Eagle's Refuge (3 page)

For just a second, he bent his head to inhale the soft fragrance of her shampoo and then she looked up at him. Her wide, heavily lashed eyes were a little dazed and he wondered if she was as affected too. Then she smiled. “Hm. I think I could get used to dancing with you, Mac Moreno.”

Okay.

This was a good sign.

It had been a long time since he’d felt this kind of sexual interest in a woman and since he wasn’t a dumbass, he squeezed her hand slightly and tightened his arm around her until she was plastered to the front of his body. Just where he wanted her. Bending his head low, he whispered in her ear. “Then I’ll have to oblige you. Been meaning to ask if you’ve had anyone willing to show you around Morgan’s Creek?”

“You offering?”

“I am. I’ve lived here most of my life. Know the ins and outs.”

She laughed. “The ins and outs, huh? That sounds interesting.”

Whoa.

Sassy.

Mac liked that about her.

“I haven’t asked where you hail from and what brings you to Morgan’s Creek.”

“Ah, a long sad story, Mac. I won’t bore you with the reasons, at least not now, but let’s just say I needed a change and something rural suited my purposes. Came here from Oklahoma City.”

“Do you have family there?”

“Nah. My folks passed several years ago. It’s just me. What about you? Do you have family in these parts?”

Mac looked down at her. “A half sister and brother. That’s it. Small family. My mom died years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “That’s tough.”

When the song ended, Mac led them back to the table to find Ashley sitting there with Jase. “Hey! You having fun?” she asked Callie the minute she sank into her seat.

“I am. Getting to know Mac.”

Ashley frowned suddenly and glanced at Jase. “Um. I hate to ask this but are you ready to leave?”

“Leave?”

Mac had a pretty good idea what was going on. Sparks sizzled between the young couple. He looked at Ashley. “Look, if you two want to get on out of here, I’ll see that Callie gets home.” Then he looked at Callie and saw understanding in her eyes. “That okay with you?”

“Heck yeah,” Callie rushed to reassure. “You guys don’t have to babysit me. I’ll be fine and Mac can see me home. Thanks for talking me into coming tonight, Ash. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

Relief swept Ashley’s face as she and Jase stood. “Yeah, you bet. I won’t be late.”

“No problem. Have fun.”

Mentally rubbing his hands together, Mac leaned back and took a sip of his beer.

She was a beautiful, interesting woman and he was dying to get to know her better.

“How did your grand opening week go?”

“It was great. It really was. Looks like I’m the owner of the only florist in the area so my services are in demand. I like that. It keeps me busy.”

“You have a nice place there. I know how it feels to build a business from the ground up. Nice sense of satisfaction when you can make a go of things. Looks to me like you’re off to a good start.”

“I hope so. I haven’t seen much of Morgan’s Creek but from what I know so far, it’s a nice little town and a good place to make a home.”

“Where are you living now?”

“Little house at the corner of Peach and Fourth Street.”

“Oh yeah, the old Wilson place.”

“That’s the one. It’s small but neat and has lots of potential,” she said. “I’m only renting now but if things work out with the shop, I might bite the bullet and just buy it outright.” She turned in her chair and faced him more fully. A small smile tilted her lips. Mac wanted to kiss her at that moment more than he’d wanted anything in a long time. Her gaze drifted over his face and he saw the interest shining in those pretty eyes.

“What about you, hm? Where do you—”

Shelly suddenly stopped at their table, an apologetic look on her face. “Um, boss, could you come check something really quick? That ice maker is still acting up.”

“I just had it repaired today.”

“He messed up somewhere then because it’s still not working right.”

Mac stood and looked down at Callie who hurried to reassure him. “No, don’t worry about me, Mac. Take care of business. I’ll stay right here.”

Impulsively, he reached down and gave her shoulder a light squeeze. “Don’t move.

Be right back.”

Chasing after Callie Hill probably wasn’t the best thing to be doing while technically on duty, he thought as he fooled around with the industrial ice maker and

handled a couple of other small details. No, he was taking tomorrow night off and showing her the sights, assuming she said yes.

Mac headed back into the main area of the club just as the band was taking a break.

A sudden male shout went up and then Mac’s eyes went wide when one Miller brother launched himself at the other, fists flying.

Shit!

Mac ran toward the scene of chaos just as one of the brothers caught a fist in the nose and fell backward into Shelly who was trying to balance a tray loaded with pitchers of beer. Shelly yelped and jumped, the tray tilting back, and then he heard a scream.

He arrived at table five just in time to see Callie get drenched by an entire pitcher of beer. Jarred, she jumped to her feet. The white shirt she wore might as well have been transparent. It was plastered to her breasts, emphasizing the outward hard thrust of her nipples and the small indent of her bellybutton.

“Get them outta here,” Mac roared to the bartenders who’d also rushed into the fray. “Right damn now!”

Holy flyin’ fuck!

Callie’s eyes were wide in disbelief when she stared down at herself and saw the mess she was in. Mac hurried over just as she crossed her arms over her breasts, clearly visible beneath the sodden fabric. “Here now, honey. You just come on with me. I’ll get you fixed up.”

He drew her against his body as two of his biggest, meanest employees escorted the sorry Miller brothers from Hell’s Bells. “Shelly?”

“Yeah, boss.”

“Tell the band to get busy. We need to get the crowd settled down.”

She nodded and took off as he tucked Callie closer and led her through the crowd of people and to his office.

“Damn, I’m so sorry about this, darlin’. I feel so bad.”

He led her into the room and turned to look at her, every apology he could think of sweeping through his mind. She stared at him for a second or two then started to laugh.

Huh?

She had to be in shock.

Finally she shook her head, managed to swallow her mirth and gave him a teary-eyed look. “Ah Mac, don’t worry about it. All I know is you sure as heck know how to show a girl an exciting time.”

Mac smiled. Had to love a woman who was such a good sport. “Come with me,” he said. “I have an apartment back here and I figure I can find a clean tee shirt somewhere.

You can put that on.”

She followed him into his living quarters, her arms still crossed over her chest.

“This is nice, Mac. You live here?”

His apartment wasn’t much. It was a one-room affair with the bed at one end, a couch, a television and a small kitchen. Spartan living conditions, but it was close to work. That was for sure.

“Yeah. It’s not much, I know. I have a house outside town but I haven’t moved into it yet.” Mac dug through a drawer and found a tee shirt, which he handed her. “Here ya go. Bathroom is over there. Make yourself at home.”

Callie ducked into his small bathroom and re-emerged a few minutes later carrying her sodden shirt. A lacy beige-colored bra peeked from the crumpled fabric. Mac found a plastic grocery store sack on the counter of his kitchen which she used to put the wet stuff into. He grinned at her.

“You look kind of cute in my tee shirt.” The thing hung to her knees, almost swallowing her whole.

Holding out her arms, she looked down at herself. “What? This old thing?” Then she wrinkled her nose. “God! I reek. Your tee shirt will never be the same. I promise to get this washed up and returned to you, Mac.”

“There’s no hurry. For what it’s worth, it looks a helluva lot better on you than it ever looked on me.”

From out of nowhere, he recalled the way her breasts had looked with her wet shirt plastered to them. Damn. He’d wanted to take one of those hard, perky nipples right into his mouth to suck. To say she was magnificent was an understatement. It had been a hell of long time since he’d been attracted to the point of desperation but he was the kind of man who could put his cards on the table and play them. He would have her, get to know her, or die trying.

As he drove her toward her little house on Peach Street, Callie kept up a steady stream of chatter as he pointed out one local landmark after another. It didn’t take long for them to reach her house. Morgan’s Creek wasn’t a big place, after all. She went quiet as they approached her front door and she dug in the pocket of her jeans for the house key. “Can you come in for a while?” Then Callie smiled and shook her head. “I’m sorry, you have a business to run and you’ve already taken too much time dealing with my little wardrobe malfunction.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” He took the key from her hand, inserted it into the lock and opened her door. “One of the benefits of being boss is I get to do what I want. Now that the Miller brothers have been tossed out on their butts, things should stay pretty calm but I probably need to get back.”

Callie leaned against the doorframe and looked up at him. “I understand. Thanks for the loan of the shirt and for getting me home, Mac.”

Mac wanted to make his intentions toward her perfectly clear. Stepping close, he propped his arm against the doorframe, effectively caging her. His hand settled directly over her head. Her eyes went wide as he leaned in. “You work tomorrow, right?”

Her gaze swept his face, settling briefly on his lips before she looked him straight in the eye. “Uh-huh.”

“Me too. My next day off is Sunday. I assume you are closed that day.”

“I am,” she whispered.

Mac reached out and traced her lips with the tip of his finger. “Tell you what. Why don’t I pick you up late Sunday afternoon? I’ll show you the sights, such as they are, and we’ll grab some dinner.”

“Are you asking me out on a date, Mac Moreno?”

“Hell yes. What do you say?”

“I say absolutely.”

And then Mac did what he’d been dying to do since seeing her that very first time.

Moving close enough to feel her breath brush his lips, he pressed his mouth over hers and kissed her. She was sweet, warm, and tasted like sunshine. Callie opened her lips when he swept his tongue deep and he felt the tiny sound she made move through him like lightning. His erection thickened, lengthened behind the fly of his jeans, making demands he knew Callie would reject at this point. Frustration made his belly tighten.

It had been a hell of a long time since he’d wanted a woman this much.

Deepening the kiss, he sank his hand into her hair and moved close enough to feel her soft curves brush his chest. Knowing she wore nothing at all beneath his old tee shirt was pure torment. He wanted to touch her more than he wanted his next breath but he held off. Pushing her this quickly might scare her away. Mac didn’t want that.

He had big plans for Callista Hill and they didn’t include a quick feel on her front porch.

Breathing heavily, he drew away, pleased to see she was affected too. Dark hunger moved through his body. Releasing her, he cupped the side of her face and pressed one more kiss on her swollen lips. “I’ll see you Sunday, Callie.”

At about four on Sunday afternoon, Callie was dressed and ready for her date with Mac when the phone rang. Not many people had her new number. Maybe it was Linda, her Oklahoma City friend, saying her boxes had been shipped so she scrambled for the phone.

“Hello?”

Nothing.

“Hello?”

Still nothing.

Callie frowned. She heard breathing on the other end and then a click. Odd. A whip of unease chased itself down her spine and she wondered if Doug had found her.

Again. The past four years had been nothing but one frantic move after another as her ex-husband and world class nutjob stalked her from place to place, making her life miserable. She’d been one of those unlucky women who realized too late that the man she’d married was a complete stranger. During their months of dating, he’d seemed the perfect guy for her. Loving, attentive and great-looking. At the time, Callie had believed herself in love with Doug Hill but it hadn’t taken long to realize she’d made a ghastly mistake. He’d fought the divorce at every turn and then, when things were finalized, had turned up the heat. Doug saw her as a possession, as his to control, and in the past it hadn’t mattered how many times she called the police, he was there. Watching.

Spying. Stalking.

Well, she had big news for him. She was through running. Callie was ready to live and knew that elusive freedom was hers if she were brave. No wimps here. No way. If he showed up again and began to make her life hell, she’d head straight to the police but she wasn’t going to hightail it out of town. Not this time. The fact they’d been

divorced four years and he still continued with this stuff was a testament to how truly obsessed he was.

Pausing in front of a big round mirror hanging above a wall table in her living room, she shook her head. Yes, she was attractive but there were plenty of women out there in this big wide world who were far prettier. She was smart but certainly not brilliant. Callie saw herself as a normal woman in every way so it was puzzling to her why he continued to make her life hell.

Shoving memories of her ex to the farthest, darkest corner of her mind, she concentrated on Mac Moreno and the way he had kissed her a few nights ago. A shiver swept her but this time it wasn’t fear causing the reaction. Memories of the heat that moved through his dark eyes caused her body to react. A thrill of expectation washed over her and she knew that if Mac wanted a hot affair with her, she would be a willing participant in whatever seduction he had in mind. In her experience, forever was a fantasy but now? For the moment? Oh yeah, she could handle some of that. The man was hotness personified. He wanted her. Mac had made that more than clear when he’d kissed her and brought her sleeping libido roaring back to life. She’d wanted him, lusted after him from the minute he stepped from that big black truck in front of her store and if he was interested in a wild, hot affair, she was ready to take the leap.