The Day He Kissed Her (14 page)

“Interesting.” The word was spoken dryly and Blair frowned. “Man, if I knew what kind of secret ingredient that guy has stuffed up his sleeve, you bet I’d be all over it.”

Blair chuckled and slid a little closer to her. The bar was noisy—half-priced wing night always brought out a big crowd—and he leaned in. “I got tell ya though, Mackenzie Draper is a loose cannon. His temper is as bad as his father’s, and his reputation with the ladies rivals Cain Black’s…big time. He’s no saint, that’s for sure.”

“Well, Mr. Hubber,” she teased, “I suppose that stuff would matter if I were interested in anything permanent with Mac, but I’m not. You don’t need to worry about me, Blair. Whatever it is between us isn’t serious.”

“Really?” Blair said dryly. “And the fact that he looks like he wants to tear my arms off and shove them down my throat says what exactly?”

“It says that he’s dragging his knuckles across the floor like a Neanderthal.” She couldn’t quite hide her grin. “It’s kind of cute, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know if I’d call it cute,” Blair murmured. “Insane maybe. Fucked up for sure. But cute? Hell no.”

Lily glanced up at her friend. His warm brown hair brushed the top of his forehead, and his eyes glittered beneath the dim glow in the bar. Blair was a good-looking man, tall and broad shouldered, with long, athletic legs. He was smart, focused, took good care of himself…he was sweet, kindhearted—really the perfect catch for some lucky lady.

It just wasn’t Lily St. Clare.

“Here he comes.”

Wait. What?

The hair on the back of Lily’s neck coiled, as did the pulsing heat that sat low in her belly.

She inhaled sharply as that unique scent all his own fell over her like a second skin, and she looked up, catching Mac’s gaze in the mirror behind the bar.

His golden hair waved crazily around his head, just touching the tops of his shoulders, as if he’d been in the wind or out on a boat. His eyes were dark and intense, and her heart skipped a beat when he bent forward because she felt the heat of him right beside her.

“Fancy running into you here, Boston.”

She licked her lips and hoped like hell she didn’t sound like the fourteen-year-old girl she felt kicking around inside her.

“It’s wing night. Where else would I be?” she said lightly.

Still watching him through the mirror, she held her breath when his eyes dropped to her mouth.

“I can see that.”

He leaned forward even more, and honest to God, it felt as if they were the only two people in the entire place. Sal’s distinct and husky voice was gone. Blair, who stood on the other side of her, was gone. The crowd, the music, and the noise—all of it was gone.

There was only Mackenzie.

His warm fingers were on her chin, and he slowly turned her until she faced him. She was aware of her heart beating, of the way her breathing was erratic. She saw the pulse at the base of Mac’s neck and—holy Christ, but did he have so smell do damn good?

He leaned down, his warm breath now on her cheeks, spreading goose bumps along her skin like a rash. When his tongue darted out and licked at the corner of her mouth, Lily jerked, her body coiled so tight she thought that maybe she’d just had a baby orgasm.

Here. In public. In a bar.

How the hell could he do this to her?

Mackenzie slowly straightened, his eyes never leaving hers. “Spicy,” he said softly. “Somehow I knew you’d be all about the spice.”

She cleared her throat. “Actually, I prefer honey garlic. Blair’s the one who likes his wings hot.”

Mac’s eyebrow rose, and he looked over her shoulder. “Does he now?”

She nodded. “He does.”

It was kind of delicious, the way Mac was looking at her as if he wanted to devour her right there in the bar—right in front of Blair and Sal and anyone else who wanted to watch.

She squirmed. Jesus! Again with the tingle between her legs. It wasn’t fair, this power he seemed to have over her.

“I like spice too,” Mac said softly. Dangerously.

“Really?” Was that her? Sounding all breathless and soft and…freaking girlie?

“Yes. Really. Except…”

She held her breath. She waited for him to finish his sentence. And she refused to squirm even though the pulsing going on between her legs was something fierce. God, maybe she was ovulating. Weren’t ovulating women horny as hell?

Hadn’t she read that somewhere?

“I kinda like my spice in the morning. Spicy coffee. Spicy biscuits.” He lowered his voice, the timbre husky. “Spicy Lily.”

That just about did it.

Right there in the middle of the Coach House, Lily St. Clare was close to losing it—her body was damn close to having a freaking explosion, and all she could do was bite her lip as Mac turned away and called Sal over.

She knew he was alluding to their hot morning together, and now, there was no way she was getting those images out of her mind.

She might have whimpered. Or moaned.

Lily glanced back at Blair—who was looking at her as if she’d lost her freaking mind. And maybe she had, but right now she didn’t care about that. What she cared about was the fact that the ache inside her was so intense, she wasn’t sure it would ever go away.

It had been building since this morning. Since Mackenzie had put his mouth and his hands on her. Since he’d put his fingers inside her.

Oh God, she wanted a hell of a lot more than his fingers. And she wanted it now.

“I need another jug for me and the boys.”

Wait. What?

“You’re staying here?” she asked carefully, tugging her hair from her neck where it was sticking to the sheen of sweat on her skin.

Mac nodded. “Well, darlin’, there’s not much else to do in Crystal Lake on a Monday night, and since you’re busy here with the mayor, I thought I’d catch up with the boys.”

“Oh but—”

Blair
and
I
are
done. We can go back to my place and finish what we started earlier.

She stopped herself from making a complete and utter ass of herself just in time and grabbed her wineglass instead of spilling more words.

“But…” Mackenzie prompted.

She swallowed her wine and took a moment, hoping the breathless thing she had going on earlier was gone. “You should probably order the wings.”

“The wings.”

She nodded. “Yes. They’re half-price, but Sal usually runs out by ten so…”

Mac grabbed the jug and smiled. “Good to know. I’ll get the extra spicy.” He winked and lowered his voice. “And by the way, I’m totally up for coffee tomorrow morning.”

“Oh,” she said softly. “I’m leaving for Boston before the sun comes up. It’s a family thing, and I only found out today, and I can’t get out of it because my father is, he’s being difficult about it, and well, I just can’t not go and…” She was rambling and needed to stop. Like now.

Something stirred in his eyes, something heavy and fierce, and it touched her. Whatever it was touched her deeply. Lily’s chest tightened and she felt as if she was on the verge of tears and that was crazy.

What the hell was wrong with her?

“Is everything alright?” His voice was gentle.

No.

Shit. She was going to lose it if she didn’t pull herself together. Lily counted to ten before she spoke. “It’s just some stuff. You know. Family stuff.”

He studied her for a few seconds, the jug of beer in one hand, his other shoved into the front pocket of his jeans.

“When are you back?”

“Saturday.”

“Saturday,” he said with a slow, sexy grin.

“You can be my date,” she replied, holding her breath as she waited for him to answer.

“Date?”

Lily nodded. “For the mayor’s gala.”

Wow. She sounded like a desperate fifteen-year-old.

Mac’s eyes moved from Lily to Blair. “Sounds good. See you then, Boston.”

He turned and she watched him ease through the crowd, noticing that she wasn’t the only one to do that either. Several women were focused on his fine butt, long legs, wide shoulders, and thick, blond hair. The woman Lily had seen rubbing herself all over Mackenzie earlier looked as if she wanted to eat every single inch of him.

Lily finished her wine. The woman could look all she liked because Mac wanted Lily, and when she returned from Boston, Lily planned on letting Mac have all the spice he wanted.

Too bad she had Boston and four days to get through before any spice would be had.

It was going to be a long, long week.

Chapter 14

Mackenzie spent the majority of the week out at the development site with Jake. The plans for the project dubbed Crystal Lake View Estates were intensive—condos, single-family homes, and an eighteen-hole golf course that overlooked the water. The idea was to service both middle-income families and those on the higher end of the spectrum, to marry them together in a development that could meet both of their needs.

It was win-win and would bring a substantial tax base to the community, though keeping the small-town charm of Crystal Lake was a bit of a challenge and had been a bone of contention with some of the townsfolk. But Jake and his father had managed to convince them all that they’d do whatever it took to keep the integrity and simplicity of Crystal Lake intact.

They were in talks with several designers for the golf course; both Jake and Mac liked a guy from Dublin, Ian O’Reilly. O’Reilly was flying in the following week, and Mac was hoping they’d be able to tie up that bit of business sooner than later, so he could move forward with his designs for the clubhouse and the condos that would surround the golf course. He had an idea of what he wanted—to keep the beauty of the lake and woods and bring them right into the homes they were building.

He visualized soaring ceilings, rooms filled with light and glass, and materials that were modern, but ones that also took from the natural surroundings—slate, granite, steel, oak, and cedar.

This planning stage was always one that he enjoyed, the one where his artistic side could have some wings, and he was as excited about the development as Jake was. It was a different gig from a lot of the projects he’d worked on lately and a welcome change of pace.

Overall, the week had been successful. He’d managed to get the fence done at his mother’s, the eves cleaned out, and one of Jake’s contractors had given him a good quote on new windows.

He’d made it through his first game coaching the Crystal Lake Comets, and though his nephew’s attitude still needed adjustment—there was anger there and a healthy dose of confusion—Mackenzie was content to let him ride it out. Mac could take it, and if the kid needed a punching bag, it might as well be him.

The game had started out a little bumpy until Liam found his groove somewhere between the fourth and fifth inning. They came back from behind by five runs and managed to sneak out a win against the visiting team. Jake and Cain had taken the kids for ice cream afterward, and lo and behold, his nephew had even managed a few smiles.

So, all in all, a good week.

And it was about to get a whole lot better.

Mac pulled into Lily’s driveway and parked beside her BMW. He hadn’t spoken to Lily since Monday, but she’d sent him a text the night before. A text that had pretty much kept him awake most of the night.

Awake and horny as hell.

Pick me up at 5. I’ll be spending the night.

Mac cut the engine and glanced at his watch as he climbed out of the truck and started for the house—4:59, right on time. He was just about to knock when the door flew open and his eyes landed on a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Lily.

Barefoot, with hot pink toenails, the woman slowly smiled up at him. Mac couldn’t tell if she was older or younger because she looked a little ragged around the edges—the heavy, dark eye makeup didn’t help—but it had more to do with her attitude and the look in her eyes.

Skin tanned to a deep, almost unnatural shade of gold, she was dressed in skimpy shorts, boasted a stud and ring in her belly button, and her generous rack nearly spilled out of the bright fuchsia halter top. With long blond hair in disarray, a pouty mouth, and knowing eyes, the woman oozed sex and other, darker things.

He caught the sweet smell of rye whiskey and coupled with the stale scent of cigarettes, he figured the lady had been going hard for a good, long while now. She was bad news.

He didn’t have to take a wild guess to know that this was Lily’s notorious sister, Maddison St. Clare—reality-show sensation and not in the good way.

“Well, aren’t you just delicious,” she purred, leaning against the door frame. She was all kinds of sex kitten and hard edges. He knew the type and he wasn’t interested.

“You must be Maddison.”

“And you must be the man who’s got Lily’s panties all bunched up in knots.”

Mac shrugged, his tone light, but he was immediately on alert. The girl was fishing. “The name’s Mac.”

“I know.” She didn’t skip a beat. “I peeked at her cell when she was in the shower. Saw your text.” She licked her glossy mouth. “So tell me…does Mac have a brother?”

“Nope.” Mac didn’t like the predatory gleam in her eye. In fact, there wasn’t much about the woman that he liked. She was so far from who Lily was, it was hard to believe they belonged in the same gene pool.

She chewed on her bottom lip, eyebrows raised slightly as she studied him for a few more seconds before she must have decided that he wasn’t worth the bother. She moved to the side and motioned him in. “She’s never on time.”

Good to know. He’d have to file that one away.

Mac stepped inside the cottage and moved past Maddison into the kitchen. Music played softly somewhere down the hall, an old Stones song if he was hearing right.

Angie.

Ah, seems as if Lily’s ear was bent to the classics. He liked that.

Fresh flowers were in a glass bowl on the counter, big blue-purple things that reminded him of his mother’s lilacs, but they were round and much larger. Arranged to float on top of the water, they added a classy touch.

He liked that too.