Page 61 of Seizing Mack
Nick met the other man’s eyes and nodded in silent acknowledgement. Jay turned and took a step toward his car, then paused and looked back over his shoulder uncertainly. Nick cast a glance at Mack, who was now looking out of the window in disbelief, her eyes wide with betrayal. “Jay! Don’t you leave me, Jay!”
“You know what, Nick? Maybe you should drive my car back. I can take Mack—"
“Go. She’ll be fine. I’ll take care of her, I promise.”
Jay looked at him doubtfully. “You’re not really going to taser her, are you?”
Nick’s lips twitched. That had been an empty threat. His plans for subduction did not include a taser. “No. Trust me on this, will you?”
By the time Nick manage to convince Jay that Mack would be just fine and slid into the driver’s seat, Mack was no longer trying to kick the crap out of his car. She sat perfectly still, as far away from him as physically possible in the cramped space.
“You are a dick,” she spit out, drilling holes in the back of his head.
“Sticks and stones, luv,” he shot back, affecting his best Jack Sparrow impression as he eased out of the lot. “Seriously, Mack, what the hell were you thinking?”
“What do you care?” He met her eyes in the rearview mirror. She averted them quickly, choosing instead to look out the window.
An excellent question, that. One that he was pretty sure he knew the answer to, but now was not the best time to get into that, or to any of the other hundred or so things he didn’t understand. He just knew that his instincts told him he was doing the right thing. “I just do.”
“Right. That’s why you never called.” The words were quiet, but he heard them.
“I had to go out of town on an emergency. And for the record, Ididtext you. You never responded.”
She snorted at that, then quieted down. The next time he chanced a glance back, her eyes were closed, her features relaxed in a deep, alcohol induced slumber. “Thank God,” he murmured.
She never even flinched as he lifted her out of the car and tucked her against his chest. Nick carried her into his place and laid her out in his bed, removing the cuffs and massaging the angry red marks that had arisen where she’d struggled against them. He tugged off her boots and socks, too, smiling as he held her tiny feet in his hands. Her toes were painted a pretty silvery color, so cute.
He tucked her under the covers and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Pleasant dreams, Heather,” he whispered.
