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And I was standing here in a damn towel.
A blush was already creeping across my cheeks as I opened the door—as if the man hadn’t already seen me naked. His eyes darkened and mischief danced within his irises as he looked me up and down.
“Well, this was unexpected.”
I stared at him. “So was your visit.”
He smirked. “If I remember correctly, I believe the first time we met, I was only wearing a towel as well.”
He was under my damn skin and I wasn’t sure if I loved it or hated it.
“What do you want, Mac?”
He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “Nothing in particular,” he said with a shrug as he swayed a bit. “I was coming home and thought I’d see if you were awake.”
“Did you need something?” I asked him, shifting my weight nervously on my feet.
“Other than you, no.”
A fire was burning deep within his gaze and I knew I couldn’t entertain it. Not tonight. I needed some space, some time to think. The last thing I was going to do was allow myself to become attached to him. He played for the damn team my father coached. It was a recipe for disaster.
“It’s late, Mac.”
He stared at me, the playfulness falling from his eyes, and he lifted a hand and grabbed onto the doorway as he continued to burn holes through my own eyes. His face was close enough to mine that I could feel the warmth of his breath as it skated across my skin. A shiver slid up my spine, goosebumps spreading across my arms and legs. I resisted the urge to reach for him.
“Lincoln made me go to the club with him tonight. He was meeting this girl there and introduced me to her friend.”
His words sunk into my flesh and my gaze hardened as I looked at him. The goosebumps quickly dissipated and the chill he gave me was replaced with anger. Red-hot jealousy—a foreign feeling.
“Congratulations,” I told him with a bored tone. “I hope you had a great time. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get ready for bed,” I said as I began to shut the door.
Mac pushed out his foot, holding the door open as he shook his head. “They were trying to set the two of us up together. Lincoln thought she’d be someone I would be interested in.”
I raised an eyebrow as I crossed my arms over my chest. “Cool. I don’t care, Mac.”
“I think you do,” he said quietly as his eyes did a slow search of mine. It was clear that he was tipsy with the way his words slurred ever so slightly. “I went with him and I met this woman and felt absolutely nothing. And do you know why that is?”
“No,” I said softly, not fully trusting my voice. My guard was slipping, but I was desperate to hear what he had to say.
“Because you’re the only person I’m interested in, Juliette.”
His words replaced the ones that had made me feel jealous. He went and met some other girl, but I was the one who was on his mind. He didn’t go home with her. He came back here and came straight to my door. I needed to give myself a reality check before I did something stupid like invite him inside.
“You’re drunk,” I retorted, attempting to divert the conversation. “And we’re just friends.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t really change anything, does it?”
I was still wearing nothing but a towel. It was hard to tell if Mac was using the door to hold himself up or if he was doing it just to make his actions match his words. My lips parted slightly and I didn’t trust myself to answer him. Drunken words supposedly spoke sober truths.
Did it change anything?
We were simply just friends and he wasn’t interested in anyone other than me.
He wasn’t asking for my hand in marriage—or a relationship, even. He was taking a stand and making himself clear, and I fucking heard him. Every single word he spoke.
Mac pushed away from the doorframe with that damn smirk pulling on his lips yet again. “I’ll let you go get some sleep,” he said with a lightness in his tone. “I just wanted to see you. I wanted you to know.”
“Thank you for telling me,” I responded, instantly feeling stupid, but also feeling off-balance. Usually I was quick to have some type of a comeback. Something snarky, something witty. I was at a loss for words.
