by J. H. Croix
A low dresser sat against the wall opposite the foot of the bed. There was a small round table with chairs over in the efficiency kitchen in the corner. All of the furnishings were wood with clean, modern lines.
I hadn’t even walked around the space earlier when Shay and Jackson brought me over. They brought me here after a minor standoff about me staying in the farmhouse with them. I’d pointed out that space was theirs, and I preferred to have some privacy. Both of those things were true. That would’ve been my request even if I weren’t wondering whether Mack was going to come over tonight.
Striding across the room, I stepped into the bathroom. “Ooh,” I said aloud even though no one was here to hear me.
It was tiled in soft blue with a large oval bathtub in one corner. Peering inside the shower in the other corner, I saw a rainfall showerhead in the center of the ceiling with shower jets along the walls. That will be perfect after a long day out hiking, or climbing, or in my case, working at the vet clinic.
I pushed open a small door to discover a closet with shelving. Jackson had gone all out to make the spaces really nice. Our old guest cabins were also pretty new, but these were definitely a level up.
Returning to the main room, I opened the refrigerator to discover Shay must have stocked it for me. There were gourmet cheese and fresh sandwich meats, along with some bread and fruit. I smiled when I saw the bag of coffee from Wake & Bake Café, one of my favorite places in downtown Stolen Hearts Valley. Sliding my phone out of my pocket, I sent her a quick text to thank her. Before I even got the phone back in my pocket, she replied with a smiley face emoticon.
I set my phone on the kitchen table and walked to the door to slide off my shoes. Carrying my bag into the closet off the bathroom, I began unpacking. I didn’t have much since I’d been living on the road for the past year and a half. I had some things in storage in the farmhouse, but I’d pared down before I left.
Just as I was folding my T-shirts and putting them on the shelves, I heard a knock on my door. I was almost embarrassed at how my pulse leaped. It lunged erratically and then sped off as if trying to win a race against an invisible competitor.
Anticipation hummed in my veins as I trotted across the floor like a happy little pony. Even as I reminded myself sternly it could be somebody else, I wanted it to be Mack. I really wanted it to be Mack.
Look at you, already falling for him like an idiot. Don’t be stupid again.
My critical voice was always quick with the comments, and I mentally sighed. Maybe if I’d listened to it before, I would’ve caught on much earlier to the fact that my ex-fiancé was screwing around with someone. I also probably would’ve had more sense about deciding to try a stupid friends-with-benefits thing just because some guy was charming and sexy. I genuinely hadn’t fallen for Kyle. But my arrangement with him, for lack of a better description, had done a number on my self-esteem.
There was another knock just as I reached the door. Curling my hand around the doorknob, I took a breath before I opened it. My heart kicked excitedly against my ribs when I found Mack standing there.
His hand was curled on the top of the doorframe with his elbow resting against the side. He was all relaxed, sexy swagger, and I wanted to eat him up.
“Hey,” he said, his gruff voice sending a prickle down my spine.
I just stood there, smiling like a fool until his slow grin stretched from one corner of his mouth to the other. “Am I allowed to come in?”
Biting my lip, I peered around his side. “Is anyone around?” I whispered.
“No, ma’am,” he said somberly. “Our cabins are the last ones on the path.”
He didn’t wait for me to say any more and dropped his hand from above, resting both hands on my hips as he walked me backward into the cabin. He kicked the door shut lightly with his boot.
For several beats of my heart, we just stared at each other. The air shimmered to life around us—hot and electric. Mack’s hands were still resting on my hips when he took a step closer.
He was a potent force. Whenever he was close and towering over me, I could feel his presence surrounding me. I felt protected by him and also stripped bare of my defenses.
His hands slid up my sides, one resting just to the side of my breast where his thumb moved back and forth in an idle path, and the other lifting to cup my nape. My pulse skittered under the feel of his thumb resting along the side of my neck.
That was how bad I had it for Mack. With just a tiny touch—the pad of his thumb resting on my skin—I was practically putty in his hands. Heat shot through me, and my breath came in shallow pants.
“How was your day?” he asked as his gaze locked with mine.
That was something I hadn’t experienced before Mack. When he turned his attention on me, his focus was absolute. The intensity elicited restlessness inside me, and I almost wanted to shy away. At the same time, I was ensnared and savored the attention.
I swallowed. “Good.”
We had arrived in Stolen Hearts Valley late this morning. We’d been immediately drawn into lunch where I fielded questions about my arm, and we filled everyone in on the accident. After that, Shay and Jackson took me to the farmhouse, and I got updates on the lodge, the vet clinic, and the rescue program. I didn’t even know where Mack had gone during those hours. I hadn’t seen him again until dinner.
“How was yours?” I managed to add, my voice coming out husky.
“Good. Are you gonna kick me out tonight?”
My pulse leaped wildly with his question, practically answering for me. His hand slid around to cup my cheek, his thumb sliding across my bottom lip in a sensual pass. Mack was magic with his hands. It didn’t matter what he did; he turned me on like crazy.
I shook my head slowly. “No, but we need a plan for tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, I have a plan for morning,” he replied.
Not a single word of what he said was inappropriate, yet the look in his eyes was so dirty. My pussy clenched, and I felt my slick arousal. I wanted him to bend me over and fuck me. Right now.
As if he could actually read my mind, he added, “That bed is perfect.”
“Perfect for what?”
His tongue slid across his teeth. “The height. Turn around. Well, after you get out of those jeans.”
I was that easy when it came to Mack because I didn’t even hesitate. I loved being bossed around by him. Because whenever he did, the result was me usually experiencing more than one climax and falling asleep fabulously sated.
Sometime later, after testing out the height of the bed and the amazing shower and then collapsing in a heap following round two, I spoke into Mack’s chest where my cheek was resting. “Morning. We need a morning plan.”
Mack’s hand was resting on my back. He slid it down my spine to palm my ass and give it a squeeze. “Told you. I already have morning plans.”
“What are they?”
“You.”
I lifted my head and found him waggling his eyebrows with a grin. “I’m serious. When the sun’s up, people will notice if you’re leaving. Plus, Dani gets up at five. Or maybe even earlier for all I know.”
Mack’s gaze sobered, and he lifted a hand to brush my mussed hair away from my face. I couldn’t decide if I was more disappointed that he wasn’t squeezing my bottom, or if the clench of my heart at his easy gentleness was better. As much as I savored it, his gentleness just might be my undoing.
“I know, sugar. I’m up early whether I want to be or not. I’ll be out of here, and I promise Dani won’t notice.” He was quiet as he looked at me. “I know I said we could keep this between us, but I’m not a fan of secrets.”
“And I’m not a fan of gossip. Not that I think Jackson should have a say in my sex life, but he’ll probably have an opinion if he knows what’s going on.”
“I know. Maybe we just tell him.”
Chapter Nineteen
Mack
“It’s none of Jackson’s business. I don’t want
him to get all overprotective. Plus, it’s not worth the trouble of our friends wondering what’s going on when we don’t even know what we’re doing. It’s just really great sex. I’m sure it’ll burn itself out. Right?”
Ash’s words had played on a loop in my brain for the past few days. I might not have memorized them exactly, but it was damn close to what she said after I suggested we not keep us a secret. She’d punctuated them with a wide-eyed look and a quick shake of her head. Anxiety had flashed across her face and flickered deep in her eyes.
My girl was guarded. Except when we were naked and in the throes of passion. Otherwise, I thought I understood just how thoroughly Ash guarded her heart because it was something I understood deeply myself. For entirely different reasons, I’d always figured I’d never fall in love.
I never wanted anyone to matter so much that I had to deal with the pain of loss. Even worse, feeling helpless to keep someone I loved safe. I still had my other sister, Evie, Krista’s twin, to worry about. I knew Evie felt the loss of Krista probably even more sharply than I did. I wasn’t a twin myself, but I’d been witness to their bond together when we were growing up.
I loved my parents, but they weren’t great. Not even close. As a result of their emotionally neglectful and harsh parenting, us kids had bonded tightly. I’d been Evie and Krista’s older brother, the one who was supposed to keep them safe, but I’d completely failed Krista.
So yeah, I understood the need to make sure no one got too close. Because if no one ever mattered enough, then you didn’t have to worry about losing anyone. Not ever again.
Yet here I was with my girl in my thoughts. For as long as I could remember, Ash had been a friend, and I’d never wanted her. This attraction to her was like a bolt of lightning out of a sunny sky. It was that startling.
Perhaps that was what made it all the more powerful. It was so potent it had wrapped around my heart and wasn’t letting go.
“There you are,” Jackson said as he came walking into his office at the vet clinic where Shay had parked me a few minutes ago. His presence kicked my thoughts off the tracks of Ash.
Jackson shared Ash’s brown hair although his was short and on the shaggy side. He sat down at the round table in his office across from me and leaned back in the chair with a sigh. “Sorry I’m running behind, man. Had an emergency surgery this morning.”
“No worries,” I replied. “I took a look at the stuff you emailed over last night. Thought I’d ask a few questions, and then I’ll get some designs started. Unless it’s complicated, I can probably have some options for you to review in a few days.”
“That’d be awesome,” Jackson said, his eyes crinkling at the corners with his smile.
Looking into Jackson’s blue eyes, I immediately thought of Ash. I felt a twinge of guilt and kicked it aside. I couldn’t be obsessing about her, not while I was with him.
“Y’all need some coffee?” Shay asked when she stopped in the doorway and held a coffee pot aloft.
The moment Jackson looked at Shay, his entire expression softened. “Always.”
She stepped into the room, pausing beside a small table just inside the door and curling her index finger around two coffee mugs. Her blond ponytail swung as she turned back.
“How are you liking it here?” I asked as she filled a coffee cup and slid it in front of me.
“I love it.”
Jackson slid his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze at the hips while she filled his coffee cup. “She’s basically running everything except the kitchen and the restaurant. That’s Dani’s domain.”
“And it’s best we keep it that way.” She leaned over and dropped a kiss on Jackson’s cheek. “I have enough between the vet clinic and the rescue program. I didn’t know you could do building design, Mack. I’m so excited you’re going to be in charge of the new barn for the rescue program,” she added when she looked over at me.
I took a swallow of my coffee. “Damn, this is good. Thank you. And I’m glad to help. Can’t believe I walked into the crew job and this.”
“Well, everyone’s glad you’re home. Evie’s overjoyed,” Shay commented.
“I know she is. It’s good to be back home.”
At that moment, I heard Ash’s voice talking to someone. “He looks great. Our tech will help with a nail trim, and then just bring him in next month so I can check his levels,” Ash was saying.
I presumed she was talking about someone’s pet. Her voice faded, and I was relieved to be able to bring my attention back to Jackson and Shay. The phone rang, and Shay spun away. “Y’all have a good meeting. I’m gonna grab that call.”
After she hurried off, I looked over at Jackson. “Y’all seem to be doing good,” I observed.
He finished a swallow of coffee and nodded. “We are. Kind of surprises me still.”
“I’m glad. All right, tell me how much space you’re looking for, where you want to put it, and then I’ll see what I can draw up for you.”
Jackson started explaining, and we were deep into discussing the options when an opossum came wandering into the room.
“Is this Everett?” I asked with a grin.
Jackson nodded and chuckled as the opossum came right up to him and rested his paws on Jackson’s knees. “Oh, yeah. Jade found him after he got hit by a car. He was banged up, but he survived. We tried to rehab him well enough to release him back into the wild, but the injury on his back hips was too severe. No way he could move quick enough to survive in the wild, so we kept him since we can.”
Jackson reached for a treat in a bowl in the center of the table and tossed me one. “Just call his name. He’ll be your best friend in about a minute.”
Treat in hand, I called, “Everett.”
The opossum looked across the table at me and then disappeared from view before popping up right between my knees. I laughed while he held the treat between his small paws.
At the sound of footsteps, I glanced up to see Ash appear in the doorway. She smiled at Jackson before her eyes shifted to me. “Isn’t he cute?”
“Adorable.”
I wanted to kiss her, but that wasn’t an option. I wanted Ash, and now I wanted more than what we’d had so far. When her eyes locked on mine, it felt as though a string pulled tight between us, and my heart started to kick up a racket in my chest.
“Ash?” Jackson’s voice nudged into my awareness.
Ash snapped her eyes from mine. “Yeah?”
“I was asking how the schedule’s working out,” Jackson said.
“Great. Shay’s got it so organized; it’s nice.”
“You didn’t need to jump right in. I could’ve covered all the appointments today.”
Everett patted my knee with a paw, so I lifted him onto my lap and let myself absorb the sight of Ash. With Jackson facing her, I didn’t have to worry about him noticing. Her hair was pulled up into a bun on top of her head with a pen stuck through it. She wore jeans with her tennis shoes and a white lab coat over everything.
She was sexy as hell, and I couldn’t wait until tonight.
I caught up to the conversation when Ash said, “I’ll cover every day. With Mack here, y’all can do some planning for that rescue building. I’m all about helping with the planning, but I know nothing about building.” Her eyes finally flicked in my direction again.
“Ash, you don’t have to work your tail off right away. Why don’t you take some downtime and catch up with everybody?” Jackson commented.
Ash wrinkled her nose. “I’ve missed being in the clinic. Let me just get back in the swing of things.”
Jackson shrugged. “Whatever you want.”
With a wave, Ash hurried away. Jackson ran a hand through his hair as he looked back in my direction. “Ash doesn’t appreciate when I have an opinion about anything. I can’t even tell her to take a break.”
“No need to worry about it. Just let her settle in at her own pace,” I offered noncommittally.
“How was sh
e doing when you ran into her? I never did like that Kyle guy.”
I shifted my shoulders. “All right, I guess. She got a little cranky with me, but once we settled into a groove, it was fine. She says she’s moving home for good.”
Jackson nodded slowly. “How about you?”
Jackson was easygoing, but he knew why I’d been scarce the past few years. I took a slow swallow of my coffee, tracing my thumb along the curve of the handle as I lowered the mug to the table. Holding Jackson’s gaze, I nodded. “Yeah. I’m home for good.”
He was quiet, and then a slow smile broke out across his face. “Damn glad to have you home. Now, let’s get into the details.”
Jackson and I settled into a few hours of planning for the new building he wanted. We worked until Wade poked his head in the doorway. “Y’all want to meet at Lost Deer Bar in about an hour?”
“Are we having dinner in the staff kitchen first?” Jackson returned.
Wade shook his head. “Nah. I’m rounding everybody up. Dani’s not feeling good.”
“We’ll see you there then,” I replied.
Chapter Twenty
Ash
“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.
Shay burst out laughing. “Crazy, right? I would’ve died of embarrassment.”
“She did faint,” Evie added dryly.
“I don’t know if I could get over it if I met a guy that way,” I offered.
Valentina, whose cheeks were almost as red as her hair, let out a little laugh.
“As you can see, they got over the vibrator incident,” Shay offered.
“Seriously now. You ordered a vibrator in the mail, and Lucas opened it by accident? You’re not making this up?” I queried.
Valentina’s curls bounced on her shoulders as she shook her head. “Definitely not making it up.”
“I don’t think Valentina knows how to lie,” Evie chimed in.