The man was just as bad as Skylar about winning. Gayle would have to change strategy. “It’s pretty sad that a grown man would claim victory over an eight-year-old when the only reason she couldn’t make the move was because she is an eight-year-old. I would’ve been able to make that move.”
He pressed his lips together, but not before she saw the twitch at the corners. To seal the deal, she crossed her arms over her chest, cocked one hip out, and pursed her lips in a what-are-you-going-to-say-to-that? way.
He immediately dropped his head, but she’d seen it. Oh. My. God. She’d seen it. A flash of white teeth. Handsome had smiled. Unfortunately, she hadn’t received the full effect or seen how it transformed his face, but still, he’d failed to keep it buttoned up.
She was getting to him.
It wouldn’t be long and he’d smile just because he wouldn’t remember not to. The thought almost brought a smile to her own lips.
When he looked up, he had control over his mouth muscles again and had them set in a stern line. “You’re on.”
“Bring. It.” Waving her fingers in the motion that went with those words, she stepped onto the mat.
Again the stern expression cracked as he squared off with her. He was a good head taller than she was and she tilted her head back to gaze up at him. Narrowed brown eyes glared back down at her. Good gracious almighty, she liked this. A lot. Everything about the man was commanding. Compact. Tight.
A flutter swept low in her belly. Yeah, she wanted this man.
“Gayle, right foot, yellow circle.”
With Skylar here, she would have to keep things G-rated, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a bit of fun. Without breaking eye contract with Mac, she slipped her foot between his spread legs to the lone yellow circle between his feet and brought her breasts closer to his chest. Other than a slight jerk back and some major tensing of his body, he gave no reaction.
“Uncle Mac, right foot, green circle.”
An audible exhale came from him as he shifted backward until the required foot was on the correct color, putting the lines of yellow and red circles between their bodies. Okay, so he responded to verbal challenges, but was still gun-shy about physical ones. She could respect that—for now.
“Gayle, left foot, red.” She moved her foot to the assigned color, inching closer to Mac again.
“Uncle Mac, left foot, green circle.” Noticeable frustration crossed his face at having to remain in the same spot. The thrill of the chase shivered through her. This was a lot more fun than she’d expected.
“Gayle, left hand, red.”
She glanced down at the rows before her, where she had one foot already positioned on yellow and one directly in front of Mac on red, then glanced up at him. Her naughty side roared forward with a vengeance. Hadn’t she just thought she could respect his unspoken cues? She studied the circle again.
Nope. Forget respect. She had to do it. Opportunities like this didn’t arise often enough, and she would not let one pass by. Plus, it was fun watching the yummy fighter who faced big, bad, aped-up gorillas in a cage get all awkward when she did something outrageous.
Thankfully, Skylar was way too young to read into this, but Mac would see the adult intention crystal clear. Keeping her expression innocent, Gayle slowly crouched until she was zipper level with his camo shorts, placed her hand on the circle, and tilted her head back to look up at him. His head tilted up toward the ceiling, and softly mumbled Fucks rolled from his mouth.
Oh, yeah. He was reading into it exactly what she wanted him to.
She heard the spinner turn on the cardboard. “Uncle Mac, right hand, red.”
An audible groan sounded as he bent to place his palm on the circle beside her, bringing his face in close. Tension carved deep grooves around his tightly pressed lips and anger burned as he glared at her. She flashed him a bright smile. His eyes narrowed dangerously. Man, if she could get all that built-in hostility to channel into passion, this man would rock her socks off.
“Gayle, right hand, blue.”
Twisting her body away from Mac, she slapped her palm on the correct color.
“Uncle Mac, right foot, blue.”
Muttering another curse, he stretched his foot from its spot on the green circle to the blue, bringing his torso forward, so they were once again facing each other.
“Hello, handsome. Good to see you again.”
“Can’t say the same.”
She chuckled. “If you can’t handle the heat, you know what to do to end it.”
“No way in hell that is happening.”
“Gayle, right foot, green.”
She peered around the mat. Her right foot was currently on yellow. Left on red. Green was behind Mac. This could prove difficult. She faced forward, and came nose-to-nose with a smirk—a smirk!—twisting Mac’s usually cantankerous lips.
Oh. It was so on.