Page 32 of Mac

Kate

“Tonight is going to be so much fun!” Evelyn squealed as soon as we entered our hotel room. “And now that we got a hot bodyguard to watch our every move, things will be even more interesting.”

“You can say that again,” I muttered to myself as she headed to the bathroom.

Evelyn and I had hit it off on my first day working at the diner, and I instantly knew we were going to be friends. She was as sweet as could be and made every shift we worked together fun. She was a couple of years older than me, but we meshed well. She was one of the few people I’d actually felt close with, even telling her about some of the stuff in my past. I had Viking, and even Mac and Meredith, to thank for that. Before them, I would’ve never opened up to anyone or felt comfortable letting people see the real me.

One of the things I admired most about Evelyn was not only did she work at the diner to support herself, but she did it while going to nursing school full-time. Her schedule made it difficult for us to spend time together outside of work, which made tonight all the more special. However, I hadn’t told her we’d have not one, but two babysitters the whole night. But, from the sound of things, she seemed totally okay with that.

Me? I was both excited and anxious that Mac was here for my birthday, even though Viking had ordered him to be here. I’d even saved some money to buy this dress specifically because I knew he was going out with us. Based on his reaction, he’d liked what he’d seen.

Mac had been busy with club business all week, so I’d hardly seen him. I wanted him to take me on a ride again, but just when things were starting to go somewhere, he was unavailable. Maybe I was reading too much into the moments we had shared recently.

I’d been spending more time at the clubhouse during the day, but I continued to avoid their nighttime activities. I was enjoying getting to know everyone, and I really liked Wolf and Viper; their laid-back vibe made them the easiest to get along with. The club girls were a different story. They seemed to be around all the time, especially Michelle, who gave me dirty looks whenever I was there. I wasn’t entirely sure I believed Mac when he said he and Michelle were done. She was the type of girl Mac probably went after, and I was nothing like that. But sometimes, when he was teasing and flirting or being sweet to me, I forgot about that.

Then there was Viking, always calling or texting or stopping by to make sure I was doing okay, and I was starting to get used to someone caring about the smallest things in my life. He was gone for the week, on a “run,” and had promised to celebrate my birthday with me and the family when he got back.

“What do we want to do first?” I asked when Evelyn came back into our room. I checked the alarm clock on the table between our queen-sized beds. It was still too early to hit up any clubs, but I didn’t want to stay in our room.

“It’s your birthday, you decide,” she said.

Evelyn had her own unique style. Her black hair was styled in a cute pixie cut, and her makeup was always soft and natural, except for the vibrant red lipstick she wore. I didn’t think she realized just how gorgeous she was, but everyone who came into the diner sure noticed. Guys were always asking to sit in her section, and she always made a ton in tips.

“We could walk around downstairs for a little bit,” I suggested.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s go!” She was full of energy tonight, and I knew we were going to have a great time.

“Let me go next door and tell Mac what we were doing.”

“Fine by me. Maybe Mac can escort us instead of just being your bodyguard?” she said, winking at me. “Then again, since I can tell Mac’s got his eye on you, I’ll just have to find my own guy tonight.”

I felt my face heat up. “It’s not what you think,” I said. “We’re...friends.”

“Ha! Yeah right,” she retorted. “You two were eye-banging each other in the elevator all the way up to our floor.” She gave me a look. “The walls were mirrored, Kate, and I have eyes.”

If my face got any hotter, it’d start melting off. “Whatever. So I think he’s hot. He’s never even tried to make a move on me!”

“You should take it as a compliment,” she said, rummaging through her purse. “He’s not treating you like a random hookup.”

“Maybe,” I demurred.

“This is how I see it—he must really like you if he’s not rushing you into bed…yet.” Her wolfish grin had my insides all tied up at the idea of Mac and me. “Itisyour birthday, bet he’d be more than willing to give you a present: himself, naked-style.”

I groaned, the visual of Mac naked now lodged in my brain. Instead of responding, I grabbed her arm and headed to the door. “Let’s just go downstairs.”

As soon as we stepped out of our room, Mac stepped out of his. His eyes immediately scanned my body, something he seemed to do a lot. “You finally ready to go or did you need more time to talk about me?”

Evelyn burst out laughing.

“Oh my god, you heard all that?” I asked, mortified.

“Well, you’re kinda loud,” he said, smirking.

Unable to meet his gaze, I followed Evelyn as she walked ahead of us to the elevators.

“Evelyn’s right about one thing,” he whispered in my ear.

“Oh yeah, what?” I asked, trying to regain my composure, but when I glanced over at him, the look in his eyes had me stumbling, literally.