I took a deep breath and glanced at Millie who regarded me with an annoyingly knowing grin. “Bite me,” I mouthed, and tried to find something to do with my hands.
Mack lowered Kim to the floor, but kept an arm around her. “Introduce me to your friends, Kimmie, and then you and I need to have a little chat.”
Kim rolled her eyes and went through the introductions, ending with me. “And this is Darien.”
I reached my hand out and Mack took it, lifting it to his lips. “Nice to meet you, Darien.”
“Nice to meet you too,” I breathed out, then groaned internally. Good God, the man was sexy and he smelled incredible, but that meant Dork Darien wouldn’t be able to function.
He kept hold of my hand as he studied me again and then, without a word, gave it a gentle squeeze and released me, turning to pull Kim aside.
“What the hell was that?” Pauley asked, as she, Millie, and Dani moved closer to me.
“Ohmigod, I’m so lame,” I complained.
“Not you, doofus,” she said.
Dani giggled. “You, my dear, appear to be the first person to put Mack on edge.”
“I’m sorry?”
“That’s the least he’s ever said,” Pauley admitted. “Granted, I’ve only talked to him a few times, but he’s never acted like that before.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, and peeked around Pauley to find him. “He seemed perfectly at ease.”
“Well, he looks pissed now,” Dani said.
“How do you know he’s mad?” I asked.
“I just do.” Dani smiled. “But don’t worry about it. He and Kim have a weird brother-sister thing goin’ on, and they fight like that weekly. Nothin’ to worry about.”
I frowned as I watched Mack and Kim as they spoke in the corner. How Dani could possibly know he was angry was a mystery to me. His back was to us, his jacket stretched across his wide back as he crossed his arms. Kim waved her hands in animation while scowling and shaking her head, but he didn’t move a muscle. Just stood there, his arms crossed, saying nothing that I could make out. She was animated, though, so I figured she didn’t really like what he was saying.
“Is she in trouble because she brought me?”
Dani shook her head. “No, pretty sure that’s not why she’s in trouble.”
I watched as Kim gave Mack a very calculated smile and then threw herself against him, hugging him tightly. He gave her a quick squeeze and then his eyes met mine. I gasped, but couldn’t look away. He studied me for a few seconds and then headed down the stairs.
* * *
Mack
Damn it!
Mack walked back to his office deep in thought and royally pissed off. Stepping inside and closing the door, he dragged his hands through his hair and headed to the window, staring up at the VIP section. The woman with the pixie face had just set his world on end and he could not have that. “Fuck!”
He picked up his desk phone and dialed the office.
“Hey, Mack,” Eliza said.
“Hey, babe. You got the scans from tonight?”
“A few of ’em, yeah.”
“Send me the ones for Darien Aherne and Millicent whatever her last name is.”
“You got it, boss.”
Mack hung up and sat behind his desk. He found his eyes drawn back to the VIP section and narrowed in on Darien. “Shit,” he whispered.
Booker pushed into Mack’s office. “You met Kim’s friends, I take it.”
Mack turned to scowl at his closest friend who stood in his doorway with a shit-eating grin. “Did you need something, Book?”
“No, just wanted to see how you handled the introductions,” he observed.
“Fine. Why?” Mack challenged, not liking his friend’s ability to read him.
“Nothin’.” Booker laughed as he folded himself into the chair facing Mack. “But, I do see you got a couple of problems.”
“Yeah?”
Booker nodded. “One, you’re gonna get razzed for breaking the rule, especially considering you let Kimmie pull one over on you.”
“Fuck you, Booker.”
“Two...” Booker trailed off. “Nah.”
“Two?” Mack prodded, but Booker just shrugged. Mack narrowed his eyes. “What’s two?”
“Nothin’,” Booker said, and rose to his feet. “That one I’m gonna let play out.”
Mack flipped him off.
Booker laughed. “I’m gonna enjoy this. I’m gonna go talk to your woman, comin’?”
“She’s not my woman.”
“Sure ’bout that?” Booker retorted, and walked out the door before Mack had a chance to respond.
The ping of Mack’s email gave him something else to focus on, which meant a full background check on his pixie. He’d given his bouncers a heads up to scan the IDs of Kim’s friends. He didn’t do it for everyone, but he was glad he did tonight.
* * *
Darien
I stood by the railing sipping my margarita, which was amazing, and very, very strong, when a tall, dark-headed man crested the stairs and made his way directly to Dani. I assumed it must be Booker.
She was facing me, laughing at something Kim was saying when he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her neck.
“Ohmigod, Mack, not here!” she retorted.
I felt my stomach roil. She was obviously giving her husband a hard time, but it did something to me that I didn’t like. Stupid, considering I’d only met Mack tonight, but there was something about him.
Booker smacked her butt and frowned. “Not funny, Dani.”
“It’s a little funny.” She slid her hand to his neck. “Will you behave so I can introduce you to Darien and Millie?”
“Maybe.”
Dani giggled and waved me and Millie closer. “This is my husband, Austin.”
I smiled and shook his hand. He shook Millie’s as well with a nod. “Booker.”
Dani rolled her eyes. “Okay, to me he’s Austin, to the rest of the world, he’s Booker.”
“I’m gonna steal my woman for a minute,” he said.
“We’re going to dance,” Kim declared.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” Dani promised, and Kim gathered the rest of us up and led us downstairs.
I followed the ladies onto the dance floor and lost myself in the music. I loved to dance and I’d had just enough alcohol to let myself go. I felt strong hands on my hips and startled, craning my head to find a gorgeous man with longish blond hair smiling at me. He moved his hips against my rear and I went with it. He wasn’t there for long and I turned to see him being escorted from the dance floor by one of the bouncers who let us in. I glanced at Millie who shrugged, so I did as well and moved closer to her again.
Admittedly, I was a little bummed. He was cute. This thought brought to mind Mack and I realized pretty quickly I wished he was here grinding his body against mine. I shook off the thought and tried to focus on the music again.
As we danced our asses off, I noticed an alarming trend. One that was starting to piss me off. I let it happen three times before I decided I’d had enough and followed the bouncer off the floor. He left my newest dance partner at the mouth of a hallway and walked away. I followed him through a door and into another hallway.
“Hey!”
The man turned, appearing a little surprised to see me, but then a slow smile crossed his face. “You need somethin’, babe?”
“Yeah. I want to know why you’re dragging guys off the dance floor.”
He chuckled, raising his hands as though to ward off a fight. “Not my call.”
“Then whose call is it?”
He closed the distance between us and crossed his arms over his gigantic chest. “Babe, I suggest you go back to your friends and enjoy the rest of your night.”
I leaned back (way back, because he was tall) and snorted. “Oh yeah? And why’s that?”
“’Cause there ain’t no way in hell you’re ever comin’ back here.�
��
I gasped, stomping my foot in irritation. “Excuse me?”
A low voice rumbled above the noise of the music. “Train.”
I peeked around the giant and saw Mack walking towards us and he looked irritated. Train raised his hands again, gave me a slow smile, and walked away.
“You’re the manager, right?” I asked, annoyed that my voice quivered like a love-struck teen.
Mack raised one side of his mouth in what I think was a smile. “Sure, babe, we’ll go with that.”
“I’d like to lodge a complaint.”
The other side of his mouth tipped up. “A complaint.”
“Yes. That man who just walked away has been very rude.”
“How so?”
“Every time I’d start dancing with someone, he’d yank him off the dance floor!”
“Train did that?” he inquired.
“Yes he did.” I huffed. “It’s unacceptable and I think you should talk to him about it. I mean, this is a dance club, right? We’re here to dance and drink and have a good time, right? If your sole purpose is to sell booze, then you can’t have one of your employees dragging away the customers! Those guys weren’t bugging me and they were good dancers. Do you know how hard it is to find guys who are willing to dance with you who can actually dance?”
“Enlighten me.”
“It’s hard!”
“Anything else, sweetheart?”
“Yes!” I was on a roll, so I didn’t process the endearment right away. “He told me I should have a good time because I was never going to be let back in! I don’t know what I could have possibly done to be banned, but I’ll tell you something, mister, I haven’t done anything to warrant being kicked out.” His face went from somewhat amused, to cold and lethal so quickly I shivered. Actually shivered, raising my hands to my arms in a protective stance. I instantly realized I may have gone too far. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be rude. Alcohol lowers my inhibitions and my polite meter.”
“Fuck me,” he breathed out, but I could tell he was trying not to smile. “Polite meter?”
I bit my lip. God, I was an idiot! “I’ll just go back to my friends.”
I turned and made it about three steps before I heard, “Babe, wait.”
His voice was so low, I thought I’d misheard him, but I turned and he hadn’t moved, his expression conflicted and his eyes on my leg. “What the fuck is that?”
I followed his gaze and frowned. The bruise from my fight with my patient peeked out from the bottom of my skirt. “Um... ”
Mack closed the distance between us and raised my skirt a little. “Did that happen here?”
“No,” I answered immediately.
He glanced at me. “Did someone fuckin’ hurt you, Darien?”
He remembered my name? I couldn’t focus, considering his fingers were gently touching my leg.
“Darien?”
I licked my lips. “Huh?”
“Did someone hurt you?”
“Oh.” I shook my head. “No. It happened at work.”
He frowned. “Someone hurt you at work?”
“No!” I said a little more forcefully. “I whacked it on a piece of furniture.”
“Babe, you need to fuckin’ tell me what happened.”
Because I’m Dork Darien, and because he smelled so delicious, all I could think about was licking him (no joke), and I told him everything that happened at work.
Mack stood with his arms crossed as I filled him in, but when I was done he sighed. “Fuck me.”
“Now? ’Cause I don’t really know you,” I retorted.
He stared at me for a second or two and then laughed. The sound made me shiver... in a really good way, and I couldn’t stop a smile.
“Go back to your friends, sweetheart.”
I nodded and high-tailed it out of the hallway and back into the club. I nearly slammed into Millie who grabbed my arm with a frown. “Where did you go?”
“Nowhere, it’s fine,” I said.
“Are you okay?”
“Yep, fine. Just went through the wrong door.” She studied me, but I was glad she let it go. “Are we dancing?”
Millie shook her head. “Huh-uh, we’re back upstairs. Booker bought us drinks.”
“Okay, cool.”
I followed Millie back upstairs and tried to put my weird interaction with the sexiest man on the planet out of my head. Admittedly, I failed, but I fell back into my comfortable belief that a man like Mack would never want a woman like me. I was safe there.
* * *
If you liked this sneak peek, you can buy Road to Passion HERE!
Unedited Preview ©2017 Trixie Publishing, Inc.
CHAPTER ONE
Willow
I pushed open the doors to my father’s offices and smiled at the church’s receptionist.
“Hi, Eleanor.”
My father was the reverend of the First Baptist Church in Viewpoint, South Carolina, a church of about two hundred, older, conservative members. Even though it was small, there was a separate building that housed the pastoral offices behind the main church. Daddy was the nicest man I knew. He was probably the nicest man anyone in town knew. Since my mother died ten years ago, it had been the two of us against the world. After her passing I had to help keep daddy focused on his work, and he tried his best to fill the role of a mother to a teenage girl. It wasn’t easy for either of us, but we grew incredibly close as we grieved and healed together.
“Oh, hi sweetie. How are you doing?” Eleanor pushed her Bible aside and leaned across the counter.
Eleanor Torres had worked at the church since before Daddy had taken over and she was very, very sweet. A little dim and out of touch, but always kind. Her husband Sam was a deacon and their daughter Taylor helped out with the little kids on occasion.
“I’m great, thank you,” I said. “How’s your mom?”
“She’s doing much better. Thank you for asking.”
“Of course.” I held up a small stack of paper. “Daddy asked me to bring in the sermon he printed last night. Is he free?”
“Sure, sure, go on back.”
I nodded and headed toward my dad’s office.
As I approached, I heard two angry voices, low enough I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but loud enough to know they were arguing.
I frowned. My father never argued with anyone. The only time he raised his voice was when he was preaching… and that was really only when it was on the topic of sin or the book of Revelation.
Now, however, he was the aggressor.
“I told you, Richard, I was done with this conversation and if you continue to—”
“Hi, Daddy,” I said, interrupting the altercation. I faced Richard Waters and forced a smile. “Mr. Waters.”
Richard was one of our deacons, but (and I’m ashamed to admit this), I didn’t like him. In fact, he scared me. I didn’t get a good feeling from the man, and even though he had a lovely wife and a perfectly polite son, he flat out gave me the creeps.
“Mornin’ Willow,” Richard said in his thick Kentucky accent, and his eyes raked my body making me feel like I should cover up. “You look… beautiful.”
I swallowed and took a deep breath in an effort not to shudder. “Thank you.”
“Well, I best be goin’,” he said, and I stepped back so he could pass.
Daddy leaned down and kissed my cheek, then closed the door. “Hi, honey.”
“Hi, Daddy.” I handed him the paperwork he’d asked me to grab from the house. “Why were you fighting with Mr. Waters?”
“It’s nothing. Just a disagreement on a Bible verse.”
“That sounded much more heated than a disagreement on a Bible verse,” I countered.
“It’s my job to be patient and guide our flock in the right direction. I promise you, it wasn’t a heated argument.” He smiled and squeezed my arms. “Now. Are you and Brad going out tonight?”
“Yep.” I grinned and glanced at my eng
agement ring. Almost two carats of perfection in a platinum band. Brad Aljets was my newly announced fiancé and I was in love with the perfect man. He and I had grown up in the church together and his faith in God was as strong as my father’s. He came from a lovely family (his father was the mayor), and we’d been dating (chastely) for a year. He’d proposed the Sunday before last in front of the entire congregation, and I couldn’t have been happier. I was twenty-two years old, entering my senior year of college to become a teacher, and couldn’t wait to start my life with Brad. I was working on being the perfect political wife, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job so far.
“What time is he picking you up?” Daddy asked.
“Seven.”
“Well, why don’t I take you to lunch and make sure you’re home in time to be spoiled?”
“I would love to go to lunch with you, Daddy, but I’m meeting Jasmine and Parker to start the wedding planning.”
Jazz and Parker were my two closest friends. Their families attended our church, and we’d been inseparable since third grade.
“Well, that’s far more important.”
I giggled. “Nothing’s more important than you, Daddy. I can reschedule—”
“Don’t you dare. It’s not every day my little girl plans a wedding.”
I kissed his cheek. “I love you.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.”
“I better get going.”
He nodded. “Make sure you drive west…”
“So I avoid the biker bar,” I repeated for the umpteenth time. The church was in a shady part of town… sort of. The biker bar was literally on the other side of the train tracks, which separated the “bad” part of town from our side of town. West vs. east. Sometimes I wondered if Dad was worried there might be a “rumble.” Maybe the Sharks and the Jets would break out in a knife fight… or even worse, in song and dance.
I bit back a giggle and sighed. “I know, Daddy. Don’t worry. I’m careful.”
“That’s my girl.” He sat behind his desk. “Text me when you get wherever you’re going.”
“I will. See you tonight.”
The Road Back (Limelight Series Book 2) Page 21
