Page 63 of Seizing Mack
Dare she?
Biting her lip and feeling unnervingly needy, she gave into the sudden desire that gripped her. She stroked herself, letting the scene play out in her mind. The sensations built and crested quickly, far more quickly than in her own shower.
Feeling only slightly guilty, Mack shut off the water and dried off with one of the huge, fluffy towels he’d been kind enough to leave for her. After all, it wasn’t the first time she’d fantasized about the handsome detective, though doing so inhisshower had added fuel to the fire.
She made use of his SpeedStick and finger combed her hair into relative submission. She debated using his toothbrush, too, but decided that was too personal and ultimately opted for a washcloth smeared with some Crest instead.
Clean and relatively alert, Mack felt sufficiently recovered to face her rescuer. She lifted her clothes to her face and wrinkled her nose.What the hell, she thought, eyeing the clothes he’d left out, presumably for her. She’d slept in his bed, pleasured herself in his shower, and used his stuff. Why not wear his clothes, too?
She grabbed the dark grey police academy T and drawstring sweats and pulled them on, taking a moment to inhale and appreciate the freshly laundered scent. She made the bed, then figuring she’d stalled long enough, padded down to the living room. A neatly folded blanket and pillow sat on the couch, answering her early question of where Nick had spent the night. She added “gentleman” to the growing list of things she liked about him.
The man himself was nowhere to be found. A brief walk through the place confirmed that she was alone. She stopped in the kitchen, drawn by the scent of coffee, then settled in the living room to wait.
She didn’t have to wait long. Soon Nick came in carrying two white plastic bags imprinted with the name of the local grocery store. He gave her a genuine (and relieved?) smile when he spotted her sitting there.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t be here,” he confessed. “I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t have anything suitable for breakfast.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Mack said, stunned by his thoughtfulness. Her voice was still rough and husky-sounding, thanks to the copious amounts of tequila she’d consumed the night before.
“I wanted to. Feel up to eating something?”
Surprisingly, she did. The aspirin and hot shower had done wonders. And, except for a bit of lingering embarrassment, she felt strangely at home in his place. “Yes, but only if you let me help.”
“Damn right you will,” he said with a crooked smile that hit her somewhere right around her solar plexus.
Working side by side, they prepared a nice breakfast: egg white omelets with green peppers and tomatoes, fresh fruit, whole-grain bread, Greek yogurt.
“Do you always eat like this, Detective?” Mack asked. The guy did take good care of his body, so he was obviously doing something right, but short of a chef, she’d never met a man who put that much effort into cooking, especially for himself. Even Jay, who was all about proper nutrition, limited the majority of his fuelings to pre-packaged, balanced meal supplements (except of course when she cooked).
“Truthfully, no. I know it’s cliché, but I’m more of a coffee and donuts kind of guy.” He chuckled at her raised eyebrow. “I make sure I work it off, though.”
“Then why go to all this trouble?”
“I wanted to impress you,” he admitted. “I know you’re into healthy eating and all that. But I have to say, this is really good. I could get used to this.”
Mack couldn’t have stopped the butterflies fluttering in her stomach if she wanted to. But Kent’s prank was still fresh in her mind. She searched for any sign on insincerity on Nick’s part and found none. A tiny thrill went through her at the thought that he had gone to all this trouble for her with no ulterior motive.
She cleared her throat and toyed with her omelet. “Mission accomplished, Detective. I’m impressed. And grateful. Thanks. For everything.”
“Call me Nick, please. When a woman spends the night in my bed, I think she’s earned the right to call me by my first name, don’t you?”
Mack felt the heat rise into her cheeks. “Yes... Nick.”
His resulting smile sent those butterflies into a frenzy. She cleared her throat. “Just so you know, about last night... that’s not typical behavior for me.”
Nick nodded thoughtfully before he replied. “I didn’t think it was. Can I ask you something?”
She figured he’d earned a few rights of his own. “Sure.”
“Why would a smart, beautiful woman like you go out with a guy like Emerson anyway?”
Mack got up and took her plate to the sink, carefully considering her response. It wasn’t that she didn’t have an answer, but rather that she didn’t like the ones she came up with when asking herself the same question. But, since this man had plucked her off the stage in the middle of an alcohol-fueled pole dance, she figured he was already clued in to the fact that she wasn’t Ms. Perfect.
“Because he asked,” she said finally.
Nick joined her at the sink, staring at her as if she’d grown three heads. “Seriously?”
She shrugged. Unable to meet his eyes, she sipped her coffee and stared down at her plate.
