“Of course.”
“Good.” Reluctantly she lifted herself off his lap. “I’ll be home as soon as I can. Keep your fingers crossed that the game doesn’t go into overtime.”
The Target Center was packed when Kate arrived. She and her friends spent a lively fifteen minutes talking and having a drink in the concession area. There were seven of them in the group, four women and three men. A man named Derek smiled when he spotted Kate. She’d known him since her senior year of college and had once been very interested in dating him. It had never worked out between them because they never seemed to be single at the same time. Derek was attractive, smart and confident, but over the past few years Kate had noticed a bitterness creeping in as the glory days of college gave way to the not-so-glory days of a lackluster career in middle management.
When it was time to take their seats, Derek followed closely behind Kate, sloshing beer down the back of her sweater when she stopped to let someone pass by.
“Sorry,” Derek said, pawing at her with a napkin once they sat down. The area where Ian’s warm hands had been was now cold and wet.
“That’s okay,” she said, brushing his hands away. “It was an accident.”
“You’re looking good, Kate.”
“Thanks.” She glanced down the row, wishing she was sitting closer to the other women. Lisa was sitting on the other side of Derek, but Brooke and Julie were clear at the other end.
“Heard you and Stuart broke up.”
“Yes.”
“You were together a long time.”
“Five years,” Kate said.
“That’s rough.”
Kate didn’t appreciate Derek’s pitying expression. “Well, I broke up with him.”
“How are you holding up?”
“I’m doing fine. Really.”
Further conversation was cut short when the announcers began the pregame show and the players took to the court. Derek rested his arm across the back of Kate’s seat, but since he wasn’t actually touching her, she thought it would seem petty if she asked him to move it. During a break in the action, she tried to lean around Derek to talk to Lisa. Unfortunately, this caused Kate’s body to press up against Derek’s spread legs, and he did nothing to move them out of the way. She settled back into her seat, having forgotten about Derek’s arm, which now rested lower on the back of her seat. She scooted forward slightly to avoid his touch.
“I’m going to get another beer. Want one?” Derek asked.
Kate held up her nearly full beer. “No thanks.” She was finally able to talk to Lisa while Derek was gone.
When he returned, he settled into his seat and put his arm around her again. “Remember how we were never single at the same time? Now that we are, we should go out sometime.”
“Actually, I’m seeing someone.”
He whistled. “Didn’t waste much time, did you?” His voice carried an edge she hadn’t noticed before, and Kate wondered how many beers he’d had at home before he joined them. “Guess the early bird gets the Kate. I’ll remember that next time.”
“It’s been over six months since Stuart and I broke up,” she pointed out.
“So where is this guy?”
Derek knew as well as she did that significant others had never been a part of these outings, which was something that had always bothered Stuart. “He’s waiting for me at home.”
“How long have you been seeing him?”
Kate didn’t really want to give Derek any ammunition by admitting she’d been dating Ian for such a short time, but she didn’t need to prove anything to him either. She knew what she had with Ian was more than a fling. “November.”
He stopped short of rolling his eyes, but the look on his face told Kate he’d already dismissed Ian. “Sounds like early days to me.”
She smiled sweetly. “And sometimes you just know.”
“Let’s go to dinner next week. We can catch up.”
“I can’t. I’ll be having dinner with my boyfriend.”
“I’m sure he’ll understand if you save one night for me.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Kate said firmly.
“Come on, you can have dinner with an old friend. Bring him along.” He grinned at Kate. “Tell him I’m willing to share if he is.”
Kate laughed dryly. “I’m not yours to share, buddy. Seriously, how many beers have you had?” Had Derek always been an asshole and she hadn’t noticed, or was this the alcohol talking?
He should have paid more attention to her incredulous—and irritated—expression, but instead he smiled and held up his empty glass. “Not nearly enough.”
Kate wished she hadn’t come and was glad when Derek left to go to the bathroom at the start of halftime. Her phone buzzed.
Ian: Having fun?
Kate: No. I’m irritated, wet, uncomfortable, and cold.
Ian: I’m confused by your words considering you’re at an indoor basketball game with friends.
Kate: I’m trapped at the end of the row so I can’t talk to anyone, and Derek spilled beer down my back.
Ian: Derek?
Kate: The token drunk guy in our group, or at least he will be by the end of the evening if he doesn’t slow down. He’s being an ass.
Derek came back, holding a giant beer. He scowled when he noticed Kate typing on her phone. That didn’t stop him from putting his arm on the back of her chair again.
Ian: Is he bothering you?
Kate: It’s nothing I can’t handle. But if you’re watching the game on TV and they happen to flash a picture of us on the Jumbotron, it was not my idea for him to rest his arm across the back of my chair. Also, he’s miffed that you scooped me up when I was single. How dare you!
Ian: Please elaborate.
Kate: I told him about you, but he’s still acting like he has a shot with me. He said he’s willing to share if you are.
Kate was surprised when there wasn’t an immediate response from Ian. He didn’t strike her as the jealous type, but his extreme confidence made her think he might have something to say about Derek’s behavior.
She was looking right at the Jumbotron when the first message appeared on the screen.
KATE IS MINE
She sat bolt upright and looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, watching as Derek took a big drink of his beer and squinted at the screen. Turning away from him slightly, she pulled out her phone.
Kate: Oh my God. You did NOT hack the Jumbotron.
Ian: You know, I believe I did.
BEAUTIFUL KATE BELONGS TO ME
People in the crowd had begun to point at the Jumbotron.
Lisa leaned toward Kate. “Didn’t you say your new boyfriend’s name was Ian?”
“Well, yes,” Kate said, noticing that Derek was listening in. “But those are both pretty common names.”
“You can pay to have a message put on the Jumbotron,” Lisa said. “I read something about it in the program.”
Kate shook her head. “Trust me, it’s not him.”
Kate: I’m never leaving you at home without a sitter again.
COME HOME KATE I MISS YOU
The announcers joined in on the fun. “I don’t know who Kate is, but she’s a lucky girl.”
More pointing, more cheering.
Heads turned as people tried to pinpoint “Kate’s” location.
“Kate, if you’re in the stands,” the announcer said, “stand up and wave your arms so we can get a shot of you.” A cameraman panned the crowd, and a live video feed of the fans was now appearing on the Jumbotron.
“Are you sure, Kate?” Lisa asked again. “Maybe he did it to surprise you?”
“Bit of a lame surprise, if you ask me,” Derek said. Which no one had.
Kate: Derek just said the messages were “lame.” And he still has his arm around the back of my chair.
STOP TOUCHING KATE
THIS MEANS YOU DEREK
ESPECIALLY YOU
AND I DON’T SHARE
<
br /> EVER
“Look!” Lisa said, pointing at the screen. The crowd was no longer paying any attention to the halftime show. They were too busy watching the Jumbotron to see what would happen next.
Kate stifled her laughter, sinking lower in her seat and trying to appear as unobtrusive as possible so as not to attract the attention of the cameraman filming the crowd.
She wished Lisa would sit down.
“What the fuck?” Derek said, looking warily at Kate and finally removing his damn arm.
Kate stared back at him, an innocent smile on her face. “What an absolutely bizarre coincidence.”
Kate: OMG. I’m dying.
Ian: Do you think he got the message? Or do I need to continue?
Kate: He’s very confused. And fairly drunk. But he moved his arm!
Ian: VICTORY IS MINE.
Kate: I’m coming home.
When she arrived at her apartment fifteen minutes later, he met her at the door. After removing her coat, he backed her up against the wall, sliding his hands into her hair and crashing his mouth onto hers. His kisses were rough, demanding, and he didn’t stop until they were both gasping for air.
“You sure know how to make a statement,” she said, breathing heavily.
He pressed his body against hers and sucked his way down the length of her neck. “Just staking my claim, sweetness.”
He lifted her sweater over her head and took off her push-up bra. He yanked on the button of her jeans, unzipped them, and pushed them down. “Step out,” he said when they’d cleared her hips and landed at her ankles. Then he pulled a condom from the front pocket of his jeans, ripped it open with his teeth, and spit out the narrow strip of foil. She looked at him questioningly as he unzipped his jeans and freed himself enough to put on the condom.
He smirked, desire blazing in his eyes as he pulled down her underwear. Then he lifted her and pinned her against the wall, and all she could do was press her shoulders into it and grab his biceps as he entered her.
Stuart had never done anything like that.
There was something so powerful about Ian holding her that way because she was confined and yet completely exposed. And because of the way they were lined up, with her slightly below him, there was an amazing kind of friction occurring with each thrust. Powerless to do anything but enjoy how good it felt, Kate pulled his mouth to her neck by grabbing him roughly by his hair. She closed her eyes and moaned softly as he sucked on her skin.
“I meant it,” Ian said as he moved inside her. “I don’t share. Not ever.”
Kate wasn’t surprised. Ian would not be good at sharing. He was too used to getting his own way, too used to ignoring the rules and breaking them to get what he wanted.
“Here’s something you should know,” she said finding it hard to get the words out because it felt so good and she was almost there. “I don’t either.”
The next morning while sipping coffee in bed next to Ian, Kate read with interest the article in the newspaper about the mysterious hacking of the Jumbotron that had occurred the night before at the Timberwolves game.
“Listen to this part,” she said. “The sophisticated attack was undoubtedly carried out by a highly skilled team of hackers.”
Ian snorted. “No, just me, and I did it from my phone.”
“They also mention that it was”—she made air quotes—“illegal.”
“Does that bother you?”
“It should, but somehow it doesn’t.” Now that she knew him better, it was hard for Kate to think of Ian as anything but good, even when he broke the law. She threw a pillow at him. “You’re such a rebel.”
“I’m a hacker. We’re all rebels.” He tucked the pillow behind his head and grabbed Kate’s wrists when she tried to take it back. “Harmless halftime fun. I was watching it on TV. The crowd seemed to really enjoy it.”
He pulled her close, and she rested her head on his shoulder and continued reading. “It says that ‘steps are being taken to strengthen the integrity of the Target Center’s computer systems.’”
“That’s hilarious,” Ian said. “I’m tempted to demonstrate how futile their efforts are by doing it again.”
Kate laughed. “That’ll show ’em.”
“Never a dull moment, right Katie?” He trailed his fingertips along her shoulder, took the newspaper out of her hands, and covered her body with his.
“There is nothing dull about you, Ian. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Later that day, she received a text from Lisa.
Lisa: Everyone was talking about the Jumbotron messages after you left last night. Did you see that article in the paper? Those names were an awfully strange coincidence. Your new boyfriend’s not a hacker is he? Come on, you can tell me. ;)
Kate: Hahaha. No. My boyfriend is definitely not a hacker.
Lisa: Is it weird that I think it would be kind of cool if he was? Those messages were awesome.
Kate: Yeah, I thought so too. : )
CHAPTER TWENTY
When Ian walked through the door of Kate’s apartment on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, she gasped. “What have you done?”
He laughed. “I knew you were going to say that.”
He’d cut his hair, and not just a trim either. It was short, above the ears, and not one single strand was out of place. He still looked breathtaking. In fact, Kate might have been able to argue that the haircut made him look breathtaking in a completely different way than before, but she’d loved the length of his hair, especially the way it felt under her fingers when she ran her hands through it.
“If I were meeting my daughter’s boyfriend for the first time, he would make a much better impression on me if he were a neatly trimmed business owner and not a scruffy hacker whose hair always looked like a woman had been running her hands through it in bed.” He set a gift-wrapped box on the table. “Nothing’s open tomorrow, so I had to do it today.”
“What am I supposed to grab on to now?”
“My ears?” He bent down to kiss her.
She put her arms around him. “I think it’s wonderful that you want to make a good impression. And you look superhot.”
“I do, don’t I?”
She grinned. “Humble as always.” She turned her attention to the box he’d set on the kitchen table. “Who’s the present for?”
“You, of course.”
“But we weren’t going to buy presents for each other. That was our deal.”
“Santa dropped it off. I had nothing to do with it.”
“When do I get to open it?” She picked it up and shook it.
“Not until we get home,” he said, taking it from her and crossing the room to place it under the tree.
Kate had been delighted to learn that Ian wanted to help serve meals with her. “Did you actually think I was going to spend Christmas Eve somewhere else?” he’d asked. “Besides, it will be nice to see the kids with their toys.”
Kate glanced at her watch.
“What time do we need to leave?”
“Not for another hour or so. I told Helena we’d be there by four to help set up.”
He smiled at her. “Maybe we can think of something to do until then.”
“Maybe we can.”
A steady stream of Kate’s clients came through the line while Kate and Ian were serving meals. There was Mike, a young man in his twenties whose girlfriend had broken up with him and kicked him out of her apartment. He’d been laid off three months before the breakup and had already gone through what little savings he had. He’d admitted to Kate how frantic he’d been when he’d scraped together enough to pay his bills and a deposit and first and last month’s rent on a new apartment only to realize there was nothing left to feed him.
There was a family of three who’d moved to Minneapolis from California for jobs that later fell through. When the mother had come into the food pantry—desperate, cold, hungry—the only thing she’d begged for had been formula for her nine-month-
old daughter. Kate had soothed her, given her the formula, and filled a box with food. She’d been coming back ever since, often with her husband and baby in tow.
Rose, a sixty-year-old woman who looked a decade older, came through the line with her daughter and three young grandchildren. Her son-in-law had died two years ago, and Rose had been trying to help her daughter pick up the pieces ever since. Some months were better than others.
None of them had been able to resist giving Kate a hug or her hand a quick squeeze. She was their savior, and at that moment Kate didn’t care that she herself had needed Ian’s help in order to assist them. All that mattered was that they were warm and fed and wearing hopeful smiles despite their circumstances.
Kate had confirmed that Samantha would be attending the dinner, and when Kate spotted her in line with the girls and Georgie, she waved at them. When they reached her, Kate leaned across the table and said, “Santa gave me your present for safekeeping, Georgie. I’ll deliver it as soon as I’m done, okay?”
He nodded excitedly as Samantha ushered them along.
Helena’s husband Bert had dressed up as Santa, and when the children finished eating, they climbed onto his lap and told him what they’d wished for. Then Helena handed a present to them, and none of the children seemed to mind if the gift wasn’t exactly what they’d told Santa they wanted. Kate got choked up on more than one occasion as she observed their smiling faces.
Two volunteers took over for Kate and Ian twenty minutes later. Kate retrieved Georgie’s gift and found him playing alongside the other children a few feet from Bert and Helena. She sat cross-legged on the floor next to him, the gift in her hands. He smiled when he saw Kate and climbed into her lap. She pulled the Hershey’s Kiss from her pocket and watched as he unwrapped it and crammed it into his mouth. Next she handed him the Curious George stuffed animal she’d picked out at Target. Grinning widely, he examined it and then hugged it close.
Kate squeezed him tight. “Do you like it?”