“In the first place, that’s a form of harassment.”
“Appreciation is not harassment.”
“And in the second place, no. Just... no. I love you, Jay, I do, but stop trying to make me into something I’m not, okay?”
His face grew serious. “You know better than that, Mack.”
Yeah, she did, but she was tired and cranky and done with the conversation. “Just... give it a rest, okay?”
“All right, baby girl. But I’m always here for you.”
“I know. Thanks.”
Chapter Seventeen
~ Nick ~
Nick watched Mack walk away, resisting the urge to follow.
Delilah licked her lips and flexed her nails against into his forearm like claws, despite the fact that he’d removed them only a minute earlier.
“Let me be very clear about this, Delilah, so there is no misunderstanding,” he said, firmly removing her hand. “I am not interested.”
She blinked as if confused. ‘No’ was probably not a word she heard often. Her eyes moved toward the door Mack had just exited.
“But you’re interested in Mack?” she asked in stunned disbelief.
Hell yes, he was, but Nick wasn’t about to share that — or anything else — with Delilah. “I’m interested in finishing my workout. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
Turning away from Delilah and her scowl, Nick’s first inclination was to go after Mack. To seek her out and do whatever it took to put that playful sparkle back into her eyes.
He didn’t, though. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he didn’t think Mack would want him to. They hadn’t reached that stage yet.
Instead, he set a course for the cardio deck and relieved some of his simmering angst in the form of a full-out run. His heart wasn’t in it, though, and after just a few miles, he hit the showers. His evening plans now included looking more into the Necromancers and maybe texting Mack. Nothing heavy, just something to open up the lines of communication again and get some dialogue going. Maybe something simple, like asking how her class went or following through on his do-over request.
On his way out, he saw Delilah again, only this time, she didn’t spare him more than a passing glance. She was giving most of her attention to Kent Emerson, who didn’t seem to mind her attention at all. That was just fine with Nick. In fact, the two seemed well-suited for each other.
“Detective, wait up.”
Nick slowed his pace across the lot as Mack’s housemate, Jay, jogged up to him. “Did you make use of those digits?”
“I did,” Nick confirmed. “Thanks for that.”
“No problem. Chrissy told me about the coffee this morning. Very smooth.”
Nick laughed. “Thanks. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to know Mack’s first name, would you?”
Jay eyes twinkled with mischief. “Maybe.”
“Care to share?”
“I don’t know if I should. What exactly are your intentions, young man?”
Nick shrugged. “Just looking to make a friend, that’s all.”
“That’s all?” Jay asked skeptically.
“No,” he admitted. “But that’ll do, for now.”
Jay said nothing for several moments, then nodded. “Fair enough. Mack’s first name is Heather.”
Heather MacKenzie. Nick rolled the name around in his mind. It fit Mack to a “T”. Strong and beautiful, just like her. His mother was particularly fond of the plant and used to have several bushes around their front porch. In the winter, she kept the fragrant dried sprigs around the house for good luck. The scent of heather still filled him with feelings of comfort and warmth. Was that some kind of cosmic sign, he wondered?
“Thanks, Jay.”
“Knowledge is power, Detective. Use it wisely.”
Jay’s subtle warning echoed in his head as he cruised through town, puzzling out the best way to engage Mack when he caught a glimpse of what looked like his classic Shelby disappearing around the corner, drawing his instant and complete attention.
Could that be his baby? Was Liz finally back in town?
Nick turned the corner and stepped on the gas, closing the distance between them. He might have been mistaken, but it was doubtful. He’d spent too many hours lovingly restoring every inch of that car; he knew each curve and dip as well as he knew his own body.
He caught up to it right before it left the limits of the town proper. It was his baby, he was sure of it. But it definitely wasn’t Liz driving it.
Nick flipped the switch on his dash, turning his Charger into an identifiable police vehicle. Alternately flashing headlights and blue flashers hidden discreetly behind the front grill came to life. The Shelby’s blinkers went on in acknowledgement, and the driver pulled off to the side of the road when the shoulder was wide enough to safely do so.
Nick parked behind the car, verifying the license number. Then he exited the vehicle and walked up to where the driver had rolled down the window. It was a kid! Male Caucasian, clean-cut. Early twenties. Dark hair, blue eyes that held confusion.
“Driver’s license and registration, please,” Nick demanded, producing his badge. “And keep your hands where I can see them.”
The kid’s eyes widened. “My wallet’s in my back pocket. The registration is in the glove compartment. I need to reach for both.”
Smart kid. Nick nodded in acknowledgement. “Slowly, please.”
“Can I ask what this is about, Officer?”
Nick didn’t answer him right away. He waited until he had the kid’s license in hand. “Are you aware of the penalty for stealing a car —” Nick looked at the license “— Brandon?”
“You think I stole this car?”
The kid handed over the registration. Nick’s eyes narrowed. The registration had the kid’s name on it. So did the insurance. Both were up to date and looked legit.
“Where did you get this vehicle?”
“It was a graduation present.”
“From?”
“Liz. I mean Elizabeth. Elizabeth Benning. I mean, Elizabeth Grayson.”
“Elizabeth Grayson?”
“Yeah, my father’s wife.”
Liz was married?
Nick tried to keep the shock from his face. “She will verify this?”
“Yeah, of course. We can call her right now if you want, but I’m not sure she’ll answer. They’re on their honeymoon, kind of an around the world thing. I think they’re in Tokyo this week.”
Well, that explained why Liz hadn’t been answering her phone or her door. Nick didn’t know what surprised him more: the fact that Liz gave his car away or that she was married and on her honeymoon.
“Officer? Are you okay?”
“Detective,” Nick answered automatically. “Detective Nick Benning.”
“Benning? Are you related to Liz? Holy sh—. You’re her brother, aren’t you?”
Nick nodded.
“You didn’t know.”
“No.” But he should have. A brother should definitely know when his only sister gets married. “You wouldn’t happen to know when Liz is getting back, would you?”
“Not until the end of the summer.”
It was awkward, standing there beside his prized Shelby with someone else behind the wheel. Curious motorists were slowing down, rubbernecking to see what was going on. No doubt a few were capturing the moment on their smart phones, too. Even shaken as he was, he knew the side of the road was no place for this conversation.
“Thanks, Brandon. Sorry about the misunderstanding.”
“No problem. This must be pretty weird for you, huh?”
Weird. Yeah. More like a sucker punch to the gut.
Nick wished Brandon a good night, then got into his car and drove back to his place, feeling stunned by the unexpected turn of events. He tried to wrap his mind around it, but wasn’t having much luck.
Liz was married.
And she’d given his car away. His car. His baby.
Had L
iz even tried to reach him? Or had she written him out of her life, given up on him completely?
He couldn’t blame her if she had. The tragedy all those years ago must have been hard on them, too. He’d left, but his family had had to deal with the daily reminders. Liz had once told him that yeah, he’d lost Annie, but she and their parents had lost him because of what happened, and that hurt, too.
He hadn’t fully understood what she’d been saying then. They hadn’t lost him. He was still alive, even if he wasn’t part of their day-to-day lives. Liz understood that he needed time and space, at least at first. She kept those early communications short and sweet. Wishing him a happy birthday. Reminding him of their parents’ anniversary. Letting him know they’d sold the house and were retiring to Florida.
He should have responded beyond the obligatory annual birthday and anniversary wishes.
At first, it had been too painful, each card, letter, and text reminding him of what he’d lost. Then he’d thrown himself into his job, working sixteen-hour days and thinking of little else. After a while, Liz stopped calling and writing altogether.
It begged the question, what else didn’t he know?
The kid — Brandon — had given him Liz’s cell number to substantiate his story, but there was no doubt in Nick’s mind that the kid was telling the truth.
The microwave dinged, letting him know that his dinner was ready. As he sat at the counter with his reheated takeout, Nick thumbed his phone and sighed. He wasn’t going to call Liz. Not when she was on her honeymoon. Nick had waited more than ten years to have this conversation; he could wait another month and a half. Besides, he wasn’t planning on going anywhere.
Instead, another face came to mind. His thumb tapped out a text message. “You there?”
Chapter Eighteen
~ Mack ~
Mack let the hot water soothe her aching muscles. She’d overdone it, ramping up the weights more than she should have. But damn it, she’d needed to get rid of some of that extra energy somehow. She’d been doing so good – Volker had really challenged her, pushing her to her limits – and then he had to show up.
Damn Nick and his flippin’ perfect white teeth, male model physique, and potent pheromones! She was not some silly little girl! She was a grown woman with a productive and satisfying life. The last thing she needed was a man screwing things up.
It was stupid – really, really stupid – to feel this way about someone she barely knew. So what if his eyes made her insides feel as though they were melting when they focused on her? So what if her heart picked up speed and her entire body felt hyper-aware whenever he was in the same room? So what if the mere scent of him made some parts of her rhythmically clench without conscious thought?
Even knowing how stupid it was, she was powerless against it. No one else had ever affected her this way. She had no frame of reference for how to deal with it.
It was more than insta-lust inspired by his good looks. She was surrounded by buff, handsome men all the time – first in the service, then at the gym. While she had — very discreetly — admired several of them, it had never felt like this. Like she wanted to spend hours just talking to him, learning about him, taking him up into the mountains. Just plain taking him.
Fantasizing about getting hot and sweaty between the sheets was one thing, but wanting to share her mountain with him? That had her shaken.
But why shouldn’t she think about those things, another part of her wondered? Nick Benning wasn’t just another handsome-faced and buff-bodied hero type. He was also funny and playful, and when he hit her with those amazing eyes she felt as if he could see past all the surface stuff and really see her.
No one had ever done that before.
Mack ignored the hopeful, romantic voices in her head, after telling them to shut the hell up. This wasn’t a Disney movie. Nick Benning was not Prince Charming, and she was no goddamn princess.
Oh, at one time, she’d dreamed of all the same things little girls dreamed of – falling in love, getting married, having kids, living happily ever after. She’d found out soon enough that fairy tales weren’t nearly as fun when you had to deal with a real-life stepmother and stepsister. Especially when the stepsister was the charming, beautiful one and she was the one staying home on Saturday nights.
That naïve little girl was long gone. In her place was a much stronger, much smarter woman who led a full and productive life. She had her own successful business doing what she loved. A beautiful house and the best housemate anyone could wish for. She was active in the community.
She had no reason to sit around feeling sorry for herself because of something someone else did or said. It was time to get her head on straight, whip her AWOL senses back into shape, and suck it up like the proud, capable Marine she was.
Being in the service had transformed her. She liked the discipline. Liked the grueling twelve-week recruit training that gave her a sense of accomplishment, just for having survived it. Was elated when she passed the ASVAB tests with the highest scores in her class. She basked in the unconditional support of her team. The Marines had turned her from a nobody into somebody.
And that somebody was a badass who did not sit home pining over some guy.
No longer was she the shy, quiet, chubby girl that elicited the snickers and taunts of her peers or was the recipient of more than a few cruel practical jokes. She was Mack now; not Chubby, Fatty, Loser, or Thunderbutt.
She would never be thin, never be tall, never be a great beauty, but that was okay. She liked looking at herself in the mirror, seeing the radiant glow of good health, her natural curves highlighted with toned muscle underneath. Screw what everyone else thought.
Right?
She’d come so far. The physical changes had been epic. No one who knew her before she enlisted would ever recognize her now, and she took a lot of pride in that. It had taken years to get to this point. Years of hard work, sweat, sometimes tears, and a boatload of self-denial.
And yet - despite all that she had accomplished – it only took a few casually tossed barbs from Dee to rattle her. Maybe a little piece of the girl she’d once been still lived inside her after all. The one who knew that no matter how many friends she had, no matter how many men would want her at their six, they would never look at her the way they looked at Dee.
At the end of the day, insecurity was coded right into the strands of her DNA.
She’d learned to hide it well over the years, bury it beneath layers and layers of sass and attitude. No one ever knew or even suspected that it still hurt, not when she’d grown such a thick skin. Skin that obviously wasn’t always thick enough.
When the water grew cool, Mack released the stopper and began to towel off. That was when she saw the light on her phone blinking, indicating a message. That was also about the time when her heart started doing this weird pitter-patter thing.
It was probably just Jay, telling her he was going to be home late and not to worry. Or maybe someone from Seize, calling with a question or an issue. There was no reason to think it was him, yet she knew it was.
She wrapped the towel around her body self-consciously. Given her lack of digital skills, she was likely to tap the video button accidentally and flash her contact list with a visual of hard nipples and pruney skin.
Mack inhaled sharply when she woke up the screen and saw it.
Nick: You there?
It was from him. What could he possibly want? When she’d left him at the gym, it had been with Dee wrapped around his arm. Her traitorous fingers were tapping out a reply before her mind could convince them it was a bad idea.
Mack: Yeah, what’s up?
Mack tossed the phone on her bed (just to prove to herself she could) and pulled on some comfortable sleepwear. She’d barely finished when the light was blinking again.
Nick: Meet for coffee? My treat.
She smiled. He was persistent. And, if he was asking her for coffee, that meant he wasn’t with Dee. Was it possible
that the good detective was one of the few men capable of seeing past the double-D’s and blatant come-ons? The thought shouldn’t have made her as happy as it did.
Mack: What is it with you and coffee?
The reply came back immediately.
Nick: I’m a cop. Do the math.
She laughed.
Mack: If I meet you for coffee, will that ease your guilty conscience?
Nick: Maybe...
They made plans to meet at Ground Zero in thirty minutes. Feeling oddly rejuvenated, Mack pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt. She gave her hair a quick brushing, telling herself not to make a big deal out of it. It was just a friendly cup of coffee, nothing more.
Unlike last time, Nick was already there when she arrived, waiting for her in the parking lot. His eyes lit on her the moment she pulled in, and he was there to open the door for her as soon as she’d turned the car off.
Thus far, she’d seen him in a suit and in workout gear, and he’d looked good in both. But in jeans and a white button down with the sleeves rolled back and some serious shadow gracing his strong jawline, he looked even better. When a light breeze teased locks of dark golden hair onto his forehead, she fought the urge to brush them back.
“Thanks for meeting me,” he said.
“You’re a persistent man.”
“I can be,” he agreed.
“And stubborn, too. I told you, you don’t need to do this.”
He exhaled. “Ever think that maybe I just want to?”
“Why?”
He opened the door to the coffee shop and stood back, allowing her to go in first. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
The words “make what easy?” almost crossed her lips before she stopped them and turned her attention to the menu board. He ordered a large black coffee and a jelly doughnut; she got an herbal tea.
At that hour, the place was only about half full and they were able to find an empty table easily enough. Mack was pleased when he selected a table in the corner where they could both sit with their backs to the wall near the back. She liked to see everyone coming and going and as a cop, he probably did, too.
Seizing Mack: A Contemporary Love Story (Covendale Book 3) Page 9