by Marie Harte
Trevor’s backpedalling would have been funny if Mac hadn’t sensed Maggie’s anger.
“Now Maggie. You know I got these calluses from lifting weights. I’m an investment banker who happens to do work occasionally for Uncle Sam. Government contracts, honey. That’s it.”
“Really?” Mac had felt the hard skin on the man’s trigger finger and middle finger, the callous at the V of his hand, where he no doubt often held a pistol.
“Really,” Trevor said with a hard growl.
“Now, now. It’s Christmas.” Ron tugged them into the living room. “Sit and be merry before I get unpleasant.”
“You’d better do it.” Justin downed his beer. “The man doesn’t look it, but he can get pretty ugly if he doesn’t get his way.”
Ron flashed a brilliant smile. “True. Mimi, drag in your new man and tell us all about him. How did you two meet, and how long has this been going on?”
Mac crossed his arms over his chest. Just what he’d like to know.
His uncle answered all of Ron’s questions easily. Too easily. Mac had that itch that had always forewarned him of danger. He had a feeling his uncle and Mimi coming together had more to do with him and Maggie than them coupling up.
But to his bemusement, he didn’t think he minded. The panic he should have felt over the pair trying to fix him and Maggie up didn’t appear. He knew Mimi had plans for Maggie, the same way she’d once had plans for Shelby. And look, Shelby now had a fiancé. Shane, his good buddy, was head-over-heels in love with her.
At the thought, he met Maggie’s gaze. Those sky-blue eyes sucked him in and refused to let go. Man, he liked just looking at her. Seeing her laugh or smile, watching her go toe-to-toe with some asshole while she dressed him down. He liked the woman, and she’d somehow burrowed under his skin and into his heart without him realizing she’d been on her way there.
“Hey, jarhead, you want to help me grab something from my car?” Trevor asked, staring from him to Maggie with suspicion.
“Sure. Why not?”
Maggie, he liked. The brother? He didn’t yet know. “Be right back,” he told his uncle, who waved him away and continued waxing quixotic about his destined first meeting with Mimi at the gym.
Once outside in the cold wind, he and Trevor stood behind a black SUV. Mac sighed. “Well?”
“What’s with you and my sister?”
“What’s it do you?”
Trevor stared at him. “You dating?”
“Again, what’s it to you? She’s a big girl, and you’re never around to protect her, so what do you care?”
Trevor scowled. “I have a job.”
“Yeah? So do I. It’s not the one I want, but it’s helping my uncle out, so what the hell, I do it.”
Trevor said nothing for a moment. “She seems happy. Mimi tells me she’s doing well, working at a gallery and your gym, apparently.” Trevor widened his stance and crossed his arms. The ass acted as if he didn’t feel the cold.
Mac, on the other hand, felt every bit of it. His knee ached, and he wanted nothing more than to go back inside and be with Maggie. But if her big brother wanted a confrontation, so be it. He waited.
“Well?”
“Well what?” Mac asked.
“Are you taking advantage of her or what?”
Mac had to laugh. “You’re kidding, right? You do know your sister, don’t you? Maggie works for me because she wants to, not because she has to. The woman wraps every guy she knows around her finger by batting those big baby blue eyes.” He scoffed, but inside, he knew she’d already done the same to him. She’d entrusted him with her secrets, with her desires. His little sub owned his heart, as much as he wished it weren’t so.
The truth about sunk him to his knees.
“You have a point.” Trevor studied him. “I don’t like being away from her so much, but it’s what I do.”
“And it’s dangerous.” Mac didn’t need to ask specifics. He could read the truth in Trevor’s frame, his stance, the way he measured everything around him as if prepared to defend himself. “She loves you, you know. All that sappy orphan crap makes her worry about you even if she won’t say it.”
Trevor grinned, and it made the guy look even more like Maggie. “Orphan crap?” He laughed. “You say that to my sister?”
“Sure. I’m not going to pity her because she had a rough childhood. You want my opinion, it gave her a leg up. That woman is mean.”
Trevor’s grin widened. “Yeah, she is, isn’t she?”
“She gives me shit all the time.” Mac smiled thinking about it. “She’s always telling me what to do, and I’m the boss. You’d think because she’s little that she’d be easier to work around, but she’s not.”
He paused in thought, wishing he felt better about loving her. The dreaded L word.
What if she ditched him too? He didn’t have the best track record when it came to women. First his mother, then Julie. Now he felt himself loving again for the first time in years. What would stop her from ripping out his heart and stomping on it?
“No, she’s not easy to deal with,” Trevor said quietly.
Mac didn’t know what had happened, but her brother put out his hand.
“Sorry,” Trevor apologized. “I’m protective and it seems I don’t need to be. Truce?”
“Ah, sure.” Mac shook his hand, and this time there was no contest, just a meeting of two men who wanted the best for Maggie.
“Let’s go back in and see if we can rattle your uncle. The man wants to date Mimi. He’s gotta have brass balls, I tell you.”
Mac chuckled. “He was Corps too.”
“Yeah? Figures. He’ll need to be strong to handle her.” Trevor walked with him back to the house. “Some women are like that. Make you work for them, but there’s that payoff at the end.”
“Payoff?”
Trevor smiled sadly, and just that quickly, the sorrow vanished. “When they say I love you and mean it, you know you’ve struck gold.” Trevor punched him in the arm. “So don’t blow it, jarhead. Or after Maggie’s through gelding you, I’ll take a shot at making your life miserable.”
“Oh yeah. You’re definitely related.” Mac followed him inside and joined in the laughter and joy of the holiday.
But as he smiled with the others, his gaze continued to meet Maggie’s.
He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d made a mistake by not pulling back when he’d had the chance. Now, he knew, it was too late. He’d fallen in love.
Chapter Thirteen
Maggie couldn’t believe her brother had shown on Christmas Eve. As if Santa himself had heard her wishes and made them come true, she was fortunate enough to spend the evening with her family and friends. And Mac, the man who’d come to mean so much to her.
She took Trevor home with her and spent the night on her couch, forcing his big body into her bed, where he’d fit. She hadn’t had more than a brief moment to wish Mac a merry Christmas before she and Trevor had left Mimi’s. With everyone seeming to watch her and Mac like a hawk, they’d had little interaction together.
But wow, when he’d grazed her hand or nudged her thigh with his on the couch, she’d thought she’d go up in flames. After being with him and making love, the days spent without him next to her felt like months. She felt stupid for such a reaction, especially since two days apart was nothing. Still, the sense of loss persisted. She fell asleep wondering if he missed her as much as she missed him.
Christmas came all too soon, and her brother woke her with a steaming mug of coffee.
“Oh, it truly is Christmas. I don’t have to make the stuff myself.”
He grinned and waved it under her nose. “Merry Christmas, Maggie. I missed you.”
Her eyes filled, and she sat up and hugged him tight.
“Easy. I don’t want to accidentally give you third degree burns and have to explain myself to your bruiser of a boss.” He watched her face and sighed. “So, short stuff, want to tell me about the guy wit
h muscles on top of muscles who watched you like a kid eyeing a stick of candy all night long?”
She flushed, secretly pleased Mac had paid her the attention. “He’s, um, my boss.”
“I know. He said you’re mean.”
She frowned. “I am not. He said that?”
Trevor nodded. “Yep. Said you’re not easy to work around. I think he likes you. How do you feel about him?”
I’m afraid I love him. She swallowed hard. “He’s okay, I guess. Now can I have that coffee?” He handed it to her, and she took it with thanks. “Just the way I like it, light and sweet.”
“Unlike your boyfriend,” Trevor muttered.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh hell. He watched you the way a hungry dog eyes a bone. He had to have made a move on you already. You’re cute, and he’s the type.”
“I know you’re not acting all protective over me within twenty-four hours of you being home. On Christmas.”
Trevor groaned and sat on the table across from her. “I love you, Maggie. I missed you a lot this last trip.” He paused. “I’ve decided I need a change. I’m moving back here.”
She froze, then put her coffee down slowly. “You mean it? You’re moving back to Seattle?”
“For good. Oomph.” He caught her before they both fell off the table and accepted the hug she forced on him. “Nice to know you’re no longer calling me names.”
“Like liar and secret government spy and hero for hire?”
“Yeah, like those,” he said drily.
She sat back on the couch. “Trevor, I know you do dangerous work. I love you, and I worried for you. I just want you to be safe and happy.”
A shadow crossed his face, but she knew better than to pry. Trevor was a lot like Mac in many ways. Stubborn, protective, and he’d only say what he wanted when he wanted, and not before.
“I’ll be happy here with you.” He smiled at her, and the lost look in his eyes vanished.
“So what will you do now that you’re back?”
He shrugged. “I have a few things in mind. A friend of mine is in charge of a big security firm in town. He needs some muscle.” At her look, he amended, “Brain muscle.”
She scoffed, “Yeah, right. Look, I give up with trying to nag you into being a boring desk man. I’m just glad to have you home finally.”
“But too late to nab Shelby. Damn.” He winked. “I hear she’s engaged. It’s all Mimi would talk about last night, when she wasn’t cozying up to Ian. Poor bastard.”
Maggie laughed. “Yeah. Scary. But if anyone can handle her, I’m sure it’s Ian. He’s a tough one.”
“Like his nephew, hmm?”
“Oh be quiet. It’s Christmas. Now where’s my present?”
Later in the evening, after Maggie and Trevor left Shane’s Christmas party, they returned home. The party had been a blast. Everyone celebrated Shane and Shelby getting engaged, and Mac and Maggie could smile at one another and be close without setting off any alarm bells, or so she’d assumed. At home after a rousing six hours of extended family time, Trevor begged off, claiming jet lag, but Maggie knew he was giving her the easy way out. She left him alone and headed to Mac’s house, her gifts in tow.
She knocked on the door after double-checking the text he’d sent her. Eight on the dot, and she’d come alone. Funny guy.
He opened the door and dragged her inside. Before she could say anything, he shut the door, plucked the bag from her hand, and set it aside before kissing the breath out of her. He had her tight against him, pushing his erection into her belly with insistence.
After he broke the kiss, he continued to nibble at her mouth. “Oh man. I’ve been dying to do that all day.”
“Me too.” She circled her arms around his neck and toyed with his nape.
He closed his eyes and moaned. “I love when you do that.”
“I know.” She grinned at him and swore when he lifted her off her feet. “Hey!”
“You’re so little, but you have such a big mouth. Sometimes I forget how easy it is to move you around.” He pulled her waist in so that he rubbed against the juncture of her thighs. “Like when I’m moving you up and down over my cock.”
She shivered. “Mer-ry Christmas.”
He chuckled and kissed her again. “I got you something.”
“I know. I feel it.”
“No, you idiot. A present.”
She blinked at him. “I love presents. Really? For me?”
“Yes.” He sighed and let her slide down him to the floor. “But we’re getting back to this real soon.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Not yet.” He blew out a breath when she gripped his through his jeans. “You make me come in my pants, you won’t sit for a week.”
She grinned and reached for the bag holding his gifts.
“No, wait.” He left and came back with a small box wrapped in red paper. As he handed it to her, he seemed nervous, and she wondered what the heck he’d gotten her. The box looked to be the same size as the one that had held the nipple clamps. Had he bought her jewelry? More clamps? A ring?
Her heart stopped.
“Look. If you don’t like it, we can exchange it. It’s no big deal.”
She opened the delicate tissue paper and saw a black velvet jeweler’s box. She swallowed hard then opened it. Inside sat two sparkling sapphire earrings, encrusted with what looked like diamonds. No, had to be cubic zirconia and blue topaz or something. The things looked incredibly expensive.
She stared at them, loving the shape and design. They looked familiar, but she couldn’t place them. “They’re beautiful. Where did you get them?”
He seemed relieved. “Put them on.” He watched while she put them on and nodded. “She said you’d like them.”
“Who?”
“Kim. I wanted to get you something you’d like, but I knew if I asked Shelby, you’d find out. She’d tell Shane, and that big mouth can’t keep a secret to save his life.”
Maggie gaped. “You asked Kim what I’d like?” He’d gone to the trouble of asking a friend about her?
“She helped me out with a few ideas. So I called some guy and he made you these. I hope they’re okay.”
She touched the earrings, incredibly moved. “They’re amazing.” She stood, stunned, when she realized why she recognized the earrings. She’d seen a similar pair of amethyst earrings in the gallery. Steve Zeroi, a talented designer whose work had been on display at The Beholder, had crafted a pair that sold for over a thousand dollars. Maggie had loved the amethyst set but couldn’t afford the backing for one, let alone purchase the earrings. And Mac had gotten Steve to make her a pair?
“It’s no big deal.” Mac looked uncomfortable, and she couldn’t help falling in complete and utter love. The big braggart she’d once thought him to be flushed over spending serious cash on earrings for his kind-of girlfriend. He could have bragged about how much they’d cost, because Steve didn’t do costume jewelry. He only used real gems. Holy crap, this must have cost a fortune. And Mac had bought them, had them made, for her.
She kissed him for all she was worth, and they broke apart, panting.
“So I guess this means I’ll get a blowjob tonight after all?”
She poked him when he laughed. “Jerk. Now go and sit still for my present. It’s two parts, actually. Nothing as grand as this, but I hope you like it.”
“Maggie, I’ll like anything you got me.” He toyed with a strand of her hair, the look in his eyes almost loving. “You’re so beautiful.” He brought her in for a kiss. “The earrings look good on you.”
Because she thought she might cry, she broke contact and teased, “Of course they do. Everything looks good on me.”
“Nice ego.” He snorted and sat down on the couch. He leaned back and spread his legs wide, giving her ample view of the arousal he couldn’t hide.
She loved knowing she made him that way. It boosted her confidence and made her feel like a real woman. Mac’s woman.
She grabbed her bag and drew out the present she’d wrapped. She was saving her other present, namely herself, for last. “Okay. If you don’t like it, it’s fine. I can take it back. Or I can get you something else. Don’t feel like you have to take it or anything. I—”
“Jesus. Give me the thing already,” Mac growled. He took the box in his hands and felt along the wrapping. “Hmm. Feels like a picture. Like something framed.”
“Don’t ruin it by guessing. Just open it.”
He grinned. “So impatient.” Then he carefully opened the paper one end at a time, pulling the tape from the wrapping. God forbid Mac do something disorderly like rip open the package. He slid the frame out and said nothing for a moment.
On pins and needles, she waited for a reaction. It was the last piece she’d given Kim, but she’d changed her mind and swapped it with something else. It was her best, and she wanted Mac to have it. Stupid, but she’d decided to give her red piece to Kim instead. The one that used to hang above her fireplace now sat in The Beholder, waiting for Kim’s East Coast contact to swing by and take a look at it.
Mac studied the sculpture framed in glass. A fusion of warm colors with cool undertones at the edges came in to center on a spotlight of gnarled texture that captured the golden blaze of a setting sun. She’d thought of Mac, strong at his core, yet surrounded by facets of cooler temperament and caring selflessness. A charming mishmash of power and subtlety.
He still said nothing.
She felt stupid. “I’ll take it back.”
“Nope. It’s mine.” He placed it on the side table.
“That’s it? It’s mine?”
He cocked a brow. “I don’t know art, remember? A moron like me would never be able to adequately acknowledge the beauty and grace of a piece of art that exquisite it makes me want to cry.”
