by Megan Bryce
He grinned. “You can lie all you want to yourself but I know you don’t detest me. No matter how much you try and make yourself.”
She stopped the fluttering and said matter-of-factly, “You’re too beautiful not to detest.”
“I find that a strange reaction to beauty.”
“And all that money. Blech.”
He laughed. “What if I gave it all away? Would that help?”
She groaned. “And then you would just be altruistic. There’s no hope for you, I’m afraid.”
He nuzzled her neck. “No hope? None at all?”
Mackenzie breathed in, sliding her body down to sit on his lap. She sounded only a little reluctant when she said, “Maybe a little.”
“Let’s move this to my bed. I only brought one condom.” He nibbled her ear. “It was short-sighted of me.”
She muttered, “I got the Depo shot,” and Ethan pulled back.
“Oh, did you? So you were just playing hard to get this whole time.”
“No. I was playing I don’t want to sleep with Ethan Howell O’Connor. And then I was playing I don’t want to sleep with Ethan Howell O’Connor but I might need a back-up plan.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “I didn’t know such a game existed. I could use a few more women playing it.”
“You say that, but you didn’t like me playing it.”
He rolled backwards, dragging her down on top of him. He ran a hand down her hair and said, “I loved you playing it. I love it even more that you lost.”
Mackenzie pushed herself up. “I see what you’re doing there. Either I have to admit I lost, or tell you I didn’t lose by sleeping with you. You win either way.”
He grinned. “It’s not about winning or losing.”
“So says the loser.”
“I wasn’t the one that broke first.”
“You didn’t last all that much longer. You think the Enquirer would like that exclusive?”
He tickled the inside of her arms and she dropped her weight back on him. “Before you call them up, give me another chance to defend my reputation.”
“I think a story about your non-existent stamina would sell better.”
“So make me lose again and you’ve got your headliner.” He kissed her lightly and whispered, “Make me lose, Mackenzie.”
She thought about it for a half-second, then smiled.
And then she made him lose.
Seven
Ethan didn’t bother going into work for even half the day. He spent it naked, making up for the last week. He’d gotten her into his bed halfway through the day, mainly because her bed was covered in melted chocolate. Chocolate and Mackenzie went hand in hand, in more ways than one.
Ethan breathed in and out, and looked over at a sweaty and satiated Mackenzie Wyatt. He said, “You like me, admit it.”
She opened her eyes slowly. “What is this pathological need you have of everyone having to like you?”
“What is this pathological need you have of being a hard-ass?” He rolled onto his side and ran a finger down the inside of her arm. “We’re in bed after a nice bounce on the sheets. You can admit you like me just a little. It would be weird if you didn’t.”
“I might like you a little.”
He tickled her side. “Just a little?”
“If you didn’t try and charm everybody, I might like you a little more.”
He grunted. “What do you have against charm? And why don’t you fall for it? You make me work so hard.” He laid his head in the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent. “It’s exhausting.”
“I’d believe you were exhausted if you weren’t poking me in the thigh right now.”
“Just ignore him. He doesn’t realize we’re having a serious conversation.”
She tried not to laugh but he could tell she was biting her cheek to keep it in.
He nudged her thigh. “Come on. Tell me. How can you resist me?”
She shrugged. “I’m immune.”
“And I’m asking why you’re immune.”
“Does there have to be a reason I don’t fall down dead at your feet?”
“Yes, I think there does. Who was he?”
She crossed her arms and stared at the ceiling. “Just a charming man who made me think he loved me.”
He laid his head on the pillow and stopped nudging her in the thigh. “Do you still love him?”
“Of course I don’t still love him. It was ten years ago.”
He stayed silent, just watched her, and she rolled her eyes and sighed. “I thought that I was. . . special, different. That with me there was real emotion behind the facade. There wasn’t.”
Ethan looked at Mackenzie and tried to imagine her before she learned not to believe the lies charming men told. It wasn’t hard to see. She would have looked like every other woman he could charm. He said, “I’m sorry.”
“Every girl gets the chance to be stupid once in her life. I had mine; I learned from it.”
“I’m not him. I won’t manipulate you.”
She looked down at her naked body. “Uh-huh.”
He grinned. “How about I won’t make you fall in love me just so I can sleep with you?”
“Since I’ve already slept with you, it does seem like it’s unnecessary.”
Ethan rolled onto his back, mimicking Mackenzie, staring at the ceiling as if it held the answers to life’s questions. He said, “I’m not going to hurt you. Right? You’re not going to fall in love with me.”
Mackenzie rolled onto her side and said huskily, “Every woman does.”
He felt a little queasy at the thought. “Does she?”
She patted his arm. “You’re so worried about that. I wouldn’t fall in love with you for even half your fortune.”
“It’s just I don’t have a good track record.”
She smiled at him and squeezed his hand. “I’m immune, remember. I won’t forget that you just can’t help yourself. It’s a disease.”
“It’s not a disease. I like making people happy.”
“And it makes it easier for you to get your way.”
He looked at her, at the cynical glint in her eye. “I’m lucky I got you into bed, aren’t I?”
She nodded. “Don’t forget it.”
He leaned over, kissing her lightly. “I won’t.”
He held onto her hand and smiled into her eyes as he said, “As much as I would love to spend the rest of the evening right here, we’re having dinner with Mother and Grandma in about an hour.”
She groaned and rolled away from him, yanking her hand away. “No. Why? We just saw them yesterday.”
“Because I have dinner with them every week.”
She groaned again. “I thought last week’s dinner was just to torture me.”
“I’m afraid it predates you.”
“Well, don’t let me interrupt a long-standing tradition. I’ll just have a night in.”
He stood up, looking around for his pants, and Mackenzie peeked at his naked butt. He looked over his shoulder and said, “Oh, that’s too bad. I was going to say you could stay home if you weren’t looking at my ass.”
“I was just. . . seeing. . .”
“Mm-hm. Maybe you can come up with something on the way to dinner.”
She looked down again and thought it might be a fair trade-off. It was a pretty great ass.
When he went into the bathroom, she jumped up and rushed out the door to her room.
He yelled, “Hey! I wanted to peek, too!”
Mackenzie took a quick shower, trying to erase all signs that she’d spent the last twenty-four hours in bed. She couldn’t erase her bone-deep lethargy. Amazing how good sex relaxed every muscle.
She looked through her small wardrobe unhappily. She just didn’t feel like dressing as a professional woman tonight. Now that she’d thrown caution to the winds, she wanted to look good. And if Ethan wanted to rip off her clothes, she didn’t want it to be because he thought they belonged
in the garbage.
And, also, he had no problem destroying any garment he didn’t like. She was going to have to go shopping just to have something to wear.
She threw on the shortest skirt and the highest heels she’d brought and went to find Ethan.
He was waiting for her and he stared down at her legs when he saw her. “You never wore skirts to work.”
He took her coat and held it out for her. She said, “Work is work. Skirts are for fun.”
He cleared his throat. “You know you still owe me a peek.”
She smiled at him over her shoulder and he said, “Oh, the hell with it. We’re going to be late.”
Mackenzie hid in her bathroom with her phone in her hand. She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she was kind of glad to have it. Maybe she would join the modern world and buy her own when she got back home.
Cassandra answered on the first ring. “Yo.”
“Er. . . Hey.”
“You slept with him! You totally slept with him!”
Ah, best friends. Sometimes you didn’t even have to say a word.
Mackenzie sat down on the rim of the tub and said, “I’m an idiot. A stupid idiot.”
“Up for debate. Personally, I would have called you an idiot for not sleeping with him.”
“You called me an idiot for even thinking of not sleeping with him.”
“And? Was I right?”
Mackenzie closed her eyes and whispered, “God, yes.”
Cassandra laughed. “Tell me he’s as good as he looks.”
Mackenzie sighed loudly. “I really wish I could tell you he wasn’t.”
“Scale of one to ten?”
“I’m not going to rate him.”
“Just tell me that you are now ruined for life.”
“Highly likely.” She would never look at chocolate the same, that was for sure.
Cassandra sighed and Mackenzie gave her a moment to enjoy herself vicariously.
Mackenzie said, “His mother knows I slept with him. She took one look at me and nearly fainted.”
Dinner had been a spectacle, that was for sure. Ethan’s grandma had helped a suddenly woozy Christine into her seat, put a glass of wine in her hand, and had then ordered champagne for the table. And Ethan had sat next to his mother, patted her hand soothingly, and, everyone once in a while, would pet Mackenzie’s knee and send his mother into another glass of alcohol. Mackenzie had almost felt bad for her.
Almost.
Mackenzie said, “His mother could sell passive-aggressive lessons. She called a fashion consultant.”
“Oh, the horror.”
“You weren’t there. This woman was tall, beautiful, had gorgeous red hair, and her boobs jiggled whenever she walked. And she kept leaning them into Ethan.”
“And you ripped her arms off?”
“No. I should have done that. Instead I came home and slept with him.”
“I think that round goes to you.”
Mackenzie was pretty sure that round went to Ethan. “And then his mother called one of Ethan’s ex-girlfriends and told her to show up at dinner.”
There was a long pause, and then Cassandra said in a low voice, “Okay, that is bitchy.”
“Thank you.” Mackenzie had just been about to tell Ethan to stop torturing his mother when a Nordic goddess had descended on the table.
Mackenzie reluctantly said, “She was actually very sweet, and didn’t stay. But still.”
Sarah Milton had only come to tell Mackenzie that Ethan had never hit her, would never hit any woman. Mackenzie hadn’t even been sure Christine had invited her to crash the dinner except Ellen kept glaring at Christine. And Christine had kept trying to get Sarah to stay.
Cassandra said, “And you came home and slept with Ethan again? Because that would really show his mother.”
“No. I came home and called you.”
“That round might go to his mother. Is Ethan completely oblivious?”
Mackenzie thought of Ethan’s face when his ex-girlfriend had shown up halfway through dinner. He’d been happy to see Sarah Milton, and clearly found it hilarious that his mother was so blatant in her dislike of Mackenzie. Mackenzie was pretty sure he thought they were fighting for his entertainment. “He thinks it’s funny.”
“Maybe you should go show him it’s not. And record it for me.”
“No, not happening.”
“Then at least tell me it’s not all vanilla. That he’s got some moves on him.”
Mackenzie put her hand to her neck. She lifted her hair, looking at the red raised skin in the mirror.
“Not vanilla. There was chocolate involved.”
“Ooh, chocolate and sex.”
“And he did this thing where he. . . he bit my neck.”
There was silence, and then Cassandra screamed, “Oh. My. God. Why the hell are you calling me? Go and get back in bed with him.”
“A girl’s got to take a break sometime. You know what I’m saying?”
“No, I do not know what you’re saying. I am in love with a gay man. I will never have him bite my neck. Go get back in that fucking bed and take one for the team.”
Mackenzie touched the sensitive skin, flushing as she remembered him lifting her skirt and taking her from behind. Biting her.
No wonder his mother had taken one look at them and known what they’d been doing.
She hung up, turned out the light, and paused at the door.
She’d already slept with him, she could sleep with him. He’d told her he’d be waiting for her. It was just. . .
Sleeping with him was one thing. A fun one thing. That, really, she’d forgiven herself for as soon as she’d done it. There was only so much Ethan a woman could take before she melted into a puddle at his feet.
But sleeping with him felt like something else. Something softer. And more. . . dangerous. Something that real couples did. Not fake engaged couples who couldn’t keep their pants on.
She peeked out her door to find his still open. She tip-toed down the hall, craning her neck to look inside. He was laying on his back, his arms behind his head, watching the door.
When he saw her, he said, “Oh, good. I was afraid I was going to have to go get you.”
She crawled into his bed, lying down next to him and putting her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her and said, “Sarah is an old friend.”
Mackenzie nodded. “Your mother likes her.”
“Everyone thought she would be the girl. And she could have been. She’s fierce and loyal and she loves me.”
“You love her, too.” That had been plain for everyone to see. He had been delighted to see her. And with his arm around her, Mackenzie had seen why everyone thought Sarah Milton would be the one. They were perfect together. Beautiful and poised and. . . tabloid worthy.
Ethan nodded. “I do. But. . . I wasn’t sure if I loved her enough. I’m still not. I like her and I love her. And I still couldn’t take that last step.” He shook his head. “Even now I know I could choose her and she would never do anything to hurt the O’Connor name. I hurt her when I left and she still would defend me with her last breath.”
“It was nice of her to come tell me you were innocent of breaking her nose. Even if your mother invited her to.”
He was silent and she popped her head up to find him grinning. She narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t know why you think it’s funny that your mother hates me.”
He laughed. “I honestly thought I could bring home a showgirl and she would be beside herself with joy. It amuses me to know there is at least one woman out there she does not approve of.”
“Oh, yeah. What a laugh.”
“If you could see how my mother is with other women, you would laugh, too.”
Oh, Mackenzie could see how his mother was with other women. It wouldn’t surprise her if Christine reserved a church whenever her son brought home a woman. Just in case.
Ethan said, “But you don’t care that my mother hates you
, right?”
She laid her head back down. “Of course I don’t care.”
“Because if you did, I could keep her away from you for the next couple of weeks.”
“No weekly dinners?”
She felt him shake his head, felt his chest rumble under her ear as he said, “You just have to admit you care.”
Mackenzie listened to his heart beat, slow and steady and evil. “You know, now I’m starting to hate you.”
He chuckled. “She’d like you if she really knew you.”
“I think that makes it worse.”
“I like you.”
“That’s because I’m in your bed.”
Ethan made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “And now I’m picturing you in bed with my mother. Thanks for killing the mood.”
She snickered and he adjusted his arm, pulling her in tighter.
He said, “I’m sure I can get the mood back tomorrow. After I scrub my brain with bleach.”
“That’s probably what your mother is doing right now. She looked like she wanted to douse me with her wine and light a match.”
He laughed. “I would say she wouldn’t even know to think something like that but. . . Since she’s met you, I’ve seen a different side of her.” He paused. “And my grandma.”
“You think I’ve made both of them lose their mind?”
“My grandma was calling around, trying to reserve a church, when we left.”
Mackenzie shuddered. “And I thought I was really going to like her.” She popped up again to glare at him. “Tell me you have it under control.”
“It’s coming back.”
She gave him a light shove. “Not that. Them. Tell me I’m not going to find a horse head in my bed. Or be forced down the aisle by shotgun.”
He cocked his head, thinking about it. “Maybe you should skip dinner next week.”
“Works for me.”
He pulled her on top of him. “But I’ll need something in return.”
She shook her head. “Your crazy family was not part of the deal.”
He grinned. “My family only goes crazy around you. There’s just something about you that throws us all off-kilter.”
“Maybe I’m the anti-O’Connor.”