh, that is not a boy. That is a man,” Cassie says, watching him at the bar. “I mean, have you seen that ass?”
“Yeah, it’s even better naked,” I throw out there. It makes the table cackle with glee.
“Oh, tonight is going to be so much fun!” Hendrix yells a little too loudly.
I look over at the bar to see how Danny is doing. He’s talking to Jase and August while he waits for our drinks. I give him a little wave and a smile of encouragement. He waves back and winks at me.
“Yeah, it is,” I reply.
“Oh, listen to the dreamy way you said that. You really do like this one, huh?” Amelia asks.
“I really do.”
“I thought you hated him,” she reminds me.
“Yeah, there’s a thin line between love and hate,” I say. “And I guess that line kinda disappeared when he ate my pussy.”
The whole table howls. Of course, this would be the moment Danny returns, bringing Jase and August with him.
“What are you talking about?” Danny asks, smiling as he hands out the drinks to each girl.
August helps him pass them out. Jase just stands there uncomfortably because I’m guessing it’s weird for the coach to be out drinking with the girls. Andie does sometimes, but she’s a bit closer to our age, so maybe that helps.
“Oh, just how good you are at eating—” Hendrix says, but I cut her off before she can finish.
“No, we are not talking about that,” I scream. “Nope, not as a group.”
August laughs. “Oh, I think we should. This could be a fun night after all.”
Danny turns bright red and pulls me into his side. “Is this how you want to play it? Should I tell my friends how you never wear underwear?” He pinches my butt through my jeans, and I let out a little yip.
“If you want them to wonder if I’m bare-ass naked underneath these jeans, then sure, knock yourself out,” I tease him right back.
Danny lets out a low growl. “Nope, we wouldn’t want that.”
The rest of the evening goes by without too much incident. The girls ask him about himself and the swimming, but no one mentions his father, which I’m happy about. I’m sure he is too.
“So, tell me Danny…” Henny says, her words slurred just a little bit. And she’s laughing as she speaks.
I can only imagine what type of question is going to come flying out of her mouth. The girls are giggling like they’re egging her on. August is smirking like he knows that this isn’t going to be a good question, but Jase has been on his phone for most of the night.
“Please tell me how you keep that rocking swimmer’s body. Because from what I understand, you look so fucking fine out of those clothes and you don’t swim anymore. How do you do it?”
The whole table erupts in laughter.
“So, you tell her how much you like to stare at me while I’m naked?” he asks me.
“No, but you just did.” I laugh along with the girls as Danny’s face reddens.
“Ah, fuck. I hadn’t realized that.”
“I took a shot in the dark,” Henny says. “But thank you for playing along.”