by Paige Tyler
He opened his mouth to tell her to take her time, but she’d already walked into the bedroom. She yanked off her shirt just before disappearing inside. The barest flash of tanned skin and silky white bra was enough to make his cock go hard. He took a big gulp of beer, then exhaled slowly. Damn, he had it bad for her.
It was all he could do not to strip off his clothes and join her when he heard the shower turn on. He needed a distraction—fast.
But instead of grabbing the remote and turning on the TV, he wandered around the apartment looking at the various knickknacks, photos, and awards she had. Most of the awards were for her journalism work, but it was more than just a bunch of I-love-me stuff. Sure, there were some personal awards lined up neatly along the wall of the hallway, but more of the space was dedicated to the everyday people she ran into and the amazing places she’d been. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He was still looking at her collage of news articles she’d written—arranged to look like a silhouette of Mickey Mouse—when he heard her coming down the hall. He glanced at his watch. Twelve minutes? Had she even gotten wet?
But Mackenzie’s long hair was still moist after a quick towel dry and her skin still blushed from the hot water. She wore a simple pair of workout shorts and a worn tank top with a picture of Snoopy on it. And she looked completely amazing.
His cock got hard all over again, and he had to turn away from her so he could adjust himself into a better position.
She came up next to him just as he got his hard-on pointed in a direction that wouldn’t totally cut off the flow of blood. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Nah, you didn’t.” He tried to act like he’d just had his hand in his pocket for the hell of it, but wasn’t sure if he succeeded. “I was just looking at your collage. What’s the Mickey Mouse thing about?”
“It’s just something I put together to remind me to never take myself too seriously. No matter how big the stories are that I write, every kid on the planet would rather meet Mickey Mouse than me.”
He chuckled. “You know, that’s not a bad way to look at the world.”
She walked into the kitchen. “Want another beer?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
Gage moved closer to the island separating the kitchen from the living room just in time to see her lean over to get something out of one of the lower cabinets. Her slightly wet hair fell forward over her face, and she casually flipped it over her shoulder as she reached in to get whatever she was after.
That’s when her scent hit him.
He couldn’t say why he hadn’t picked it up before—maybe it was the battle he’d been having with his hard-on—but he hadn’t. He inhaled even deeper. That wasn’t perfume or shampoo he was picking up. That was how Mackenzie smelled after a shower, with every scent but hers washed clean. It was so overwhelming that he had to grab the counter to keep from climbing over it to ravish the hell out of her.
Maybe all the crap Xander and the other young werewolves said about The One might be true. Because no other woman had ever made him feel anything like this.
Mackenzie popped up with a big spaghetti pot in her hands. “Chicken nuggets over angel hair pasta good for you?”
“Huh?”
She held up the pot, completely unaware that he couldn’t focus on a damn thing she was saying or doing at the moment. “Angel hair pasta with spaghetti sauce, topped with store-bought chicken nuggets. Like I said, it won’t measure up to Emile’s food, but it’s one of my specialties.”
“Um, sure. Sounds good.”
Gage watched in silent appreciation as she moved around the kitchen with practiced ease. She might have put on the shorts and tank top purely for comfort, but they let him drink in a serious amount of skin. Enough to get drunk from. He put down the beer so she wouldn’t see his hand shaking. He took a deep breath, getting himself back under control as she filled the pot with water and started chatting about the day’s training. He noticed she carefully avoided any mention of lunch.
She threw him a smile as she opened the fridge and pulled out a bag of frozen chicken nuggets. “These things are awesome.”
She dumped some into a glass bowl, looked at him, then dumped even more in the bowl. She filled a second glass bowl with an entire jar of premade spaghetti sauce that she took from an upper cabinet. Both bowls went in the microwave and Gage watched in awe as her fingers literally flew across the touch pad. By the time everything was ready, Gage had his wits back in order and was able to help her carry the food to the table. He even did a pretty good job of maintaining an intelligent conversation. He had to admit, the nuggets tasted good with the pasta, like bite-sized pieces of chicken parmesan.
In reality, it didn’t matter what they ate. He just enjoyed talking about the day’s SWAT training, and what they’d do tomorrow. He was looking forward to spending another day doing nothing more than distracting her.
But after the food was gone, and they’d discussed everything Mackenzie could possibly want to know about training, the subject they both wanted to avoid sat there staring them in the face.
“What are you going to do when Hardy sends his men after you again?” she asked softly.
She was really worried—he knew because he could hear her heart speed up. He was worried, too.
“If that happens—and I’m not necessarily sure it will—I’ll deal with them,” he said.
Gage was very sure Hardy would come at him again, but he wanted Mackenzie to at least think there might be a possibility it wouldn’t happen.
“Just like that? You’ll deal with them?” He didn’t miss the twinge of sarcasm in her voice. “That doesn’t seem like much of a plan.”
His mouth quirked. “Coming from a woman who’s made her living walking into dangerous situations when most rational people wouldn’t, you should appreciate when someone doesn’t overthink things. If they show up, I’ll let my instincts and training dictate how I react. Thinking too much about things like that ahead of time would just slow my reaction time.”
She picked up the plates and carried them over to the sink. “I usually don’t have much of a plan when I walk into those situations because I’m lousy at thinking too far ahead.”
“Maybe I don’t like to think too far ahead myself. Perhaps there are times I prefer to just be in the moment.”
She came over and leaned her hip against the edge of the table. She was so close they were nearly touching. “And is right now one of those times?”
He moved one hand over until his forefinger was able to gently caress her hand where it rested on the table. “Yeah, I think now might be one of those times.”
Her lips curved. “Then maybe you’d like to be in the moment over on the couch?”
“The couch would be nice.”
He followed her over to the sectional piled high with a crazy amount of pillows. Mackenzie shoved a bunch of them aside, making room for them both. When he sat down next to her, she immediately turned to face him, pulling her knees up so she was sitting cross-legged. The move was so casual it was hard to understand why he found it so sexual. Maybe because it was such a confident and relaxed pose.
Or maybe it was because the position provided a view of a tantalizing expanse of inner thigh.
“What should we talk about, now that we’re in the moment?” she breathed.
There was some tiny part of him—the part that agreed with Mike and Xander about his needing to be on guard around her—that warned him he was on dangerous ground. But he ignored that part and instead listened to the one that’d known this moment was coming from the second Mackenzie Stone had stepped into the operations vehicle.
“I’m fine with not talking at all.”
She smiled. “Works for me.”
Gage leaned forward at the exact moment Mackenzie did. He absently wondered how that could be comfortable with her legs crossed like that, but she was clearly very flexible. He was still pondering the potential benefits of being th
at flexible when their lips met. There weren’t any fireworks or sparks, or any of that silly stuff young werewolves insisted happened when you kissed The One.
But that didn’t mean kissing her wasn’t amazing.
Gage slipped his tongue into her mouth, teasing hers to come out and play. Mackenzie was more than willing, even moaning a little as their tongues tangled. He slid his hand into her hair, growling as he pulled her closer. She tasted so damn good. Like strawberries on a hot summer day, only sweeter.
Mackenzie pulled away with a husky laugh. “Never had a man growl while he kissed me before. I think I like it.”
Reminding himself to keep his inner wolf in check, Gage tugged her close, trailing kisses from her mouth all the way down her neck and back up again. Mackenzie’s heart was beating out of control, thudding in his ears. Her pheromones filled his nose, evidence of her arousal.
Mackenzie slowly and sensually uncoiled from her cross-legged position and straddled his lap. His hands slid down her back to rest on her hips. He could barely think, much less maintain control. And it only got worse when she started grinding against his hard-on. He swore he could feel the warmth of her pussy through his uniform pants. He couldn’t believe how badly he wanted to let his claws slip out so he could rip off her tank top and shorts and eat her up.
Gage didn’t know how he managed to keep it together. But he had to—he had to protect his pack. He wanted to think Mackenzie was focused more on him than the story she was chasing, but he couldn’t be sure. Until he knew for certain his pack wasn’t in danger of being exposed, he couldn’t afford to let himself be distracted by her searing-hot kisses, soft skin, or enticing curves.
That was easier said than done. Resisting her would have been hard as hell if he’d been a normal man, but he was a werewolf, which meant he had to battle the added temptation of her arousal, too. The scent engulfed him, making it hard to remember the reason he couldn’t lose himself in her.
It took everything he had to stop her when she reached down to grab the hem of her tank top. He couldn’t go that far and still stay in control.
She blinked liked she was confused. He knew the feeling. “Don’t you want to?”
Gage stifled a groan. “More than you know.”
He really should get a medal for this much willpower. Grasping her ass in both hands, he picked her up and got to his feet. She wrapped her legs more tightly around his waist and draped her arms behind his neck. Her smile faded when she realized where he was heading.
“You’re leaving?”
He helped her slide gently down to the floor. While her legs weren’t wrapped around him anymore, her arms were still around his neck, which meant her body was still pressed up against his. Forget a medal. He deserved a freaking street named after him.
“If I don’t leave now, I might not get out of here at all,” he told her.
She grinned. “Would that be such a bad thing?”
The sultry look she gave him almost weakened his resolve. But he forced himself to stay steady. This was for his pack. “No. But I think we both know we have something good going on between us. We don’t need to rush it.”
She slid one hand down to place it on his chest, right over his heart. He doubted she needed werewolf senses to feel the pounding going on under her palm.
“I don’t want to rush it, either.” She laughed. “Well, maybe rush it a little.”
He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up for a slow, lingering kiss. Maybe he was being too cautious. But while his body told him to sweep her into his arms and carry her to bed, his head was telling him to get out of there…while he still had the strength.
“The first time we’re together, I want to make sure we have all the time we need. I don’t want to get interrupted halfway into making love because the alarm clock went off in the morning.”
Her eyes opened wide as his words slowly sunk in. “Halfway?”
He kissed her again, then leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Halfway.”
He felt a shiver pass through her body. “I suppose a promise like that is something worth waiting for then.”
He brushed her silky hair back from her face. “See you bright and early at the compound tomorrow?”
She nodded, but then frowned. “Well, maybe not too early. About nine?”
“Nine o’clock is fine.”
He opened the door, but Mackenzie yanked him in for another hard kiss before he could leave. He buried his hand in her hair, returning the kiss with an intensity that confused him. Why the hell was he so out of control around her?
Thank God she was the one who broke the kiss this time. He wasn’t sure he would have had the fortitude. “There’s more where that came from,” she whispered. “Don’t make me wait too long, okay?”
Gage felt Mackenzie’s eyes on him as he walked down the hall to the elevator. Risking a glance in her direction was dangerous, but he pushed the button and did it anyway. She was standing in the doorway, her face flushed, her eyes full of desire. How could he walk away from her?
He was on the verge of telling his conscience to go to hell when the elevator doors opened. He stepped inside and pushed the button for the lobby, then leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. He only prayed Mackenzie Stone, the journalist, would drop her story and be content to be Mackenzie Stone, the woman. And soon. Because he didn’t think he could hold out much longer.
Chapter 7
“Did you even hear a word I just said?” Zak asked as they drove to the SWAT compound the next morning.
Mac gave herself a shake. “Yeah, of course I did.”
Zak raised a brow.
She felt her face color. Damn it. He could always tell when she was lying. “Okay, not all of it. Sorry. I was thinking.”
He gave her a sideways glance as he turned the news van onto the road that led to the SWAT compound. “About what?”
Gage. Or more precisely, the handsome SWAT commander’s promise—the one about the two of them making love all night. But she wasn’t going to tell Zak that.
She’d hardly slept a wink after Gage left. How could any woman expect to fall asleep when they were fantasizing about a man like that? She’d been so turned on she finally pulled out her vibrator for some relief. But unfortunately, the bunny didn’t keep going and going, and she was still unsatisfied. When she finally fell asleep, she’d alternated between dreams of making love with Gage and wondering why the hell she was so crazy for him. She’d never had it this bad for a guy in her life.
“Let me guess,” Zak said when she didn’t answer. “You’re not sure you want to keep investigating Gage and the SWAT team, right?”
Mac didn’t say anything. Besides the fact that investigating SWAT would probably end up being a waste of time, there was the bigger, ethical issue of writing a story about a man while she was desperately trying to get him into her bed.
People in her line of work called that a conflict of interest. She just called it stupid.
“Yeah,” she finally said. “I’ve been thinking that maybe there isn’t as much going on here as I thought.”
She waited for Zak to question where this sudden case of self-doubt was coming from. But he surprised her.
“I know I’m just your photographer, but for what it’s worth, I think you’re right. These guys seem clean to me.”
Mac stared at him. Who was this guy and what had he done with the real Zak? Because the Zak she knew never hesitated to call it like he saw it. Besides, he was more than her photographer.
“O-kay,” she said slowly. “I agree with you, but why do you think so?”
“I spent a lot of time with them yesterday while you were out shooting with Gage. And then I went out to some clubs and stuff with them last night.”
It was her turn to lift a brow. Zak didn’t usually go clubbing. And he especially didn’t go clubbing during Shark Week. “That must have been interesting.”
“Hey, I get out sometimes, you know. But I was
just saying, they were really cool to hang with. They didn’t get drunk. Or stupid. We just sat around, had a few beers, and talked.”
“You’re telling me those guys went clubbing and all they did was hang out with you?”
“Well, they danced some, too. Actually, they danced a lot.” He frowned. “Women seem to gravitate to them for some reason. But the important thing is that we talked long enough for me to get a good feel for them. I really think they’re stand-up guys.”
She could have ragged Zak about his legendary instincts when it came to telling the difference between good guys and bad guys. But she didn’t because she knew he was right this time.
“Yeah, I think so, too.”
“So, what are you going to do?” he asked.
That was a damn good question. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just let the next few days play out. If you’re right and we don’t find anything, I’ll drop the story.”
His mouth edged up into a smile. “I’m guessing the fact that you’re attracted to Dixon sort of makes your decision a bit more complicated than it should be?”
Zak didn’t miss much. “When did you know?”
“The moment you walked out of the operations vehicle on Belmont the other day.”
She laughed. “Now you’re just making crap up. Even I didn’t realize I liked him at that point.”
Zak shook his head with a sigh. “You always were a little slow about that kind of stuff.”
Mac opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t slow, thank you very much, but the two SUVs heading out the gate just as they were pulling in stopped her. The big operations vehicle was right behind the first two vehicles. Gage leaned out of the window just long enough to tell her he was going on a call at a shopping mall in Arlington.
“Xander’s inside. He’s arranged for you to sit down and talk to some of the other guys.” Gage flashed her a smile. “I figured you’d want to get some background on someone besides me.”
Not really. But he was gone before she could even consider telling him that out loud, or try and invite herself along.
