But Mac still liked aggravating the man. “Sorry, Uncle Ian. I forget you old people need your rest.”
“Fuck off.” Ian grumbled as he slammed through cupboards before finding a mug. He interrupted the coffee flow to pour himself a cup, then sat down and glared at Mac. “So where were you Friday night? You still haven’t said. Geo and I had planned on pizza night.”
“I had a date.” With the most annoying woman to walk the face of the planet. But that ass... Shit. He wanted another shot at her. At it—her ass. Just a body part. Lusting after Maggie didn’t mean he thought of the blond as more than a sexual companion.
“Well?”
“Well what?” Mac asked, irritated with the third degree.
Ian’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t get that tone with me.”
“Hey, you told me fuck off.”
“I raised you. I can tell you to eat shit, and you should say, ‘Yes, Sir,’ and get busy spooning it up.”
Mac grimaced. “Please. I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.”
“Pussy.”
Mac grinned. “Nice mouth.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ian guzzled his coffee. “So who’s the lucky lady?”
“Some chick. No one special.” He didn’t want his uncle nosing into his affairs. The big mouth had taken to training Geo, Shane’s younger brother, who had a huge crush on Maggie as it was. Geo would find out about Mac and Maggie, and he’d no doubt tell Shane Mac was “boning” her. Then Shane would pressure Mac to go easy on her tender sensibilities while pulling him into romantic double dates and couples crap.
Mac should go easy? Hadn’t he told Shelby Maggie might be the one to break his heart? Not that he had a heart to break, but she’d kicked his ass out after he’d given the woman orgasms. Who the hell did she think she was?
“Oh yeah. Woman problems.” Ian chuckled. “The silence is telling. I’d like to meet this one.”
“She’s nobody. Now how about you get your senile ass into the shower so I can get a ride to the gym? And hey, make a decision, would you? Are you in or out? You want me running the gym or not, because I need to make plans.”
Mac itched to move on. He’d been working at the gym, in limbo for the past two years, while his knee recovered and he settled into civilian life. No longer a part of the Corps, he nevertheless felt a need to surround himself with discipline and order. He’d been filling his uncle’s shoes at Jameson Gym while Ian resolved some investments and business decisions. But Mac was tired of waiting on his life. Being dissed by Maggie only made it worse. He’d waited on her ass long enough. Now he planned on showing her how to behave with her master. Time to take back control of everything.
Ian sighed. “Boy, I’m not sure of anything. I finished up with New York. I’m officially consolidated. But the gym… You’re doing a fine job. Why not keep on as you’ve been?”
“So you can putter around on vacation while I do all the hard work?” Mac snorted, well aware of his uncle’s antics. “Please. You’re paying me less than a temp’s wages, and I’m not even getting vacation time.”
“You’re getting pussy,” Ian said bluntly. “You should be thanking me.”
“Nice.” He scowled. Maggie was more than pussy. Aggravating, cute, sweet, and demonic. A woman with issues, because no one ever told Mac to leave. It was always the other way around. Always. Without fail. Until now.
“Anyway,” Ian continued. “After I drop you off today, I have plans. So you’ll need to get a ride home.”
Mac sighed. “I guess we’re done talking about my future. I’ll just keep trudging away while my family takes advantage.”
Instead of feeling bad, Ian stood and slapped him on the back hard enough to make him choke. The bastard had a mean right, and he’d never been intimidated by Mac. “Good boy. Now make me some eggs while I shower. And don’t burn them.”
After Ian left, Mac swore as he slaved over the stove. Ian wouldn’t appreciate the touch of curry or hint of parmesan in the eggs. He wouldn’t thank Mac for the added bacon and toast. An image of Maggie moaning over Mac’s stir fry suddenly came to mind.
“Maybe I should cook for her again before I spank the crap out of her. Quick on the draw my ass.” He slammed a few pans together while he finished his uncle’s breakfast, determined to show the woman who was boss, once and for all.
Ian watched his nephew banging pots with fascination. Definitely woman problems. Geo had been picking his brain Friday night. The high school senior had a bright future ahead of him. The boy was popular with the ladies, had a few leads on football scholarships and a giant brain to match his ego. A great kid who reminded Ian a lot of Mac. Or the way Mac used to be.
He frowned and wondered if he’d been to blame for his nephew’s change. Mac had been a steady kid, not taking after his loser of a mother or troubled father. As much as Ian had loved his brother Brian, Brian hadn’t been strong enough to handle Marissa. When Brian had died, Marissa had left without looking back, leaving Ian with an eight year old and no way to care for him except to leave the Corps and start over.
At the time, Ian had thought his life had ended. Instead, it had just begun. He loved Mac to death, but the stubborn bastard couldn’t see past Ian’s mistakes to a bright future of his own.
He refused to commit to a woman, and if anyone needed an honest relationship, it was Mackenzie Jameson. The boy had been left too many times by those he loved. First Brian, then Marissa. He’d formed a tight bond with Julie, Ian’s biggest mistake and regrettable heartache. He’d poured his heart and soul into the woman. Unfortunately, so had Mac.
When Julie had left him, it had hurt. He knew he was partly to blame, but she hadn’t wanted to give them a chance. And she left not only him, but Mac as well. The boy hadn’t taken it well at all. Julie had acted as his mother for four long years before she’d fucked Ian over and split.
Still a kid, just a twelve-year-old wanting a mother’s love, Mac had lashed out. But the rebellion hadn’t lasted, and Ian soon had his hands full of a scholar athlete with too much passion to succeed. A good enough problem to have, except Mac kept a lid on his emotions. On the outside, he excelled. But on the inside, he’d never gotten past the lonely little boy fearing rejection.
He went through relationships like most people went through tissues. Never a handful, but one at a time, one after the other. Mac never got angry or hurt over his breakups, because the idiot never let himself care. Until now. He’d certainly never cursed and banged cookware over a woman before.
Ian heard the name “Maggie” and suddenly understood so much more. Ah. Mac had a thing for the pretty little blond working at the gym. The man who didn’t get involved seemed awfully annoyed with a woman he refused to talk about.
A good sign. Ian made some noise before entering the kitchen once more. “Where the hell are my eggs?” He watched Mac take hold of his temper and settle down—on the outside.
Mac gripped the spatula with a fist the size of a brick. “Here.” He slid the plate across the kitchen island, and Ian caught it before it could go over onto the floor. “Don’t choke on them.”
“Lovely. Thanks, Mackenzie.”
Mac gritted his teeth. The boy hated to be called by his first name. His mother had picked it out. Ian liked to use it to remind Mac to overcome the past and learn from it.
What didn’t kill you made you stronger.
An idiom the Marine Corps enforced.
“You’re welcome, Ian.” Mac took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Now could we please get a move on? I have to drop off the car in half an hour.”
“Aye, aye, Top.” Top, a nickname for Mac’s last held rank in the Corps—Master Sergeant.
Mac sighed. “It’s gonna be a long fuckin’ day. I can feel it.”
“Right as rain.” Ian shoveled some damn fine eggs into his mouth and said around them, “What the hell did you put in this? Tastes like shit.”
Mac beat his head against a cabinet, and Ian chuckled. Yep. Time to see a few friends and study the woman who had his nephew’s dick in a knot. Then a plan to make sure Mac stayed frustrated, annoyed, and connected to the woman. With any luck, Maggie might very well be the key to unlocking Mac’s heart.
Ian grimaced. That sappy shit had to come from a woman, because no way in hell could Ian handle another one of those “open yourself to love” talks he’d once had with the boy so many years ago. He shivered and pushed the plate away. “Well, Top. Let’s hit it.” He followed Mac’s car, plotting on his way to the dealership.
Chapter Nine
Maggie wiped the sweat off her face with a towel and smiled her goodbyes to the group leaving the workout studio. All in all, she’d had a stellar few days. She’d finished all but one of her paper sculptures for Kim and had been working out like a mad woman for Mac. Her added income would help with the Christmas shopping she planned to nail tomorrow. One shot shopping.
Her list had grown considerably from last year. She had her brother, Shelby, Mimi and Ron, and now Shane. Maggie glanced through the glass wall of the workout room and spied Mac laughing with two other guys by the free weights. She couldn’t decide whether to get him something or not. She wanted to but she feared he might take her gift the wrong way. He was her boss, they’d been lovers—hell, she’d called him
Master
and liked it—but she wanted them to remain casual friends. The thought of a relationship excited her way too much, so she quashed the idea before she could act on it.
Imagining herself crying over Mac the way she’d cried over too many exes reinforced her notion to stay away. They’d have sex again, because they both wanted the physical gratification, but the emotional thing scared her. She wasn’t ready to go down that road again.
“Well, well. If it isn’t my favorite aerobics instructor.”
She turned to blink up at George Collins, Shane’s younger brother. She smiled with true affection. “Geo. How have you been?” She accepted his bear hug and wheezed. “A little tight.”
“Oh. Sorry.” He let her go, then studied her from head to toe wearing the same smile his older brother wore when looking at Shelby.
Maggie gripped the ends of the towel to cover her breasts. The kid was seventeen, for God’s sake. “You know, staring at a woman’s breasts is not considered a form of flattery.”
“It is in high school.” He winked at her. “Besides, I’m no lecher. I think you’re beautiful. You need someone who truly appreciates you.”
“Oh?” Maggie decided to play. “And what exactly can you do for me that men my age can’t?”
Apparently the opening he’d been waiting for. “Great question.” Geo led her toward the bench where she’d stashed her gear and fetched her water bottle for her. “I’d take care of you. I mean, those older guys, they don’t have any stamina.”
She choked on her water.
Please tell me he’s not talking about sex.
“You’d maybe get a dinner out of them, but they’d fall asleep before you hit the end of a movie afterward.” Geo made a face. “Shane can barely work ten hours then stay up for poker night. And now that he’s with Shelby, he’s always tired.”
Maggie stifled a grin. “Oh?”
“Yeah. He never wants to go out anymore. Always needing his sleep at night. Guy is like a thirty-two year old Boy Scout. It’s embarrassing to the Collins name.”
Shane wants to sleep with Shelby, more like.
She cleared her throat. “That’s too bad.”
“Then you have guys like Brent, Tom and Mac.” Geo pointed at the three of them still talking by the weights. “I mean, sure, they’d do you. No question. But after that first time, it’s all downhill. Men peak at eighteen. Heard it in biology class.”
“Wonderful what they’re teaching you in school.”
He grinned. He had the same dark hair and green eyes as Shane. He’d be a lady killer in no time, especially since he had charm all but tattooed to his forehead.
“You know, Geo. You should give Mac lessons in how to deal with women. I think you’re on to something.”
Geo brightened. “That’s what I’ve been telling him. But Mr. I’m-God’s-Gift-to-Women doesn’t think so.”
She laughed with Geo. Especially when they noticed Mac look over at them and frown.
“What’s this?” A deep voice with a slight brogue preceded Ian, Mac’s uncle. Another charmer who would have been hell to deal with in his day. Even now she felt like she had to keep on her toes around the older man.
“Hey Ian.” Geo took the hardy slap on the back from Mac’s uncle with fortitude. “You know Maggie, right?”
“Of course. How are things, Maggie?” Ian smiled at her, and Maggie saw Mac in that broad grin.
Wow. They sure made the Jamesons F-I-N-E fine. Black Irish and built like a tank. If Mac would like this in another twenty years, she wondered what kept her from signing up. “Things are good,” she hastened to say, aware she’d been staring. She fought a blush when Ian gave her a more subtle onceover than Geo’s scrutiny. “How are you, Mr. Jameson?”
“Ian, girl. Call me Ian.” He sighed. “Things are well enough, I suppose.” He threw an arm around Geo. “With Christmas only a few days away, I confess I’m much behind on my shopping.”
“Not me. I finished last week.” Geo shook his head. “You can’t wait last minute or all the good stuff is gone. Besides that, Mom lets me take a day off to do my shopping. If I wait, I lose the free time with Christmas vacation.” Geo smiled. “And I’m not stupid.”