Page 14 of Mac's Vow

“The night I touched you on your parents' couch.”

Her smile disappeared. “You were afraid that night?”

“Afraid I wouldn’t stop,” he growled, not comfortable feeling so vulnerable around her. “Afraid I’d destroy something precious.”

“But you walked away. You gave me what I asked for and nothing more.”

“And I jacked off in your driveway,” he confessed, knowing he was turning red but unable to shut up for some reason. “That’s how strong I was. I couldn’t even make it home I was so hard for you, Alyssa.”

“I never knew that, Mac. I wish I’d known how much you wanted me.”

“Why? What good would that have done either of us?”

A slow grin slipped across her face. “I would’ve tried harder to get you in my bed.”

He shook his head. “A crook of your dainty finger is about all it would’ve taken.”

“Good to know,” she murmured. “And Mac?”

“Yeah?”

“I do love you. It’s always been you.”

“No refunds. No returns.”

“Exactly,” she replied around a yawn.

“Sleep,” he ordered as he smoothed his hand up and down her back. “Tomorrow will be a big day.”

Within seconds she was snoring. Of course she snored. Fuck, even that was cute. Everything she did was adorable. God, he had it bad. It would be hours before he was getting any rest himself. Mac waited a few more minutes to be sure she was out, then he slipped from the bed and slid into his jeans. He pulled the blanket up from the foot of the bed and covered her up before kissing her forehead. She stirred a little but went back to snoring.

Mac took his cell phone out of his front pocket and headed out to the living room to call Jimmy. He answered on the first ring.

“Everything okay with Lissy?” Jimmy said, clearly alert and ready for action.

“She’s asleep,” he answered, putting Alyssa’s brother’s fears to rest. “Any updates from the Reece brothers?”

He let out a breath. “A fuckton, actually.”

“Damn, they work fast. Scary fast.”

Mac headed to the coffee pot and took out a pod from the holder next to it and popped it into the pot and hit the brew button. He leaned against the counter and waited for Jimmy to fill him in.

“Just be glad they’re on our side,” Jimmy grumbled. “So, as it turns out The Judge is one sick bastard with a fetish for underage girls.”

His stomach churned. “Jesus,” he groaned.

“Brad and Cole have a little sister, Lynn. Did you know that?”

The change in topic surprised him, but he went with it. “It’s news to me.”

“I knew about her, but I’ve never met her. She was homeschooled and never attended Braxton High with us. Anyway, Lynn was once the victim of sexual abuse. The brothers didn’t say who, but it was someone older. Someone they all trusted.”

“God, I can’t imagine that sort of hell,” he muttered, as he imagined some innocent girl at the mercy of a monster like the Mitchells.

“Yeah. Anyway, the shit she went through has the brothers extremely motivated to bring down Cameron and his father as fast as possible. By any means possible.”

“We’re all on the same page there then,” he said, knowing they all had a personal stake in closing the investigation and getting Cameron and his father behind bars would undoubtedly speed things along.

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