Mack's Witness

by Myla Jackson

  “We don’t live in the same country,” she said.

  “You’re talking geography. I’m talking chemistry. Different sciences.” He captured her chin in his hand and leaned up to brush a kiss across her lips.

  When he lay back on the pillow, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, electric currents rippling through her at his touch.

  Mack’s brows rose, challenging her. “Chemistry.”

  Her brows furrowed. “You can’t build a life out of chemistry. You have to be together. We wouldn’t be. Because of our commitments, we’d go days, even months apart.”

  “Now, you’re talking quantity.” He leaned up again and kissed her harder, this time he slipped his tongue between her teeth and caressed the length of hers.

  Her thoughts scrambled and heat built at her core.

  “I’m talking quality.” He cupped her cheek. “The time we will have together will be that much better. And when we get to a point in our careers where we’ve had enough, we can build a life together full-time. Anywhere you want.”

  “I’ve only known you three days,” she said, her heart already lost to the love in his eyes.

  “It only took a moment for me.”

  “What if it takes me longer to know for sure?” she whispered.

  “Take all the time you need. I’ll wait.” He cupped her cheek. “Just say you’ll be mine someday.”

  She stared at him, her head telling her to run as far and as fast as she could, her heart shouting for her to stay, telling her she’d finally come home. Tears welled in her eyes, one slipping down her cheek.

  He brushed it away with his thumb. “I love you, Deirdre Darcy.”

  Another tear trailed down her cheek. “I think I love you too.”

  Mack cringed and smiled. “Not exactly what I was looking for, but it’ll do for now. My challenge is to convince you to take a chance with me.”

  She slid her hand over his chest. “I’m afraid.”

  He captured her hand. “Me too. But I’m not giving up.”

  Chapter Ten

  Mack stood beside Deirdre at the door to Castle O’Leary.

  “Kate, come away with me, darlin’.” Sam hugged the castle owner and swung her off her feet. “I swear my undying love for my bonnie Irish lass.”

  Kate smacked at his arms, her cheeks cherry red, her eyes shining. “You’re far too young for me and your Irish accent needs improvin’.”

  Sam gave her a loud kiss on her cheek and set her away from him. “Thanks for putting up with the Magnus clan during Mack’s recuperation.”

  “’Tis my pleasure. Now, leave me be to go back to me work.” She hurried into the castle, her face still flushed.

  It had been a week since Mack had been released from the hospital. Abby, Sam and Ronin had managed to con Kate into letting them stay at the castle while Fiona and Wyatt had flown off to Crete to finally have their honeymoon. Mack’s parents had come for a few days and then gone on their long-awaited sightseeing tour of the Emerald Isle.

  Mack had agreed to stay on in Cahir for another week to be sure he was fit before traveling. Then he was going to Venice with Deirdre where she was scheduled to shoot an entire spread in one of the fashion magazines. With a month off, he figured a week in Venice and the following week in Texas would give Deirdre time to get used to the idea of them being together forever.

  He hoped that in Venice she’d consent to be his wife. Hampered by his injury, their lovemaking had been pretty tame lately. But by the time they made it to Venice, he’d bump it up a notch and seal the deal. She wouldn’t be able to let him go.

  Or at least he hoped.

  Abby, Sam and Ronin each hugged him hard and clapped him on the back, careful not to touch his side.

  “Don’t go messin’ with those Traveler men again. I can’t always come bail you out,” Ronin said.

  “I didn’t need you the first time.” Mack drew Deirdre against his good side. “I have my secret weapon to protect me.”

  “Yeah, we see that.” Sam kissed Deirdre on the cheek. “Remember, I love you too. If you decide to ditch my gimpy brother, I’m your man.”

  Mack shoved him away. “How many times do I have to tell you, she’s not that into you?”

  Deirdre laughed. “Sam, there’s a woman out there who’s just right for you.”

  Mack nodded. “All you have to do is be smart enough to recognize her when she comes along.”

  “Easy for you to say. You got the best girl.”

  “Damn right I did.” Mack pressed a kiss to the top of Deirdre’s auburn hair and then turned to Sam. “You have another two weeks of leave. Where are you headed?”

  “I’ve always wanted to go to Italy. All your talk of Venice has me curious. Maybe I’ll play forward scout and clear the bad guys before you two land.”

  “Be sure to find us then. We’ll have dinner on one of the canals.” Mack shook his brother’s hand, and Sam slid behind the wheel of the rental car.

  Mack faced Ronin. “You’re going back to the States?”

  “Yup. Got word this morning from my commander. He wants me back ASAP to fly some super secret mission.” He winked at Deirdre.

  Mack nodded. Because they were all in the military, every time they parted, he refused to say goodbye. The danger involved in their careers left them with no guarantees. He never knew if he’d see them again and he didn’t want to jinx them. “I’ll see you later then.”

  “Later.” Ronin bumped fists with Mack and climbed into the rental car.

  Abby hugged Mack. “If you make a trip to the Ukraine, be sure to come see me. I miss my brothers something fierce.”

  “You bet. But it goes both ways. We’d love to see you move back to Texas.”

  “And what embassy would I work at there?” She snorted. “I didn’t major in foreign relations to live forever in Texas.”

  Mack kissed her forehead. “I had to try.”

  Abby hugged Deirdre. “Thanks for taking care of my big brother. You’re already like a sister to us.”

  “Not to me,” Mack amended.

  “Next time I see you, you have to show me how to do a smoky eye with my makeup.” Abby squeezed Deirdre’s hands.

  Deirdre nodded, tears in her eyes. “I will.”

  A moment later, with Abby ensconced in the backseat, the car pulled through the castle gates and drove away.

  “I miss them already,” Deirdre said, “and they’re not even my family yet.”

  Mack grinned. “Yet? Does this mean you’re giving in?”

  Deirdre poked a finger into his chest. “Don’t push me, Yank. When I’m ready, I’ll tell ya, and not a moment sooner.”

  “Then let’s go make use of our turret. I have a whole lot of convincing to do.”

  “You’ve already ripped your stitches once.”

  He slipped his hand down over her bottom and pinched her. “I’ll make a deal with you. You can do all the work and I can lay back and enjoy it.”

  She smiled, her eyelids drooping, low and sexy. “I have a better idea. One that will keep you from rippin’ a stitch.” With a wink, she grabbed his hand and led him into the castle.

  “We’re goin’ upstairs, Kate!” Mack called out. “We won’t be down until breakfast.”

  “Bloody hell, be off with ya, and keep the yellin’ down, will ya?” Kate shouted back. “I have other guests, ya know.”

  Mack followed Deirdre up the winding staircase to the tiny room at the top. Rare sun shone through the windows as Deirdre stopped in the bright rays and stripped her clothes, letting her bra fall from her fingers to the floor.

  “Now, your turn,” she said, and proceeded to undress him, taking her sweet time, trailing lips across his skin like butterfly kisses. His body trembled with a surge of lust unparalleled to anything he’d ever felt with any other woman but Deirdre.

  When he was as naked as she was, he reached for her.

  She scooted backward, shaking her head. “No, no, no. Not yet. We aren’t g
oing to do anything to disturb your injury. Now lie down on the bed.”

  Mack complied, stretching out on the mattress, the expectation of what was to come making his cock as hard as a poker.

  “Ready, are ya?” she asked, her gaze traveling low over his body.

  “Always. With you.”

  Deirdre bent over him and kissed his lips, pushing her tongue past his teeth to twist with his. When he tried to pull her down on him she broke the kiss.

  “This is the part where I do some of the work and you do some of the work, but we both get off satisfied.”

  “Well, hurry it up, woman. I’m about to explode with anticipation.”

  Deirdre moved her lips across his chin and down to his chest, capturing one of his nipples between her teeth and nipping gently. Gradually inching her way down his body, she stopped to run her hands across his engorged cock.

  “I know I’m liking this, but how is it getting you where I want you to go?”

  “I’m gettin’ to it,” she said and wrapped her lips around his dick, sucking him into her mouth.

  He surged upward, the muscles in his belly tightening and tugging against his stitches. “Ouch.”

  She backed off him and said, “Lie down and let me do the work.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  When she came down on him again, he let her, forcing his body to lie still when every instinct was to thrust upward into her warm, wet mouth.

  Deirdre moved over him, planting one knee on the edge of the bed and lifting the other over his head, positioning her lovely lady parts over his face.

  “Now you’re talking.” He cupped her bottom and pulled her down on him until he could flick her clit with his tongue.

  She sank lower and purred. “Mmmm, yeah.” Her mouth closed over his cock as he lapped at her pussy, alternating between tonguing her clit and thrusting into her juices.

  Deirdre was right, he didn’t have to work hard to get off with her. And from how wet she was already, it wouldn’t be long before… He tapped the strip of flesh, flicking, teasing and nibbling.

  Her back arched and she grew rigid, the edges of her teeth scraping his shaft.

  Oh yeah, she was close.

  Sliding his fingers into her pussy at the same time as he ravaged her clit, he hit the spot and her hips jerked, her body shaking with the force of her release, cream sliding from her channel.

  Her mouth moved over his cock, powering up and down until he couldn’t see straight and sensations pushed him to the very edge. He held on, refusing to come in her mouth. Instead, he grabbed her ass. “Protection,” he said through gritted teeth.

  She reached for one of the foil packets they kept handy on the nightstand and tore it open, sliding it down over his cock. Then she left the bed and mounted him, sheathing him in her drenched channel. Rocking up and down, she rode him until he could take no more and he rocketed over the top. He held her hips in his hands, pushing her down over him, his cock buried as deeply inside her as he could get it, throbbing and pulsing against her moist heat.

  When he could string two thoughts together, he helped ease her to the mattress on his good side and held her for a long time.

  She nestled her cheek against his chest and sighed. “Okay.”

  “Okay what?”

  “If you’ll have me, I’m yours.” She slid a hand across his skin, careful not to disturb his wound. “Jazus, Mack, I can’t help it. I’m falling head over heels in love with you.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Then stop fighting it and surrender.”

  About the Author

  Twenty years of livin’ and lovin’ on a South Texas ranch raising horses, cattle, ostriches and emus left an indelible impression on Myla Jackson, one she likes to instill in her red-hot stories. Myla pens wildly sexy, fun adventures of all kinds including historical westerns, medieval, romantic suspense, contemporary and paranormals with beasties of all shapes and sexy sizes. When she’s not wrangling words from her computer she’s snow skiing, boating, riding her ATV or spending time with family. She lives in the tree-covered hills of Northwest Arkansas with her husband of twenty-plus years and her muses—human-wanna-be canines—Chewy and Sweetpea.

  To learn more about Myla Jackson and her stories visit her website at www.mylajackson.com.

  Look for these titles by Myla Jackson

  Now Available:

  Hearts & Heroes

  Wyatt’s War

  Ugly Stick Saloon

  Boots and Chaps

  Boots and Leather

  Boots and Bareback

  Boots and Lace

  Boots and Roses

  Boots and Buckles

  Boots and Twisters

  Bound and Tied

  Honor Bound

  Duty Bound

  River Bound

  Coming Soon:

  Boots and Wishes

  She wants him to stay the hell out of her way…until all hell breaks loose.

  Wyatt’s War

  © 2014 Myla Jackson

  Hearts and Heroes, Book 1

  After a particularly difficult operation in Somalia, Master Sergeant Wyatt Magnus is stuck with “light” duty providing anti-terrorist security for delegates at the International Trade Convention in San Antonio.

  As he settles in for what he expects will be an easy assignment, he discovers he’s got a whole new kind of battle on his hands with the convention’s director, a tightly packaged, five-foot-nothing, sexy piece of work with an iron fist.

  Under pressure to bring foreign dignitaries to the River Walk without a hitch, Fiona Allen doesn’t have time to babysit a Special Forces grunt with a superiority complex. Even if just looking at him makes her mouth water.

  When a hotel snafu lands them in the same room, at first she’s steaming mad. Then burning up in smoking-hot desire. But even as she tells herself he’s a one-time ride, trouble is brewing behind the scenes. The kind of trouble with a vendetta—and a detonator.

  Warning: Contains one hot hero with a gift for strategic placement of his hands, one fiery redhead who’d like to make a career out of exploring every rippling muscle, and one hotel room that’s about to see some serious action. Fire extinguisher recommended.

  Enjoy the following excerpt for Wyatt’s War:

  Fiona swiped her card and entered the room first, every nerve cell in her body completely aware of the man behind her. What had she been thinking? She couldn’t share a room with a perfect stranger.

  And based on her earlier observations of his naked body, he was perfect in every physical way possible. All the more reason why she couldn’t sleep in the same room with him.

  Hell, sleep would be the furthest thing from her mind. As another thought occurred to her, her pulse leapt and heat rose up her throat into her cheeks. Did he sleep naked? Holy hell.

  She made an abrupt about face. “I’m sorry. This isn’t going to work.”

  “So you’ll be leaving?” he asked.

  “No, you will.”

  He shook his head. “I’ve done my share of sleeping on the hard ground. I’m in a hotel, not a campground. If you want to leave and let me have the room, fine.”

  A knock on the door made Fiona jump.

  Wyatt opened it to a bellboy with the rollaway.

  Just when she didn’t think it could be worse, the bellboy had to be prompt.

  “Where do you want it?” he asked.

  Wyatt pointed to a space near the desk and an easy chair. “Right there for now.”

  The bellboy parked the bed where indicated and left the room before Fiona spoke again.

  “You’re not staying,” she said.

  “Relax. You’ll barely know I’m here.”

  Like hell. He was all she could focus on. His broad shoulders practically filled the room, making it feel smaller with each breath she inhaled. “Look, I’m not happy about this situation. I like my space and, frankly, you’re invading it.”

  “I’m here for the job, sweetheart, not yo
u. Besides…” he cupped her cheek with his big, callused hand, “…you’re not my type.”

  The warmth of his hand on her face made her want to lean into his palm, until his words hit her like a splash of chilled water. She straightened away from that dratted hand. “What do you mean?”

  “About the job or the type?” He grinned, raising her ire another notch.

  “Not your type? Just what is your type?”

  His grin broadened, those full, kissable lips doing funny things to her insides. “Well, you got part of it right earlier. The naked part. But I also like my women willing.” He winked, grabbed his duffle bag and dropped it on the rollaway. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to pay a visit to my buddy with the dogs.”

  “And I have to head over to my office for an hour or two.” She glanced around the room again before shooting a narrow-eyed glare at him. “Don’t touch my things.”

  He gave her mock salute. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And don’t call me ma’am. I’m not that old.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I mean…Fiona.” He cupped her cheek again and leaned in until his lips hovered over hers. “A beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

  Knowing it was all wrong but unable to stop herself, she leaned closer until their lips connected. A jolt of electricity shot through her, instantly heating places she’d thought cold for a long time.

  Wyatt’s hand slipped behind her neck and he applied pressure, his mouth taking hers in a deep, satisfying kiss.

  When his tongue swept across hers, she opened eagerly, her tongue greeting his hungrily. Her brain disengaged and her body took over. Fiona slid her hands up his chest. When she should have been shoving him away, she linked her fingers behind his neck and pressed her breasts to his chest. She slid her leg up the back of his, her pussy pressing against the thick muscle of his thigh, an ache building deep in her core.

  Wyatt’s hands slipped beneath her shirt and up her ribs, his thumbs brushing against her breasts. In that moment, she wished she was as naked as she’d been at their earlier meeting. The way he touched her made the bones in her legs dissolve. Why did he have to be so damned attractive with his muscular body and high-and-tight haircut? Couldn’t the government find a white-haired old man to oversee the security of this shindig? She could handle that.