Mack was a conundrum. The man ran hot and cold. He could switch from one to the other in a heartbeat. Did he, or did he not, like her? Nevertheless, she was intrigued by him, and she thought there was a chance he would eventually buckle and have sex with her.
She groaned. How pitiful was she that she was staying in this sexy man’s house, hoping he might sleep with her? Who did that?
Yeah, she needed to find a place ASAP.
On the other hand, wouldn’t that just give Tina the satisfaction of getting exactly what she wanted? There was no doubt Tina was going to up her game every chance she got in an effort to chase Christa out of Mack’s life.
Christa wondered if Tina had played this game with other women and chased them off, too? Was she bluffing when she offered to call an Uber for Christa the first night, as if she were used to doing that? Or was she actually used to it?
Nope. No way was Christa going to let some college girl run her off. That would be humiliating. But there was another problem. How was Christa going to get Mack to see that his crazy, she’s-like-a-sister-to-me neighbor had no other goal but to get in his pants?
Christa had already tried pointing out the problem, and Mack had blown it off. She sure as heck wasn’t going to confront him on this issue again directly. It would put a wedge between them. He would resent her for being so mistrustful of his sweet, kind, friendly, sister-like neighbor.
What if Christa played Tina’s game? Giving back as good as she got?
Christa sighed as she rolled onto her back and blinked at the ceiling. If Mack found out she’d been mean, he might not think very highly of her. Besides, Christa had never been confrontational with anyone before. It wasn’t in her bones. The sum total of her rudeness in life could be counted on two fingers. Fifteen minutes ago when she’d slammed the front door on Tina and the other day in the kitchen when she’d told Tina not to walk in without an invitation.
Christa seriously needed some advice. Shayla was the most outgoing of her friends. She would know what to do. But first, Christa needed sleep. Several more hours of it. It was time to put Tina’s antics out of her mind and go back to dreamworld. At least in her dreams, there was a chance Mack might appear, and if she was super lucky, he might be naked and actually have sex with her. It was a long shot of course, but a girl could hope.
Chapter 17
“The thing is I’m not confrontational enough to tell Mack who his neighbor really is. I can’t win that battle. If I don’t tell him, I’m screwed because I have to watch her play house with him every chance she gets, stabbing me in the back at every turn. If I do tell him, he’ll resent me for being a bitch to his sweet, harmless, little sister. Because I’m certain every time he faces her, she bats her eyes at him. I don’t know how he’s ever dated another woman before. It’s maddening.” Christa took a sip of her iced tea and set the glass on Shayla’s coffee table.
“I agree. There’s little you can do.” Shayla curled her legs under her and leaned into the corner of the couch. “That woman is a piece of work. I guess she figures if she can chase off everyone who comes to the house, eventually he’ll notice her and ask her out.”
“That’s obviously her plan. And frankly, I’m too tired to care anymore. I need to find an apartment and get out of that house. If I don’t, I’ll lose respect for Mack altogether. Plus, I might end up arrested for assault.”
Shayla laughed. “I wish I could have been there this morning to see you in action. You’re the most mild-mannered person I know. I can’t even picture you facing that bitch.”
“She made it so easy. I mean, I’ll give anyone the benefit of the doubt to the bitter end, but my God, she stood there ringing that doorbell and then banging on the door for probably ten minutes to tell me she was going to water the fucking plants? I wanted to slap her. I’ve never been so angry in my life. She knew exactly what she was doing.”
“Did you ever ask Mack about the broken glass all over the floor the other day?”
Christa shook her head. “Nope. I didn’t say a word. I had hoped he would mention it to me. The fact that he didn’t tells me Tina got her claws in him first and made up some tale that he chose to believe.”
“Yikes.”
Christa’s blood was boiling. She needed to get this shit out of her. At least dumping it on her friend was helping her see everything clearer. “I haven’t understood Mack’s game at all. I have no idea if his odd behavior with me has anything to do with Tina or not, but the man has driven me batty. He’s hot and cold. On and off. On the one hand, he makes me hornier than any man I’ve ever met. Every time I’m in the room with him, I melt. I would have eagerly had sex with him the first night we went out if he hadn’t stopped at a kiss and left me.”
Shayla was grinning. “That in and of itself is telling. That’s so unlike you.”
“Exactly. He’s that potent, and both times he touched me beyond a kiss, it was like something in him snapped. Like he couldn’t control himself. He was all over me like he couldn’t go another minute without having me. But then after turning me inside out with his damn hands and his mouth, some kind of switch flipped, and he stopped and backed off like I had the plague and he just realized it.”
“That’s so weird.”
“It’s not just weird, it’s insulting. Does the man have no idea how I feel when he jerks back like I’ve burned him and stops? The first time, I thought maybe he was trying to be nice because I needed my sleep. The second time though… I’ve got nothing.”
“Okay, well, let’s look at the facts. Even if you were madly in love with him and he returned the sentiment, you still wouldn’t stay in his house. You just met him. I know you. You’re way too practical for that. Which means the best thing you can do right now is find another place and get out.”
Christa sighed. Shayla was right.
“If he really likes you, he’ll need to sort his shit and ask you out on regular dates like a normal human being. If he stops calling, then you’ll know he either went back to playing house with his neighbor or he’s just not that into you.”
Christa shuddered. “I almost feel like every time he touches me it’s out of pity, like he somehow knows I’m not as experienced as him and he can show me a thing or two. He handles me with kid gloves. Does he think he’s being kind when he makes me orgasm while not letting me touch him?”
Shayla shook her head in disbelief. “I’ve never known a man to keep his dick in his pants for this long, especially one who comes in heavy and gets you off.”
Christa ran a hand through her hair. “I swear to God, if I hadn’t caught him staring at me longingly with relative frequency, I would suspect he was gay and didn’t know it.” They both laughed at the absurdity.
“So, we know he’s at least interested in you. We know he’s dense when it comes to his neighbor. And we know the man refuses to take his dick out of his pants. There are a lot of pieces missing from his puzzle box.”
“Yep.” At least Christa wasn’t crazy. Shayla agreed there was something strange going on. “And the only chance I have at seeing some of the other pieces is to move out of his place as soon as possible.”
“Have you looked?”
Christa groaned. “Yes. I’ve called and visited four different complexes. None of them had a single unit available in my price range. I could get on a waiting list, but that could take months. Apparently, I’m not the only person living on this side of Dallas who wants to live alone in affordable housing.”
Shayla sat up straighter. “So you’ll stay here with us.”
“You don’t have the space. I’d be in your way.” Christa hated to impose on her friends.
“Nonsense. There’s hardly ever a time when all three of us are off work at the same time, anyway. If we’re all here, you can sleep on the couch. If not, you can use one of our beds. I know Bex won’t mind. Just until you can find something else. You can’t stay with Mack. If there’s even a slim chance at a future with him, it’s likely to go up in smoke
if you continue to stay there.”
She was right. “You’re sure you don’t mind? We should maybe talk to Bex when she gets home.”
Shayla shook her head. “You know Bex won’t care.” She stood. “Let’s go get your stuff while Mack is at work.”
Christa took a fortified breath and pushed to standing. “You don’t have to go. I don’t have that much stuff. It’ll fit in my car. I’ll go pack it up and come back.”
“You sure?”
Christa nodded. “Positive. It’ll be fine.”
“What if you have another run-in with Tina the manipulator?”
Christa laughed. “You just don’t want to miss anything. You’d like to see me in action being all assertive.”
“Yep.”
“I doubt I’ll see her at this hour. She likes to bother me when I’m sleeping. Besides, if she watches me out the window, she’ll be elated to see me loading my car. If she gloats, I’ll just ignore her.”
“Okay, but call me if you need backup. Or bail money,” Shayla teased.
Chapter 18
There was one little detail Christa hadn’t thought through before she packed up her stuff, loaded it in the car, and drove away from Mack’s house. What was she going to tell him?
She was back at Bex and Shayla’s place before she decided to text him. She also erased her text three times and stared at it a while before deciding on something that sounded reasonable.
Hey. I just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna stay at Bex and Shayla’s place while I keep looking for another apartment. You’ve been too kind letting me crash at your house, but I feel like I’ve overstayed my welcome. I didn’t mean to impose this long. Apparently it’s not as easy to find an apartment as I expected. Thank you for putting up with me for so long. Call me later when you have a chance.
She hesitated to add that last line, but she knew further explanation was necessary and didn’t want it to sound like she was ungrateful or give him the impression there was a particular reason she’d left. Luckily, she had formulated an answer for anything he might ask, as long as he didn’t mention Tina. And honestly, she couldn’t see that happening.
She wasn’t quite prepared for her phone to ring two minutes later. She took a deep breath and answered. “Hey. I figured you were at work still. I didn’t want to call and interrupt if you were in a meeting or something.”
“I’m not in a meeting.” His voice was strained. “Everything okay? Why did you move out so abruptly? You don’t have to do that. I told you, you could stay as long as you’d like. I have the space.”
She licked her lips. God, she didn’t want to have this conversation. It was way outside of her comfort zone. Half her conversations lately fell in that category. “I know, but it just felt weird imposing on you for so long. I had thought it would only take a few days to find something else. It’s proving more difficult than that. I don’t know how long I might need a place to stay.”
“And I don’t mind at all. I thought Bex and Shayla didn’t have an extra room?” He sounded stressed. She was honestly kind of surprised that he cared this much. Damn, he was hard to read. Why couldn’t he just shrug and say okay and move on?
“They don’t, but they’re rarely both home anyway, and if I need to, I can sleep on their couch.”
There was a long, silent pause before Mack spoke again. “Did I do something?”
She winced. “No. Not at all. I really like you. If you want us to keep seeing each other, I’d like that. Honestly, I’m afraid staying with you might mess up whatever is between us before it has a chance to get started. It’s too weird staying with a man I just started dating. It was okay for a few days, but now it’s strange. Don’t you think?”
He drew in a deep audible breath. “Are you sure that’s it? Did I make you feel pressured or something? Because if I did, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I feel bad about the other night. I crossed a line when I walked in on you in the bathroom. I shouldn’t have done that. I made you uncomfortable.”
She shook her head even though he couldn’t see her. “No. Of course not. How could I possibly be mad about that?” Okay, now she was fibbing a little. She was a bit frustrated by that incident. Not because he came into the bathroom and then fingered her against the wall, though. That part was heavenly. No. She wasn’t mad. She was confused.
He groaned, not loudly, just enough for her to hear it though. “Maybe you’re right. I really like you. I want to keep seeing you if you’re willing. When I invited you to stay with me, I didn’t think it through. I didn’t consider what kind of temptation you would be, wandering around in my home. We haven’t been seeing each other long enough for me to take advantage of you that way.”
“Mack, you didn’t take advantage of me.” What was up with this guy? If anything, she wanted to slam her head against a wall because he was taking things too slowly. Where did he get the idea she wanted him to slow down even more? “I know I can be quiet and introverted sometimes, but don’t mistake my shyness for lack of interest.”
“Okay. So, we’re good?”
“Yes, of course.”
“When are you off work next?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Can we go out on a real date then?”
“That would be great.”
He blew out a breath as if she’d finally convinced him things with them had not gone cold.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at Shayla and Bex’s at seven?”
“Perfect.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
“Bye.” She ended the call and flopped back on the couch, exhausted from the stress of that conversation.
Shayla wandered in from the kitchen. “I assume that was Mack?”
“Yes, and I don’t have a single clue what that man wants from me. It took me some time to convince him I didn’t think it was a good idea to stay with him and that I still liked him, and then he asked me out for Saturday night.”
Shayla frowned. “Maddening.”
“Totally.” Christa was more confused than ever now. She hadn’t fully expected him to continue to pursue her after she moved out. She hadn’t known what to expect, honestly, but not a date for tomorrow. If she were a stronger woman, she would let him go and move on. He confused the hell out of her and kept her tied in knots.
Unfortunately, she was incredibly attracted to him, and damn, the man made her body hum. Nobody had ever so thoroughly consumed her like he could. He’d twice taken her someplace she’d never thought possible. He could scramble her brain and make her body hum so deliciously. He made her crave more. And then he freaking backed off. Why?
She wasn’t going to get answers easily. All she could do was accept his offers if he asked her out and go with the flow. She was relieved to have that conversation with him out of the way. She was equally relieved that she was no longer staying in his house, walking on eggshells, dealing with his neighbor.
Even if she had to sleep on Bex and Shayla’s couch with the sunlight streaming in the windows and people coming and going, she’d get more sleep than at Mack’s. Between constantly wondering if he might take her to his bed and if crazy Tina might show up, she’d been on edge for days.
That was over. Time to move on. Back to dating.
She smiled and relaxed her shoulders. She’d half-expected them to totally break up today. That hadn’t happened. There were still possibilities.
Chapter 19
Mack was staring out his office window, seeing nothing, when Sweets tapped the doorframe, grabbing his attention. “You okay?”
Mack shook himself out of his weird mood, ran a hand down his face, and forced a grin. “Sure. Great.”
“I heard you on the phone when I walked by a while ago. Figured you were talking to Christa. Since then, it’s been quiet.”
Mack sighed. “Yeah. She moved out.”
Sweets’ eyebrows lifted. “Did she find a place?”
Mack cringed. “That’s the kicker. No. She said she thought
it was weird staying with me, so she’s going to sleep on Bex’s couch.”
“Ouch. That doesn’t sound good.”
“No. But she also accepted my invitation to a date tomorrow night. So, mixed signals.”
“Maybe that’s what she thinks she’s getting from you,” Sweets suggested.
Mack flinched but then drew in a long breath. Sweets was probably right. His efforts to keep things slow and not shock her to death probably left her confused, especially since twice now he’d played her like a perfectly tuned violin without letting her touch him. She probably thought he was impotent or something.
“Maybe you should come right out and tell her about your dominant side. You never know. She might be turned on by the idea. You can’t go on like this forever without talking to her.”
That’s exactly what Mack wanted to do though. Dammit. He liked her. He didn’t want to risk doing or saying anything that might chase her off. Even though it had only been six days, he’d gotten used to having her in his house. Knowing he would cross paths with her at least once a day.
Now, he was going to have to make actual plans to see her like a normal person. At least she hadn’t said no. “Can’t I, though?”
Sweets winced. “Not in my opinion. Hell, I think you’re missing an opportunity here. She’s most likely a blank slate. Not much baggage. If I was dating a woman like that, I’d be rubbing my hands together at the possibilities.”
“Well, Christa just isn’t like that. I don’t think she’s submissive. I don’t think she even knows the meaning of the word. She’s shy and introverted, but that doesn’t mean she wants me to fuck her as hard as I’d like. My daydreams would make her gasp and run from the state.”
“But you don’t know that for sure.”
“And I never need to know, either. I just want to keep seeing her. I’ll take her in whatever form she’s willing to give me.”
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