Holy flyin’ fuck!
Callie’s eyes were wide in disbelief when she stared down at herself and saw the mess she was in. Mac hurried over just as she crossed her arms over her breasts, clearly visible beneath the sodden fabric. “Here now, honey. You just come on with me. I’ll get you fixed up.”
He drew her against his body as two of his biggest, meanest employees escorted the sorry Miller brothers from Hell’s Bells. “Shelly?”
“Yeah, boss.”
“Tell the band to get busy. We need to get the crowd settled down.”
She nodded and took off as he tucked Callie closer and led her through the crowd of people and to his office.
“Damn, I’m so sorry about this, darlin’. I feel so bad.”
He led her into the room and turned to look at her, every apology he could think of sweeping through his mind. She stared at him for a second or two then started to laugh.
Huh?
She had to be in shock.
Finally she shook her head, managed to swallow her mirth and gave him a teary-eyed look. “Ah Mac, don’t worry about it. All I know is you sure as heck know how to show a girl an exciting time.”
Mac smiled. Had to love a woman who was such a good sport. “Come with me,” he said. “I have an apartment back here and I figure I can find a clean tee shirt somewhere. You can put that on.”
She followed him into his living quarters, her arms still crossed over her chest. “This is nice, Mac. You live here?”
His apartment wasn’t much. It was a one-room affair with the bed at one end, a couch, a television and a small kitchen. Spartan living conditions, but it was close to work. That was for sure.
“Yeah. It’s not much, I know. I have a house outside town but I haven’t moved into it yet.” Mac dug through a drawer and found a tee shirt, which he handed her. “Here ya go. Bathroom is over there. Make yourself at home.”
Callie ducked into his small bathroom and re-emerged a few minutes later carrying her sodden shirt. A lacy beige-colored bra peeked from the crumpled fabric. Mac found a plastic grocery store sack on the counter of his kitchen which she used to put the wet stuff into. He grinned at her.
“You look kind of cute in my tee shirt.” The thing hung to her knees, almost swallowing her whole.
Holding out her arms, she looked down at herself. “What? This old thing?” Then she wrinkled her nose. “God! I reek. Your tee shirt will never be the same. I promise to get this washed up and returned to you, Mac.”
“There’s no hurry. For what it’s worth, it looks a helluva lot better on you than it ever looked on me.”
From out of nowhere, he recalled the way her breasts had looked with her wet shirt plastered to them. Damn. He’d wanted to take one of those hard, perky nipples right into his mouth to suck. To say she was magnificent was an understatement. It had been a hell of long time since he’d been attracted to the point of desperation but he was the kind of man who could put his cards on the table and play them. He would have her, get to know her, or die trying.
As he drove her toward her little house on Peach Street, Callie kept up a steady stream of chatter as he pointed out one local landmark after another. It didn’t take long for them to reach her house. Morgan’s Creek wasn’t a big place, after all. She went quiet as they approached her front door and she dug in the pocket of her jeans for the house key. “Can you come in for a while?” Then Callie smiled and shook her head. “I’m sorry, you have a business to run and you’ve already taken too much time dealing with my little wardrobe malfunction.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it.” He took the key from her hand, inserted it into the lock and opened her door. “One of the benefits of being boss is I get to do what I want. Now that the Miller brothers have been tossed out on their butts, things should stay pretty calm but I probably need to get back.”
Callie leaned against the doorframe and looked up at him. “I understand. Thanks for the loan of the shirt and for getting me home, Mac.”
Mac wanted to make his intentions toward her perfectly clear. Stepping close, he propped his arm against the doorframe, effectively caging her. His hand settled directly over her head. Her eyes went wide as he leaned in. “You work tomorrow, right?”
Her gaze swept his face, settling briefly on his lips before she looked him straight in the eye. “Uh-huh.”
“Me too. My next day off is Sunday. I assume you are closed that day.”
“I am,” she whispered.
Mac reached out and traced her lips with the tip of his finger. “Tell you what. Why don’t I pick you up late Sunday afternoon? I’ll show you the sights, such as they are, and we’ll grab some dinner.”
“Are you asking me out on a date, Mac Moreno?”
“Hell yes. What do you say?”
“I say absolutely.”
And then Mac did what he’d been dying to do since seeing her that very first time. Moving close enough to feel her breath brush his lips, he pressed his mouth over hers and kissed her. She was sweet, warm, and tasted like sunshine. Callie opened her lips when he swept his tongue deep and he felt the tiny sound she made move through him like lightning. His erection thickened, lengthened behind the fly of his jeans, making demands he knew Callie would reject at this point. Frustration made his belly tighten.
It had been a hell of a long time since he’d wanted a woman this much.
Deepening the kiss, he sank his hand into her hair and moved close enough to feel her soft curves brush his chest. Knowing she wore nothing at all beneath his old tee shirt was pure torment. He wanted to touch her more than he wanted his next breath but he held off. Pushing her this quickly might scare her away. Mac didn’t want that. He had big plans for Callista Hill and they didn’t include a quick feel on her front porch.
Breathing heavily, he drew away, pleased to see she was affected too. Dark hunger moved through his body. Releasing her, he cupped the side of her face and pressed one more kiss on her swollen lips. “I’ll see you Sunday, Callie.”
Chapter Three
At about four on Sunday afternoon, Callie was dressed and ready for her date with Mac when the phone rang. Not many people had her new number. Maybe it was Linda, her Oklahoma City friend, saying her boxes had been shipped so she scrambled for the phone.
“Hello?”
Nothing.
“Hello?”
Still nothing.
Callie frowned. She heard breathing on the other end and then a click. Odd. A whip of unease chased itself down her spine and she wondered if Doug had found her. Again. The past four years had been nothing but one frantic move after another as her ex-husband and world class nutjob stalked her from place to place, making her life miserable. She’d been one of those unlucky women who realized too late that the man she’d married was a complete stranger. During their months of dating, he’d seemed the perfect guy for her. Loving, attentive and great-looking. At the time, Callie had believed herself in love with Doug Hill but it hadn’t taken long to realize she’d made a ghastly mistake. He’d fought the divorce at every turn and then, when things were finalized, had turned up the heat. Doug saw her as a possession, as his to control, and in the past it hadn’t mattered how many times she called the police, he was there. Watching. Spying. Stalking.
Well, she had big news for him. She was through running. Callie was ready to live and knew that elusive freedom was hers if she were brave. No wimps here. No way. If he showed up again and began to make her life hell, she’d head straight to the police but she wasn’t going to hightail it out of town. Not this time. The fact they’d been divorced four years and he still continued with this stuff was a testament to how truly obsessed he was.
Pausing in front of a big round mirror hanging above a wall table in her living room, she shook her head. Yes, she was attractive but there were plenty of women out there in this big wide world who were far prettier. She was smart but certainly not brilliant. Callie saw herself as a normal woman in every way so it was puzzling to
her why he continued to make her life hell.
Shoving memories of her ex to the farthest, darkest corner of her mind, she concentrated on Mac Moreno and the way he had kissed her a few nights ago. A shiver swept her but this time it wasn’t fear causing the reaction. Memories of the heat that moved through his dark eyes caused her body to react. A thrill of expectation washed over her and she knew that if Mac wanted a hot affair with her, she would be a willing participant in whatever seduction he had in mind. In her experience, forever was a fantasy but now? For the moment? Oh yeah, she could handle some of that. The man was hotness personified. He wanted her. Mac had made that more than clear when he’d kissed her and brought her sleeping libido roaring back to life. She’d wanted him, lusted after him from the minute he stepped from that big black truck in front of her store and if he was interested in a wild, hot affair, she was ready to take the leap.
Callie studied the careless cut of her tousled blonde hair and examined the barely there look of her makeup and hoped Mac would approve. She wore a sleeveless linen cropped top in a soft aqua color paired with black linen capris and matching black flats. Earlier she’d tucked her two-piece bathing suit into her oversized leather purse since Mac had requested it.
Hm.
Wondering what he had planned, she turned when she heard his footsteps on the front porch and his subsequent knock. Nerves fluttered through her belly. She opened the door and drank in the sight of him looking hotter than hell in his jeans and a solid white shirt with mother-of-pearl snaps marching down the front of it. The contrast of the white against all that dark skin made her catch her breath. Lordy, he was gorgeous!
“Hey, Mac.”
She stepped back as he came inside and sent his gaze around her living room before settling on her. He gave her a hot up-and-down look and smiled. “Well don’t you look good enough to eat.”
Now didn’t that conjure an image?
“Hungry are you?” she said, grinning.
Mac laughed and pulled her into his arms. “You know it,” he whispered against her lips. His kiss was soft at first then gradually deepened, practically stealing her breath. She’d always been a sucker for a good kisser and Mac Moreno was a blue-ribbon, champion kisser in her estimation. His tongue swept deep and Callie felt her toes curl just a little bit. Her pussy tightened, growing wet in anticipation of what he could do to her body with that mouth of his. She let herself fall under his spell, the scent of his subtle cologne heady and appealing, awakening her senses in a way they hadn’t been for such a long time.
When he broke the kiss his eyes burned hot into hers. She fought back the disappointment and went for her bag. Within a minute or two they were driving the streets of Morgan’s Creek as Mac showed her around. They drove by the school and several businesses. He pointed out the courthouse that sat nestled in the town square. Some of this she’d seen, of course, but Mac added extra touches and bits of history that she hadn’t known.
“So we’re going to dinner?”
Mac reached out to adjust the air conditioner vents then gave her a look. “Yeah, we’ll have dinner at the ranch.”
“The ranch?”
“I share ownership of White Eagle Ranch with my sister Leah and my brother Dash. As I mentioned, I built a house out there on the property but I haven’t moved into it yet.”
“Why not?”
Mac shrugged. “I’m working up to it.”
She sensed a story there but didn’t press. Twenty minutes later, her eyes went wide at the stately pillars marking the entrance to the ranch. Impressive. Her curiosity grew. His little apartment in back of the club was okay but why on earth wouldn’t he have moved in already? This place was spectacular. Off in the distance, she spotted what she assumed was the main house along with an outcropping of barns and other buildings. Beautiful rolling pastureland stretched out into the horizon with big brown cows, Herefords she supposed, munching grass and meandering around everywhere. No, she didn’t know much about ranches. She’d seen a few but damn, this place was impressive.
Instead of heading toward the big house in the distance, Mac took a left-hand turn down a graveled road and drove another half mile or so.
“Oh Mac, it’s beautiful,” she said when the single-story Spanish-style house came into view. It was a sprawling structure with its tan stucco, dark-brown tiled roof and arched doorways and windows. Several large yucca trees occupied the gentle curve of the circular drive and someone had lovingly landscaped the place to perfection. Her eye for plants and flowers was beyond satisfied with the assortment of blooming crepe myrtles, hibiscus and oleander. “I can’t believe you haven’t moved into this place yet. Did you do the landscaping?”
“Spoken like a florist.” Mac shook his head. “No, I hired a local outfit to do it for me. I don’t mind getting my hands dirty planting things but I just don’t have the time between half days here at the ranch and the rest of my time at the club.”
As she continued to take in his house, she finally looked over at him. “You know what they say about all work and no play?”
His smile was brilliant in the late afternoon sunlight. “I think we should do something about that. Don’t you?”
Mentally rubbing her hands together as a whip of desire coursed through her veins, she laughed. “Sounds like a plan, Mac.”
Hours later, when full dark settled over the land, Callie stood at the back door leading from Mac’s spacious master bedroom to the outside patio. Mac had declared after a dinner of grilled steaks with all the trimmings, they would christen his new pool. It was a beauty, dominating much of his large, beautifully landscaped backyard. So here she was after changing into her two-piece suit feeling a little uncomfortable.
Maybe it was a throwback from her days as a preacher’s daughter and all those lectures about modesty but she was nervous. Butterflies danced in her belly as Mac lazily swam the length of the pool. His body was backlit by pool lights as he cut through the sparkling water. They’d kept things light and fun through the course of the meal preparation and later as he’d given her a brief tour of the house but always there had been an undercurrent, a sort of knowing, of what might come later.
Looks like later was suddenly now.
Summoning her inner diva, she opened one of the French doors and stepped out onto the beautifully tiled patio. “Looks like you got a head start,” she hollered.
Mac stood in the pool and shoved his shoulder-length wet hair out of his eyes. Callie swallowed hard at the sight of him nearly naked. His chest was utter perfection, cut with muscles formed, she suspected, from years of physical labor and his six-pack abs made her fingers itch. Below the surface of the water he wore simple black swim trunks. Mac smiled, his teeth flashing white in the darkness. “Couldn’t resist. Damn, you look cute. Come on in.”
Barefoot, she walked past his patio furniture, which included a table and chair set and a chaise built for two, and made her way to the edge of the pool. A big round hot tub connected to the pool at the shallow end so Callie tiptoed around the wide tiled edge and sat there as Mac waded up to greet her. Grinning, he planted his hands on either side of her thighs. “Are you coming in?”
Playfully she pushed at one yummy bare shoulder. “Why are you in such a hurry? You’re lucky to get me out here at all considering that big meal I just had. My belly is downright poochy.” She patted it in emphasis.
Mac laughed and moved his eyebrows up and down. “Ah hell no, honey, I love your belly. The first time I ever saw you I thought…man, what a sexy belly.”
She loved a laughing, teasing man and could play the game but then Mac caught her hands and pressed his mouth there, right above the line of her bikini bottom. Callie sucked in a breath and held it, paralyzed with the intense urge to have him. His tongue teased and licked as a gasp curled up, then released from her throat. Mac looked up, his dark eyes no longer showing a dollop of humor. Intensity blazed from them. Drops of water clung to his thick, black lashes like diamonds. “I like everything
about you, honey. Every beautiful bit.”
Mac straightened and stepped between the spread of her legs. The heat of his body wrapped around her like a heady sexual wave and then he leaned in to take her mouth with voracious hunger. His muscular chest pressed against her breasts, rubbed there, and Callie felt her nipples instantly tighten. She wanted his hands there. Now. Immediately. And then they were. Her breasts filled his palms to overflowing as he lightly kneaded them, his thumbs tracing seductive circles around her nipples as if he had all the time in the world. Callie whimpered.
Mac broke the hot kiss and stared down at her, a muscle bunching in his strong jaw. His fingers plied her nipple and Callie gasped. “This what you need, darlin’?”
“Yeah.”
His eyes narrowed as he reached for the tie at the nape of her neck. “Let me take care of this for you.” Reaching behind her, he untied again, this time at her back, until the scrap of fabric fell between them. Mac’s eyes went hard with lust, his gaze fastening on her breasts as he took the bikini top and negligently set it aside. “This is what I’ve been waitin’ for, darlin’.”
She wanted to speak. She wanted to tease him again and make him laugh but she just couldn’t. Overwhelmed by the moment, she finally gasped when Mac lowered his head and took one nipple into his warm mouth to suck. Instantly her fingers went into his wet hair to hold him closer. Sensation swept from her nipple, through her center to settle in her quivering pussy. Her bikini bottom was drenched by the time he moved to the other breast, gently devouring until she wanted to howl with frustration. Mac’s big hands swept her bare flesh slowly, provocatively as his mouth hungrily sucked it deep.
His mouth moved lower as he stroked her ribs with his tongue, nipped with his teeth. Callie’s nipples, hard as gems, received the light brush of evening air and puckered even more, making her want, for just a split second, to grab his hair and bring his mouth back where it belonged. But then she was distracted again by the way he bent lower to tease her belly and drag his tongue along the line above her bikini bottom. Mac sent his hands along the sensitive insides of her thigh and finally, finally stroked the seam of her pussy with his fingers.
Eagle's Refuge Page 3
