Riveted (Art of Eros #1) (15 page)

He leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek, lingering near her ear. It would take all his control not to take her before dinner.

“How are you feeling today? You don’t have any after effects of the drug, do you?” Mac looked at her intently.

“I’m actually fine. I don’t think I took in enough to have any aftereffects. Come on in.” Mara moved aside to let him through. As he brushed past her, his sensuality poured off him in waves, crashing over her. She wanted to lose herself in his undertow, but needed to calm down.

“You’re naturally beautiful without any makeup. The red mark is barely visible.” He drew his thumb softly across her cheek, not wanting to stop touching her. “I really like you this way. I might start to worry that someone is going to steal you away from me.” He gave her that smile that lit up his whole face and danced in his eyes.

He saw her check him out head to toe with mischief in her eye. His hair was tousled with sun-kissed highlights, his eyes bright against a rich, dark tan from being out on the boat all day. The dark green polo shirt accentuated his eyes, and khaki shorts stretched across his firm ass.

“I iced my face more today. It looks like you got some sun.” She walked over to the table and handed him a bottle of red wine. “I figured we’re having Italian since I won at ‘Mara says.’“ She bit her lower lip while trying not to smile.

He took the bottle from her while securing his arm around her waist. Then he whispered, “First of all, the game is ‘Mac says.’ Second, you can win anytime you want to, but wait and see what happens when I win.” He peppered kisses across her jaw and down her neck, giving her shivers at what the night would bring.

Her body relaxed, melting into his embrace. She had nervous energy all day just thinking about him but Eros’s wings were in her belly, making a tug of war between excitement and dread.

“I don’t know about you but I am starving.” He winked at her, knowing she got the double meaning from their encounter together at the pool.

“I know, with all that saving damsels in distress.” She giggled from anxiety and anticipation.

They turned as Leigha and Raquelle came into the living room.

“Raquelle and I just want to thank you for what you did last night. I’m not sure what we would have done without you. That date rape drug can be pretty powerful.” Leigha’s hands were clasped tightly in front of her and spoke as if she was familiar with the effects of the drug, but he hoped he was wrong.

“It’s not a problem. But let me ask you both something. Have you felt like someone was watching you?” Mac needed to gather more information on this whole situation. He needed to test his instincts.

I might leave my job but my training never leaves me.

Raquelle spoke for both herself and Leigha. “We haven’t felt that way at all. What do you think is going on?” She was curious to know Mac’s spin on the situation.

“I don’t know, but I need you all to be extra careful until I can figure this out. Just be aware of your surroundings.” Mac’s focus was aimed at Raquelle, knowing she might not take the situation seriously.

“Thanks, Mac. We will. We promise. Don’t we, Raquelle?” Leigha wanted to make sure Raquelle got the message.

“I get it, I get it. Let’s face it. Brock’s death is still suspicious and until we get the DNA results back, we need to be careful. Who knows what that sack of shit was up to.” Raquelle spat venom when it came to anything related to Brock.

Okay, so he didn’t need to worry about her. If someone ever took her, they would give her back just on feistiness alone. He would question Mara about the DNA testing later. He turned to her. “Shall we?”

They turned to leave and Mara mouthed over her shoulder, “Don’t wait up!” then gave her sisters a wink.

“So, where are we going?” She leaned into Mac as their fingers intertwined.

“It’s top secret. You’ll have to wait.” Mac kissed the top of her head. The smell of her relaxed him.

As they walked along the beach, they came upon a small tent in the distance with the warm glow of candles from inside. Dusk on this side of Mexico painted the sky various shades of blue across the horizon, making a beautiful contrast of colors to the amber tent. She could see the small, white-capped ocean waves lapping onto the beach. The cool sand came over the tops of their feet, leaving a light dust. The sound of the ocean always calmed her. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

As Mac led them toward the tent, she suddenly realized where they were having dinner.

“This is what you planned for dinner? I think you went overboard, Captain.” Mara beamed at the idea of dinner on the beach.

“Nothing’s never overboard when it comes to you. I wanted to do something special for you because you’re turning into someone special to me.” Mac put his hand behind her head and kissed her deeply. “Leave your shoes and step inside.”

Mara always loved soft sand between her toes. As she glanced down, she noticed Mac’s tan feet. For some reason, she found nothing sexier than a man with bare feet.

They stepped inside to find a chef at a grill with a server. Hurricane lamps sat in the sand casting an amber glow around the tent. They surrounded a table with a loveseat filled with overstuffed green-and-blue patterned pillows. Large coral-colored conch shells were scattered in the sand. An iron chandelier hung above the table filled with short red candles that vented through the top of the tent, sending wisps of smoke into the air.

She became speechless and in awe. He came up from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist. He leaned down, “I never want you to forget this night with me.”

“How could I? You’ve thought of everything. The whole thing is simply beautiful.” She turned in his arms looking into the eyes of a very happy man. “Thank you.” She pressed a kiss to his lips, smoothing her fingers down his freshly shaven cheek.

“How about we start off with a glass of wine? I’m not much of a wine drinker, but I’ll give it a go. We’ll have scotch after dinner back at my suite.” Mac held an air of confidence that said, ‘I got this.’

The thought of going back to his suite had her in knots. She was nervous, scared and excited all at the same time, not knowing if she would ever be ready for this. But the time was right and so was the man.

Mac read the uncertainty in her eyes, so he took her hand and led her to the table. He poured some wine to calm her nerves, and Mara gave the toast. “To a handsome, honest man who doesn’t run away from any of my challenges,” She looked at him with admiration he knew he didn’t deserve. The matter of his little secret still niggled at him, but he wouldn’t spoil the night by telling her right then. He wanted her to feel how they were together as just man and woman.

“To a brave woman, willing to face her challenges, and who will win.” Mac wanted her smiling for the rest of the night.

The red wine ribboned its way through her body, warming her to the core. Dusk settled as shadows came over the tent, adding to the ambiance and making it warm and cozy. One thought did flash through her mind—for someone in security, he seemed to have a lot of money. She knew putting this together couldn’t be cheap. Mara tucked that thought away in the back of her mind for later; she didn’t want to spoil the evening with twenty questions.

The table was set for a romantic dinner for two. Candles of various sizes, shapes and colors were placed everywhere, their flames dancing as the gentle breeze came off the ocean, making the sides of the tent billow. The delicate white china and multi-faceted crystal caught the dancing light and sparkled on a blue tablecloth. There was a colorful arrangement of varying shades of red dahlias interspersed with delicate baby’s breath. He took joy in watching her artistic eyes roam to take in everything, missing nothing.

“Mac, everything is so beautiful, and you put so much thought into tonight. I can’t believe you did all of this for me.” She paused and twisted her hands together. Her emotions came through her hands and he recognized her struggle with something. He waited for her to tell him. “I don’t remember the last time any man did something like this for me.” He was amazed at how wealthy she appeared to be, staying at this five-star resort, and yet she appreciated the beauty in simple things. Surprisingly, she never once acted spoiled or privileged.

“You deserve to have someone spoil you rotten, and I want it to be me. Honestly, I’ve never done anything like this for a woman. Kendall would always say the way to a woman’s heart is through romance. I guess I heard her whispering to me tonight.” Mac swallowed the lump in his throat at the thought of how much Kendall would have loved Mara. He still couldn’t believe how easily the words flowed from him to talk about Kendall. Every time they shared a moment like this, Mara sank a little deeper into his soul. He couldn’t lose her. He
wouldn’t
lose her. He reached out his hand to her like he did on the plane, palm up and open.

Mara took his hand in hers, loving the way their bodies melded together. Her heart sped up as she looked into those eyes that saw straight to her soul. She stretched up on tiptoe to give him a kiss that she hoped conveyed her readiness for the evening ahead. Catching a glimpse of something on the table out of the corner of her eye, she leaned back and started laughing.

“What’s on that plate?” She started to move toward the object.

“Your evil red dragon. It doesn’t look happy.” Mac stood next to her, peering down at her malformed creation.

“It does look kind of pissed-off, doesn’t it? I don’t want to look at that during dinner, so let’s put him somewhere else.” She quickly picked up the offensive object and walked toward the opening of the tent. With great effort, she cranked her arm back and chucked the evil looking creature out, watching it sail through the air before landing on the beach with a soft thud.

“Well, that’s one way to get rid of it. Let’s eat. I almost lost my appetite looking at that thing.” A kid’s smile spread across his face as a curl fell on his forehead.

Mac informed the chef they were ready to begin. Soon, more servers appeared to make sure they had the leisure of eating without worrying about anything else.

They sat down on the loveseat with knees touching. Mac thought sitting next to her was a good idea at the time, but was struggling to get through the meal without wanting to ravage her right there. The skin-on-skin contact sent electricity through his system again.

Mara could feel the tingle making its way into her body. She cleared her throat and asked, “So, where did you learn how to dance like that?”

He tried to ignore the energy that danced between them. “Kendall said if I was ever going to be any good with the ladies, I needed to learn how to dance. We would practice in the barn before school dances. Well, I should say she did most of the dancing and I did more watching. By the time we got to the dance, I was already plied with alcohol then I could cut loose.” He stared down into his wine glass. “I haven’t thought of her dancing in years. It’s a fond memory. She was a good dancer, and her laughter filled up a room.” His smile reached his eyes at the warm but distant memory. “I always seem to remember the good times with Kendall when you are around.” He pressed his lips to her forehead with a secret thank-you.

A server interrupted the moment to bring them an appetizer of oysters. Mara couldn’t help but make a comment.

“I don’t think you need to put any lead in your pencil.” She seductively slipped an oyster between her berry-colored lips.

Mac’s oyster almost shot out of his mouth. He clamped his hand over his lips to keep the slippery delight in his mouth. “Did you refer to my cock as a pencil? I assure you, it’s no pencil. Maybe you need a reminder.” He saw the blush on her cheeks. Having him say the word ‘cock’ made warmth pool low in her belly.

“It’s just a saying. And yes, I know for a fact you’re not a pencil. I think I might need a reminder later, though.” She looked at him through hooded, daring eyes and tilted her head to the side as she slipped another oyster through her lips.

Oh, this woman would bring him to his knees. He leaned over to her ear and, with a gravelly voice, said, “After tonight, your body will know without a doubt how generous I can be.”

Take that, my little kitten. I’m starting to see yet another side to her. She’s more confident than I’ve seen her so far.

As her nerves played havoc with her, excitement took over about seeing him in all his glory. She wanted to experience every inch of this man, but her body might not want him.

The next course offered salad and the main course was a wonderfully fresh pasta primavera, perfect for a warm evening. It was almost as good as Mama’s fresh pasta, but not quite. The dinner conversation naturally went to topics of family.

“Tell me more about your brothers. What are they like?” Mara was curious about the other people who helped shape his life.

“Declan is the oldest. The name Declan means ‘warrior,’ and that he is. He’s very stoic and serious and we always made fun of him growing up since he didn’t smile much. He and I look a lot alike but are polar opposites in personality. He’s very driven and making his way up the ladder pretty quickly in military intelligence. A lot of his missions are top secret.” He waited for her reaction to this piece of news, since Mac was essentially in the same job.

“That must be scary for your family, not knowing where he is or what he’s doing. Do you worry about him?” She looked at him wide-eyed and curious. So, she would worry about his safety. That was a typical reaction, but she didn’t seem scared by the unknown elements of the job.