by Mari Carr
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said as she answered the door. He gave her a long, lusty kiss that swept her nagging concerns away in an instant.
“Mmm, that was nice,” she said when they finally broke apart.
“I missed the hell out of you, Ms. Finch.”
“I missed you too, Lieutenant,” she confessed. “I was afraid—” She stopped before the rest of her words fell out, but he was able to fill in the blanks.
“You don’t need to be afraid, Kelly.”
“Everything this weekend,” she started. “It all happened so fast. I wasn’t sure—” Again she halted, unsure of why she’d started this uncomfortable line of conversation so quickly. “Criminy,” she muttered. “I haven’t even let you walk into the house.”
He laughed as she felt a flush cover her cheeks. Dammit, she never blushed.
“Kelly, you’ve obviously been thinking about this far too much. Let me set your mind at ease before we go any further. When we get into that living room, I have every intention of climbing on top of you and showing you in no uncertain terms exactly how much I’ve missed you.”
“Oh. Well, don’t let me keep you standing here in the foyer then.” She quickly grabbed a laughing Mac’s hand and proceeded to drag him toward the couch.
“Take off those damn clothes,” he demanded as he began loosening his tie.
She turned slowly to face him, a seductive sway to her hips. “What’s your hurry?” she purred.
His eyes turned dark with desire at the sound of her voice. “Oh no, Kelly Finch, none of that sexy teasing right now. You nearly killed me the other night with that. I’m just a simple country boy and I would kill for some good old-fashioned quickie sex.”
She grinned. “Quickie sex? Surely you don’t mean the ‘wham, bam, thank you, ma’am’ variety, do you?”
He reached out to grip her hips, pulling her roughly against his hard erection. “Well, I intend to make sure you have plenty to be thankful about too.”
Before she could say a single word in response, he whipped her shirt over her head and began to work the button free on her jeans. Never one to be left behind, she started divesting him of his clothing as well.
When both of them were naked, she only had a split second to admire the view of his muscular body before Mac, true to his word, lowered her to the couch.
He came over her fully and she relished the feeling of being completely surrounded by his rock-hard flesh. Slowly, she dragged her hands across his bare chest, pleased by his hissing breath as her fingers began toying with his nipples.
“Damn,” he mumbled. “I thought maybe I imagined it.”
She was confused over his words. “Imagined what?” she whispered.
“How perfect you are. You know just how to touch me, what to say. Sweetheart, it’s like you stepped out of my dreams just to fill up my empty arms.”
She smiled at his compliment and felt a slight sheen of tears cover her eyes. Those, she knew, were the most romantic words she’d ever heard and this was the happiest moment of her life.
“Mac…” She wanted to reply, to say something to convey her feelings, but she had to stop to clear her throat. Somewhere along the line a lump had formed there.
“Kiss me, Kelly-girl.” His lips halted anything she might have said and she threw herself into the kiss, desperate to express how much this moment meant to her.
Within minutes, the soft, long kisses turned molten hot and almost painful in their intensity. Neither of them seemed able to pull away as their lips, tongues and teeth clashed together in a conflagration that spread faster than a wildfire.
As he devoured her mouth, his hands staked their claim to every part of her body, nothing left untouched. His hands roughly cupped and caressed her breasts and she moaned when his fingers lightly pinched her nipples before gradually building the pressure on the sensitive tips. Her hips arched in need and soon she was rocking against his firm thighs, dying for the relief only his body could provide.
She dragged her lips away, turning her head to the side to gasp for air, but he refused to be denied. His mouth tormented her cheek before traveling on to tantalize the lobe of her ear and the flesh around her throat.
“God, Mac,” she breathed. “I thought you promised me a quickie.”
He chuckled. “So I did,” he said. “So I did.” With his words, he reached down to retrieve his pants, pulling a condom out of his back pocket. “Did you call the doctor?” he asked as she helped him cover himself with the thin rubber.
“I wasn’t sure…” Her answer died mid-sentence at his frown.
“Call tomorrow or I’ll be forced to punish you.”
Her pussy flooded at the threat and she groaned, prompting his grin.
“Dream girl,” he whispered as he reached down to place his cock at her drenched opening. She expected him to enter her hard and fast and was surprised by his slow, thorough entrance. He seemed to be taking his time on the trip in, finding each and every one of her hot spots. By the time he’d entered her fully, she was struggling to hold back the orgasm knocking at her door.
“Don’t come,” he growled, but his words were the final blow to her overwhelmed system and she screamed at the power of the climax that rumbled through her.
He shook his head and attempted to look gruff, but she wasn’t fooled as she detected the glimmer of amusement in his gaze. “Shame on you, Ms. Finch. You’ve been a very naughty girl.”
“Punish me,” she dared.
Her words, like Mac’s, seemed to be a trigger and he retreated only to thrust back in forcefully. She sensed his promise of a quickie was about to be fulfilled and he yelled as his climax engulfed him.
“Fuck! Damn, you feel so good.” His words and motions were enough to pull her into yet another orgasm as her inner muscles clamped down on his cock and she considered exactly how much she’d give to keep him inside her forever, just like this.
As his breathing returned to normal, Mac looked down to find he’d collapsed once again on his little ladylove. He’d crush the poor girl one of these days if he wasn’t more careful. Pushing up on his elbows, he eased to his side and removed the condom, smiling at the sight of her flushed face and kiss-swollen lips.
“Don’t look at me,” she groaned as she peeked up at him through one eyelid that was barely cracked open. “I must look a mess.”
“Yeah, but you’re a gorgeous mess,” he teased.
Her eyes opened completely and he was surprised by the concerned look he found in her gaze. He thought he’d done a pretty thorough job of alleviating her worries. He’d known since the moment he’d suggested this chat in the office at school that Ms. Finch was apprehensive about their budding relationship. Fact was, there was no way he was going to put a halt on anything building between the two of them. Case be damned. He was not about to risk the chance for real happiness simply because his job and hers overlapped. He had every intention of doing his job to the best of his ability, but he didn’t see why he couldn’t continue to date her while he did it. While it might not be proper procedure, it certainly wasn’t against the rules. As long as they kept their liaison a secret until the mission ended, there was no reason for them not to continue seeing each other.
He bent forward and placed a light kiss on the frown lines forming between her brows. “What’s going on inside that head of yours now?” he asked.
She started to answer before promptly closing her mouth again. He raised his eyebrow and waited patiently for her response. Evidently she had something quite serious on her mind and he felt a slight unease niggling at his subconscious. Maybe he’d read her wrong. What if she wasn’t worried about continuing the relationship, but instead wanted to end it?
“I haven’t been completely honest with you about something, Mac.”
His heart began to pound. Shit. How had he gotten this so wrong? He tried to remain calm. “About what, Kelly?”
“A couple of weeks ago, something happened…something I should have tol
d you about, but…”
He sucked in a breath of relief. Her confession wasn’t about them. It was about whatever had been bothering her before their trip to the conference. Finally he would find out what had been causing her “under the weather” comment those few days.
“So tell me now,” he said, careful to keep his voice light. Whatever was bothering her, she was frightened to tell him and he wanted her to realize there was nothing she couldn’t tell him.
“After I left school one day, I was…well, Mac, I was sort of attacked.”
Whatever he had been expecting, that was not it.
Fury, pure and hot, bubbled up inside him and he had to fight to keep his voice even.
“What do you mean ‘attacked’? Where? By who?”
“At my car. It was later than I thought and you know how early it gets dark nowadays, what with it being winter and all.”
She was rambling and he couldn’t control his voice when he spoke. “Kelly, tell me what happened. Exactly. Concisely. Right now.”
She flinched at his tone and he cursed his anger. “Sweetheart,” he soothed, struggling to infuse comfort into his voice. “Just tell me what happened, please.”
She seemed somewhat appeased by his words and continued her tale. “I was unlocking my car when someone, a man, came up from behind and shoved me against the door. I wasn’t really paying attention and I had no idea anyone else was even in the parking lot.”
His hands shook as he reached up to grasp her face in his gentle grip. “What did he do to you, Kelly?” he asked, scared to death to hear her answer.
“He put a knife against my throat and he threatened me. That’s all, Mac. I swear that’s all.”
He tilted her head up, looking closely at her neck. “That’s all?” he asked incredulously. “You don’t think that’s enough?”
“He didn’t cut me,” she added quickly, obviously aware he was looking for damage.
“What did he say? What was the threat?”
“He told me to stay out of the BTs’ business.”
He felt numb. Had their investigation been discovered? Had he inadvertently placed her in danger by staking out in her classroom?
She must have read his look because she shook her head quickly. “No, he didn’t know about you. Apparently, he was upset because I’d gotten some member of the gang in trouble at school. Something about the dress code.”
“Why in the hell didn’t you tell me about this, Kelly? Why did you keep this a secret?”
She seemed to have anticipated his question and she shrugged, her face a mixture of sadness and regret. “He said he’d hurt Meg and her baby if I told anyone. He said he’d kill you if I went to the police.”
His anger returned full-force. “I am the fucking police, Kelly, and it’s my job to protect you! Not the other way around. Dammit!” He rose quickly from the couch and began redressing as he paced the floor. From the corner of his eye, he saw her sit, pick up her shirt and pull it on before dragging her legs to her chest.
“I should have told you. I know that, Mac.”
Her admittance only fueled the flames of his fury. “You’re fucking right you should have told me! What did he look like, Kelly? Did you see him? Were you trying to protect the bastard? Was it one of your charity cases? Let me guess. It was your golden boy, José.”
Her ire seemed to ignite at his angry, thoughtless words.
“What the hell is your problem?” she screamed. “Why do you have it in for José? He would never do anything like this and yet his is the first name you throw out! For your information, it was Mitchell Johnson, but why the fuck would I think you’d actually consider the drug-pushing bully as a suspect? No, you blame it all on José just because his last name happens to be Alvarado.”
He struggled to maintain his composure but fear, pure and simple, coursed through his blood, making it impossible for him to be reasonable. She had been assaulted, held at knifepoint and she hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him. Hadn’t trusted him enough to protect her, hadn’t believed that he could keep her safe.
“I thought you’d never seen Mitchell before today?”
“I hadn’t, but when he followed you out of the office, he mouthed something to me and made a gesture that told me it was him.”
“What did he say?” he asked.
“Bitch.”
“And the gesture?”
“He mimicked cutting his throat.”
He felt all the blood in his body drain away from his face and was left lightheaded by the suggestion the cruel boy had made. “I’ll fucking kill him,” he said quietly.
Her face flashed pure alarm. “You can’t kill him.”
His eyes narrowed at her insinuation that he wouldn’t—no, scratch that—that he couldn’t do whatever it took to protect her.
“That’s murder, Mac. Cops can’t kill in cold blood,” she added quickly, reading his mind.
“I’ll take care of this,” he said shortly.
“How?”
“You lost the right to worry about that when you kept this from me.”
Rather than tears, he watched his tough little teacher stiffen her spine at his taunt. “Fine, Lt. McNally. Go out there and kill that kid. Get arrested for murder. See if I care. While you’re at it, you can find someone else’s classroom to stake out in because I’ll be damned if I’ll let you back into mine again.”
“Oh I’ll be back in your room, sweetheart. You can bank on that.”
“Get out!” she screamed as she stormed to the front door, pulling it open forcefully. “Get the fuck out of my house, you arrogant bastard!”
He stomped over to the door. “Fine. I’m leaving. For now. But I will be in your class tomorrow, Ms. Finch, whether you like it or not.”
Before she could continue her rampage, he placed his fingers against her lips. “Lock this door behind me and don’t open it for anyone.”
She hissed in anger but he remained undaunted. “Do you understand, Kelly?”
She nodded once sharply and he recognized her quick answer for what it was—the means to get rid of him.
“Try not to get into any trouble between now and then.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she spit out against his fingers.
“Kelly, you don’t want to test my patience tonight any more than you already have.”
She reached up to throw his hand away from her lips but he used the motion against her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her forward to his chest.
“I’m going to take care of this little mess, Kelly, and then I’m going to come back and teach you a lesson you won’t soon forget.” Before she could respond with the scathing retort he saw gathering on her lips, he kissed her, hard and fast, pulling away quickly and walking outside.
No sooner had he crossed the threshold onto her front porch than she slammed and locked the door behind him. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
“Jim, it’s Mac. I need you to do a little guard duty for me tonight. There’s a person I want protected.” He quickly gave his friend Kelly’s address.
Chapter Eleven
When Kelly entered her classroom the next morning, she was fighting an all-out war against the butterflies in her stomach. She felt slightly nauseous and unbearably nervous. Her confession to Mac had gone a hell of a lot worse than she’d imagined, and she’d imagined it being downright awful.
She wasn’t sure exactly when she’d lost control of her temper, but her emotions had been so raw from lack of sleep and two days of worrying about his feelings for her that everything had come flying out of her the way it usually did when she was overwrought—in a flurry of angry, hurtful, spiteful words. She was the one who’d been in the wrong. She’d had no right to attack him the way she had, but when he threw José’s name at her, all common sense flew out the window and she went into acid-tongued-avenger mode.
Shit, she thought as she glanced toward her vacant desk chair. He beat her in on most mornin
gs and today she was running a good fifteen minutes behind normal. She’d tossed and turned so much last night that when she’d finally passed out due to utter exhaustion at four-thirty this morning, she went to sleep so soundly that she didn’t hear the alarm. On the plus side, she hadn’t gotten any more hang-up phone calls. In her anger, she hadn’t even mentioned that little tidbit to Mac.
“Hey, Sunshine,” Meg’s cheery voice called from the doorway. She turned to face her and Meg’s smile fell rapidly. “Geez, Kelly, no offense but you look like shit.”
“Thanks,” she muttered. “I’d hate to look good when I feel this miserable.”
Meg’s frown grew as she crossed the room. When she reached Kelly, she lifted her hand to her forehead, checking for fever in true motherly fashion.
“Are you sick?”
“Just my heart,” she confessed, too tired to try to hide the truth of her feelings for Mac from her best friend.
“I knew it,” Meg replied softly. “I have to say, I suspected something was going on between you and Mr. McYummy. What happened? Did you have a fight?”
“I made a complete ass of myself,” she said miserably. “Guess you don’t find that too surprising.”
“Actually, I do. Kelly, you never overreact unless provoked, so I can only assume Mac did something to upset you.”
She shrugged. “We had a difference of opinion and I flipped out.” His continual suspicions surrounding José were driving her mad, but she’d been wrong to yell at him. She’d seen the hurt look in his eyes when she’d told him about the attack. Clearly, he’d decided to strike out at her for the pain she’d caused and, rather than shut her mouth and take his little retaliating dig, she’d blown her top.
“Well, you seem calmer now. Why not just apologize and the two of you can move on? Trust me, no love affair is simple at the beginning. There are always lots of kinks to work out. Rob and I are still hammering out a few in our relationship.”
