Justice (4 page)

“Sleep I think.”

He kissed. “Night, honey.”

“’Night.” Macey closed her eyes and smiled, succumbing to sleep faster than she typically did.

CHAPTER THREE

M
ACEY AWOKE TO a warm hand between her legs and the musky scent of Dallas engulfing her. She moaned as he slipped one then two fingers inside of her.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Dallas whispered, and kissed her.

“Very good morning.” She rocked against his hand. “I thought you had to go.”

“Two hours, babe.”

“Delicious,” she whispered as his fingers slipped inside of her again.

A faint buzz from his cell phone on the nightstand distracted her briefly, but Dallas ignored it and continued to work her. The buzz sounded again and then again, before it was continual.

“Damn it!” he snapped, and answered his phone. “What?”

Macey squeezed her eyes shut and tried to bring her breathing under control.

“Shit,” Dallas said. “Yeah. Okay. Got it. I’ll be back in two days. Appreciate it.”

He hung up and stretched out beside her again.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

Dallas slid his hand between her legs again. “I’m gonna fuck you then we’re gonna talk.”

She frowned. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’ll all be good in just a few,” he promised and rolled her onto her back, sliding into her. “So wet.”

“Yeah, you kind of have that affect on me.” Macey moaned, lifting her hips.

He rolled, pulling her with him and settling her astride. Grasping her waist, he lifted his hips to fill her deeper. “God, babe.”

She leaned over him and he reached for her breasts.

“More,” Macey demanded.

“Touch yourself.”

Macey slid her hand to her clit and ran her finger along herself as Dallas drove into her. She barely registered her building climax before her orgasm hit her fast and hard. She cried out, gripping his shoulders so she wouldn’t fall. Dallas came with her, and then pulled her down on top of him, holding her as they fought to catch their breath.

“Wow,” she rasped.

He kissed her neck. “Yeah, wow.”

She pushed up slightly and smiled. “Do you really have to leave me?”

Dallas chuckled. “I really have to leave you.”

“Damn it,” she said. “Totally sucky timing.”

“I know, babe.” He kissed her nose. “Okay, the talking part now.”

“Ew.” She wrinkled her nose. “Let’s go back to the fucking part again.”

He grinned. “I want you at my place tonight and tomorrow.”

“How come?”

“Because there’s a creep out there.”

Macey sighed. “According to you, there’s always a creep out there.”

“No, babe. Seriously. There’s some sicko targeting women and he’s already hit Vancouver. That was Brock on the phone. It’s a matter of time before he makes it here.”

She slid off him and wrapped an arm around his waist, settling her head on his shoulder. “Seriously?”

“You need to watch the news more.”

“No. Never going to happen.” She bit her lip. “It’s too depressing.”

“I agree, but it does give you information.”

“
Incorrect
information.”

“Sometimes.” He frowned. “Although, the media idiots are calling this asshole ‘the Highland Hunter.’”

“They are? Why?”

“Because he wears a kilt.”

Macey giggled. “Oh, my god, that’s ridiculous. Why would he give a bad name to Scotland like that? Men in kilts are sexy.”

“Well, he’s not.” Dallas sighed. “So I want you at my place.”

“I’m perfectly safe here, Dal.”

“You don’t have a security system or decent locks.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Your alarm is nearly twenty years old, Macey. And your locks aren’t much better. Your windows are seriously jacked up and I don’t like that you leave a couple open at night.” He slid from the bed and headed to the bathroom. “My place. No arguments.”

“I leave one open because it’s hot,” she called.

She heard the shower start.

“I have air-conditioning,” he replied.

“Well, yeah, that’s true,” she grumbled.

“My place, got it?”

“I’m having dinner with Payton tonight, so I’ll go to your place after,” she said as she walked into the bathroom. She grinned at his reflection in the mirror as he brushed his teeth.

“You brought a toothbrush?” she asked.

Dallas spit and grinned. “No, I stole one from your hoarder drawer.”

“I’m not a hoarder.”

“I apologize.” He laughed. “You have a personal possession to domestic space ratio deficiency, but if you don’t want to call it hoarding, we won’t call it hoarding.”

She grinned and slid her hand across his waist as she reached for her toothbrush.

“Before dark, babe. I want you out of here. Yeah?”

Macey sighed. “Yeah, yeah.”

Dallas smiled and kissed her. “Joining me?”

“I’ll just brush my teeth.”

He stepped into her shower and Macey followed, finding that getting clean then dirty and clean again was a beautiful way to start the day.

* * *

Macey propped open her bedroom window, Dallas’s words flooding her mind as she tried to cool down her apartment. She could have rented an air-conditioning unit for an extra fifty bucks a month, but she just didn’t feel the amount justified the limited number of days that were hot enough for air-conditioning, so she’d opted against it.

She was due to meet Payton in an hour, but she needed to pack a bag first. If she didn’t leave in ten minutes, she would be late… well, later than she was already going to be.

Her phone buzzed and she grinned. “Best boyfriend ever?”

“Me, obviously,” Dallas said. “But let’s lay off the boyfriend label. We’re not sixteen.”

“Well, then what should I call you?”

“Your man will work ’til I put a ring on your finger.”

“Does that mean you’re joining a motorcycle club?” Macey shoved jeans into her overnight bag.

Dallas laughed. “I don’t plan on calling you my old lady, although, it does have a nice ring to it.”

“Not if you want to continue living, it doesn’t.” She grinned. “How’s the studying going?”

“Not well,” he admitted. “I keep getting sidetracked.”

“Uh-oh, that’s not good.” She threw a few more clothing items in and then zipped up her bag. “You might want to stop watching Cinemax.”

He chuckled. “Not a big skin flix kind of guy, babe. Not really into porn either. But, I do keep daydreaming I’m making you come, so yeah, that’s kind of a problem.”

“I thought every guy was into porn.”

“Seen what it does to people, babe.”

“What does it do to people?” she asked.

“It builds an unrealistic vision of what sex is supposed to be. Especially for kids. Some teenage guy gets into it and he thinks his woman is gonna want it like that, and if she doesn’t… well, either he’s disappointed, or she’s forced into doing something she doesn’t want to do. Not saying it’s like that for everyone, but doing what I do, I see it more often than not.”

Macey wrinkled her nose. “I never looked at it that way. Everyone says it’s so natural and normal, you know?”

“Nothing natural about porn, Mase. Women are paid to look like they’re enjoying it, whether they are or aren’t. And then you have the bastards who traffic… most of those girls are forced, so yeah. I choose to avoid it.”

“You’re a good man, Dallas Stone.”

“I’m
your
man, Macey Gilbert.”

She giggled. “That you are.”

“I should get back to it. I just needed to hear your voice,” he said. “Are you at my place yet?”

“No, honey. Remember I’m heading out to meet Payton? But I promise, I’ll go to your place after dinner. Don’t worry so much. I’m totally fine.”

“Okay. I’ll get back to it. Love you, baby.”

“Love you too.”

Macey had no sooner hung up when her phone rang again. “What did you forget?”

“Nothing,” Payton said.

“Sorry, thought you were Dallas.”

“Figured.” Payton giggled. “I’m running a few minutes late, just thought I’d let you know.”

“Aw, thanks buddy… although, you know I’m probably still going to be ten minutes behind you.”

“Okay, then I’ll wait for a bit.”

“Probably a good—”

“Well, hi there, pretty,” a low, male voice said.

Macey gasped and whipped around to find a strange man standing in her doorway, dropping her phone in the process.

Short, fat, bearded and dead eyes, she couldn’t tell how old he was, but he was overly tan. He kind of rang a bell, but for the life of her, she didn’t know how.

Shit!
She forgot to lock the downstairs window.

“Mase?” Payton’s voice was muffled since the phone was too far away.

“What do you want?” she asked, trying to reach for her phone which was sticking out from under her bed.

The man got to it first and threw it across the room. Macey used the distraction to make a run for the door, but he caught her, pulling her back inside. She tried to kick, tried to punch, screamed at the top of her lungs, but he was just too strong. “Payton!” she yelled, hoping her friend was still on the line.

Her phone buzzed as her head hit the floor. Stars danced behind her eyes and her shoulder exploded in pain. She tasted copper in her mouth and then she choked on what she knew must be her own blood. Darkness closed in, blurring her vision. A loud bang. Smoke. Then blissful nothingness embraced her.

* * *

Hushed voices, intermingled with crying forced Macey from her “nothing.” She groaned when the first wave of pain hit her and then Payton’s voice broke through the fog. “Mase. Hey. Wake up, hon.”

“Everything hurts,” Macey whispered. Her words were barely out of her mouth before the pain eased and she sighed in relief.

“Can you open your eyes?” The unmistakable deep voice of Dr. Alec Stone sounded.

Macey blinked open her eyes and stared into the concerned face of her co-worker and Dallas’s brother. “Hi.”

“Hi,” he said, smiling gently.

“Where am I?”

“Hospital,” Alec said.

“Are you thirsty?” Payton asked.