Stefanie’s chest tightened as guilt rolled through it. He already had, and she still hadn’t told him. She opened her mouth, intending to fill him in when he cupped her face and stared at her with so much raw emotion and real concern, her throat heated, robbing her of the ability to speak.
“God, Stefanie,” he muttered. “I’m so damn sorry I stirred all this up.”
She swallowed a few times and cleared her throat. “Hey, it’s okay.” She smiled to show him it was true and pulled him onto the couch to sit next to her. “I honesty haven’t thought about it since I left Naomi behind. And you are the one who paid the price.”
His lips twitched. “That’s a hell of a right hook and a wicked knee you’ve got there.”
“I know,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I’m sorry.”
“No. Don’t be,” he said, holding her free hand in his, admiration and heat shining in his eyes. “They’re great moves.”
She nodded. “The day I turned eighteen was the day after graduation. So, I packed a bag, jumped in Chloe’s car and enrolled at her college. I also enrolled in some self-defense classes.”
A smile twitched his lips. “I bet you were a great student.”
“Top of the class.”
He nodded. “I’m not surprised.” He studied her face. “You sure you’re okay? Do you want to leave?”
“I’m good. I swear. I haven’t thought about that jerk since I started college,” she said, beyond touched at the sincerity in his eyes. “And no, I don’t want to go. We have unfinished business.” She stroked his beard and softly caressed his red cheek before grabbing the cold pack from her other hand to hold it against his bruise.
“That’s not helping your hand,” he said.
“No, but it’s helping you.” She glanced down at his groin, her insides rippled at the thought of hurting him, before returning to meet his gaze. “Do I need to hold the cold pack anywhere else?”
Amusement skittered through his eyes under a raised brow. “No.”
“You sure? Because I have plans for that part of your anatomy.” She placed her free hand on his thigh and slowly traveled up his leg. “Need to test it to be certain it’s in working order.” Still holding his gaze, she lightly traced around the zipper of his jeans, watching for signs that she was hurting him.
He rocked into her touch, and her pulse leapt.
“See? Working order,” he said, leaning in to kiss the side of her neck. “Now, what exactly did you have in mind for a test?”
***
Almost two weeks had gone by since Mac’s prank backfired into disaster. If he’d had any idea his actions would’ve triggered memories of a horrible incident in Stefanie’s past, he never would’ve initiated it.
Pencil and notepad in hand, he stood in the hangar with his back against an SUV, working on rough calculations for an upcoming job. But his mind kept wondering back to that day and what he’d discovered.
His gut twisted and blood boiled even now, just thinking about it. How could Stefanie’s stepmother have such little regard for the children entrusted into her care? To put a teenage girl in that position was despicable. Thank Christ the woman had the sense to step in. Mac knew it could’ve gone much differently if she hadn’t been so vain.
The pencil he was holding snapped in his hand.
“That’s the third one this week.” Carter’s sarcastic tone pulled him from his dark thoughts.
“Fourth,” Dex corrected.
Mac tossed the pieces into a nearby garbage can and pulled another pencil from a side pocket in his cargo pants. He wasn’t going to rise to their bait. Thanks to his decision to kick caution on its ass and start outright dating Stefanie, his buddies had been ribbing him about getting all lovey-dovey.
A smile twitched his lips. Memories of getting love-dovey with Stefanie in her shower last night flashed through his mind. They could rib his ass all they wanted. He was the one having off-the-charts sex with an amazing woman on a regular basis. But it was much more than that.
Mac never thought he was capable of strong emotions...until Stefanie. Hell, he’d thought what he’d felt for Fiona was strong, and it was why her betrayal had nearly cut him in half. But his feelings for that woman didn’t even come close to the need, hunger, the deep-seated ache Stefanie incited in him. Or the fierce desire to protect her, to punch the goddamn life out of the man who’d assaulted her in her teens, to hold her close and shelter her from harm, and never let it fucking touch her again.
All of that had been absent from his life, until now. Until Stefanie.
And the crazy thing was...he didn’t mind. It felt right. It felt natural. Nothing was forced or questioned. They cared about each other, respected one another...and the thing that made the biggest difference was the trust.
He trusted Stefanie.
That one, simple statement was anything but simple, and yet, it was the single most important aspect of their relationship. And, yeah, they were in a relationship. He knew they were never going to burn off all their chemistry. His gaze strayed to his chopper, where it’d all started. That was okay. Better than okay. He couldn’t picture his life without her in it. Didn’t want to—definitely not a thought the Mac of a few months ago would have rolling in his head.
But things were different now. He’d taken baby steps and they’d paid off. Put down his guard, let her in, and he was all the better for it.
“Yo, Earth to Mac.” Dex’s finger snapping drifted through his musings.
He frowned at the guy. “What?”
“I asked what time we’re hitting the road tomorrow.”
“I want to be in Austin by noon,” he replied. Drive time with light traffic was a good three hours. “Leaving around eight should do it.”
Mr. Pearson, a museum curator, had hired them to provide security and transport of a priceless painting going to auction on Tuesday. Mac wanted to arrive two days earlier to do recon, scout out possible threats, and make sure they planned for every scenario.
“Oh, good, then we’re still on for dinner tonight,” Stefanie said, walking into the hangar with a box in her hands.
His whole body sprang to life. “Hey, Stef.” He pushed off the SUV, shoving the pencil and pad in his pocket on his way to intercept and grab the box from her hands. “Let me take that. You didn’t carry this from the driveway, did you?”
“Yeah, I’m a big girl.” She smiled and greeted the guys as she walked with him to a table set up against the back wall. “I hope you like these, and they fit.”
Mac opened the box and pulled out a black polo with their new logo on the breast. “This turned out great.” It was weird how the shirt made his company look more official.
Her gaze warmed. “I think so, too,” she said, handing one each to Dex and Carter, who both nodded a thanks. “So did the T-shirts.” She dug deeper in the box, then pulled out a black T-shirt with the logo on the breast again, and the word SECURITY on the back in the big, white letters he’d requested.
“Yeah, these are great, Stef. Thanks.” He draped an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. His office was already stacked with business cards, pens, notepads—like the one in his pocket—and a folder on his computer with all the digital files, like letterhead, invoices, etc, and the logo for ordering future items.
“I hope they fit,” she said.
As if sharing the same thought, he and the guys pulled off their shirts, and he hid a smile when Stefanie’s brows rose.
“Well...happy birthday to me,” she mumbled.
He chuckled and pulled on the polo, flexing his biceps and shoulders to test for restrictions. “Feels good.”
She swallowed. “Looks even better. You should...ah...try the T-shirt on, too. You know, to make sure it’s good.”
He obliged, loving how her gaze heated as she watched. “Definitely all good,” he said, flexing under the T-shirt.
“Yeah...definitely,” she murmured, stepping close to run her hands up his chest. “One thing’s
certain, you’re going to secure a lot of looks. Just remember, they can look but only I can touch.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned, running his hands down her back to settle them just above her sweet ass, because the guys were watching. And smirking. But it didn’t stop him from tugging her close and capturing her lips for a slow, deep, lingering kiss.
“Don’t mind us,” Carter mumbled.
“Yeah,” Dex said. “We’ll just get back to loading up the SUV.”
They were only taking one of them tomorrow, but Mac was currently interested in taking one more kiss from Stefanie to hold him over until later that day. He was just about to talk himself into taking another when his phone began to ring in his pocket. Fingers of alarm spread out to grip his spine.
Instinct told him this call wasn’t good news.
Chapter Twelve
Mac released Stefanie and pulled out his phone, frowning at the caller ID. “It’s Pearson,” he said, looking over at Dex and Carter before answering.
“Mr. McCall, forget about coming to Austin,” the museum curator said. “The painting won’t be going to auction. It was stolen last night.”
Son-of-a-bitch. Mac raised a brow and shoved a hand through his hair. “Any leads? Do you need help investigating?”
“No. We have people on it,” Mr. Pearson said. “I’ll be in touch, should it resurface.” With that, the phone went dead, and Mac shoved it back in his pocket.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Stefanie asked, stepping closer.
He shook his head and blew out a breath. “Job’s been canceled.”
“What?”
“Why?”
Dex and Carter asked in unison, walking over with matching frowns on their faces.
“Painting was stolen last night,” he told them, disappointment washing through him. He’d wanted this feather in their proverbial cap. It would’ve been a good endorsement for business.
“Son-of-a-bitch,” Dex muttered.
Carter blinked. “No way.”
Stefanie set a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Mac.”
He was, too. He covered her hand with his and nodded.
“Pearson should’ve hired us sooner.” Dex scoffed.
“Yeah,” Carter said. “The painting wouldn’t have gone missing on our watch.”
“No, it would not have,” he agreed. “Guess we can unload the vehicle.” Although he had state-of-the-art security for the hangar, he’d still prefer to get their surveillance equipment back under lock and key in the vault at the office.
“On it,” Dex said.
Stefanie turned to him, slid her hands up around his neck and smiled. “Looks like I don’t have to kick you out of bed tonight, after all.”
“Okay, and on that note, I’m...uh...gonna go help Dex load the surveillance equipment into his car to take back to the vault,” Carter said before heading across the hangar.
Mac chuckled, setting his hands on her waist and pulling her in close. “Yep...looks like you have me the whole night.” Leave it to Stef to find a bright spot in an unfortunate situation.
He suspected she’d had to do that her whole life. And that thought about killed him. With his gut rippling, he vowed to change that for her. A new resolve formed in his mind. He’d make sure she didn’t have to worry about finding bright spots because all her spots would be bright. Mostly. Mac knew life didn’t work that way, but he’d do his damndest to ensure she had a hell of a lot more bright spots in her future.
“What time are you done with work today?” he asked, reluctant to let her leave.
She cocked her head and smiled. “You were my last appointment for the day.”
He smiled, too. “Lucky me.”
She ran her hands up then down his torso, causing a tingling in her wake. “No, lucky me. So, why’d you want to know? What do you have in mind?”
“Carter, Dex!” he called to them over his shoulder while still holding her gaze, “You’re in charge. I’m taking the afternoon off.” He slipped his arm around her and led her toward the door. “Now I’m free to take care of you. Are you hungry?”
Sliding her arm around his waist, she nodded, glancing sideways at him, her gaze alight with mischief, and heaven help him, need. “Oh, yes, I’m very...hungry.”
His heart rocked and sent his pulse racing. “Then let’s head to the house and see what I have that will satisfy you.”
The instant they stepped inside, he was pleasantly surprised when she shut the door by pressing him back against it.
“So, Mac, what exactly is on today’s menu?” she asked, brushing him with her incredible curves.
Safe within the privacy of his home, Mac slid his hands down her back to cup her sweet ass and drag her close. “You are on my menu.”
“You sounds good. Real good,” she murmured, nibbling on his neck as she rocked into his crotch.
Jolts of heat shot straight through his groin, accelerating the rate of expansion going on behind his zipper. He was nearing full capacity. Fast.
She drew back slightly, and he stared into the flushed face of the smiling woman devouring him with her gaze. “Is there a reason we’re still dressed?”
Her voice was so deliciously low and hungry, his dick pulsed.
Damn, she was potent.
Getting naked with her was his favorite pastime, but despite their teasing banter on their walk here, he really had wanted to feed her first. “Less distracting if we want to eat.”
“I might have to pass on that,” she said. “You’re so hot in that shirt, I can barely breathe.”
Heat skittered down his spine. “Stef, if you don’t stop looking at me like that, we—”
“Damn...I hope so.”
His zipper was starting to cut off his blood supply. “But the food...”
“Can wait,” she said, leveling him with a pointed look. “I can’t.” Then she shocked the hell out of him when she pulled off her light purple shirt, unhooked her purple bra and dropped them on the floor at his feet.
Fire flittered through his veins at the sight of her.
Hell, yeah, food could wait. He was definitely on board with this. She was hot. Smoking hot, with her hair loose and falling past her shoulders, gorgeous breasts bare and bouncing with her tempting peaks tightening right in front of his damn eyes.
Jesus, he was about ready to burst.
Unable to remain at arm’s length any longer, he stepped forward and using one finger, he traced a circle around her belly button before drawing a line down to her jeans, where he popped her top button. “You seemed to have forgotten something.”
Her intake of breath cooled the air between them, and he watched her nipples pucker.
“Y-you still have your shirt on...”
“Not for long.” He grabbed the hem of his new work shirt and yanked it over his head one-handed and dropped it onto the pile of her discarded clothes. “Better?” he asked, gliding his finger over the curve of her breasts before he skimmed her gorgeous peaks.
She swallowed. “M-much better.” Stepping into him, she trembled, and her sweet scent calmed and exhilarated him at the same time. “So is this.” Her hands slid up his chest, over his shoulders to lock behind his neck, and the movement pressed her lush curves against him.
He let out a long, shaky breath at the feel of her breasts brushing his chest. “Amazing.”
She nodded, nuzzling his neck, and he felt her breathing him in before she drew back enough to catch his gaze and peer deep inside. Stefanie saw things only she could see—things Mac couldn’t hide from her—didn’t want to hide from her—things he never showed anyone else.
“Mac?” Her mouth was so close to his, he could feel her talk when she whispered, “We still have clothes on.”
“Not for long,” he said, mouth tingling by the almost brush of lips.
A rush of adrenaline shot through his body. The woman was incredible and exciting, and so damn fresh and wild, he was always just a little bit out of control with her.<
br />
Over the past few weeks, he realized she was also steady and reliable, a true constant for him, something no other woman had ever been.
“I’m vibrating here,” she muttered. “The anticipation is killing me. You’re killing me.”
He chuckled and tightened his hold on her. God, she was adorable. He closed his eyes and breathed her in. Sweetness and warm woman. Intoxicating. He ran his hands up her back and into her hair, holding her head right where he wanted her. Then he kissed her—slow, tentative kisses, tasting first one corner of her mouth, then the other, then everything in between.
Each of her hitched breaths took away his, and he rode the anticipation of all he knew was to come, brewing him into a state stronger than any adrenaline could ever achieve. Being with her was a crazy, incredible ride.
Crazy, because for years, he’d created a barrier around his heart and emotions, keeping them safeguarded and untouched. Then Stefanie came along—the sassy, smart-mouthed woman he hadn’t wanted anything to do with snuck past his defenses, through layers of resistance and stripped away every last one of his barriers, leaving him vulnerable, exposed, and bare. And yet, the incredible woman treated that find as if it were as precious as air.
These were very serious alerts. Threat-level-red alerts. Yet, it’d been several weeks, and he was still with her, holding her, savoring her kisses. Wanting her. Wanting to be with her. The very fact they were in his house was the biggest flag of all. He’d never brought a woman home before, no matter where he’d laid his head. But this was different. This was Stefanie, and he wanted her here. He wanted her in his home. In his bed.
“I hope you don’t have to go home tonight,” he said against her jaw.
“No. I can text Mel to check in on Reggie. So, I’m all yours.”
An unnamed thrill raced through him. He twisted them around and pressed her back against the wall. “Good.”
Grabbing both wrists, he set her hands above her head and held them loosely with one of his while he kissed her long and deep, trailing his other hand down the curve of her throat, over her collarbone, to lightly trace her breast.
Mac (HC Heroes Series, #1) Page 13
