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I was flying down the dark road after leaving The Spot when I saw someone standing in the middle of the road. I managed to swerve, but the back end of my car hit him just enough to knock him into the ditch. So I stopped the car, ran down the hill, and gasped when I saw Mack King lying motionless in the grass. His eyes were open and his chest was still moving, so I knew he was breathing. When he turned his head in my direction, the look he gave me took my breath away. The only way I could describe it was, awe. Like he was in awe of me. Then I started to wonder just how badly he was injured for him to be looking at me that way.
“Firefly,” he whispered. “Beautiful firefly.”
There was a voice behind me, and I saw a man running down the hill calling his name. It was obviously someone who was concerned about him because he started looking Mack over for injuries.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see him. Should I call an ambulance?” I asked.
“Nah, he’s good. Thanks.”
“You sure?”
The guy jerked his head into a nod but didn’t look as if he was going to say anything more to me. I felt awkward just standing there, so I slowly went back up the hill, and when I turned back, Mack was sitting up and speaking to the other guy. Feeling satisfied that he was okay, I got in my car and drove away.
When I stepped fully inside the main room of the party, Mack lifted his head and his eyes went slightly wide as he turned in my direction. The way he scanned my body appreciatively boosted my confidence to move forward, adding a little extra swish to my hips as I walked. There were a few people there that I recognized, so I made small talk for a while each time inching closer to the room with the pool table. Finally, I settled myself onto one of the empty wooden high-back stools against the wall, and Tayia quickly occupied the other. I’d made a show of slowly crossing my legs and caught Mack looking my way as he took a swig from his beer bottle.
“Somethin’ to drink, ladies?” a deep voice called out. I turned my head to see another man with messy black hair and tattooed forearms, the same guy I’d seen running to help Mack the other night. He was standing in front of the open refrigerator, looking at us expectantly. I was only nineteen but my parents owned a bar. I’d been sneaking bottles of beer and liquor to share with my friends for years, so I knew what I wanted and wasn’t shy about it.
“I’ll take a beer,” I replied confidently, and the guy gave me a quick nod, then shot a glance over to Tayia who immediately shook her head no. With a shrug, he turned around and started rummaging through half-empty cardboard containers. When my gaze returned back to Mack, he was staring at me. Studying me. So I licked my lips involuntarily and looked away. From the corner of my eye, I saw him walk forward and come to a stop beside me. He was so close that I could smell a hint of his cologne.
“I got you,” he said in a low voice as he handed me the nearly full beer he’d just drank from. I hesitated briefly, darted my tongue out to wet my top lip, then took his offering. While I drank, my eyes remained on his. His brown eyes grew so intense that they turned nearly black as he watched me.
“You’re beautiful. What’s your name?” His question came out in a low growl.
“Jonna,” I replied breathily, and his nostrils flared a little as his lips pulled up into a smile.
“I’m Mack.”
“I know who you are.” I smirked up at him and handed his beer back. It was obvious that my answer pleased him, and his chest seemed to expand.
“Nah, keep it.” He waved me off before adding, “Just so you know, never let a guy hand you an open drink.”
Feeling bristled by his scolding, I quickly replied, “Well, I saw you drink from it first, so you would not only be drugging me but yourself. That wouldn’t make you a very smart attacker.”
“Dumb shit happens every day.” He shrugged. “Lucky for you I’m not into that.” With a smirk, he turned and hollered to the kitchen area, “Yo, Brando. I’ll take one.” He was handed a beer from the guy with the tattoos, then cracked it open and took a drink. I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed.
“I remember you.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re the girl who tried to run me over the other night.”
My cheeks warmed with embarrassment, and I shrugged.
“Why were you just standing in the middle of the road like that?” He only shrugged back and looked away as he took another drink.
“You’re up, Mack,” tattooed guy, Brando, called from the pool table. Mack turned his head and jerked a quick nod before focusing back on me.
“Stay here, Jonna,” he ordered as his eyes held mine, and the muscles between my thighs clenched at the sound of my name coming from his lips. I nodded shyly, and he stepped away.
I shot a look over at Tayia who was subtly shifting her eyes between me and Mack’s retreating form.
“What?” I mouthed to her. She did her best to suppress a giggle by pressing her lips together as she shrugged.
Tayia, my best friend since eighth grade, often served as my conscience. She wasn’t a big drinker and usually took on the responsibility of making sure we got home safe. She also knew I had a slight crush on Mack King. She was without a doubt enjoying the scene in front of her and would waste no time making fun of me later, which was also the reason I scowled at her.
I let my gaze travel around the room and saw a few guys laughing and drinking while sitting at a folding table in the middle of the living room playing a game of cards. Two girls were perched on the arm of an old worn couch scanning the place, obviously trying to determine who they would go home with tonight. I didn’t miss the way their eyes kept shifting in Mack’s direction. I also didn’t miss the way his eyes kept landing on me. Enjoyi
ng the attention, I twisted in my seat and turned my back to him, making sure he got a good look at my exposed lower thigh and started making conversation with Tayia. I asked her about her writing class, a topic I knew she would do most of the talking, and I pretended to listen. It was hard to concentrate because my thoughts were completely focused on Mack.
As much as I tried, I could no longer ignore the sound of giggling coming from behind me, so I turned to see one of the girls from the couch standing next to Brando and being all flirty with him. Her friend’s point of interest seemed to be Mack as she tried to position herself in his line of sight. I shifted in my chair so that I could return my focus to Mack who was leaning over the pool table and lining the pool stick up to make a shot. His black hair fell over his forehead as he narrowed his eyes in concentration then pushed the stick forward with a crack, causing the sound to vibrate through the room. Then he looked over at me and winked. Every time he sent a ball into its pocket our eyes would meet. My heart began to beat rapidly in anticipation of each shot. He repeated the process methodically and in no time had effectively cleared the table. When the game was over he collected money from Brando who never even had a chance to play.
“Wanna go again and give me a chance to make my money back, man?” Brando asked.
