Page 69 of Seizing Mack
Chapter Thirty-Three
~ Nick ~
Nick felt close tothe edge. If he didn’t remove himself from the situation, he was going to say or do something he’d regret and this —she— was too important to mess it up by pushing too hard.
He left her sitting on the bed, her eyes speaking volumes her mouth couldn’t yet express. He got it, he really did. Opening her heart and soul to another was terrifying, especially when she’d been hurt in the past. He knew that better than anyone. But damn it, he wasn’t asking her to walk down the aisle tomorrow.
Oh, he was convinced they were headed that way eventually, but they had a long way to go and a lot to learn about each other before then. For now, he just wanted her to take him at face value and trust him enough to acknowledge the possibilities. To embrace the potential of somethingmore. Yet she seemed stubbornly determined to believe that this special connection between them was only a temporary thing. As if the idea that he wanted her for more than a cup of coffee and a friends-with-benefits type arrangement was inconceivable.
He’d thought he’d taken care of that by worshipping her with his body and his words, opening his heart, hoping she would see that it wasn’t just about the sex. For a few glorious hours, he thought it had worked. Mack had been right there with him, accepting it all and giving everything right back.
He’d felt it deep in his soul.
Then the doubts started creeping in again, rearing their ugly heads and stealing the light from her beautiful eyes. The wrongness of it made him want to rage at everyone who had ever let her down.
He’d told her that he was all about the time and effort, and that was true. But at some point, Mack was going to have to take a leap of faith and trust that he would be there to catch her when she did. That he wouldn’t simply walk away when he’d gotten what he wanted.
Like he just had.
Just like that, the light bulb went on as realization dawned: Mack was testing him.
She might not even realize she was doing it, but consciously or subconsciously, she was opening the door and giving him the opportunity to walk away.Expectinghim to by giving him a push, making it easy.
Well, fuck that.
He turned around and stalked back to the bedroom to find her dressed and lacing up her boots. She looked up at him, her eyes holding a mix of resignation and hope, which she quickly hid away behind that implacable mask she gave the rest of the world.
“You’re leaving?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the door frame. Her eyes flicked over his chest and arms before drifting downward to the top of his unfastened jeans. Lust flared in her eyes. That was good. He could work with lust.
“Yeah.” She exhaled. “I think I should.”
He disagreed. He liked her right where she was and it was on the tip of his tongue to tell her so. However, if she was afraid to trust him, to trust her own heart, then words alone weren’t going to cut it. Neither would giving in to his inner caveman and spending another couple hours making her scream with pleasure, however much he wanted to.
Oh, it was easy enough to get her to believe that he found her physically attractive and desirable enough to spend an entire afternoon hot and sweaty in the sheets. Not so easy to convince her he wanted the whole package, smart mouth, combat boots, and all.
And hedidwant it all.
Eventually, she’d come to realize he was a man who meant what he said and said what he meant. For now, the ball was in her court, and he’d have to summon some of that patience he’d been talking about.
“All right,” he nodded. “I’ll give you a ride.”
“I can call Jay,” she offered.
And let her think that he didn’t care enough to see her safely home himself? Not a chance.
“It’s no problem. It’s on the way to the station.” He felt her eyes on his back as he slipped on a button down and grabbed his sport jacket, glad the station dress code was business casual.
“I thought you had the day off.”
He gave her a small smile. “I do, but it looks like my plans fell through.”
She bit her lip, an uncharacteristically vulnerable tell. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Take all the time you need to wrap your head around this. I’m not going anywhere, Mack.”
Nick dropped her off at her place. He got out of the car and walked her to the door ignoring her feeble protests that it wasn’t necessary.
“Mack, I know it’s not necessary, just as I know you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself. Don’t begrudge me for wanting to spend a few extra moments with you, okay?”
