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Do I want to pursue that kiss? Fuck yes!
But she’d been clear about not becoming a notch on his bedpost. Trouble was, when he thought about her, looked at her, he didn’t see a notch on that corner post. He saw something far more long term. What he saw was…his forever.
That fucking scared him to death.
However, he hadn’t gotten his Rookie of the Year and NBA MVP in the same year, a few other MVPs, multiple selections to the All-Star team and All-Defensive teams or his two NBA championships by being timid and not going after what he wanted. Hell, there were still records that stood since he’d retired. And since he wanted Hope, he had to go get her. After putting his things away and making sure the fire had been banked and wouldn’t take long to coax back to life, he closed the curtains against the snow that continued to fall from the dark gray sky.
He couldn’t concentrate. Yanking the door open, he went downstairs and didn’t even bother looking toward the kitchen because he heard her laughter in the main room.
Mitchell stepped in the room and looked around. They had one of the coffee tables set up by the fire where Hope and David sat across from one another. They were playing cards. Wendy had pulled a chair up behind Hope who was on the floor and it appeared she was playing with Hope’s hair.
Erick and Alistair held a conversation with Wendy, Collette, and Sonya, even as they put in small commentary about the game taking place between Hope and David. From the serious look of concentration on David’s face, Hope wasn’t taking it easy on him.
As he stood on the sidelines, trying to remember why he’d wanted to shut himself away, he realized they were playing War.
Fuck, he wasn’t able to stay away from this woman. Before he could contemplate talking himself out of it, he was striding up to where she looked perfectly comfortable, seated on the floor.
One thing was for certain: being away from her for only this short time definitely hadn’t done a damn thing in curbing his desire to kiss her again. Not one iota.
Everyone glanced at him, Collette watching harder and longer than most. He didn’t care. Hope flicked a quick gaze in his direction then returned her attention to the game. Mitchell sank down beside her, making sure one thigh of his touched hers. Then he bent his other knee and rested his arm across it.
“Seems like I’m missing all the fun.”
He took it as a good sign she didn’t try to pull away from him. However, she wasn’t staring at him with adoring eyes either.
Not a fan. And not because he wanted her as focused on him as he was her, okay, perhaps that was part of it, but because he didn’t know where he stood. Where they stood. And his Flykra didn’t hide her emotions. That he could say with the utmost confidence. So, if she watched him and allowed him to see her, she couldn’t hide.
“What’s the game, David?”
The boy’s face positively glowed. “We’re playing war.” He sobered. “I’m losing.”
“It happens. Keep trying.”
A determined nod as they flipped the next cards. Hope won again.
He turned to the woman who was fast becoming his obsession. He knew that people watched them but he didn’t care. If this finally claimed her in front of the other men there, good. To his mind, she wasn’t available.
“Flykra?”
“Yes?”
His heart thudded in his chest. She responded to his name for her, even if she didn’t look at him.
“How are you feeling?”
“War!” David hollered, sounding gleeful.
Hope looked at him with a not-so-mock glare. “This is how it’s going to be? Distracting me to help this little man win?”
Mitchell reached over the coffee table to fist bump David. “He knew I played basketball.”
David grinned. “Center. Spot number five. The pivot. Most important position on the team.”
Another fist bump. “Exactly.” He nudged her thigh with his.
“He had great stats in the game, too. He was the best.” David frowned at the stack of cards before him.
Hope didn’t seem all too impressed with that statement. She gave her competitor a grunt of acknowledgment.
They flipped their “war” cards and David gave off a good-natured groan as he was, again, defeated. Hope showed no mercy, just cackled as she collected all ten cards. Mitchell noticed the boy’s father wasn’t far away, keeping an eye on his child.
In his periphery, he watched as Wendy continued to play with Hope’s hair. Mostly, he realized, she was stroking it. The action seemed to please Hope. Naomi brought out finger foods and some drinks. People inched in closer and the conversation grew louder.
Within ten minutes, he was participating in his own game of war, with Hope, David, and Collette. After David finished dealing out cards to everyone, Mitchell piled his thirteen into a stack and cut his gaze to the woman beside him.
