Chapter Twenty
The second half of the game went swiftly, ending with the high school varsity team beating the alumni 35 to 21. It had been neck-and-neck during the third quarter but due to an interception and a long yard pass, the kids had kicked the adults’ ass.
Ellie noticed the mascot seemed to be looking her way again, and she stuck her tongue out at him. He responded by turning his back on her, sticking his butt out, and wiggling his nubby tail at her.
Ellie laughed, the tension from earlier eased by the mascot’s antics and by Jenny’s excitement that her boyfriend was the alumni’s wide receiver. She would definitely have to thank Clark later for entertaining her.
“Well, I promised I’d take you home right after,” Jenny drawled. “No going out for a drink or grabbing some burgers.”
“You’re kind of pushy. Did anyone ever tell you that?” Ellie stood up and started climbing down the bleachers.
“All the time.”
They reached the track and headed towards the exit together. Jenny was rambling on about the importance of socialization, but Ellie was watching Forrest on the field. His helmet was off and he was screaming as he waved his arms violently around. As they drew closer, she could hear every word.
“You fucking idiot, who taught you how to block? Huh?”
“Dude, chill, it was just a game,” one of the other players said.
Forrest pushed him and one of the coaches ran over to break it up. “Why don’t you go home and chill out?”
He threw his helmet and headed for the gate just in front of them, exiting as they passed. When Forrest’s rage filled gaze met hers, he advanced on her. “You. If you hadn’t fucked Stevens and gotten into my head, we wouldn’t have lost.”
The people around them, including Jenny, stared at Ellie.
“I didn’t sleep with Mike or anyone else. I just didn’t want to see you anymore.”
“Yeah fucking right. You couldn’t even wait one day to wrap those fat thighs around him.”
Ellie glared at him. “I don’t remember you complaining my thighs were fat when you were trying to get between them.”
“Because I heard you were a sure thing! But I guess you only whore for losers.”
Out of nowhere, a blur of brown and green hit Forrest, sending him flying back through the gate. Ellie watched in horror as Clark the mascot threw back a brown furry fist and hit Forrest in the middle of his face. Blood exploded from Forrest’s nose and he stumbled back again when the Bruin took off his head and swung it at Forrest’s chest, sending him flailing back over the bench to the ground.
Without him even turning, Ellie knew the mascot wasn’t Clark. It was Mike.
And he’d just beat the hell out of Forrest with his bear head.
Giggles bubbled up from Ellie’s mouth as Mike grabbed the alumni’s giant drink container and dumped it all over Forrest, who lay sputtering and cursing. People gave the men a wide berth, but Mike’s voice rang clear and he picked up his head.
“You go near her again, even look at her wrong, and you’re going to disappear. Period.”
Mike turned and headed back toward the gate, ignoring the shouts as Forrest climbed to his feet and people held him back.
Ellie saw the purpose in Mike’s eyes and it tightened everything low in her stomach. What was it about watching a man defend her honor that made her want to rip off that bear costume and screw his brains out.
“Hang on to my head.”
Mike thrust his bear head at her and before she knew it, he had picked her up in his arms and was striding away, leaving Jenny and the rest of the town to gape after him.
“That was quite a scene,” Ellie said, her voice shaking with laughter.
“He was lucky I couldn’t kick in this costume or I would have taken out his family jewels.”
People pointed and stared at them as they passed, some laughing, others just wide-eyed. When they finally reached the parking lot, and his SUV, Mike set her on her feet.
He unlocked the door and started pulling off the bear costume, revealing jeans and a T-shirt underneath.
“Thank you for what you did.”
Before she could blink, he had taken the bear head from her and tossed it inside the car. Then, he pressed her against the car, cradling her face. “You deserve to be cared for and cherished. How do you not know that?”
She couldn’t answer though because his mouth was on hers, devouring her and she could feel every hard muscle in his body tight against her. Her hat went eschew as he deepened the kiss and the explosion of want touched every nerve in her body as she gripped his back with her curled hands and kissed him back.
When Mike pulled away, he was breathing as hard as she was.
“We should probably get out of here. Do you want to come over to my place?”
Biting her lip, she wanted to say yes.
“I want to, so much, but I have to make sure Dalton is coming over to be with Jenny.”
“Because you think that whoever slashed your tires might come back?”
“Yes. I’m worried if I leave them alone too long, someone might hurt them.”
“You think they would try to break in? Why?”
“I got a freaky phone call tonight. I don’t really want to talk about it, but I just don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone.”
Mike nodded grimly. “Now I regret carrying you off. Call her.”
Ellie pulled out her phone and pressed Jenny’s name.
“Hey, where did you two go?”
“We’re in the parking lot. Is Dalton with you?”
“Yeah, he’s staying over. What about you? Are we having another guest tonight?”
“No, I’m going to his place.”
Jenny squealed. “You are telling me everything tomorrow.”
“You’re as nosy as your mother!” Ellie teased.
“I can’t believe you said that!”
“I’m kidding. I love you. Make sure the front door is locked before you go to bed.”
“You got it. Have fun.”
“Bye.”
“Good night.”
Once she’d slipped the phone in her pocket, Mike took her hand and led her around to the passenger side, opening the door for her. “You ready?”
Ellie’s stomach somersaulted with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. “I am.”
By the time they got back to Mike’s place, it was almost eleven. They swung by Gracie’s to grab Smalls, but Eric answered the door to inform him that Gracie wasn’t talking to him.
Any other night, Mike would have walked in and confronted her, but Ellie had been waiting in the car for him. The last thing he wanted to do was keep her waiting.
It occurred to him now as he flipped on his living room light that Ellie was planning on staying the night with him. Did that mean just to sleep because she was scare of the person who’d slashed her tires, or did she want more comfort than that?
Mike’s heart started hammering as he imagined sleeping with Ellie, reaching out and touching her. Pulling her into his body and rolling her beneath until he was inside, bringing them both to heaven. “Should I sleep on the couch? I can let you have my bed.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. We can share a bed. Two people can do that without screwing, you know.”
So, he was a little disappointed. He was a guy. “I get it. I’m glad you trust me to respect your boundaries.”
“If you tried anything, I would just tell Smalls to eat balls.”
Mike eyeballed his puppy, who cocked his head at him. “Yeah, that’s terrifying.”
“I know, right? Can I use your bathroom?”
“Yeah, you know where it is. Do you want to watch some TV?”
“Actually, I’m tired. Do you mind if I crash?”
“Not at all.”
“Thanks. For letting me stay.”
When she disappeared into the guest bathroom, he went back to his room and picked up his clothes from earlier. He tossed them in the hamper and then used his master bathroom to get ready for bed.
By the time he got done with the bedroom and came back, Ellie was under the covers, with Smalls sleeping right next to her in the middle of the bed.
“Dog, you’re a spoiled brat.”
Smalls barked and rolled over onto his stomach. Ellie rubbed it with a laugh as Mike crawled into bed.
“He knows who the boss is, huh?”
“I wish.” Mike watched her over the puppy for a half a second, wondering if he should kiss her goodnight. When she didn’t move, he turned and flicked off the light. “Good night, Ellie.”
“Good night.”
After a few minutes of laying on his back listening to Small’s snores, he heard her whisper, “Mike?”
“Yeah?” He turned his head to look at her but her back was to him.
“Will you hold me?”
She didn’t need to ask him twice.
He moved Smalls to the end of the bed scooted up against her. Then, he draped his arm around her waist and kissed the back of her neck. “I’d love to.”
He was wearing only boxers and a T-shirt and could tell that under the covers she was in her Bruins shirt, but had removed her jeans. The smooth skin of her leg rubbed against his, and his cock hardened involuntarily. He tried to make it go away, but there was nothing he could do about it, so he ignored it.
Pretty soon, he felt her relax against him and her breathing deepened. As Mike snuggled closer to her, taking in her fruity scent, he realized that holding Ellie was better than anything he’d ever experienced.