As Hot as It Gets
Page 35
“It still boggles my mind,” Jen admitted wryly. “I never imagined Seth could be daddy material.”
The conversation shifted to their jobs next, and when Mia learned that Jen was a freelance photographer, she couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Are you sure it’s not the other way around? Shouldn’t you be in front of the camera?” she asked the breathtaking blonde.
Jen rolled her eyes. “No thank you. I don’t like being the center of attention.”
Mia had to laugh, because at the moment, Jen was most certainly the center of attention. Every male in their vicinity was checking her out, same way every female in their midst was ogling the SEALs.
Miranda noticed all the stares and gave a dry laugh. “Jeez, you’d think they’ve never seen four smoking-hot military men before.”
“What are you three whispering about over there?” Dylan demanded from down the row.
The three women exchanged grins.
“Nothing,” Jen called back. “Just watch the game and pretend we’re not here.”
“Impossible,” Cash told her. “I always know exactly where you are.”
“Yeah?” his girlfriend challenged.
“Oh yeah.” He smiled broadly. “Your presence is like a shining beacon of light, sweetheart.”
A faint blush stained Jen’s cheeks. “Ah, my sweet-talking man. Gotta love him.”
Mia smiled and moved her gaze back to the field, where Danny and his teammates were on their own twenty-yard line, getting into position after the kickoff. The whistle blew, the play clock started, and then they were off. The first snap resulted in Danny handing the ball off to the running back, who charged into a wall of defensive linemen and managed to eke out three yards, seven short of a first down. The next play was another running one, with the same kid finding a hole in the defense, cutting hard to the left, and rushing twenty-two yards before he was finally brought down.
“That kid can run!” Dylan said in delight.
“That’s my son!” came a loud baritone voice.
Mia twisted her head and grinned at the bulky African-American man in the row behind them.
“You should be proud,” Dylan informed the happy father. “He’s damn fast.”
The man beamed. “And he’s only a sophomore! What do you think of that?”
As Dylan launched into an animated exchange with the older man, Jen sighed and turned to Mia. “I swear, he makes friends wherever he goes. I think Dylan Wade might actually be the most charming person on the planet.”
Mia dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned close to the blonde. “What’s his deal, by the way? Earlier he said something about his ‘partners’ being out of town. As in, more than one?”
That got her simultaneous laughs from Jen and Miranda.
“He has a girlfriend named Claire,” Miranda said.
“Oh, okay, so I must have misheard him when he—”
“And a boyfriend named Aidan,” Jen finished.
Mia blinked. “What?”
“The three of them live together,” Miranda explained. “They’re a permanent threesome.”
“Oh. I see.” Mia shook her head a couple of times. “No, wait, I don’t see. So he lives with two people and they’re okay with sharing him?”
Jen hooted. “They all share.”
“They’re in love. All three of them,” Miranda added.
“Oh.”
Clearly Mia was not as worldly as she’d thought, because she was having a tough time wrapping her head around it. She’d never known anyone who was involved in an actual polyamorous relationship. She wasn’t sure how that would even work.
“Don’t worry, you’ll meet Claire and Aidan when they get back from LA, and then you’ll understand what we’re talking about,” Jen said with another grin.
A round of cheers from the crowd jerked Mia’s attention back to the field, just in time to see Danny complete a fifty-five yard pass to a receiver in the end zone, officially putting six points on the home team’s scoreboard.
“Man, did you see that pass?” Cash exclaimed.
Pride flooded her chest as Cash fixed those deep blue eyes on her. “Your brother has a ridiculous arm, Mia. Jesus. That kid is going places.”
“I hope so,” she said softly.
“Trust me, he is,” the SEAL replied, nodding fervently. “You can see it in his eyes. He’s got that glint of determination, and the arm to back it up.”
“Listen to him,” Jen advised. “Cash knows his football.”
Mia’s gaze focused on Danny, who looked calm and poised as he wandered over to the bench to receive a hearty pat on the back from his coach. The special teams unit hurried onto the field to kick the extra point, which sailed smoothly between the goal posts, and the score went from 6-0 to 7-0.
The opening touchdown served as a favorable omen for the rest of the game—by the time the final whistle blew, the Warriors had crushed the visiting team, 31-3. Danny and his teammates gathered in a celebratory circle, while Mia jumped to her feet and cheered herself hoarse.
As she hollered her support, she suddenly felt a pair of eyes burning into the side of her face. A slight turn of the head, and her gaze collided with Jackson’s, her breath catching in her throat when she saw his expression. He was staring at her like he wanted to eat her up, whiskey eyes glittering with sensual heat and greedy promise. They hadn’t spoken at all during the game, but she realized now that he’d been completely aware of her the entire time.
The conversation shifted to their jobs next, and when Mia learned that Jen was a freelance photographer, she couldn’t hide her surprise.
“Are you sure it’s not the other way around? Shouldn’t you be in front of the camera?” she asked the breathtaking blonde.
Jen rolled her eyes. “No thank you. I don’t like being the center of attention.”
Mia had to laugh, because at the moment, Jen was most certainly the center of attention. Every male in their vicinity was checking her out, same way every female in their midst was ogling the SEALs.
Miranda noticed all the stares and gave a dry laugh. “Jeez, you’d think they’ve never seen four smoking-hot military men before.”
“What are you three whispering about over there?” Dylan demanded from down the row.
The three women exchanged grins.
“Nothing,” Jen called back. “Just watch the game and pretend we’re not here.”
“Impossible,” Cash told her. “I always know exactly where you are.”
“Yeah?” his girlfriend challenged.
“Oh yeah.” He smiled broadly. “Your presence is like a shining beacon of light, sweetheart.”
A faint blush stained Jen’s cheeks. “Ah, my sweet-talking man. Gotta love him.”
Mia smiled and moved her gaze back to the field, where Danny and his teammates were on their own twenty-yard line, getting into position after the kickoff. The whistle blew, the play clock started, and then they were off. The first snap resulted in Danny handing the ball off to the running back, who charged into a wall of defensive linemen and managed to eke out three yards, seven short of a first down. The next play was another running one, with the same kid finding a hole in the defense, cutting hard to the left, and rushing twenty-two yards before he was finally brought down.
“That kid can run!” Dylan said in delight.
“That’s my son!” came a loud baritone voice.
Mia twisted her head and grinned at the bulky African-American man in the row behind them.
“You should be proud,” Dylan informed the happy father. “He’s damn fast.”
The man beamed. “And he’s only a sophomore! What do you think of that?”
As Dylan launched into an animated exchange with the older man, Jen sighed and turned to Mia. “I swear, he makes friends wherever he goes. I think Dylan Wade might actually be the most charming person on the planet.”
Mia dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned close to the blonde. “What’s his deal, by the way? Earlier he said something about his ‘partners’ being out of town. As in, more than one?”
That got her simultaneous laughs from Jen and Miranda.
“He has a girlfriend named Claire,” Miranda said.
“Oh, okay, so I must have misheard him when he—”
“And a boyfriend named Aidan,” Jen finished.
Mia blinked. “What?”
“The three of them live together,” Miranda explained. “They’re a permanent threesome.”
“Oh. I see.” Mia shook her head a couple of times. “No, wait, I don’t see. So he lives with two people and they’re okay with sharing him?”
Jen hooted. “They all share.”
“They’re in love. All three of them,” Miranda added.
“Oh.”
Clearly Mia was not as worldly as she’d thought, because she was having a tough time wrapping her head around it. She’d never known anyone who was involved in an actual polyamorous relationship. She wasn’t sure how that would even work.
“Don’t worry, you’ll meet Claire and Aidan when they get back from LA, and then you’ll understand what we’re talking about,” Jen said with another grin.
A round of cheers from the crowd jerked Mia’s attention back to the field, just in time to see Danny complete a fifty-five yard pass to a receiver in the end zone, officially putting six points on the home team’s scoreboard.
“Man, did you see that pass?” Cash exclaimed.
Pride flooded her chest as Cash fixed those deep blue eyes on her. “Your brother has a ridiculous arm, Mia. Jesus. That kid is going places.”
“I hope so,” she said softly.
“Trust me, he is,” the SEAL replied, nodding fervently. “You can see it in his eyes. He’s got that glint of determination, and the arm to back it up.”
“Listen to him,” Jen advised. “Cash knows his football.”
Mia’s gaze focused on Danny, who looked calm and poised as he wandered over to the bench to receive a hearty pat on the back from his coach. The special teams unit hurried onto the field to kick the extra point, which sailed smoothly between the goal posts, and the score went from 6-0 to 7-0.
The opening touchdown served as a favorable omen for the rest of the game—by the time the final whistle blew, the Warriors had crushed the visiting team, 31-3. Danny and his teammates gathered in a celebratory circle, while Mia jumped to her feet and cheered herself hoarse.
As she hollered her support, she suddenly felt a pair of eyes burning into the side of her face. A slight turn of the head, and her gaze collided with Jackson’s, her breath catching in her throat when she saw his expression. He was staring at her like he wanted to eat her up, whiskey eyes glittering with sensual heat and greedy promise. They hadn’t spoken at all during the game, but she realized now that he’d been completely aware of her the entire time.
