quite as much as her.
“Don’t you do this, JT. You go and play. I will be watching the game, probably with Riley and Caitlin—you play for me, make me proud. If you’re good I’ll make it worth your while, He-Man,” Mandy said, trying to sound cheery.
JT stood and dragged her into his arms, holding her close for a long time before he agreed, somewhat reluctantly.
* * * *
Mandy and JT had spent every spare minute together. Mandy had still managed to make plenty of new pieces of jewellery and had even started a sketch of JT—a nude, naturally. Although she never seemed to get very far, since every time she ran her hands over him—for the sake of her art, of course—she was distracted by another round of intense, fulfilling lovemaking, or just good, old-fashioned down-and-dirty sex, depending on the mood.
JT was easy to be around. He had happily worked at something on his laptop or made phone calls while she’d worked. He and Brodie had trained every day for hours on end, and Caitlin and Mandy had caught up at those times. They had made plans for Mandy to sit with Riley on Friday and watch the game. Caitlin would be singing at Mia’s, so Mandy was going to text the details of the game to Caitlin’s new mobile, courtesy of Brodie. Both she and Caitlin were feeling a bit down at the thought of their men being away, but both had agreed that it was a comfort that they’d have each other for company.
Mandy kept herself busy after JT left, trying not to worry about his worrying about her. She restocked her plastic tubs with new jewellery pieces ready to sell on the Friday and Saturday markets. She tidied her flat, changed her bedding, even cleaned the glass in the French doors.
Sleeping in a bed without JT seemed too hard, so on Wednesday night Mandy just worked through.
On Thursday morning, she fell into bed, exhausted…
* * * *
On Friday, Mandy was up early to repack her van with products for the day ahead. She hoped it would go fast, already excited about the thought of seeing JT, even if it was just on the television.
Mandy was missing JT so much she was shocked at how her body ached for him. No other person in her life had impacted on her as he had. Mandy didn’t even want to think about the other occasions he would be away. Every time her phone rang, Mandy prayed it would be JT just so she could hear his voice. True to his word, JT rang her often during the day.
That night, Mandy sat with Riley in front of the television, nervously waiting for the action to begin. Mandy recognised the sports commentator Trevor Hughes—she had met him right in this very flat, during that terrible, drama-filled period for Brodie and Caitlin. He had seemed nice enough and was obviously a friend of JT’s. Trevor was talking about the Jets team being favourites to win the game. She listened, interested to hear what he was saying.
“Jets’ stalwart props, James and Thomson, are in the best form in years. It seems as if they have found a new lease of life. The Townsville forward pack should be prepared for a hard encounter if they plan on stopping the Jets’ momentum.”
Mandy smiled, wondering a little smugly if she and Caitlin might be to thank for Brodie’s and JT’s ‘new lease of life’.
“The Jets’ halfback, Mitchell Harris,” the commentator continued, “is really maturing as a player and young man under the guidance of the Jets’ coaching staff and strong mentors like James and Thomson. In fact, I have been informed by a reliable source that a few days ago, Harris went to the aid of a young woman who was being assaulted.”
Mandy’s stomach dropped when she heard Trevor comment about what had happened to her and Rookie. She was not really happy that it was now public .
“At least my name wasn’t used, though,” she murmured at the television screen, relieved.
The game was harder for Mandy to watch than she had expected. She had thought seeing a game live at the ground was bad,
“Don’t you do this, JT. You go and play. I will be watching the game, probably with Riley and Caitlin—you play for me, make me proud. If you’re good I’ll make it worth your while, He-Man,” Mandy said, trying to sound cheery.
JT stood and dragged her into his arms, holding her close for a long time before he agreed, somewhat reluctantly.
* * * *
Mandy and JT had spent every spare minute together. Mandy had still managed to make plenty of new pieces of jewellery and had even started a sketch of JT—a nude, naturally. Although she never seemed to get very far, since every time she ran her hands over him—for the sake of her art, of course—she was distracted by another round of intense, fulfilling lovemaking, or just good, old-fashioned down-and-dirty sex, depending on the mood.
JT was easy to be around. He had happily worked at something on his laptop or made phone calls while she’d worked. He and Brodie had trained every day for hours on end, and Caitlin and Mandy had caught up at those times. They had made plans for Mandy to sit with Riley on Friday and watch the game. Caitlin would be singing at Mia’s, so Mandy was going to text the details of the game to Caitlin’s new mobile, courtesy of Brodie. Both she and Caitlin were feeling a bit down at the thought of their men being away, but both had agreed that it was a comfort that they’d have each other for company.
Mandy kept herself busy after JT left, trying not to worry about his worrying about her. She restocked her plastic tubs with new jewellery pieces ready to sell on the Friday and Saturday markets. She tidied her flat, changed her bedding, even cleaned the glass in the French doors.
Sleeping in a bed without JT seemed too hard, so on Wednesday night Mandy just worked through.
On Thursday morning, she fell into bed, exhausted…
* * * *
On Friday, Mandy was up early to repack her van with products for the day ahead. She hoped it would go fast, already excited about the thought of seeing JT, even if it was just on the television.
Mandy was missing JT so much she was shocked at how her body ached for him. No other person in her life had impacted on her as he had. Mandy didn’t even want to think about the other occasions he would be away. Every time her phone rang, Mandy prayed it would be JT just so she could hear his voice. True to his word, JT rang her often during the day.
That night, Mandy sat with Riley in front of the television, nervously waiting for the action to begin. Mandy recognised the sports commentator Trevor Hughes—she had met him right in this very flat, during that terrible, drama-filled period for Brodie and Caitlin. He had seemed nice enough and was obviously a friend of JT’s. Trevor was talking about the Jets team being favourites to win the game. She listened, interested to hear what he was saying.
“Jets’ stalwart props, James and Thomson, are in the best form in years. It seems as if they have found a new lease of life. The Townsville forward pack should be prepared for a hard encounter if they plan on stopping the Jets’ momentum.”
Mandy smiled, wondering a little smugly if she and Caitlin might be to thank for Brodie’s and JT’s ‘new lease of life’.
“The Jets’ halfback, Mitchell Harris,” the commentator continued, “is really maturing as a player and young man under the guidance of the Jets’ coaching staff and strong mentors like James and Thomson. In fact, I have been informed by a reliable source that a few days ago, Harris went to the aid of a young woman who was being assaulted.”
Mandy’s stomach dropped when she heard Trevor comment about what had happened to her and Rookie. She was not really happy that it was now public .
“At least my name wasn’t used, though,” she murmured at the television screen, relieved.
The game was harder for Mandy to watch than she had expected. She had thought seeing a game live at the ground was bad,
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