by T. K. Leigh
She giggled, her rigid stature relaxing. “I can do that. Won’t be too hard, considering it’s true.”
“That’s my girl.”
I stepped out of the limo first before turning around to help her out. Photographers were shouting my name, asking me about the new woman in my life. I glanced to Mackenzie and beamed when I saw the confident smile plastered on her face. She said she didn’t belong in this life, but you wouldn’t notice any distress by looking at her. She appeared so comfortable in her own skin. I simply smiled and waved politely as I made my way up the stone steps, bypassing the line of attendees waiting to be admitted.
We entered a formal library that had been redesigned for the evening. High-top tables were scattered throughout the room, and waiters roamed around, holding trays of hors d’oeuvres and champagne. A loud chuckle echoed and my eyes swung in its direction, a sudden bout of nerves rushing over me.
Alexander.
Over the past week, I had been avoiding him as much as possible. I knew he was anxious for information about what was going on with Charlie and finding Mackenzie’s father, but I didn’t want to give him any answers…not yet.
“Ready to meet the family?” I asked Mackenzie.
“No, but I guess I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“They’ll love you.” I pulled her across the room toward a group of familiar faces.
As we approached, their conversation ceased and my mother turned to look up at me. She was easily more than a foot shorter than me, her short hair almost white. She met my eyes and smiled a heartfelt smile.
“There’s my baby,” she crooned and I bent down to hug her, kissing her softly on the cheek.
“Hey, Ma. Did you miss me?”
“What kind of question is that, Tyler? Of course I missed you. I wasn’t expecting you to be here, so when Olivia said she ran into you yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised.” She pulled back. “Even more so when she mentioned you were accompanied by a beautiful young woman.” She raised her eyebrows at me and glanced toward Mackenzie.
“Colleen Burnham,” she said, holding her hand out to Mackenzie. “And I understand you’re the one to thank for bringing my baby boy back to me.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Burnham,” Mackenzie said politely. “My name is−”
“Mackenzie. I know. I’ve heard all about you from little Melanie.”
Alexander cleared his throat and I tore my attention from my mom and Mackenzie, meeting his eyes. The fury I saw in them contradicted the smile plastered on his face.
“Tyler, don’t be rude. Introduce her to the rest of us, and then I’d like a word.” He narrowed his gaze at me and I knew exactly what he was going to say.
“Mackenzie, you remember Olivia,” I said, nodding to the tall brunette at my brother’s side.”
“Of course. Nice to see you again.”
“And this is my brother, Alexander.” I nodded toward him.
Mackenzie smiled politely and shook his outstretched hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” she said, a slight waver in her voice.
“Likewise,” Alexander said, that same aggravated smile still plastered on his face.
“There’s no mistaking you two are related, is there?” She glanced at me.
“They do look alike, don’t they?” Carol commented. I turned and faced my older sister, her blonde hair beginning to gray. She still had a youthful appearance about her, despite the fact that she was over fifty.
I smiled. “And this is my older sister, Carol,” I said to Mackenzie. “And her husband, Dave,” I gestured to the man on her arm. Dave’s hair had turned completely gray, but it made him look rather distinguished, particularly in his tuxedo.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
I felt a hand on my shoulder and knew I couldn’t avoid this forever. “If you’ll please excuse us,” Alexander started, “I’m just going to steal your date for a few minutes and then he’s all yours.”
He didn’t give either Mackenzie or me a chance to respond as he pulled me away, leading me from the room and toward a vacant office. Closing the door, his eyes lit on fire.
“What the hell is going on, Tyler? You’ve been avoiding my phone calls all week. I only find out about this Charlie character being wanted for murder when I watched the national news! And then I find out you’re in Boston? With her? Have you lost your goddamn mind?! She’s an asset! You do not introduce the asset to your family! This could jeopardize the entire mission!” He fell into the chair behind the desk, his face red from anger.
His words didn’t surprise me. I had told myself the same thing. One of the first things I had ever learned about working an asset was to keep that life separate from my personal life, but those lines had been blurred since I had first spoken with Mackenzie.
“This was my only option, Alex. I needed to get her away from Texas. You said it yourself! Charlie is wanted for murder. He was going after Mackenzie next.”
I sank into the chair opposite him and proceeded to tell him everything we had found out regarding Charlie, starting with Whitman’s murder, Charlie’s background and connection to Whitman, and the theory that he was systematically seeking his revenge against those who took his family from him.
“You told me I needed to do everything I could to keep the girl alive, considering she could be the only person who could give us information about her father−”
“Speaking of which,” he interrupted, folding his hands in front of him on the desk. I met his eyes, waiting for him to ask the question I was dreading. “Has she told you anything? I don’t need to remind you that time is of the essence here. If we don’t deliver the information in a timely fashion, the CIA will want to try a different tactic, one that may not be as…humane.”
My hair stood up on my neck, my mouth growing dry, and I knew I was at a crossroads. Do I betray Mackenzie? Or do I throw it all away for a woman who, just a few weeks ago, I hardly knew? My brain was telling me to do one thing, and my heart another.
“No,” I said. “She’s spoken of her father a few times, at least about what she remembers of him. But every time, she has spoken of him in the past tense. She told me he died when she was younger, and it appears she believes that’s so.”
He studied me for a long time and I felt a twinge of guilt for lying to him, but not so much that I regretted my actions. Our relationship hadn’t been the same since Melanie died. Everything was almost forced between us these days. We only spoke when it was work-related. Other than that, we kept to ourselves, which was a complete change from how we were in my early twenties. We had been so close, despite our age difference, then it all fell apart. There was a constant elephant in the room between us, neither one of us wanting to address it because it would open up wounds I had allowed to scab over instead of fully heal.
“Fine,” he said, standing up from his chair. “But you need to start digging deeper, try new tactics. You have to find her father’s location so we can put this all to rest.”
“What if he’s innocent?” I asked, spinning around in my chair to face my brother as he was about to pull open the door.
“That’s not our concern, Tyler. It’s not our job to question why. We’ll let the courts determine guilt or innocence. We just need to remove any potential threats to national security and, based on this guy’s file, he’s a threat. If you know anything, anything at all, and it’s later discovered you withheld that information, you can be deemed just as culpable as if you committed these acts against the country. You need to decide whether this girl is worth going to prison for…or worse.” He spun on his heels, leaving me alone.
I closed my eyes, trying to ease the nagging feeling that had grown stronger and stronger with each passing moment. I knew I needed to do something to minimize the potential damage that would be done when Mackenzie discovered the truth, either from my lips or someone else’s. I just couldn’t bring myself to put her in harm’s way, and telling anyone what I knew would do just that. This was
a losing battle, but I was ready to go to the front lines and fight for what I thought was right and true. My father always spoke of sacrificing our needs for the greater good. What greater good was there than love?
“There you are,” a sweet voice broke through.
I shot my head up, not knowing how long I had been sitting alone in the darkened office.
“Your brother came back quite a while ago and I was worried about you.” She noticed my unsettled expression and entered the office, closing and locking the door behind her.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I didn’t mean to make you worry.”
Approaching me, she straddled me in the chair and wrapped her arms around my neck. I could smell the sweet champagne on her breath as she kissed my lips.
“What are you doing, Mackenzie?” I asked as she began to move against me.
“Helping you forget,” she murmured, brushing my mouth with hers. “Something your brother said obviously has you rattled. I want to give you what you need, Tyler.”
“And what’s that?” I asked, closing my eyes as I tried to subdue the pleasure running through me.
“Me.” She traced circles on my neck, tugging on my earlobe with her teeth. “I see it in your eyes. You feel like your world is spinning out of control. Take back control with me. Whatever you need, Tyler. No rules.”
Groaning, I grabbed the back of her head and forced her mouth to mine, my tongue meeting hers. I rocked my hips against hers, something about the forbidden nature of being here and what we were doing spiking my blood.
“Take whatever you want,” she murmured. “It’s yours.”
“Say it again,” I demanded, my voice growing strong as I grabbed her wrists in my hands, my grip harsh. She yelped in surprise before her expression turned heated.
“It’s yours.”
“What is?” I growled.
“Whatever you want. Whatever you need.”
I wrapped my hands around her hips and lifted her off me, pulling her toward the edge of the desk. Splaying my hand on her nape, I forced her to bend over, pressing her stomach against the antique wood surface. Hiking the skirt of her dress up, I spread her legs wider apart, my hand brushing against her naked ass.
“No panties?” I asked, amusement in my voice.
“No.”
“Fuck,” I hissed, quickly unbuckling my belt and lowering my pants just slightly, pulling myself out.
I pushed against her, teasing her with my erection. “This may get intense. I just need you to know that I love you, okay?”
She glanced over her shoulder at me and I could see the worry on her face.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Mackenzie. But it’s going to get overwhelming. Your body is going to want to fight me. I need you to know I love you, even though I might not act like it.”
She turned forward again and I could feel her body shivering. She nodded slightly.
“I need to hear you say it.”
“You love me,” she murmured and I instantly thrust into her, causing her to scream out as I drove into her harder and faster and more violently than I ever had before.
I needed this. I needed to feel a sense of control over something in my life, and the only person who I felt that with was Mackenzie. She knew me. She saw me for the person I was, but she still loved me. She saw the monsters and demons that haunted me, and she embraced it.
She whimpered as her orgasm came rolling through her body, a tear falling down her cheek. It just made me want to push her more and more.
“Too much?” I asked, pushing in and out of her, fighting back my own orgasm. I bit my lip hard as I took what I needed from her.
“No,” she whispered softly so I could barely hear her.
“What was that?” I asked, my chest heaving, sweat starting to form on my brow.
“No. I want more,” she murmured, almost as if a subconscious rambling. “I’m yours. Only yours. I love you.”
Her soft voice speaking those loving words set me off and I came long and hard inside her, gripping her hips as I spiraled down from an orgasm that seemed to never end.
I struggled to speak those same words back to her. I loved her with every last cell in my body, but saying them felt like a betrayal to her, a way to deceive her.
“Feel better?” she finally asked, breaking the heavy silence in the room. In truth, I did feel better, but I knew it was only fleeting. I was fooling myself to think I would be able to survive much longer in this web of lies I had woven so carelessly. I had never considered the potential ramifications of keeping the information Mackenzie had told me from my brother. I was skating on thin ice in shark-infested waters and it was only a matter of time until it cracked.
“Yes,” I said softly, adjusting myself and smoothing my tuxedo. She pushed off from the desk and found some tissues to clean herself up.
“No matter what’s going on between you and your brother, just know that I’ll always stand by your side.”
“Even if you find out I’m not the man I wanted you to think I was?”
She stood on her toes and planted a kiss on my cheek. “I love you for you. I don’t care about the man you wanted me to think you were. I know the real Tyler, and I love all the sides of that man. I love the caring side, the controlling side, the side that takes, the side that gives, and the side that loves. And I’m so grateful you opened your heart to love me.”
She ran her fingers across my face and I basked in the glow of her love, her patience, her unwavering trust.
I didn’t deserve it.
I didn’t deserve her.
Mackenzie
THE SUN BEGAN TO streak into Tyler’s bedroom Sunday morning. The previous day was a complete blur, but I couldn’t help wanting to burst with excitement. I was getting married! I felt so loved, so safe, so secure. I wanted to run through the streets and force everyone to share in my enthusiasm.
Tyler stretched behind me and pulled me closer. I sighed, content to finally wake up in his arms. This was what life was all about. Moments like these when he found my body even in his sleep and molded me into him. He began to nip at my shoulder blades and desire flooded in my veins. All it took was the most innocent of touches from him to make me crave even more.
“Tyler…,” I moaned.
“Mmm-hmm.” He nuzzled against me, his hand traveling from my stomach to my hips.
I spread my legs, giving him permission to explore my body deeper, even though he could probably draw every inch of me from memory. He knew my curves and dimples better than anyone else.
He pushed me onto my back and hovered over me. Our eyes locked and, without uttering a single word, he flexed toward me, entering me.
He took his time, making me feel every push, every pull, every tingle. Our breathing intensified as we both continued staring at each other. I couldn’t look away. I didn’t want to look away. I wanted him to see how much I craved him, how much I loved him. My stomach clenched, the connection between us unlike anything I had ever experienced. Overwhelmed, I let myself lose control and came around him, my body quivering. He joined me in my orgasm, both of us silent as we lost ourselves in our pleasure.
“Do you mind if I step out for a little while this morning?” Tyler asked once our breathing slowed. “I just have a few errands I need to run. We’re going over to my brother’s at eleven for brunch. I’ll be back to pick you up, okay?”
“What kind of errands?”
He kissed my nose. “Secret errands.” He winked and withdrew from me, getting out of bed, heading into the bathroom as I admired the view of his chiseled backside. The sound of the shower echoed and I closed my eyes, completely satisfied.
~~~~~~~~~~
“YOUR BROTHER HATES ME.” I turned to Tyler later that morning as we rode up the elevator to his brother’s penthouse condo on the waterfront of Boston.
“No, he doesn’t,” he said, his tone unpersuasive. “That’s just how he is.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, that’s n
ot true. He’s nice to everyone, except me. He’s even nice to complete strangers. I saw it last night.”
“He was smiling at you.”
“That’s my point! All he did was smile at me! Nothing else! It was like he was forcing himself to be pleasant and the only way he could do so was by smiling. My father always said to never trust anyone who only smiles because they’re hiding something.”
He chuckled. “My brother’s always hiding something. That’s the nature of his job, Mackenzie.”
“Do you think he knows?” I asked, my eyes wide. “I mean, about me…” I lowered my voice, “and who I really am?”
He looked away from me, shifting from foot to foot. “I doubt that.”
“You didn’t tell him, did you?” I was starting to regret my forwardness with Tyler about my past, my father, and all the secrets I had sworn I would take to my grave.
“Mackenzie, darling, I didn’t tell him about your father. I didn’t tell anyone. I’m not putting your life in danger, and exposing your father would certainly do just that. I don’t care whether he’s done the things he’s accused of or not. I will not do anything that could put you at risk. As far as I’m concerned, Mackenzie Delano has absolutely zero connection to Serafina Galloway or Colonel Francis Galloway.”
The elevator slowed to a stop, breaking the tension between us. I just wanted to get through this brunch, then spend the rest of the day and night naked in bed with Tyler. We emerged into an extravagant foyer, a door sliding open as we approached. Olivia’s smiling face greeted us.
“You made it! We were starting to worry you wouldn’t come!” She stepped back, allowing us to enter ahead of her.
My jaw dropped. “Wow,” I exhaled, taking in the luxury surrounding me. I had never seen anything like it. The room in front of me was a large open living space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the harbor down below. It almost looked like a museum, fine art adorning the walls, the furniture sparse.
“Mackenzie!” a small voice squealed with delight. I looked down to see little Melanie running toward me, wearing a yellow dress with lots of tulle.