Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
~DANNY~
I’m lying on my couch, waiting for Mac to get here.
She’s got practice today, and I’m hoping it’s going to be a better day for her.
The rest of the team has been slowly coming around to her.
They were pretty pissed off at first, especially when the papers came out with our kiss after the Gotham FC game, but neither of us cared.
August just asked that we be a little careful with the PDA and maybe tone it down a bit until things calm down.
I agreed, but Mac wanted me to kiss her passionately every time we were out in public.
We compromised and I just eat her pussy every time we come home from a night out.
I told her that’ll be her passionate kiss.
My phone rings and I expect it to be Mac telling me that we’re going out tonight instead of her coming to me. Instead, I see August’s name on the caller ID.
“What’s going on, man?” I ask him.
“How much do you love me?” he asks me. He sounds pretty pleased with himself right now.
“What did you do?” I ask him.
He chuckles into the phone. “I think I found you a job, dude. Unless you’re no longer looking, and you want to be Mac’s sex slave for the rest of your life.”
That is a title I would love to have for the rest of my life, but I won’t tell him that.
I’m careful not to share any details of our sex life with him.
I confide in Nick a bit, but not August. He’s too close to the organization, and as good of a guy as he is, I don’t want to cross a line with Mac.
She specifically asked me to keep my mouth shut around him about us.
“As tempting of an offer as that would be, I think I might need some income too.”
He laughs. “That’s good because I have an opportunity for you.”
“Spill it.” I sit up from my lounging position on my couch and wait for him to spill the beans.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to hear what August might have for me.
I can’t keep lying around waiting for Mac to get off practice or traveling with her to all her games.
As fun as it is, I need more, and I think she deserves to be with the kind of man who has goals in life.
“I have some friends who work for the University of Tampa, and I was golfing with one of the guys today from the athletics department. He was mentioning that they were looking for a Men’s Swim Coach.
I told him I knew someone who would be perfect for the job.
He was all about it. What do you think? Would you like to meet with the guy?
Be a coach for the sport you used to participate in?
Jase thought you might be down to do it too. ”
I smile into the phone and nod my head. “Yeah, dude. I would like to coach. That could be an awesome opportunity. If I get it.”
August just laughs. “If I have learned one thing about having this last name, it’s that a Cromwell recommending you for a job means you’re going to get it, buddy.”
“Oh, wow. Isn’t there someone who would want to meet with me?” I ask him, confused. I mean, I know what he’s talking about. The name Taylor can carry the same weight, especially if you’re looking for a position on a football team. My dad could open all kinds of doors for someone.
“Dylan said he would be giving you a call, so just wait for that and you should be in,” he tells me.
“I know it’s only a Division II school, but the larger Florida schools, like Florida State, would take you farther away from Mac, and I’m not sure I should be helping you get a position that takes you away from my striker. ”
I chuckle. “No, it’s good. Thank you. I wasn’t really looking to leave her. I need to stay with her.”
“You love her. That’s great.” August doesn’t say it like he’s making fun of me or being an ass about it. It’s just a statement, and he’s happy to hear that I love her. There’s more to this man than people give him credit for.
“Yes, I love her.”
“Good for you, dude. You make a good match. She’s got a smart mouth, but I think you compliment her well and don’t take any from her shit.”
“I agree. And she’s a good one. She just needs to be loved right.”
“Keep on doing that,” he tells me.
“I will. How are things with the team and her? Are they really improving? Are they being kinder about all the attention?” I know I shouldn’t ask him this question. She wouldn’t like it if she knew, but I can’t help myself.
“Yeah, I think so. Mac looked really confident when I saw her on the practice field today. I think it’s all going to blow over. Besides, they’re women. They’re bound to get into a scrap every once in a while.”
“Yeah, good. I hope you’re right.”
“I usually am,” he says, throwing his cocky little attitude around.
It’s then that I hear the keypad at my house making noise. It’s Mac. She’s using the code I gave her a few days ago to get in my house.
“Listen, August, thanks. I really appreciate it. Just let me know what I should be doing and who I should be getting in touch with, and I’ll do it.”
“Will do, man. I’ll send you the details via email.”
“Cool, and really, thank you so much for what you did for me. I won’t forget it. You’re alright.”
“Thanks. You are too. I knew I liked you when I met you, even if I couldn’t stand your father.”
“Ha, now I like you even more. Talk soon.”
“No doubt. Bye,” August says before he hangs up.
“Who was that?” Mac asks, coming over to sit on the couch beside me.
“That was August, and he found me a job.” I make sure to pay attention to her face as she takes in this new information.
“Really? What kind of a job is he getting you?” Her voice is tentative, like she’s not sure what this means for us.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m not going anywhere. He got me a job here in Tampa coaching the Tampa University men’s swim team.” I’m smiling wide.
Coaching never really occurred to me when I ended my career as a swimmer. I thought I would want to be as far away from the sport as I could get, at least until the wound of losing the one thing I truly loved healed. And it has now. I think I’ll actually enjoy it.
“That’s great. As long as this is something you would enjoy doing.” Mac’s face lights up even more now. I think she’s glad to know that it’s in Tampa. As if I could ever leave her.
“Yeah, I think it would be. When my career ended, I didn’t think I could coach, but then I talked to Jase about what it’s been like for him to be here with you all, and he made me realize how rewarding it could be.”
“I don’t know about that. I mean, Hendrix sure does like to yell at him a lot,” she says with a laugh.
“She does. But yeah, I’m waiting for this guy Dylan to call me. But I’m hoping to get to check out the university sooner rather than later. We’ll just have to wait and see what they say. I might have found another job.”
“I love this for you. I think you’ll be a good coach. You’re a good writer, though, and you won’t be doing that anymore,” she points out.
“Yeah, I’m not sure I’m sorry about that. I liked that it separated me from my father. Everyone expected me to become some kind of sports broadcaster or commentator, and I could have, but I went another way.”
She moves over and pulls me into her arms. “I’m glad you did, because who knows if you and I would have ever met if you hadn’t been so rude to me that day in the pressroom.”
I laugh before giving her lips a quick kiss.
“Yeah, I think about that night all the time. They wanted me to ask you questions about what you thought about being in Tampa or how you liked playing for the Blaze, but I couldn’t do it.
And then I realized you were quite the little ballbuster, and I had to take you on.
” I reach over and pull her onto my lap.
“I’m so glad you decided to take me on in more ways than one.”
I wiggle my eyebrows at her.
She laughs and shouts, “No!”
“That’s not the reaction I’m used to getting when I make that gesture at you. What is happening?”
“I’m sorry, but we have somewhere we have to be. We don’t have time for that,” she says, still giggling at me.
“Where are we going?” I ask her, pretending to be annoyed.
“We’re going down to the beach to that Mexican restaurant I took you to.
It’s a team bonding night. I set it up. The whole team has the restaurant, so we’re going to have a fun night.
People are bringing their families too. I thought it would be fun to bring you. ” She shrugs like it’s a casual thing.
“You’re bringing me because you consider me family?” I ask her.
“Yeah, I think I do,” she admits, as if the weight of her words are finally registering to her. “You are the only one who seems to care about me and my career. I’ve never had someone support me like this—who wasn’t a teammate,” she quickly clarifies.
I know Cassie would probably burn the world down or cut off my cock if I managed to hurt Mac.
“I love you too, Mac.” I kiss her lips. “You are the first person who hasn’t looked at me as someone who could get them closer to my father. You look at me like you see me.”
“I do. I see you. And in fact, I hate football, so you don’t have to worry about me using you to get to your dad. I love you, Danny. I know you’re always the one saying it more, but I do.”
“I know you do, Mackenzie Dixon.” I pull her into my arms and kiss her passionately.
All I have to do is run my tongue along her bottom lip, and she lets me in.
She is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and it doesn’t matter how many times I say it to her or anyone else, it will never stop being true.
When we break apart, we’re both breathless. “Are you sure we don’t have time for a quick one?” I tease her.
“No, we really don’t.” She jumps up. “We gotta get ready for this dinner. I brought clothes.” She gestures toward the bag that was discarded by the door when she entered. “And I’m going to go use your shower so that I can get all prettied up.”
“You know what that means?” I say, wiggling my eyebrows at her.
“What’s that?” she asks me, her eyes gleaming with delight.
“Shower sex!”
“Ha, that’s a big nope, sir. You have to get ready too.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m already pretty. I don’t need too much primping.” I stand up and walk over to her before caging her in front of the bar that separates the kitchen from the living room.
“Either way, I want to wear my hair down, so I have some work to do.” She moves to get away from me, but I grab her arm.
“Fuck the hair. Let me eat your pussy instead.”
“You and that mouth,” she says, flushing at my words.
“You know you love me and that mouth. From the day you met me, I’ve been driving you crazy with my mouth.”
“In more ways than one.” Mac makes her way down the hall as I chase her.
There’s no way she’s getting naked in my shower and my mouth isn’t going anywhere near her. And I can tell from the flush on her cheeks and the gleam in her eyes that I’ve struck heat. I’m going to get my way, time be damned. We’ll get there when we get there.