Taming Mack (Sinful Nights Book 3)

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Unfortunately, Louis had come down with the flu so Mack and Dan had been splitting his shifts. That meant that he worked until about midnight and couldn’t stay after kissing her goodnight.

  But Louis was back tomorrow. And Mack had big plans for tomorrow night.

  “Want me to go out and talk to her?” Dan asked.

  When he started to stand up, Mack growled menacingly at him. “Don’t you dare,” he snapped.

  Obviously, his deputies knew what was going on between him and Eve. Probably the whole town knew about it. But he didn’t give a damn. He was on a mission to convince Eve to stay after Cynthia came back. And if it meant courting Eve every night, he was damn well going to do it. Hell, why was he just sitting here anyway? Eve had come to see him!

  But when he stepped out, Eve wasn’t in view. He glanced around the parking lot, noting her car was still here. So where had she gone?

  Walking down the steps, he followed the path she’d been pacing. Sure enough, as soon as he rounded the corner, he found Eve peering into the back parking lot where the official vehicles were parked.

  He paused to enjoy the view of her enticing derriere in leggings. But when she started to straighten, he knew that he should announce his presence. “Need something?” he asked.

  Eve jumped about a foot as she swung around, shrieking briefly as she did so. It took all of his self-discipline to not laugh at her horrified expression. But when she peered around back again, then at him, he couldn’t stop himself.

  “Aren’t you supposed to be out doing rounds or something?”

  “Not at the moment,” he told her, taking her arm and leading her into the office. “What’s going on? Everything okay over at The Bull Frog?”

  She nodded, looking nervous and slightly guilty. “Yep. Everything is fine. No problems.”

  When she pressed her lips together, he knew that she was hiding something and his police instincts kicked into overtime. “Eve, what’s going on?”

  She backed up a step. “Nothing. I was just being silly. Really, it’s nothing at all.”

  That put his instincts on high alert. “Eve, you’re not silly. So if you’re worried about something, I need to know.”

  She sighed, biting her lip and looking down at her toes, obviously struggling with her thoughts. So when she looked back at him he waited patiently. “I’m probably making too much of this,” she muttered with a sigh.

  Mack took her hand and led her over to his desk, sitting her down in his chair. The old metal creaked slightly, but not nearly as much as it did when he sat down in it. She was lighter and prettier.

  When she still hesitated, he glanced over at Dan. The man obviously had the same thought and was already up, collecting his weapon from the drawer and sliding it into his holster. “I’m out of here,” he announced. “I’ll check in on the radio.” A moment later, he was gone. Silence followed his departure. For once, the phones weren’t ringing and there wasn’t a tourist in here demanding something ridiculous, like a guide for a day trip into the mountains.

  “Talk to me, Eve. What’s going on?”

  She sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly. “I just…heard something last night that didn’t sound right.”

  “Last night? You mean before I stopped by?”

  She nodded.

  Concern sparked to life inside his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me about this last night? Eve, if something strange is going on, something that is making you nervous, then you should tell me about it immediately.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Mack, you make me nervous! And besides, you come into the bar every night, wait until everyone else is gone, then kiss me until I’m a wreck! So no, I didn’t think to tell you because every time you touch me, my mind goes blank!”

  He chuckled and took her hands in his. “Fair enough. I won’t kiss you until after you tell me what happened last night that has you concerned.”

  “You’re not kissing me at all,” she told him, pushing back slightly. But he kept hold of her fingers and simply pulled her forward once again.

  “Eve, talk to me.”

  Unfortunately, at this particular moment, all she wanted to do was kiss him until she couldn’t…

  He kissed her. Eve didn’t know if it was because he’d read her mind or if he wanted the same thing. Nor did she care. As soon as his lips touched hers, her arms crept up around his neck, her fingers diving into his hair. Over and over, his mouth devoured hers. After so many days of this exploration, they had a rhythm now. She angled her head and lifted her face, wanting more, needing all he had to give her. Eve was so frustrated with the increasing, continuous sexual tension, she wanted to tear her clothes off and demand satisfaction.

  She didn’t, of course. But not because she had any kind of self-discipline. No, that would be nice. The only reason she didn’t start stripping off her clothes was because they were in the sheriff’s station. But not even that occurred to her until she heard the door to the office open and close. Someone chuckled behind them and she stepped out of Mack’s arms abruptly.

  Spotting Ryan, Eve put her hands to her heated cheeks, wishing she were anywhere but here.

  “Good morning,” she muttered and ducked around Mack where she was somewhat hidden from view. “Um…I…uh…”

  “Eve, it’s okay.”

  She shook her head. It wasn’t okay. She’d just been caught kissing in a place of business. No, not a place of business, an official area! Eve muttered a muted good morning again and then walked out the door. Hurrying to her car, she quickly jumped in and pulled out of the parking lot. Getting away was her only option. Good grief, it was one thing when Mack came to the bar after hours and kissed her until she was senseless. But doing that in the morning in his place of work was wrong! He was on duty! He was protecting the town and she’d distracted him!

  When she pulled in behind Cynthia’s building, what she’d just said to herself struck her and she froze.

  She’d just distracted Mack! She might have been all gaga while he was kissing her, forgetting the reason for her visit. But so had he! He’d been just as stunned and unaware of his surroundings!

  Hadn’t he? Or had she been too far gone to realize that he was completely aware of everything?

  “What the hell am I doing?” she asked herself. “And what am I thinking? This is crazy! I’m not even going to be here in a couple of weeks! I shouldn’t be fooling around with a man who doesn’t…”

  She’d been about to say that Mack doesn’t remain faithful to one woman. But…they talked about the small things, laughed about their days as she cleaned up each night. He kissed her and made her forget where she was and why she shouldn’t be kissing him. But was he really the player that she’d assumed he was?

  Staring blankly out the windshield of her vehicle, Eve pondered that for a moment. Was she applying an attribute of infidelity to Mack that wasn’t accurate? So what if she’d seen her fiancé with someone else! That didn’t mean that Mack would be unfaithful.

  But even as she thought it, she remembered the day when she’d discovered John in bed with someone on the very day that….!

  “Stop it!” she whispered out loud.

  Pushing open her car door, she stepped out and took a deep, centering breath, savoring the fresh, mountain air. “I’m not going there!” she whispered to no one in particular. “This is a fresh, new life and I’m not going to let my past define my future.”

  With the vow spoken out loud, she walked into the bar. Unfortunately, just saying the words didn’t stop her from thinking about Mack and what it would be like if she found him with another woman. The pain in her heart when she’d heard he’d gone to Denver several weekends ago….

  “You okay?” Annie asked.

  Eve blinked and looked up. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

  Before Annie could reply, someone knocked on the back door. Annie and Eve looked at each other curiously, not sure who it could be at this time of the day. They didn’t open for several m
ore hours. Eve shrugged and opened the door.

  “Can I help you?”

  The woman standing on the cement steps looked…exhausted. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, she wore no makeup, and her eyes were rimmed with red.

  “I’m sorry to bother you,” the woman began. “I was just…” she wrung her hands and Eve’s heart melted. Eve recognized the look on the stranger’s face. She’d been that low in her life as well.

  “Come inside and have a cup of coffee,” Eve encouraged, taking the woman’s hand and gently led her inside.

  The woman smiled, but the warmth didn’t reach her eyes. Annie appeared behind Eve, handing the woman a cup of steaming coffee. “Here you go, Penny. What’s going on?”

  Penny accepted the cup of coffee gratefully. “I just…” she shook her head and tears formed in her eyes. “I was laid off yesterday. I need work,” she admitted and glanced at Eve. “I know that you’ve been running this place for Cynthia. And I’ve heard that things are incredibly busy here.” She leaned forward, ignoring her coffee. “I’m a good worker, ma’am. I’m strong and I don’t complain. I just…,” she paused and swallowed hard, as if her pride was stuck in her throat. “I need work. My boys are a handful but I love them and if I don’t find something fast, I won’t be able to feed them.”

  Eve looked over at Annie and a silent conversation went between them. Eve turned back to the woman. “Penny, we could definitely use your help. When can you start?”

  Penny looked as if she might burst into tears and her grip tightened on the cup of coffee. “Anytime. As soon as possible! I promise, I won’t let you down.”

  Eve put a hand on Penny’s arm. “Penny, you can start right now. We’re prepping for tonight’s appetizers. But I should warn you that I’ve changed things while Cynthia is gone, she might not like the changes. So this might be a temporary job.”

  Penny nodded, her eyes glowing with hope. “I understand. I’ll keep looking for work.” She stood up, setting the coffee to the side. “Where should I start?”

  Eve and Annie stood up as well. Eve wondered if she was doing the right thing, but her heart couldn’t reject someone in need. And if Penny could earn a few dollars in tips tonight, all the better. In fact, Eve determined to push more of her tips to the other woman tonight as well. Penny was obviously desperate and fighting panic.

  “Well, we’re making firecracker balls today, which are pretty easy to make and to serve.” The three of them went into the kitchen and Eve showed Penny how to roll balls of ground chicken, spices, and a touch of brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. “If you mix, we’ll roll.”

  For the next hour, the three of them mixed, rolled, and cooked and, with Penny’s energy, they were done in record time. They mixed the cocktails for the evening and set everything up and even had time to sit down and relax for an hour before they opened for the night.

  Apparently, the scent of the firecracker meatballs had spiced the air around town. That night, amid a larger than usual crowd, Eve walked up to Penny, touching her shoulder gently. “I’m so grateful that you showed up here this morning asking for a job!” There was a line out the door for people waiting for a table and the meatballs. Penny laughed and her whole face transformed! She went from a woman on the edge of disaster to one who looked as if she might embrace happiness for the first time in years!

  About seven o’clock, there was another knock on the back door and Eve opened it to find two rough looking boys, obviously twins. “You must be Penny’s boys?”

  Penny rushed over to her boys. “I’m sorry, guys!” she gushed, pulling some of her tip money out of her pocket. “Here. Go get some food at…”

  “Nonsense, Penny,” Eve admonished, as she waved the boys inside. “Come in and have some meatballs. You can do your homework.”

  Penny’s eyes teared up and her shoulders relaxed slightly. She beamed as she hugged her boys to her sides. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Eve watched as Penny showed the boys into the kitchen and gave them some meatballs. Once they were settled at the kitchen table, Penny moved back out to the dining area to survey her tables, making sure her customers were taken care of. But when Penny moved behind the bar, Eve saw her stuff several dollars into the cash register, obviously paying for her boys’ meals. Eve shook her head and moved to the kitchen, determined to help Penny as much as possible. “How are you boys doing?” she asked, peering over their shoulders to see what they were working on.

  “Math. I have no idea how to do this,” one of them muttered, sighing with frustration and dejection.

  Eve noticed that they were doing more doodling than homework. “I’ll see if I can find someone who can help.” She went back out to the bar, surveying the crowd. “Hey Bobby, you’re an architect. You know how to do geometry, right?” she asked as she delivered another beer to his table.

  Bobby looked up, confused but he shrugged as he nodded. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

  Eve tilted her head back towards the kitchen area. “I have a pair of boys in the kitchen who are stumped on their math homework, which looks like they are supposed to figure out the area of rectangles and triangles. Your next beer is on the house if you can get them started.”

  “Sure! I can help.” Bobby picked up his beer and headed for the kitchen.

  Eve froze as she noticed the tall, manly, too-sexy form of Mack standing at the door.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, clutching a pitcher in each hand. They were small pitchers, filled with tonight’s cocktails that she was walking around the room. “You usually don’t…” Eve paused, not wanting Mack to know how much she looked forward to his late night visits.

  “You hired Penny Miller,” he observed softly, moving closer.

  The noise of the bar faded away. The crush of people disappeared. It was just her and Mack. Her heart pounded at the look in his eyes. Strange but…softer? No, nothing about Mack was soft. He was tough and the gun at his hip announced that he was a badass. That and she’d heard how Mack had carried a mountain lion on his shoulder the other day. A freaking mountain lion! How many people could say that they’d had a reason to carry a mountain lion?! If that didn’t scream badass, nothing could!

  “She got laid off and we needed help.”

  Mack tucked a stray curl carefully behind her ear. “And now you’re organizing meals and tutoring for her twins. They are a handful.”

  Eve thought about the boys in her kitchen doodling on their homework. “They’re good kids.”

  “Yeah. They are. Some people dismiss them because they are a bit wild. They just need a little more attention.”

  She beamed up at him. “Well, they are getting it now,” she laughed.

  “I guess so,” he replied, laughing with her. “Anyway, I came by to talk to you about what you came to see me about. We never got around to talking about whatever it was that spooked you.”

  Eve pulled back, reality crashing down on her with a thud. Looking around, she realized that several of the locals were eyeing them curiously, wondering what was going on. “Right. I, um…” she tried to think back to what she’d gone over to the sheriff’s department to talk to him about but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember.

  “Right, well, you’re going to have to come back later. I can’t…”

  He moved closer, but this time it was to make room for someone trying to get a table in the back. “Right. I touched you so now you can’t think. I’ll come back around closing time and we can talk then.”

  He did that sexy hat-tipping thing that she’d seen in cowboy movies so often and left. Eve watched, thinking that the man had an incredibly fine butt!

  Turning around, she found Annie and a few of the other locals watching her. The group was whispering, their heads all titled towards each other. As soon as they realized she’d noticed, they pulled back, but they couldn’t hide the fact that they’d obviously been whispering.

  Eve sighed and turned towards the kitchen. “G
reat. It’s going to be all over town by tomorrow.”

  “What’s going to be all over town?” one of the boys asked innocently.

  Eve smiled at them. She knew their names were Tyler and James but, for the life of her, she still couldn’t tell them apart. Penny needed to tag them somehow for her.

  “Nothing,” she said.

  One of them perked up, his eyes wide as he asked, “Were you talking about how you are dating Sheriff Mack?”

  Eve spun around, staring at the boy. Tyler? Could be.

  “What makes you say that?”

  The boys shrugged in uncanny unison. “Everyone knows that you two are dating.”

  Eve shook her head, flustered and confused. “We’re not dating. We’re just friends.” Friends who kissed, she silently amended. And one half of the friend equation wanted a whole lot more!

  “If you’re not dating, why does he come here every night?”

  Eve had no answer for that so she was grateful when Annie walked in. For once, Annie didn’t tease Eve about Mack. “He comes by to make sure that we’re all closed up and safe. Sheriff Mack is careful about everyone who lives in town. Both of you should know that since he stopped you two from going down that zip line both of you built a few days ago. A zip line that was only connected at one end and would have gotten both of you killed, I might add.”

  The boys grinned, obviously having fond memories of the debacle that never happened.

  Eve was equally horrified that these young boys had been trying to build a zip line and relieved that Annie had provided a change in conversation.

  As she was taking several more servings of the appetizers out of the warming oven, she realized something else.

  Everyone in town knew that Mack stopped by in the evenings? Oh good grief! What had she done? She’d thought she’d been so careful about hiding her attraction to Mack but had she failed?

  Without another word, Eve took the order out to the table. It was good that they were so busy tonight, because it kept Eve from thinking about what everyone in town was thinking about.

  That was probably a narcissistic attitude. Probably not everyone was thinking and wondering about her relationship with Mack. After all, they had things to do, activities during the day. She doubted that every person heading out to fish upstream wondered what she and Mack were doing after hours.