Coven (34 page)

“Well, you didn’t help your case by calling
them wusses. I’m pretty sure you offended their sense of masculine
pride. I swear Daniel practically beat his chest at you.” She
covered her mouth to hide her giggle, her gaze darting over to the
object of her crush. “I’ll admit he did look adorable doing
it.”

“Yeah, me Daniel ... you woman who should be
in kitchen cooking.” I thumped myself, doing my best to represent a
caveman. “And he’s mild compared to Mr. Alpha-Super-Protective over
there.” I pointed toward Mason, feeling a flush of desire at the
way his t-shirt clung tightly to his torso.

“So what does that say about us? You’re
desperately in love with my brother, and I can’t quite shake the
way Daniel makes me giddy when he looks at me.”

“It makes us women who know what we want,
even if it means we’re crazy about a bunch of dorks.” The sound of
shouting brought our attention to the field, and I groaned loudly,
the sight before us a complete mess.

It was a free for all—bodies piled by the
sideline, and I couldn’t quite tell who was on the bottom. Whoever
it was I felt for them because all that weight … it had to
hurt.

Mason rose to his feet, and began digging
through the rubble. Grabbing shirts randomly, he soon had everyone
pulled off the poor fool at the base of the heap. Jonas was slow to
stand, looking a little drunk as he swayed back and forth. With a
few hearty back slaps from his team, he shook his head as if to
clear something and broke out into a wide smile.

“Neanderthals, I swear one day they’re going
to kill themselves.” I snorted loudly, not caring who heard. Of
course Mason did, and he winked at me. I poked my tongue at him and
his voice echoed in my mind.

Tease.

I blew him a kiss and looked on in horror as
I saw Eric come barreling toward him. The impact of the hit sent
Mason soaring through the air, much to the entertainment of the
team.

“Darcy, whatever you’re doing, knock it off!
We need Mason to focus, and he can’t do that if he’s making goofy
eyes at you.” Daniel yelled out, and was joined with the agreement
of the others. Shrugging my shoulders slightly, I offered a small
apology and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Mason standing. As
if nothing had happened, he got back into formation, waiting for
the ball.

A quick snap and pass to Daniel saw him
leaping over a tackle, before running to the end for a touchdown.
Cheers rose in the air, and I whistled loudly as I watched Daniel
and Wade chest bump.

“Yay! You got another goal! I’m so proud of
you guys!” I cupped my hands around my mouth, and hollered loudly.
I was rewarded with a chorus of corrections.

“You do know it’s called a touchdown, right?
This isn’t soccer,” Jasmine whispered.

“Of course, but it’s worth having them
remind me when I forget. I seriously think Mason risks losing his
eyeballs if they rolled any farther back into his head.”

“You’re so bad. I love it!” Jasmine knocked
shoulders with me, and I reached over to grab hold of her hand.

“What else is there to do but torment the
ones we love, huh? Oh, it’s your turn too by the way.” Looking
around, I could see her thinking.

“Hmmm, what haven’t we used yet today?” She
took in a deep breath, and then let out an almighty cry. “Come on,
slackers. You call this a game? Shoot and score already!”

Mason raised his hand to his mouth,
releasing a shrill whistle and signaled for a time out.

“You’re in for it now. Wonder how long it’ll
take for him to start lecturing us?” I whispered quietly, watching
the teams separate into their own huddles. Mason shared a few short
commands before he started jogging over to where we were
sitting.

“Hey babe, looking good out there. Is it
almost time for us to join in? Jasmine and I have been practicing
since the last time.” I flashed an innocent look, trying to hide
the wicked grin I could feel under the surface. He gave me a look
that melted my insides before pointing his finger at the both of
us.

“What have I told you two about haggling
from the sidelines?” he questioned sternly.

“Not to do it because it’s distracting,” I
began.

“Because we sound silly yelling out
nonsense,” Jasmine finished.

We answered him as though he was a teacher,
repeating back his instructions in singsong voices. There was a
brief pause before we broke into laughter, and it only became worse
as he scowled.

“Come on, it’s funny. Admit it, you love
every moment of it, and it’s the highlight of the game.” I reached
to touch him, but the feel of his sweaty shirt made pull back my
hand. He caught the action, and a mischievous twinkle lit up his
eyes.

“You know me so well, Darcy.” He closed the
distance between us, and I realized what he was up to.

“Oh no you don’t, Mason O’Connor. You take
that sweaty body of yours back over to your team mates and do some
… I don’t know … male bonding or something.” With my arms
outstretched to ward of his attempts to hold me, I wasn’t strong
enough to keep him away.

Iron bands enclosed me, dragging me from my
seat and into his embrace. I struggled slightly, trying to appear
as though I was escaping, but I was exactly where I wanted to be—in
the arms of the man I loved.

He leaned in. I couldn’t stop myself from
reaching out and pulling his face to mine. His heady mixture of
man, wolf, and sunshine was intoxicating—alluring. I forgot the
world around me as I brushed my mouth against his.

He hadn’t shaved, soft stubble grazing
against my skin, and it caused goose bumps to rise as it created
friction. Parting my lips, I felt his tongue slip in and begin to
tangle against mine. I went into sensory overload. Everything about
this man aroused me, and I melted willingly into his tight embrace.
I couldn’t get close enough.

The game was forgotten—all that existed was
him and me. His hand reached into my hair, holding my head in
place, and I groaned into his mouth as he deepened our kiss. If
this was the kind of punishment I would receive for taunting him, I
was determined to up the ante. I whimpered with disappointment when
he slowly broke away, my flesh tingling everywhere he’d touched. He
rendered me senseless, and I couldn’t help the goofy grin that
covered my face.

Lifting my fingers to trace my lips once
more, hunger burning deep, I stumbled backward and was brought out
of my daze by Jasmine’s giggle.

“Was that really necessary, Brother?” she
questioned, slapping him hard against his shoulder. “How are we
supposed to come in and wow you all with our football skills, if
you’ve addled her brain? Look at her, she can barely focus.”

“I think she looks sexy as hell.”

My heart began racing faster, Mason stepping
forward to take me back into his arms. Like a magnet that can’t
fight against its attraction, I moved toward him, only to meet with
Jasmine’s arm.

“Leave her be. Go back and prepare to get
your butts handed to you. I need to undo the damage.” She shooed
him away with a flick of her wrist, and tugged on my arm.

“Has anyone told you how adorable you are
when you attempt to trash talk?”

I began to chuckle at the stern look on
Jasmine’s face.

“Well, at least she’s snapping out of it.
Come on, Darcy. We’ve work to do.”

Shrugging my shoulders in a sign of helpless
submission, I allowed myself to be pulled toward the house. “Did
you really need to interrupt?” I complained, the taste of the kiss
still in my mouth. “You couldn’t have let me enjoy him just a
little longer? He is my mate.”

She rolled her eyes, and snorted. “Future
mate—and you both have plenty of time for all the lovey-dovey
stuff. Right now, we have a game to win, so pull yourself together
and help me.”

Opening the door to her bedroom, my thoughts
finally settled back on the task at hand. “Okay, what do you have
planned?”

Digging around in the small bag on her
dresser, Jasmine held up an eyeliner pencil, a wide grin spread
across her face. “Just a little fun.”

And she got down to business.

Chapter Two

As I crouched down into a stance, I snarled
menacingly at the player facing me. I tried to channel mean,
vicious thoughts, and a sense of I-will-dominate-you, but all it
managed to do was make me giggle.

“You call that intimidating? That scowl
wouldn’t even scare a kitten, and what is that under your eyes?”
Daniel replied, trying not to look at me. Every time he did, I
pulled a face—this time sticking my tongue out to the side and
scrunching my nose. I fought the urge to wipe at the black smudges.
I’d seen players on T.V. do the same, and it was all part of my
plan to distract and conquer.

“It’s war paint. Like it?” I beamed back at
him widely.

He shook his head, clearly not impressed.
“You look silly. Both you and Jasmine.”

I looked to where she was standing, focusing
on her own target, and whistled for her attention. She glanced
over, and I started signaling my intentions for Daniel, ending with
a fierce fist bash against my palm. Jasmine laughed out loud,
giving me two thumbs up. This caused Daniel to groan, and I rolled
my eyes.

“It’s okay to admit it—I have you quaking in
fear. I promise I won’t tell your pack brothers.” I winked, hearing
the sound of the next call being announced by Mason. Playing
defense, I had to make sure I stopped Daniel from opening up a
space for his Alpha to run through. I might be small, but if he
thought my lack of size wasn’t something to worry about, he was in
for a rude awakening. I hadn’t been lying about practicing, and
although my friend Devlin didn’t play football often, he still knew
a few tricks.

The ball snapped, Mason trying another fake,
and Daniel erupted into movement. Determined to squash him, I
launched my own body, using my shoulder to connect with his lower
half and was rewarded with an
oomph.
Caught off guard by the
power behind my charge, Daniel went flying, and I couldn’t help the
smug look of satisfaction as I stood over him.

“Scared now?” I dusted my hands off as I
peered down into his face. His initial reaction was one of
disbelief, but it was soon replaced with one of pride.

“Damn, girl. Where did you learn to hit like
that?” He reached his hand out for assistance, and I pulled him up,
centering my balance to keep myself from falling on top of him.

“I have my secrets.” I kept my answer brief,
letting him wonder all he wanted. I lifted my two fingers to my
eyes, signaling I was watching him. “Think I can do that again?” I
knew I was messing with fire when I saw the question light
something in his gaze, but I didn’t care. I loved playing with the
pack.

“Prepare yourself then, and don’t go
complaining to the Alpha when you break a nail.” He grinned
wickedly, knowing his piggish comment would raise my ire.

“You are such a jerk sometimes, Daniel. Did
I ever tell you that?” I watched him listen for the next play, and
he got ready. His attention never left my face, and he mouthed the
words
you are mine.

Even though I could see him coming, nothing
prepared me for the smoothness of motion as the ball hiked back,
and he raced forward to stop me. It was move or be crushed by a
hulking werewolf, and a squeal erupted from me. I scrambled, barely
able to twist from his outstretched grasp, and seeing I was in the
clear, I focused on Mason. He was looking for an opening—a receiver
to throw the ball to, and he swung his arm back to aim.

“Penalty!” I screamed.

The game came to a grinding halt, and
everyone turned to look at me. Mason tilted his head, looking to
see what had gone wrong, confusion blazing on his face. I didn’t
blame him as I was clearly standing alone, the closest player to me
being Eric, and he wasn’t within arm’s reach.

“Why’d you call a foul, Darcy? What did you
see?” Jonas wandered over, ready to help.

“I want to call an illegal face mask against
the quarterback.” I tried to look as serious as possible, my hands
resting on my hips. “That’s a fifty yard penalty, right? Move them
back.”

“Darcy?” Eric shouted out. “You’re not even
wearing a helmet!”

The pack erupted into laughter, and Mason
looked like he didn’t know whether he wanted to chuckle or throttle
me. He knew exactly what I’d done and why—if the throw had
connected, they would’ve scored a touchdown.

“Oh, my bad.” I shrugged my shoulders,
trying to appear sheepish. “I guess we can keep going then.” I
returned back to my position, and hunkered down.

“I’m calling a penalty then.” Mason broke
away from his team members, heading straight for me. “Against Darcy
… for wrongful interference.” The twinkle in his eye gave him away.
He felt like being playful too.

“I didn’t interfere. It was an honest
mistake, how was I to know?” I answered, twirling my finger around
in my ponytail. “You wouldn’t hold that against me, would you?” I
said batting my eyelashes, causing his step to falter slightly.
“Besides, how do I know there’s even a call like that? You could be
making it up.”

“I’m the Alpha, what I say is law. I declare
you interfered in my play and need to be punished.”

Pack members stepped away, and gathered
closely so they could get a clear view of what would happen next.
Mason and I were an affectionate couple, but our small disputes
were also legendary. This could go either way, and Daniel let out a
howl of encouragement in the background.

“You teach her, Mason. Pesky female needs to
experience the firm hand of her Alpha.”

I raised my eyebrow, crossing my arms over
my chest in defiance. “You wouldn’t?”

“What? Spank you for breaking the rules of
the game? Oh, you know I would.” There was a look of hungry intent
in his eyes now, and it caused my stomach to flutter. I didn’t
think there was ever a time I looked at him, and didn’t get a wild
case of the butterflies.