Dane - A MacKenzie Novel

by Liliana Hart

He breathed in the scent of her arousal as his lips teased the sensitive skin along her jaw. She whimpered softly as his tongue teased her flesh. His hands rubbed in slow circles across her back.

  “Why not?” she said on a sigh.

  “Because I’d hate to have to arrest you.” He whispered the words against her lips and drank in the shudder that wracked her body. “Mmm, you like the idea of handcuffs?”

  “Pervert.”

  “You have no idea what I want to do to you. You’d like being tied to my bed, completely at my mercy.”

  He took her mouth quickly, before she had a chance to start thinking, and he realized as soon as his lips touched hers that he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life. Her mouth was every fantasy, every dream he’d ever had. Soft and silky and demanding. His tongue tangled with hers, drinking in her sighs as his fingers squeezed her ass, pulling her up and forward until he could feel the heat of her pussy through the layers of clothes they wore.

  When he felt her pushing at his chest he dropped his hands and took a step back. And then one more. He was thinking of renting another truck and hauling all of his boxes to the other side of town.

  Shit, he thought. When was the last time a woman had gotten under his skin so completely? Not even Carmen had made him lose control like this, and just having the thought was like being doused in cold water. Guilt ate at him, as if he were being unfaithful to her memory. Panic clawed at him as her face blurred in his mind, only to be replaced by the woman standing in front of him.

  “We can’t do that again,” Bayleigh said, her voice shaking with desire.

  He’d just been about to say the same thing, but hearing it out of her mouth left a bitter taste in his mouth. His eyes narrowed and he skimmed a finger over her swollen lips, smiling in triumph as her breath hitched and the pulse in her neck fluttered. He’d never been able to turn down a direct challenge.

  “Do you want to bet money on it?”

  “I don’t bet.” Her fists went to her hips, and he swore she was a second away from stomping her foot. “And don’t ever lie to me. If you don’t want to tell me what you do for a living, just say so. I can’t stand liars. I dealt with enough of that from my ex-fiancé.”

  “He was obviously an idiot,” he said, moving toward her again, unable to help himself. “If I was the kind of man who believed in settling down for the long haul and I had you in my bed, you’d better believe I’d never let you go.”

  His fingers skimmed along the delicate line of her collarbone, and he noticed the silvery flecks in her blue eyes as he watched them darken with arousal at his touch.

  “I’m sure Paul initially thought that too,” she said bitterly, pushing his hand away and taking a step back. “And then he got me into bed and found I didn’t live up to his expectation. Apparently, men find it annoying when you don’t put any effort into achieving your own orgasm. And if I didn’t satisfy him in the bedroom, you can guarantee that I didn’t satisfy him in any other aspects either.”

  Cade’s brows rose in shock at what she was telling him. There was no way in hell this woman wouldn’t be responsive to his touch in bed. She’d practically combusted in his arms five minutes ago.

  “Baby, if you’re not getting off it sure as hell isn’t your fault. Blame it squarely on the shoulders of the asshole that didn’t bother to take the time to find your hot buttons. Because believe me, when I get you into bed I’m going to explore every inch of your body until you’re shooting off like a rocket.”

  She rolled her eyes and hit the button on her key fob to unlock the door of her Land Rover.

  “I’m sure you’re brilliant in bed, MacKenzie. But why don’t you practice your smooth moves on someone who gives a damn? I don’t have the time or the patience for you.”

  He laughed out loud, and the sound took him by surprise. When was the last time he’d had anything to laugh about?

  “I’m looking forward to kissing you again, Bayleigh Scott,” he said, heading back to his motorcycle. “Though I have a feeling we’ll both be naked and heating up the sheets when the next time comes. And I’ll make sure to bring the handcuffs.”

  He left her standing there with her mouth hanging open, her lips swollen and the slightest red flush against her neck where his beard had rubbed. Cade revved the Harley to life and sped out of the neighborhood, feeling more content than he had in a long time.

  Hell, he might actually enjoy Texas after all.

  Chapter Three

  “Stupid, insufferable—man,” Bayleigh muttered as she maneuvered her Land Rover through traffic with the expertise of an Indy driver and a vocabulary that would make her Colonel father blush.

  “Thinks he can just come over and kiss me like he owns me and then lie to my face. Cop, my ass.”

  The thought of that man upholding the law was almost laughable. None of the cops she’d ever met looked like Cade MacKenzie. No, there was something about Cade that reminded her a little of her brothers. He had layers, he was dangerous, and he had secrets. Not to mention he kissed like a god. Unfortunately, those all seemed to be traits she found attractive in a man.

  No wonder she’d been a block of ice with her ex-fiancé and the two serious relationships she’d had before that. Their kisses had certainly never made every nerve ending in her body snap to attention, and they sure as hell hadn’t made her almost come just by pressing against her intimately.

  The fact that she wanted Cade MacKenzie to kiss her again was a moot point, and his threat of getting her naked and sweaty wasn’t doing much to help her overactive imagination. Her brothers would have a fit if she brought home someone like Cade MacKenzie. They’d try to kill him, and she said try because she wasn’t sure how well they’d hold up against Cade. The man’s muscles had muscles.

  Her cell phone chimed from her bag as she parked in the space behind her shop, and she dug around, grimacing as she saw who was calling her. Speak of the Devil. It’s like her brothers had a sixth sense when she was about to get in trouble.

  “I don’t have time for you today, Brady. I’m about to open the shop.”

  “You don’t have time for your favorite brother?” he asked. “I’m devastated.”

  “You’re not my favorite. Brant is since he fixed the plumbing in my guest bathroom. Are you in country?”

  “Beaten out because of a broken toilet. Story of my life. And yes, but I’m shipping out this afternoon. Just wanted to call and let you know. How are things in your neck of the woods?”

  She sighed and tried not to worry about her brother. He was gone for weeks at a time, and they never heard anything from him until he was safe and sound back home. Or back home and waiting for his wounds to heal before he could go back out with his team. Having a Navy SEAL for a brother was nerve wracking.

  “Things are—interesting,” she said, thinking of Cade. She wasn’t about to explain her new neighbor had left her in a state of arousal that was bordering on pain. “Pretty much the same as they’ve always been.”

  He was silent for a few seconds. “What’s going on, Bayleigh? And don’t even think about lying to me. You know I can find out if I start digging.”

  “Why would you think something’s going on?” she asked, her irritation obvious.

  “Because you can’t lie worth shit, and when you’re thinking of doing something you shouldn’t, you change the inflection of your voice slightly.”

  “I do not!” No wonder she’d never gotten away with anything as far as her family was concerned.

  “Bayleigh,” he growled. “Are you seeing someone new? You only get secretive when you don’t want us to run background checks on the men you’re dating.”

  “I can’t imagine why. You and Brant scared the hell out of Jeremy Franklin. He ended up moving to Maine.”

  Of course, she’d been a sophomore in college then and Jeremy had been a good eight years older, so he should have known better. Jeremy had thought she should put out after their sixth date, and he might have gotten a little r
ough when she’d disagreed, but she’d taken care of the problem with her knee to his groin and a solid right hook to his pearly whites. She knew how to protect herself. And there’d been no reason for her brothers to have him detained at the airport on his way back from a business trip and taken into a military interrogation room. Jeremy had barely been able to form a coherent sentence when he’d tracked her down to apologize.

  “The bastard’s lucky he didn’t end up moving to the cemetery. And after all the losers you’ve managed to find, can you really blame us for having them checked out? You have lousy taste in men. Give me the guy’s name.”

  “I’m not dating anyone right now.”

  “You’re thinking about it then. Spill it, Bayleigh.”

  “You’re not a damned mind reader or my conscience, Brady Scott. If I want to think about dating someone then it’s none of your business.”

  “If you don’t tell me, I’m going to call Dad. And I’ll call Brant too. You know they won’t leave you alone.”

  Bayleigh gritted her teeth and scowled into the phone, damning all the meddlesome men in her family to hell. If she didn’t love them so much, she’d disown every one of them. But she knew Brady would do exactly as he’d threatened, and then she’d really be in trouble.

  “You’re a pain in the ass,” she said, sighing.

  “But you love me anyway. What’s his name?”

  “He’s my new neighbor, and I haven’t decided if I like him or not so there’s no need to worry. He’s kind of a pain in the ass, too. Maybe I should introduce you.”

  “His name, Bayleigh,” he said with infinite patience. “I’ll have time to run the background check before I ship out.”

  “Fine. Do your stupid background check. His name is Cade MacKenzie.”

  The silence on the other end of the line was so complete she thought they’d lost their connection. “Brady? Are you there?”

  “Son of a bitch,” Brady growled. “Tall guy, long black hair, a couple of tattoos?”

  “Yeah, you can’t possible know him. The world isn’t that small.”

  “Oh, I know him. His brother is one of my best friends. But Jesus, Bayleigh, you sure know how to stick your neck into the middle of things. Cade MacKenzie is no one to mess with. My advice is to stay as far from him as possible. You don’t want to get dragged into agency business. Not to mention the rumors I’ve heard about that man’s sex life. You’ve got no experience with men like MacKenzie. And no, I won’t tell you the details,” he said before she could open her mouth to ask.

  “He’s already got one dead lover on his conscience. I’d hate for him to add you to it.”

  “What? What agency business? What dead lover?” Bayleigh laid her head against the steering wheel as her imagination ran wild. Who the hell had moved in next door to her? Rambo?

  “He’s former DEA,” Brady said. “But whatever he’s doing now, don’t doubt for a second that he’s not still involved in the agency somehow. The word on the street is that he officially resigned, but I don’t think that’s true. He’s working a job. Make sure he doesn’t drag you in the middle of it.”

  “What about the dead lover? Did he kill her?” she said, wondering if she really did have the worst judgment ever when it came to men.

  “No, of course not,” Brady said with enough shock in his voice for her to know he was telling the truth. “He’d never hurt a woman. But the situations he puts himself in make life dangerous for anyone connected to him. I actually like the guy, but damned if I want him sniffing after my baby sister. The man is hell on women.”

  “I’ll remind you once again that this is my life. Maybe I’m the one doing the sniffing. I’m a big girl, Brady. And if you tattle to Dad and Brant, I’m going to let it slip what you were doing with Mrs. Haverston your senior year of high school.”

  “Brat,” he said affectionately. “I’ll keep Cade MacKenzie to myself. For now. But if you get into trouble I want to know. One of us will be there to help you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she promised.

  “Listen, I’ve got to go. My ride’s here. Watch your six, little sister.”

  “Only if you promise to watch yours.”

  “I always do.”

  She didn’t know how long she sat in the car after Brady hung up, her hands limp in her lap. So her first impression of her neighbor was accurate. Cade MacKenzie was a dangerous man who’d bring her nothing but trouble. Unfortunately, despite her brother’s warnings, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again. It was like telling her chocolate would make her fat. That didn’t make it any less tempting.

  Bayleigh grabbed her bag and unlocked the back door to her shop, flipping on the lights and putting on a pot of coffee. A knock sounded at the door, and she unlocked it long enough to receive the delivery of fresh Danishes and fruit for her morning clients. She kept an account with the bakery just a few stores down, just like she kept an account with the florist on the other side of the square. Women who spent as much money as they did in her store expected every creature comfort, and she was more than happy to give it to them.

  Between her new neighbor and her brother’s call, she was running more than a little behind schedule, and she quickly set out her sketch books and the fabric samples she thought her first client might like in the conference room. Becca Whitson knew exactly what she was looking for and had very traditional tastes.

  The bell over the door chimed precisely at 10:30.

  “Becca,” Bayleigh called out in greeting, taking the young bride’s hands in her own warmly. “It’s so great to see you again. Come on back to the conference room. I have everything set up for you there.”

  Becca’s smile was bright enough to light up the room, and Bayleigh remembered why she’d liked the girl so much when she’d first come in the shop. Becca was only twenty-one and had just graduated from college at the end of the summer. She came from a wealthy family and she was classically beautiful—long golden hair, bright green eyes and an innate sense of style that those of her class seemed to be born with—and she was determined to get married to her fiancé before the end of the year was out. That meant Bayleigh would have a lot of work to do if Becca chose exclusive, hand-made pieces.

  “I’m so excited to see what you have for me,” Becca practically gushed. “I want to knock Chris’s socks off on our honeymoon.”

  “You’ll definitely do that with what I have in mind.”

  For the first time since Cade MacKenzie had disturbed her sleep, Bayleigh was able to keep herself distracted through work. But when she slid the expensive lace, satins and silks through her fingers, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was a man who’d enjoy his woman wearing something so blatantly carnal.

  Chapter Four

  “Captain Kelly,” Cade said, shaking the hand his superior held out to him. “I thought I’d come in a day early, just to check things out.”

  Mick Kelly was a twenty-five year veteran of the force and didn’t put up with anyone’s shit. He barely came up to Cade’s shoulders, his khaki pants bagged on him, he had a coffee stain down the front of his shirt, and his red hair was streaked through with wiry gray, but Cade had done his research, and Mick Kelly had been a damned good detective in his day. Now he was damned good at being the boss, and this job wouldn’t be easy to pull over on him.

  “I was just about to call you in, MacKenzie. Come into my office for a few minutes.”

  Cade arched a brow at the order, considering he wasn’t even official for another twenty-four hours, but he followed behind him. Captain Kelly’s office was a big glass cube in the middle of the precinct, and they wove their way through haphazard metal desks filled with paperwork and empty Styrofoam coffee cups before Kelly ushered him inside the cramped space.

  The floor was industrial grade carpet and a dead plant sat in the corner, but Cade felt at home. Cops and agents of all kinds were inherently the same—the job always came above comfort—and he realized he’d missed the badge more than he thought
he would. The last few weeks off had left him restless. He took the seat across from Kelly’s desk as his captain sat in the scarred leather chair behind it.

  “I want you to take a look at these. Homicide sent me the photos this morning, though the murder happened three nights past. After the investigation stalled, they decided it might be more up our alley. And after reading the reports, I tend to agree.”

  Kelly pushed the file across from him but kept his fingers on it until Cade looked up at him in question.

  “I want you to know the DEA sent me your file,” he said, doing such a complete 180 in the conversation that Cade wondered what the hell was really going on.

  “The DEA seems to think you’re only on loan to me for a little while. They’re expecting you to come crawling back when you get tired of being confined to one space for too long.”

  Kelly arched a wiry brow in expectation, and Cade had to fight back the grin. The only way he’d convinced the DEA to release him was to promise them he’d be available for occasional consulting work if they needed him. He had no plans to belong to anyone after this mission was over, but Captain Kelly was liable to get more than he bargained for in hiring Cade, because he had a feeling the DEA wasn’t going to let him go easily.

  “Yeah, son, that file was damned interesting,” his captain continued. “Though there was a lot of missing information. Anything you need to tell me? Like why the DEA is suddenly my new best friend?”

  Cade met his gaze evenly, giving none of his thoughts away. The DEA could play games if they wanted to. He was retired from the agency, and all he cared about was the job he was supposed to do here. His neck had been itching and his gut churning ever since he’d crossed into Texas. And Captain Kelly was nobody’s fool, though Cade knew he’d lie to the man if he had to.

  “You’re a tough son of a bitch, MacKenzie. Your superiors say you were an agent that always got the job done, no matter what it took. I’m giving you a hell of a lot more leeway than the other cops under my watch, but I’m going to be mighty pissed if you go back to the DEA after this is over. I’d like to have a man with your experience on the force permanently. Do we understand each other?”