She inhaled deeply, not believing what she’d done. Overwhelmed by the feel of him inside her so deep, and the way her body had taken him in, as if inside of her was where he belonged.
His hand was gripping her hips in a tight hold and she glanced down and saw how they were intimately joined. It was then that she lifted her gaze back to his face to answer his question. “The reason I did it was because you were taking too long and I’m ready to ride.”
And before he could draw his next breath, she began moving.
“Shit.”
Now that she heard clearly and decided he needed his mouth washed out with soap, but figured her tongue was the next best thing. So she proceeded to attack his mouth in a way that made him shudder, had him moving with her. He thrust upward with every downward stroke she made. Effortlessly he took her weight and each time she came down on him he rose high enough in the chair to take her deeper and deeper. Their bodies would withdraw and then rejoin again. Over and over.
When she began riding him faster and harder, he matched her pace, which made all kinds of sensations rush through her. She moaned. He groaned. She was working him and he was definitely working her, making her feel things she had never felt before, making a driving need consume her to the point where it had every nerve inside her body, every single molecule quivering. It was as if he were unleashing a tidal wave of passion that would eventually drown her. Suddenly, she couldn’t fight the raging tide any longer and jerked her mouth free of his to release one loud scream when a climax tore into her, touched her very soul while at the same time it rocked her senses into the next hemisphere.
He quickly buried her face in his chest to smother the sound and whispered, “Easy, baby, Theo is going to think I’m killing you in here or something.”
As far as Mackenzie was concerned, what Theo or anyone else thought didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered at that moment was how Luke was making her feel. Her inner muscles were clamped down hard, clenching him tight. And no sooner was she able to suck air into her lungs, than she felt him buck wildly beneath her, nearly lunging out of the chair with their bodies connected when he was struck with his own intense orgasm.
“Mackenzie!”
He said her name through clenched teeth and in a guttural moan and she tightened her hold on his shoulders. And when he leaned in and kissed her with an intensity that touched her everywhere, more sensations exploded inside of her and she was hurled into another mind-shattering orgasm.
When he released her mouth her body went limp against him. She was simply amazed. Never in her life had she experienced the sensations and emotions Luke had just made her feel. If anyone had told her such feelings and emotions were possible, she would not have believed them. She was literally gasping for air, closing her eyes against the sexual aftermath that actually had her feeling light-headed.
“You okay, Mac?”
She said nothing. She couldn’t get a single word out even if she’d wanted to. She barely had the strength to nod her head. Instead he made sense of her response by the motion of her hands on his shoulders.
In acknowledgment, he pulled her closer to him, not caring that their bodies were still intimately connected. And then he said her name in a low whisper just seconds before taking her mouth in a long, slow kiss that she thought she would remember for the rest of her life. In fact, she doubted she would ever forget any of what they had just shared. She loved him and memories of this moment would remain with her, keep her warm on those cold nights when he was no longer a part of her life.
Moments later he pulled back from the kiss and she immediately felt a sense of loss. But the moment she met his gaze she knew the feeling would be short-lived because Luke Madaris planned to keep them fairly close for the rest of the night.
And he proved that theory true when he leaned down to whisper against her moist lips, “Now we take it to the bedroom.”
Long after Mackenzie had fallen asleep, Luke lay there holding her in his arms and staring at her while she slept. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily against the pull he felt in his gut. Even after making love to her several more times once they had made it to her bedroom, he still wanted her with a hunger that seemed insatiable.
This was the first time something like this had happened to him. Bedding a female was something to do when those male urges hit; nothing to really get caught up in to the point where you lost control. However, things hadn’t been that way with Mac. He had gotten caught up to the point where he had lost control. One time he hadn’t even remembered to put on a condom until the very last minute, for Pete’s sake.
Her mouth had to be sore from all their kisses, and he was fairly certain she had used muscles that hadn’t seen that kind of vigorous action in a long time, if ever. And what was with him wanting to beat on his chest like a damn caveman after every lovemaking session? Even now his leg was thrown possessively over hers, as if he didn’t intend to let her go.
Their bodies were positioned so that once she awoke he could ease right on inside of her. Hell, he’d thought it would be a smart idea—as well as handy and pretty darn convenient—to go ahead and put on a condom so he wouldn’t slip up and forget again.
He opened his eyes and gazed down at her thoughtfully. She had to be the most giving woman that he knew. Simply incredible. Even now his aroused body part was hard, throbbing with anticipation of making love to her again.
Knowing she needed her sleep, yet at the same time knowing he wanted to get as close to her as he could, he pulled her to him, being careful not to wake her up, and then tangled his hand in her hair. Satisfied he had her just how he wanted her, he closed his eyes and joined her in sleep.
Mackenzie slowly opened her eyes and squinted to adjust them to the light coming into her bedroom from the hallway. Her heart began pounding in her chest when she felt the heavy weight of a leg across hers and Luke’s fingers in her hair. It was a good thing she didn’t need to use the bathroom because if she had, she would need to free herself from Luke’s hold without waking him first and she would have a tough time doing so.
To say Luke had a strong sexual appetite was an understatement. Just thinking about the intensity of it had hot sensations shooting in the area between her legs. And to think she hadn’t made love to man in five years. But Luke wasn’t just any man. He was the man she loved.
She looked over at him. Like her he was completely naked. As she studied his features she saw how relaxed he appeared while asleep. She then closed her eyes and recalled how earlier that night, in her kitchen, she had straddled her thighs across him in the chair. It was a good thing the chair had been made of solid wood and had been strong enough to support both their weight, as well as the action the two of them had given it. She doubted she would ever be able to walk into her kitchen without thinking about what had taken place between them there. Those memories would certainly come in handy when he left.
When he left.
There was no doubt in her mind that when he got better he would be leaving. He had told her that he would and she believed him. She knew the score when it came to Luke. He had made sure of it. He had spelled things out for her so there would not be any misunderstandings, and there wouldn’t be. She had made her decision knowing how he felt, even with all the love for him she had in her heart. She realized now that what she’d felt for Lawrence had been more fascination than love. Luke was pulling emotions out of her that she’d never experienced before.
“You’re awake.”
She stared over at him. If she didn’t know better she’d think he’d been waiting for her to do that very thing. “Yes, I’m awake.”
“Good.”
And then he pulled her closer and she felt him slide into her body. Automatically, she bent a knee to give him better access to what he evidently wanted. She watched his face as he went deeper inside of her and saw the satisfied smile that touched his lips when he made it to the hilt. He then tightened his leg over her as if to hold their bodies in place, lo
cked in that position.
“I love being inside of you,” he whispered.
“I gather as much. And just for the record, I like having you inside of me.” She then thought of something. “Protection?”
He smiled over at her. “Already in place.”
She chuckled softly. “Boy, aren’t you efficient.”
“I try to be.” A few moments later he said, “Did I tell how much I like your breasts?”
“Not with words, no. But your actions proved that point,” she said, remembering. The memory of what he’d done to them had quivers going through her body.
“Umm, but just to make sure,” he said, before reaching up and cupping a breast with his hand.
Her breath caught at his touch. “I’m not sure you want to do that, Luke.”
He met her gaze. “Why not? Are you tender?”
“No. Eager. I’m eager for you to put your mouth there.”
He smiled. “I like a woman who doesn’t mind letting me know what she wants.” And then he shifted slightly and captured a nipple in his mouth and tugged.
“Luke!”
Her entire body seemed to be melting and there was no way he couldn’t feel it. But he kept up what he was doing, performing all kinds of provocative acts to her breasts with his mouth. He then switched breasts and started the torture all over again.
“Now to put the icing on the cake,” he whispered moments later, when the lower part of his body began moving as he began thrusting back and forth into her. The man was tearing away at her senses, overloading her body with sharp sensations. His hands were on her, touching her, pressing her closer to him, keeping her in tune to the rhythm he had set. And when she felt him buck, she clamped down hard on him with her inner muscles.
“Mac!”
The sound of Luke calling out her name triggered a climax inside of her and then everything seemed to explode. His mouth left her breasts and moved to her neck and kissed her there and she knew he had left his mark. She moaned at the thought.
He kept thrusting inside of her, pushing them both toward another orgasm, and he took her mouth and relentlessly mated with it. And when another climax struck, she knew in her heart that the day Luke Madaris walked out of her door that he would be taking a huge chunk of her heart with him.
Hours later when dawn broke, Mackenzie woke up in her huge bed with Luke all but sprawled across her. She needed to get up and go to the bathroom and there was no way she could do so without waking him.
She glanced over at the clock. It was time for her to get dressed for work. She sighed deeply when she recalled that because of her and Luke’s activities last night, she’d never had the chance to check in with Theo, although she and Luke had managed, in between lovemaking sessions, to go back into the kitchen to collect their scattered clothes, clean off the table, and wash the dishes.
She was about to wake up Luke when there was a loud pounding on her front door.
“What the hell . . .” Luke woke up immediately and was already out of bed and sliding into his jeans.
“Mac, it’s Theo. I need to talk to you. It’s important.”
When Mackenzie heard the sound of Theo’s voice she quickly moved out of bed and slipped into Luke’s shirt. “That’s Theo. I wonder what’s going on.”
Luke reached the door but she was right on his heels. If Theo thought it strange that they both had come to the door wearing very little clothing, it didn’t show in his expression. “Theo, what is it?” Mackenzie asked, seeing the angry look in the man’s eyes.
“The cattle. The ones belonging to Jake Madaris. Someone has poisoned some of the herd.”
Chapter 15
“Here, Mac. Drink this.”
Mackenzie stopped pacing and stood still long enough to look at Luke and the cup he held in his hand. “I don’t want any coffee.”
He met her eyes, saw the anger, and then said, “It’s not just coffee. It’s something a little stronger. Go ahead. You need it.”
She placed the cup to her lips and after taking a sip she glanced up at him over the rim of the cup. “Brandy?”
A slight smile touched his lips. “Yes.”
She took another sip before crossing the room to sit down on the sofa. He followed and sat down beside her and placed his arms around her shoulders.
“How could anyone do such a thing? I can’t believe someone would be that—that vile,” she said angrily.
He nodded, understanding just how she felt. The vet and sheriff had come and gone. The vet had confirmed the cattle had been poisoned and the only evidence the sheriff had come up was a set of tire tracks near the corral gate. All the men working at the ranch had been questioned and no one recalled hearing or seeing anything strange.
“I’m mad, Luke.”
He looked at her. “I know you are.”
She took another sip of coffee. “I won’t be satisfied until the police find the person responsible.”
“I won’t either,” he said, playing with a lock of her hair.
She took another sip. “You know who I think is responsible, don’t you?”
“Whitedyer?”
“Yes, and I won’t let them get away with it,” she said, trying to get up off the sofa. His arms around her shoulders held her in place.
“Relax. And you don’t have any proof.”
She pulled away from him and glared. “Fine. I’ll get proof and then I’ll put them out of business.”
She started to take another sip of coffee and then decided against it. “I forgot I need to get dressed for work,” she said, placing the cup on the table in front of her.
“No you don’t,” he said gently. “I called Samari and explained everything.”
Surprise lit Mackenzie’s eyes. “You did?”
“Yes, and she told me to tell you not to come in, that she and Peyton had everything under control and to call if you needed them for anything.”
Mackenzie met his gaze and for the first time since getting the news about the cattle, she smiled and Luke took a deep breath, not wanting to admit just what that smile did to him just then.
“Thanks for taking care of that—I am too upset to go into the office,” she said.
“Figured that you would be,” he said, picking up her unfinished cup of coffee and taking a sip. Then another one. “I have a suggestion,” he said, putting the cup down.
“What?”
“Let’s go into town and do something and—”
“No, Luke,” she said, shaking her head and standing. “I have too much to do here. Besides, I need to call your uncle Jake to tell him what happened.”
Luke came to his feet as well. “After you talk to Uncle Jake then you can tell me what you need me to do.”
She shook her head again. “You’re not completely well and—”
“No. I want to help, Mac. Let me. There has to be something I can do that’s not real strenuous.”
She evidently saw the determined look on his face and said, “All right. I’ll check with Theo. If nothing else we need to take the stock numbers of those cattle out of the system.”
She then walked across the room to look out the window and he followed her and pulled her into his arms to give her the hug that he knew she needed. Whoever was trying to get on her last nerve had gone too far. That was Madaris cattle and knowing Jake, he would be just as upset as Mac and wouldn’t be satisfied until the person responsible was arrested.
The man in the dark sedan seemed extremely pleased with the phone call he’d just gotten. Now it was time to report to the person who had hired him to take care of a few matters. He punched into his cell phone the numbers that were becoming familiar to him.
“Yes?”
“We’ve taken care of things for now. I believe it’s safe to say that we’ve gotten her attention.”
“Okay, Luke, what is going on out there that I need to know about?” Jake Madaris asked his nephew while standing at the window in his office and looking out. He had gotten a
call from Mackenzie earlier and she didn’t have much to tell him other than the fact that six head of cattle had been poisoned.
“Not sure, Uncle Jake,” Luke was saying. “A couple of weeks ago someone broke into Mac’s office at work and ransacked the place real good, and now this. Mac thinks the two are connected and believes someone at the Whitedyer Corporation is trying to scare her off a case she’s handling.”
“And Mac’s sure nothing was taken from her office?”
“Yes, she checked everything thoroughly the next day. They didn’t even bother to take the cash box that was in one of Mac’s desk drawers, so it’s evident they weren’t trying to take anything of value. It was as if the person wanted her to know the reason for the break-in was personal, and that’s what I don’t like about this whole damn thing.”
For the next ten minutes Luke told his uncle everything Mackenzie had told him about the case, including why she suspected Whitedyer.
“When it comes to land rights some companies get outright foolish,” Jake said. “I know Henry Whitedyer. He’s a Texan and we run in the same social circles on occasion. I don’t know him that well so I don’t know what he’s capable of doing, and I don’t want to accuse him of anything, but at the same time, I don’t want anyone messing with my cattle.”
“I understand.”
“I think I’ll send a few more of my men to keep an eye on things, at least until we get that first group of cattle to the market,” Jake said.
“That probably wouldn’t be such a bad idea.” Luke knew how astute Jake’s men were. They would be quick to notice anything suspicious. Besides, he wanted assurance that Mac would be protected whether he was there or not. Right now whoever was behind this seemed satisfied with just rattling things up for Mac by indulging in mischief. But Luke was determined that it wouldn’t go any further. He would tear apart anyone who tried to hurt Mac.
“While your men are here I want them to keep a close eye on things, Uncle Jake. I’m going to talk to Theo and make sure everyone stays alert in case whoever is behind this decides to turn his attention to Mac personally.
Taste of Passion (Madaris Novels) Page 13
