Seizing Mack: A Contemporary Love Story (Covendale Book 3) Read online

  “You sure about that?” Jay smirked. “Because I’m thinking he might head back early if he had the proper incentive.”

  Mack closed her eyes and exhaled. “You didn’t. Jay, tell me you didn’t.”

  “Didn’t what? Snap a few pics and send them to his phone?”

  “Jay...”

  “Ah, speak of the devil and he doth appear.”

  Mack’s heart sped up when she whipped around and saw Nick standing in the doorway.

  “Jesus, Mack. The way he’s looking at you... I’m getting hot.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  ~ Nick ~

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.” His voice was rough, strained. Getting even that one word out was an effort. It was all he could do not to march right over there, toss her over his shoulder, and spend the next hour in the nearest convenient utility closet.

  She was so fucking hot, and incredibly, she had no idea. He could see it in her eyes.

  When Jay had sent him those pictures, pictures of her among all those guys, he’d nearly gone out of his mind. Lust, jealousy, pride, want ... they all surged and rallied. Thankfully, the task force had just been finishing up. He’d all but run to his hotel, packed his shit, and hit the road, the need to see her a powerful, tangible thing.

  The Fates seemed to be on board with his plan. With minimal traffic and inactive construction zones, he made the trip back in record time. All the way, he’d been warring with himself. On the one side, his more primitive side, he couldn’t get to her fast enough. The other, more civilized side warned about doing anything that might push her away and cautioned restraint.

  He said he’d give her time to wrap her mind around things, and he would. Even if it killed him. Which it just might.

  Looking at her now, those two opposing factions continued to battle. Torn between the need to gather her into his arms and his desire to give her the space he’d promised, he remained rooted to the spot, hands tucked into his pockets to avoid reaching out to her.

  The room emptied out. Jay was the last to leave, laying a hand on his shoulder as he passed. “Go get her, tiger.”

  “You’re back early.” Mack remained where she was at the center of the room. Too goddamn far away.

  “We wrapped things up quicker than expected.”

  She smiled, a slow, seductive grin that tugged at his hardening cock. In his mind, he heard the sound of her coming, an echoing loop of the phone sex they’d engaged in the night before. He was willing to wait, but he wasn’t stupid. He was going to use every advantage he could to bring her around, including the explosive sexual chemistry between them.

  “Yeah?”

  He swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

  She began walking toward him. No, not walking, stalking. Putting all those luscious, toned, oiled curves into motion. “Does that mean you’re free tonight?”

  “It does.”

  “Huh.” She stopped right in front of him. Close enough for him to feel her heat. Scent her unique feminine fragrance — a mix of fresh citrus and essential oils that he would forever associate with her. He inhaled deeply, drawing her into his lungs. The pupils of her lovely green-gray eyes dilated, letting him know she was right there with him. Thank God for that.

  “Got something in mind?” he asked.

  “I have a few ideas.” She leaned in close until her lips hovered just below his. “I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  “Talk is cheap, Detective. Show me.”

  He couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried. Between one heartbeat and the next, the small space between them vanished and his arms were pulling her in tight against his body. Their lips met in a fierce kiss. Teeth scraped, tongues danced, and the rest of the world faded away until it was just the two of them.

  He didn’t know how much time passed before he registered the catcalls and insistent knocking on the window behind him. Reluctantly, he softened the kiss, then pulled away far enough to say, “I think we have an audience.”

  Her eyes opened slowly, looking every bit as hungry and passion-drunk as he felt. “You’re place or mine?”

  “Which is closer?”

  “Mine,” she answered. She grabbed his hand and led him through the corridors to the entrance like a woman on a mission. “Anxious?” he teased.

  “You have no idea.”

  “Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea.”

  Minutes later, then were pulling up to Mack’s place. Mack jumped out and practically ran to the door. He was right on her heels. As soon as Mack punched in the security code, they were tumbling through the door like horny teenagers.

  “Did I ever tell you how fucking sexy you are in camo?” he managed, using his bigger mass to back her against the door. “Take it off. Now.”

  She bit his lip, her hands already making fast work of his pants. She lifted her arms, allowing him to tug off her super sexy sports bra crop top thing. He wasted no time in dropping his head and sucking one of her lovely breasts into his mouth, mumbling claims against her skin.

  She tasted delicious. And so very his.

  Mack moved like lightning, circling his arms with her own, and sweeping with her legs as she twisted, taking him down onto the floor.

  “Your woman?” she said, straddling his chest. “Is that what you just said?”

  A tensing of muscle was the only warning he gave her before he thrust upward with his powerful hips and grabbed her arm, rolling her smoothly beneath him. “Yes. Got a problem with that?”

  Instead of fighting, she used her weight and rolled with the momentum, coming up on top again. “That depends.”

  He clenched his jaw, heat firing in his groin as she rocked over him and teased him with her beautiful breasts so close to his mouth. “On what?”

  “On whether you’re man enough to handle me or not.”

  “Oh, I’m man enough.” He rocked his stiff cock against her. Desire flared in her eyes. “And I want nothing more, Heather.”

  She stilled at the use of her first name; he held his breath. His hands flexed on her hips. Either she would accept his claim or she wouldn’t.

  She stared down at him, the corner of her mouth twitching. “Giving up already?”

  He gazed up at her, eyes blazing with hunger. “Are you kidding? Why would I fight this? I’ve got you exactly where I want you now.” He looked hungrily at her crotch and licked his lips even as his big hands managed to palm her ass, just in case she had any misguided notions of moving.

  She glared at him, then her lips twitched. “You do, huh?”

  “Yeah. Except...”

  She raised a brow.

  “Except you’re supposed to be naked and about two feet higher, straddling my face.”

  “You’re an idiot.”

  “Yes, but I’m your idiot.”

  “You sure about that?”

  Nick braced his legs and lifted his upper body, causing Mack to slide down onto his lap. He caught her with his arms and brought his mouth crashing down hard on hers. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and laid exclusive claim.

  When he finally pulled away, he stared into her dazed eyes. “Yeah,” he said huskily. “Damn sure.”

  Mack responded by tangling her fingers in his hair and gripping hard.

  Minutes later, they were both naked and he was poised at her entrance. “Say it, Mack. Say you’re willing to give us a chance.”

  She looked at him with those beautiful eyes so filled with desire and something more. “Yes, Nick, I’m willing to give us a chance. But if you—”

  He didn’t give her a chance to finish whatever she was going to say, pushing deep inside her and making her moan in pleasure. She grinned, her inner muscles flexing around him, making him see stars as she started moving, riding him as if her life depended on it.

  Then she was screaming his name, and all was right with his world.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  ~ Mack ~

  “I don’t know what the he
ll we were thinking,” Mack muttered to herself, looking over her hefty to-do list. Hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for nearly a dozen people? It was right up there on the list of brilliant ideas with fostering a K9 recruit who hadn’t quite made the cut. Clearly, Nick’s repeated and arduous attentions had addled her brain. He’d learned quickly that when he gave her that crooked smile, her resistance (and good sense) melted.

  The cunning devil came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, his four-legged partner in crime at his heels. “Thanksgiving is all about family, Mack. Yours. Mine. Ours.”

  Mack didn’t feel the sense of panic those words would have brought on only a few months earlier. Every day she fell more in love with the man, and no longer wasted energy on worrying about what might happen. They just fit, two halves to an even better whole. Mack wasn’t the type to get overly sappy or romantic, but she was incredibly happy.

  “Yes, but...”

  He bowed his head and nibbled at the sensitive area just below her ear, laying waste to her defenses. “No buts. Except this one, right here.”

  He pressed his hardness into her backside, a gentle, rhythmic thrust that had her ready to abandon her list and spend the rest of the day in bed with him instead.

  “Are you two at it again?” Jay teased, coming into the kitchen with Marcus.

  “Says the man who hasn’t kept his hands to himself all morning,” Marcus quipped, leaning over to give Mack a kiss on the cheek. He held out a baking dish, then searched for a spot on the already-loaded countertop. “You’ve got enough food here to feed an army. Just how many are you expecting?”

  “My dad and his wife, Catherine, are flying out from the west coast,” she told them, “and Nick flew his parents up from Florida. Plus Nick’s sister, Liz, and her husband, Miles, and stepson, Brandon.”

  “No Delilah?”

  “No. We invited her, but she said she had other plans.”

  “Yeah, neither of us is too broken up over that,” Nick said, planting one more kiss on her temple then taking advantage of her momentary loss of focus by stealing two fluffy vegan biscuits (her own special recipe) — one for him and one for Kato.

  The Shepherd-Labrador mix, who’d been on kitchen Hoover duty, caught the biscuit and offered a doggie smile. The ‘five second rule’ had become obsolete since he’d come along.

  “What other plans?” Jay asked, frowning slightly. “She’s not spending Thanksgiving alone, is she?”

  “She didn’t say and I didn’t ask.” Mack did wonder, though. Maybe Dee was still upset with her mother for booting her out of the nest. Or maybe she was still pissed at Mack for tossing her out on her ass. Regardless, that was one less thing Mack had to worry about. Where Dee went, drama was always sure to follow, and meeting Nick’s parents had Mack nervous enough.

  Nick kept telling her she had nothing to worry about, that they would love her. She hoped that was true.

  If they were half as nice as his sister, things should go well. Mack and Nick had had dinner with Liz and Miles several times and Mack liked them very much. At first she’d been afraid she wouldn’t, conjuring images of stuffy, very proper types after Nick told her proudly that Liz was a big deal in a local software engineering company and that Miles had been a successful, international businessman. She needn’t have worried. They were nothing like her preconceived notions. Intelligent and well-traveled, yes, but also very down to earth, unpretentious, good people.

  In just a few weeks, Liz was turning out to be more of sister than Dee ever was. Liz had even invited Mack to a “girls’ night out” with her and her friend, Holly, which turned out to be a lot of fun. Holly wrote romance novels for a living, wasn’t shy about discussing her ‘research’, and dropped the f-bomb almost as often as Mack. When Liz told Holly about Seize, both women joined up, so Mack got to see them several times a week. The pair were a riot and never failed to make her laugh and brighten her day.

  On the other hand, she didn’t worry about Nick meeting her dad, not at all. They were going to get along just fine. Both were strong men with solid foundations and a love for the outdoors (and, Nick told her, a shared love for her). As for Catherine, well, Mack didn’t really care what she thought.

  The doorbell rang and Nick grinned excitedly. “They’re here!” He noticed Mack’s momentary panic and said, “Relax, Mack. They’re going to love you, just as I do. And word of warning: my mother will want to help.” Nick turned to Jay. “Keep her from bolting, will you? Sit on her if you have to.”

  Jay laughed. “He’s a keeper, baby girl.”

  As if she didn’t already know that.

  The murmur of voices and excited, happy greetings drifted into the kitchen. Mack smoothed her apron and tried to look casual and welcoming, but nothing could completely stop the flurry of butterflies that had suddenly taken up residence in her stomach.

  “Relax,” Jay said softly, draping his arm around her and giving her shoulders a squeeze. “Nick’s right. They’re going to love you.”

  As if sensing her unease, Kato came over and sat down at her feet, leaning against her leg. She reached down and petted him, the action calming her almost immediately.

  A few minutes later, Nick re-entered with his sister and an older couple. The man was tall and broad, an older version of Nick; the woman was much shorter, with snowy white hair and the same kind, laughing eyes as Nick.

  “Mom, Dad, this is Mack — Heather MacKenzie. Mack, my parents, Ed and Lynnette Benning.”

  Mack found her voice. “Mr. and Mrs. Benning, it’s wonderful to meet you. I’m so glad you could make it.”

  Nick’s mom beamed. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mack. Thank you for having us.”

  “It smells amazing in here, Mack,” Liz said, following in behind them with Miles and Brandon. “What can we do to help? And don’t even think about saying ‘nothing’. Making Thanksgiving dinner together is half the fun.”

  “She’s right,” Lynnette said, pushing up her sleeves. “I haven’t had a chance to prepare a proper holiday feast in years.”

  “In that case, I would love some help.”

  Nick winked over his mother’s head and grinned. “Told you,” he mouthed.

  Mack got them both aprons and put Nick’s mom in charge of the dressing, then handed Liz a colander of washed vegetables and pointed her towards a machine that cut, sliced, diced, and spiraled. “Create something beautiful.”

  Liz beamed in approval. “I’m on it. Hey, Nick, the Shelby’s running a little rough. Would you mind taking a look?”

  Nick’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, sure. You good in here?”

  “Yeah, we’re good,” Mack waved him off. “Go bond.”

  “Mind if we tag along?” Marcus asked.

  “Not at all. What do you say, Dad? You want to see the Shelby and check out the 1970 SS396 Chevelle I picked up while we’re at it?”

  Ed Benning, who had been looking a little lost, brightened. “The Shelby?”

  Liz laughed as the men filed out, talking excitedly about Nick’s latest acquisition. “Some things never change. Nick has always been obsessed with classic muscle cars, and Brandon is just like him.”

  Mack’s father was the last to arrive. George MacKenzie pulled her into a big bear hug, lifting her off the ground.

  “Isn’t Catherine with you?”

  A frown ghosted over his features. “She sends her apologies. Delilah called earlier and asked to see her.”

  “I invited Delilah,” Mack told him.

  “I know you did, sweetheart. Now where is this young man I keep hearing so much about?”

  Her father’s deliberate change of topic signaled the end of the conversation as far as Catherine and Delilah were concerned. Something was going on there, Mack was certain of it, but she wasn’t going to let that cast a shadow on the day.

  “He’s out back, showing the guys his new toy. I’ll take you out and introduce you.”

  “No need, I can introduce myself,” George said gruffly, leani
ng down to give her a kiss. “I just need to know one thing: is he treating my baby right?”

  Mack grinned. “Yeah, he is, Dad.”

  George nodded. “Then we’ll get along just fine.”

  “Your dad is a lot like mine,” Liz said on a laugh.

  “A good man never stops caring for his daughter, and you will always be your daddy’s little girl,” Lynnette agreed.

  With Liz and Lynnette’s help, the dinner came together beautifully. It was a lovely combination of traditional family recipes and healthy, vegan options. The atmosphere around the dinner table was friendly, lively, and at times, loud. Mack soaked it all in, embracing the spirit of the day by being thankful that they had all come together.

  Nick suddenly cleared his throat and stood, raising his glass. “Thank you, everyone, for coming today. To family, both new and old.”

  Everyone raised their glasses and murmured their agreement.

  “And while we’re all gathered here, there’s something else I’d like to say.” He paused, ensuring he had everyone’s attention, including Mack’s.

  “I never thought I’d find true happiness again, but Mack has changed all that. I’ve fallen deeply and madly in love with her, and I’d like this Thanksgiving to be the first of many, many more to come, if she’ll have me.”

  Mack gasped as Nick kneeled down beside her and took her hand in his. “Heather MacKenzie, will you marry me?”

  “Short and to the point. I like that,” Mack’s father said, making everyone chuckle.

  Mack looked into Nick’s eyes, seeing her future. A future of love, of life, and of laughter. There was only one answer.

  “Yes.”

  Nick smiled and whistled softly. Kato came padding up and dropped a small box into Nick’s hand. “My wingman,” Nick said.

  Nick took out the ring, a simple, stunning solitaire, and slid it on to Mack’s finger to the applause of their friends and families. Mack cupped his face and kissed him solidly. “You sure about this?” She whispered softly.

  “Baby, I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”