Road to Passion

by Piper Davenport

  “I’ve been back half a dozen times to see Mr. Akerman, and I haven’t seen him.”

  “Consider yourself lucky, Dare.”

  “I don’t understand.” I frowned. “His grandfather’s there.”

  “I know,” he said.

  I let out a quiet snort. “Are you saying he moved his grandfather into an assisted living program in order to get close to me?”

  “Yeah, baby, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “Why?”

  “To get to the Dogs through me.”

  I took his face in my hands and leaned in. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  He closed his eyes for a second and then took a deep breath. “The woman in the photos that Millie sent you is Katya Kozlov. Nika’s sister. We had a thing... not really even a thing. Fucked a couple times, but she wanted to start up again and I said no.”

  “Okay. So why were you kissing her on a public street?”

  “I wasn’t kissing her on a public street,” he snapped. “She moved in and I immediately pushed her away. Millie must have just gotten a lucky shot.”

  “Why couldn’t you just tell me that?” I complained.

  “Babe, there’s so much shit goin’ down right now, I was caught a little off-guard by your unexpected visit, but I saw a way that maybe I could protect you and went with it.”

  “You’re an idiot.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” I settled my hands on his shoulders. “Honey, we’re supposed to be in this together. I love that you want to protect me, but I’d like to officially go on record and say that living without you sucks balls... and not in the good way. I’d rather be dead than without you, so you need to just deal with that.”

  He grinned. “Dramatic.”

  “Yeah, when my man keeps his dick away from me for a few days it makes me a little dramatic.”

  Mack slid his hands up my back and unhooked my bra then pushed everything over my head, burying his face between my breasts. “Fuck me, I’ve missed the girls.”

  “I could suffocate you like this, you know.” I giggled and pressed them together. “Death by motor boating.”

  He kissed one then the other. “That’s what we call in the biz, boob-hicular homicide.”

  “That’s not a real thing, is it?”

  Mack laughed. “No, but I think I’ll make it one.”

  I grinned and wrapped my arms around his neck. “Before that, can you please fuck the living daylights out of me, because I’m horny as hell and you owe me.”

  “Yeah, baby, I can do that.” He pushed my yoga pants down, panties and all, and I stepped out of my sneakers and then my clothes.

  Mack flipped me onto the bed and settled his face between my legs, diving straight in without talking or witty banter. Just his tongue on my clit and my legs fell open of their own volition and my fingers slid into his hair.

  It took seconds to climax, which was a little irritating, but then he was inside of me, so I no longer cared about anything but the feel of his cock. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “Same, baby,” he whispered, and slammed into me again.

  He caught my scream with his mouth as I came around him and he continued to surge into me until he came as well. Rolling us onto our sides, he slid out of me before he pulled me closer and kissed me with desperation. “Never again.”

  I nodded, meeting his eyes. “Promise me.”

  “Promise, baby. We’ll figure it out.”

  I felt tears leak out again. “I thought I was going to die, Logan. My heart hurt so much. I can’t live without you.”

  “Shhh, baby, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

  I cried for several minutes, letting the emotional exhaustion of the past few days come out in all its horrible glory. Mack held me close and stroked my hair as I sobbed against his chest, kissing me when I’d calmed down a bit. “I love you.”

  I took a deep breath. “I love you too.”

  “Aren’t you signing for your house this week?”

  “Today,” I whispered. “I signed today.”

  Mack stroked my cheek. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”

  I burrowed into his chest. “Merlot.”

  He chuckled. “I have a few bottles of your favorite in the kitchen.”

  “You do?” I asked, and met his eyes.

  “Yeah, baby.” He slid his hand to my cheek and smiled. “I stocked up a little while ago.”

  “Of course you did.” I scowled and sat up. “I am so pissed at you right now.”

  Mack dragged his hands down his face. “Darien.”

  “No! God, you’re such an idiot.” I slid from the bed and paced the room. “I can’t believe you’d do all of this for... for...”

  “For?” he prodded.

  “I don’t know! Arrgh. I’m too mad to even yell at you right.”

  Mack leaned up on his arm and watched me with a smile.

  “What?” I snapped.

  “Just watchin’.” He waved his hand. “Continue.”

  I crossed my arms. “What exactly are you watching?”

  “You bein’ cute when you’re pissed.” His smile got bigger. “It’s fuckin’ sexy, Darien.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Shut up.”

  Mack laughed and grabbed for my hand, pulling me down with him onto the bed again. “Gorgeous,” he whispered, and kissed my neck. The sensitive part just below my ear. The sensitive part that made me instantly wet.

  “Evil,” I whispered back.

  He chuckled and slid his hand between my legs. “I’m gonna show you evil in just a second, honey, but right now, I want to make sure we’re okay.”

  I arched against his fingers and sighed. “We’re okay in the sense that I love you and there’s nothing that’s going to change that, but then that makes me mad again because you made me believe the worst.”

  He slid his hand away and gave me a gentle smile. “It was a dick move, Darien. I get it. I’m sorry and if I could go back and change it, I would. But I need you to forgive me and then let it go.”

  “I have already forgiven you, but I’m not ready to let it go yet.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. I haven’t slept well or eaten practically anything in almost three days, and I’m hangry. I was also horny and you weren’t there to help with that, so I’d kind of like to shove it in your face for a little while.”

  He kissed my right breast. “You can shove anything in my face baby, particularly if it’s your pussy.”

  “Ohmigod, Logan.”

  He laughed. “You need a vibrator.”

  “I do not need a vibrator.”

  “Baby, you do.”

  “Why?”

  “Do I need to state the obvious? Just trust me, you need one.”

  “Um, I beg to differ. The only reason I would ever need a vibrator is if my man decides to lose his ever blessed mind again and keep this from me.” I ran my hand up and down his hardening length.

  “You and I can use the vibrator together too, baby,” he rasped as I continued to concentrate on his cock.

  “I don’t need a vibrator, Mack,” I said, and then took his head into my mouth.

  “Fuck.” Mack wove his fingers into my hair and I went to town on my new favorite “toy.”

  I WOKE THE next morning, instantly dreading the fact that it was morning, until I realized I was in bed with Mack and everything was okay again.

  “Mornin’,” he said, and kissed my shoulder, sliding his arm tighter around my waist.

  I rolled to face him and smiled, kissing his chest. “Morning, honey.”

  “This is better.”

  “No kidding,” I said. “Now, how are you going to sneak me out of here in broad daylight?”

  “I’m not.”

  “You’re not?” I snuggled closer.

  “Nope, we’re staying in all day.” He kissed me. “I’m gonna get someone to pick up Barney, and we’ll figure out a way to get him h
ere.”

  “I need my computer and a few things from the bathroom, and then I can hang out here for a while.” I bit my lip. “I pick up my keys in a couple of days and then it’s moving time.” I poked his shoulder. “Which you’re going to help with.”

  Mack nodded. “I know, baby. But why didn’t you get your keys when you closed?”

  “I’m having a locksmith change all the locks, so they should be done day after tomorrow.”

  “Okay, that gives us a little time, because we need to keep our reunion a secret for now.” He leaned in. “No Pauley, no Millie. No one can know, Darien.”

  “What about Kim?”

  Mack’s eyebrows drew together. “What about her?”

  I bit my lip. “I’m pretty sure she knows.”

  “What?”

  “Kim’s the one who told me you didn’t cheat.”

  “Fuck me,” he whispered. “Does she know you’re here?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “Okay, well, she can’t know either. I’ll talk to her, but you can’t have any contact, yeah?”

  “I’m fine with that, honey... provided you feed me first.”

  Mack kissed me with a nod. “I’m gonna take a quick shower and then I’ll make breakfast.”

  “Sounds good, baby.”

  “Turn off your phone.” He slid from under the covers.

  “Why?”

  “So you can’t be tracked.”

  “Seriously?” I asked. “Do you think we need to go quite so cloak and dagger?”

  “Yeah, babe, we do.”

  “But it’s been on all night. If anyone really cares, then they already know I’m here.”

  “Humor me, Dare.”

  I leaned up on my arms. “I love that.”

  “What?”

  “When you call me ‘Dare.’”

  He grinned. “Turn off your phone, Dare.”

  “I’ll turn off my phone, Sir Bossy Pants.”

  “I’ve been knighted?”

  “In my heart, you have.” I smiled, laying my hand over my chest. “You’re forever my knight in shining armor.”

  He laughed. “Okay, DID.”

  “Did?”

  “Damsel in distress... or Dare in distress?”

  “Ohmigod.”

  “No,” he corrected. “PID. Pixie in distress.”

  I giggled and rolled over. “You’re ridiculous. I’m going back to sleep.”

  The bed dipped and Mack slid my hair away from my neck. “Did I wear you out... PID?”

  “Yes. I’m exhausted, SBP... arrgh, I need a better anagram.”

  Mack buried his face in my neck. “Well, you’re the writer, honey, make one up.”

  “Butthead has a nice ring.”

  “And it’s an anagram for...?”

  “Um... .boyfriend using tongue to help excite and delight?” I improvised. Mack’s mouth left my neck and I craned my head to look at him. “No?”

  “That’s fuckin’ brilliant, baby. No wonder your book’s a best seller.”

  I laughed. “You’re good for my ego, honey.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” He patted my bottom and kissed my cheek. “I’ll be quick.”

  “’K.” I yawned and closed my eyes while he headed to the shower.

  * * *

  I woke to an empty bed and realized I’d fallen asleep for another hour. I was obviously making up for lost time in the sleep department.

  Climbing out of bed, I padded to the bathroom and washed my face, heading out to the great room and finding Mack in the kitchen. He was in jeans and a plain white T-shirt standing at the stove making something delicious. “Hi.”

  He smiled over his shoulder and turned the gas down. “Hey, baby. You sleep okay?”

  I wrapped my arms around him from behind and kissed his back. “Yeah. It was awesome. What are you making?”

  “Omelet.”

  “Yum.”

  “Mushroom, spinach, and cheese for you,” he said, and held me in place as he flipped the eggs and then slid them onto a plate.

  “You hate mushrooms.”

  “I know.” He chuckled, turning to face me. “I ran to the store and picked up a few things.”

  “Did anyone see you?”

  He shrugged. “We’re not trying to hide me, remember?”

  “What if I’d woken up while you were gone?” I challenged.

  “I wrote a note and I closed all the drapes.”

  I glanced around, noticing everything was still pretty dark. “You’re kind of good at this.”

  He leaned down and kissed me. “You make me good at it, baby. It’s all about keeping you safe.”

  “You’re such a girl.”

  Mack laughed. “You also make me a girl.”

  “Touché, butthead.”

  He smacked my butt. “Now I want to use my tongue.”

  I couldn’t help a shiver. “And I’ll let you... after you feed me.”

  He grinned again and handed me my plate and a fork. “Eat fast.”

  “Yes, sir.” I took the omelet and set it on the island. “Do you want coffee?”

  “Yeah, that’d be great,” he said. “I made a fresh pot.”

  I poured us each a cup and we sat side-by-side to eat. I noticed the holes in the walls as I stirred Splenda into my cup. “God, Kim wasn’t kidding.”

  “About?” he asked. I nodded toward the damage and he scowled. “I was a little pissed.”

  I laid my hand on his thigh. “At me?”

  “No,” he assured. “At me. I was pretty sure I’d fucked it up for good.”

  “Me too,” I admitted. “But you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

  He chuckled and kissed me quickly then went back to his food. He’d just put a bite into his mouth when his cell phone buzzed on the island. He grabbed it with a “Shit,” and put it to his ear. “Yeah? Fuck me, seriously?” Mack glanced at me and then slid off his stool and walked away.

  I frowned, but continued with my breakfast. I was rinsing my plate and loading the dishwasher when Mack walked back into the kitchen. He scarfed down the rest of his food and dropped his plate in the sink. “Issue at the club. Gotta go.”

  “What happened?”

  He slid his hand to my neck and gave it a gentle squeeze, not answering my question. “You wanna leave with me? You can hunker down in the back seat of the car and one of the recruits will drop you home. If you stay here, you stay out of sight.”

  “Come with you to the club?”

  “Yeah.”

  “But if we’re being watched, won’t it seem strange?”

  “If it looks like I’m kickin’ you out, no, it’ll look like we’re still fightin’.”

  I sighed. “I’ll come with you. I need to take care of Barney. Pauley’s working tonight, so she’ll be leaving at around six.” I closed the dishwasher. “Will I see you?”

  “Probably not,” he said.

  “For how long?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  I bit my lip. “I hate this.”

  He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I do too, baby.”

  I slid my arms around his waist and gave him a gentle squeeze. “I’ll get my phone and keys.”

  “Okay.” Mack kissed me gently and I went back to the bedroom. I’d just walked inside when a dark figure moved from behind the door and grabbed my arm so hard, I thought for sure he’d dislocate my shoulder.

  I screamed and had barely got Mack’s name out of my mouth before the man’s fist connected with my mouth and I fell back against the dresser. I had a fleeting thought of; this is why cartoons show birds flying around the cat’s head when it’s been knocked on the noggin, just as another hit landed on my hip.

  I managed to get my wits back under me and fought back like my life depended on it. It probably did, but I needed to give Mack time to get to me. He’d find me and rescue me, I just knew it, but in the meantime, I was determined to land a knee to the
asshole’s family jewels.

  * * *

  Mack had slid his gun into his holster just as he heard a thud and a squeak from the back of the house. “Dare?”

  “Mack!” she screamed, and he ran for the bedroom.

  Mack arrived to find Darien in a frantic struggle with one of Nika’s crew. He recognized Isaak, one of the Kozlov soldiers who was a nasty son of a bitch. Darien managed to knee him in the groin, which had him stunned for a second, but he still didn’t release her, so Mack took over. Slamming his palm upward hard enough to break the guy’s nose and draw blood, but not enough to jam the bone into his brain, Isaak squealed in pain. Mack hit him one more time and he went down like a stone. Mack checked his pulse. The asshole was still breathing, which was good. Mack wanted him alive for what he had planned.

  “Stay the fuck down, Isaak,” Mack ordered, and reached for Darien. “You okay?”

  She nodded, tears streaming down her face and he saw her upper lip was cut and swollen. “I’m going to get a wath cloth,” she slurred, and slinked her way toward the bathroom, careful to stay clear of her attacker.

  Mack swore and pulled out his cell phone.

  “Booker.”

  Mack scowled. “Isaak attacked Darien at my place. Get the crew over here.”

  “On it.”

  Booker hung up and Mack rolled a still unconscious Isaak onto his stomach, grabbing a set of cable ties and tying his hands behind his back. He sat him up and tied him to the bed, then he went looking for Darien. She was at the sink, pressing a towel to her mouth. “Hey.”

  “Hey.”

  “Here, let me help.” He took the towel away and put cold water on the end, then settled it against her lip. “Did he do anything else?”

  “He hit me in my stomach,” she whispered, and he could tell she was trying not to break. “I saw it coming and turned, but he got me on my hip. I fell.”

  “Which hip?”

  “My wight.”

  “Hold this,” Mack said, and she took the towel. Mack slid the band of her yoga pants down over her hip and he saw a dark red spot that went from the top of her pelvis down to her hip. “Baby,” he whispered. “That’s gonna hurt like a bitch in the morning.”

  “It huts now!” she slurred into the towel.

  “How’s your mouth?”

  “It huts.”

  He lowered her hand and gently raised her lip. No chipped teeth, but she was bleeding so he put the towel back on and added a little pressure. “Let’s get ice on you.” He wrapped an arm gently around her waist and walked her past Isaak and out to the great room. Within minutes, Booker, Hawk, Ace, and Knight were storming into his house, obviously having used Booker’s key. “Where is he?” Booker demanded.