The Mane Event (13 page)

Mace watched Dez as her mind turned around all he told her. She seemed to be less than interested in the fact of what he was. Not while she still had a case to solve.

“Brutale thinks your sister killed Petrov.”

“Do you?”

She sighed. “No. Although I really wanted her to. I’m still not sure why me, though. What did I do?”

“You probably still had my scent on you when you went to the club.”
When you were running from me
.

She held her hand up. “Okay. Please stop.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s getting a little weird for me.”

“What’s weird, Dez? The hyenas? The lions?” He leaned down, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped in front of him. “Or you smelling like me?”

Her eyes narrowed at the same time her nipples hardened. He almost smiled. He loved making her crazy.

“Well, your sister didn’t kill Petrov. I don’t think Brutale killed him. Shaw, however, could have or…you know…” She shrugged and watched him with those gray eyes.

“You know what?” She raised one eyebrow, and he exploded. “
Are you suggesting I may have killed the man?
”

“Now, calm down. It’s only a suggestion.”

“A very fucking insulting suggestion!”

“There’s no reason to yell at me.”

“You accuse me of murder and there’s no reason to yell at you?”

“Is it still considered murder amongst your people?”

“Amongst my people? Are you fucking kidding me with this shit?”

“I’m simply asking the question.”

“No, you’re not. You’re trying to find something wrong with me.”

“I am not!”

“You are too! You know as well as I do that I got off the fucking transport yesterday. Petrov was killed…what? Two days ago? You know it wasn’t me. And I would hope you thought more highly of me than that. Especially since you just fucked me.”

“All I know is that you’re not exactly human. And I only recently found that out.”

“Bullshit. You know me better than anybody else, Dez. You’ve always known I wasn’t exactly human. Didn’t you?”

“What I do know is that it all makes sense to me now. You. Your sisters.”

“We’re naked. We are never to discuss my sisters when we’re naked.”

She stood up. “You know, they actually said I wasn’t good enough for you. For you!” Dez pointed at him. “You’re a freak.”

“And you reek of normal. You surrounded yourself with a shitload of guns and the world’s largest dogs so no one will get near you, and the first male that does, you accuse him of being a murderer.”

“I didn’t accuse you.
I made a suggestion!
”

The two glared at each other. Mace could feel and smell Dez’s rage. He also sensed her fear. Yet he now knew it wasn’t because of what he was, but her own fear of being hurt again. Of having anyone get close enough to touch the woman she had buried underneath her Kevlar vest. But he didn’t have time for her bullshit. He was crazy about the woman. Madly in love with her. Probably from the first time he saw her all those years ago. So she would simply have to get over whatever little “issues” she had.

“Come here, Dez.” He didn’t mean to spit that out through clenched teeth.

“No.”

“Come. Here.” Well, that sounded like an order. Probably not good either.

“Fuck. You.”

Well, this wasn’t working. He watched her glare at him from no more than five feet away, but it felt like a two-hundred-mile chasm. His need to touch her became almost overwhelming. The desire to stroke her flesh. To lick that little pulse point on her neck. To kiss her. God, did he want to kiss her.

Mace leaned forward and gently grabbed hold of her hand. He gave a tug. “Come here, Dez.”

Her anger receded as quickly as it came. She rewarded him with a shy smile. “Why?”

He tugged again. “Please.”

Dez slowly moved toward him. He pulled her until she sat on his lap, facing him. Her strong legs straddled his thighs.

“The condoms are upstairs,” she reminded him softly.

He pushed her thick silky hair off her face. Ran his hands across the soft flesh of her cheeks. “We don’t need ’em for this.”

Dez let Mace pull her toward him, his eyes on her mouth.

Could she be more of a bitch? No, she couldn’t. Why else would she accuse the man of being a murderer? She knew he wasn’t. A predator…definitely. A well-trained military killer…absolutely. But to gun someone down in cold blood? Nah. If for no other reason, Mace simply wouldn’t bother. He simply didn’t like or dislike most people enough to get up the emotion necessary to blow their brains out. He was a cat, after all.

“I’m sorry, Mace.” The words were out of her mouth before she could hope to stop them. “I should have never said that to you.”

He smiled and she almost came from the sight of it. “You’re right.” He ran his big hands through her hair and she moaned at the contact. She never believed hair could be an erogenous zone. Man, she’d been wrong about that. “You should have never said that to me.”

“Can I make it up to you?”

“We’ll have to see, now won’t we.”

As soon as his lips touched hers, a jolt went right to her pussy, causing her clit to actually spasm. From just a kiss. She never thought that possible. At least not for her. But with Mace, anything seemed possible.

He pulled her closer, his tongue sliding across hers, his strong hands moving across her back. She kept waiting for more, but he kept kissing her. Only kissing her. That’s all he wanted. She sighed and melted against him.

Nope. She couldn’t deny it. This man rocked her world. Her universe.

She squirmed against him. That flash-flood warning problem happening again. Her nipples were so hard they hurt. And Mace kept on kissing her, his hands never leaving her back or going below her waist.

Man, she was in over her head.

“You keep squirming, baby. You okay?” He licked her collarbone, but she could feel his smile against her hot flesh.

“Mace?”

“Yes?”

“Stop messing with my head.”

“I didn’t know I was. I’ve just always wanted to make out with you. It’s a fantasy of mine. I figured this was as good a time as any.”

She wanted him so bad she wasn’t sure how much more she could take. “Well, it’s not. So get on with it.” Mace pulled back from her, and Dez groaned in disappointment. “What, Mace? What?”

“I’m enjoying the fact you think you can order me around.”

She really did not like the sound of that. “Uh—”

“Put your hands on my shoulders and lean back a bit.” Dez placed a hand on each shoulder and leaned her upper body back. Mace’s right hand slid down between her breasts, across her stomach, pausing at her crotch. His thumb right above her clit. Without thinking, her grip tightened a bit on his shoulder.

“Look at me, Dez.” She did. “Don’t close your eyes. Don’t look away. You understand?”

She opened her mouth to reply.

“And I don’t need a thesis on this. Yes or no will do just fine.”

She glared at him. “Yes. I understand.”

“Good.” Mace twisted his hand, pushing two fingers inside her and brushing his thumb over her clit. Immediately Dez’s head fell back on a moan. Mace stopped. “See,” he pointed out softly. “Clearly you don’t understand.”

Dez took a deep breath and looked back at Mace.
Christ, he’s serious
.

She wanted to call him every name in the book—and she had a big book—but she wanted him to make her come in the worst way. So, for once, she bit her tongue. Besides, there was something about not having to worry about…well, about everything that really turned her on. She’d never given up control to anyone before. Mace would be her first. She had the feeling she wouldn’t be disappointed.

Mace stared at her for a moment. “Are we clear, Marine?”

Dez fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes. We’re clear.”

“Yes, we’re clear…what?”

“Mace Llewellyn—” He swirled his fingers inside her, causing Dez to gasp.

“I’m waiting.”

“Yes. We’re clear…” Dez gritted her teeth. “Commander.”

His grin almost blinded her. “I like hearing you say that. I wish I’d seen you when you were still active. Me being an officer and you…not…I could have had some real fun.”

He would so be paying for this.

Slowly, he began pumping his fingers in and out of her. Taking his time. Dez promised herself again she’d make him pay for this…later.

Her eyes locked with his and she clenched her muscles around his fingers. He grunted in satisfaction as the pad of his thumb massaged her clit. Dez forced herself to look Mace in the eyes. It wasn’t easy. All she wanted was to close her eyes and ride the sensations he inundated her with. Plus, those gold eyes burned into her, stripped away all her defenses. He took control, but in the process he made her feel strong, female, and sexy. No one had ever done that for her before. No one had ever bothered to try.

“Stay with me, Dez.” Good God, that voice of his would be the death of her. His voice stroked her like his fingers. Only it touched her in places his fingers couldn’t quite reach.

Dez’s muscles tensed and her orgasm rolled up on her in one crashing wave. Mace, though, still wouldn’t let her look away. She had a feeling his pleasure relied on her pleasure. His hard dick rubbed against her butt as his breath came in short, hard pants.

She dug her short nails deep into Mace’s shoulders. Her entire body unraveled. Falling apart under his skillful hands. “Fuck, Mace. Fuck!”

His fingers picked up the pace, pumping in and out of her with one intent. “I wanna see you come, Dez.
Now
.”

She did. She broke into a million pieces all over the man’s hand. And not once did she look away from those beautiful gold eyes.

She is so beautiful
. Sitting around watching
Cops
or coming all over him, the woman was freakin’ beautiful. He always loved getting a woman off, but something about Dez’s pleasure, her joy at simply having an orgasm, absolutely set his hair on fire.

The woman held complete control of his heart and didn’t even know it. He wasn’t sure she even cared. Dez collapsed against him, her lips against his collarbone. Her fingers still digging into his shoulders. She belonged here. On his lap, right on top of his cock. Skin against skin. Heart against heart.

He could do it. He could make her love him. Even if he had to put up with those goddamn dogs, he’d get her to love him.

Mace rubbed his chin against the top of her head. “So…did that take the edge off?”

She chuckled against his neck and goose bumps broke out across his skin. “You could say that.”

“Then can I get back to business?”

Dez sat up as he slowly removed his hand from what he now considered the most amazing hot spot on earth.

“Back to what business?”

He ran his still-wet hand over her bottom lip, leaned in, and licked it away.

Dez shuddered. “Oh. That.”

“Yeah. That. You’re not going to work today, right?”

Dez gazed at his mouth and shook her head.

“Good.” He pulled her toward him. “Then kiss me, Dez.”

D
ez woke up when her dogs licked her face. She pushed the two Rotties away and glanced around. Half on and half off the end of the bed, her body completely tangled up in the sheets.

“
Sitz.”
Her dogs sat. “
Plotz.”
Her dogs lay down. She trained them in German since they were German dogs. She glared at them. “Thanks for deserting me last night.” They at least had the decency to look ashamed.

Dez sat up. The room was a wreck and she guessed she was too. She listened but didn’t hear Mace anywhere. Maybe he left. Didn’t want to be around for the morning-after awkwardness. Not that she blamed him. She hadn’t been looking forward to that either.

Dez slowly stood up. She took a couple of steps to see if she could still walk. Surprisingly, she could. She thought for sure the man made her a cripple, her entire body sore as hell. Not that she actually minded.

She glanced at her nightstand clock. Already one o’clock. Well, if she were going over her parents’ house on Christmas she needed to get the rest of the gifts. And order that goddamn pie.

The thought of facing last-minute shoppers didn’t sound very tantalizing, but she didn’t have much choice. Besides, her alternative? Sitting around waiting for Mace to call. She shuddered thinking she even would do that for one second of the day. Hell, there was no shame in the one-night stand. It had been a one-night stand, right?

Of course, nothing about this
felt
like a one-night stand. Far from it.

Dez stumbled to the bathroom, her two dogs trailing quietly behind, and took a shower. As she towel-dried her hair, she examined herself in the mirror. She did look well fucked, now didn’t she?

Well fucked by a cat.

She waited for it. The freak-out over the cat thing. But it never came. Christ, either she’d become really jaded or she really didn’t care. She thought about it for a moment.

Nope. She really didn’t care.

Dez headed back to her bedroom but stopped when she heard noises from the kitchen. When her boys dived back under the bed, she knew what it was.
Who
it was.

Holy shit. He’s back.
She wasn’t sure how to react to that. Although her body began to cream at the mere thought of him. Well, she would have to do something about that.

Still wearing her towel, she walked down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. She heard female voices chattering and assumed Mace turned on some female talk show. But when she opened the swinging door, she stopped and almost choked in horror.

“Well, well. Look who’s up.”

“And all dressed for the day, I see.”

Dez glared at her two sisters as her mother placed a sandwich large enough to choke a rhino on a plate and sat it in front of Mace. He sat there showered, dressed, and, surprisingly, shaved. He even had on what appeared to be new clothes. Black jeans, black turtleneck sweater, black boots. On anybody else they’d look like dockworkers. On Mace…well, he didn’t look like any dockworker she’d ever known.

Dez glanced around the kitchen and realized there were department store and grocery bags all over the counters.
He really has made himself at home, now hasn’t he?
He grinned at her and shrugged.

“You had no food. A man could starve.”

“But her dogs never will.”

Dez glared at Lonnie while Rachel choked around the bottle of soda she swigged from.

“Why are you all here?”

“We came to see if you wanted to go Christmas shopping. We know how bad you are at that,” Rachel offered.

“But we found Mace here all by himself bringing in groceries,” Lonnie added. “And you nowhere to be found.”

Mace bit into the sandwich, and when his eyes practically rolled to the back of his head, her mother beamed. “Eat. Eat, dear boy. A man your size needs food.”

“You know when you called me about Missy, I had no idea you’d seen good ol’ Mace from high school.”

Dez couldn’t believe the two bitches. Sitting in her kitchen like butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths. As Missy and Mace’s other sisters told her in no uncertain terms she wasn’t good enough for their brother, her own sisters actively put down Mace. He’s funny looking. He’s short. He’s strange.

Now they were acting like their long-lost brother turned up at their door.

Absolute bitches.

Before Dez could start getting good and frothy, her mother came around and hugged her hello. “How’s my little girl?”

“Hiya, Ma.”

“You look so pretty this morning.” Then, in a tight whisper against her ear, “If you don’t feed them, they leave.”

Dez ignored her mother, instead mouthing “Fuck you” over and over to both her sisters. Who returned the loving sentiment with the finger and the word
whore
mouthed at her. This went on for a good fifteen seconds before her mother stiffened in her arms.

“You three stop that right now!”

The three women froze. Hard to believe that Lonnie was one of the most feared federal prosecutors in the country and Rachel had probably removed the top of someone’s skull yesterday to get to their brain. And, of course, Dez was a well-armed cop and former Marine with a shapeshifter in her house. Hell, just a few hours ago, she had him between her legs too.

But a word from their mother still had them quaking.

“Sorry, Ma,” all three mumbled as the tiny woman pulled away from her much-taller daughter. Dez almost exclusively took after her father. Unlike her sisters, there was nothing petite or delicate about her. Of course, that didn’t seem to bother Mace too much.

“Well, we’re going to leave you two…alone.” Her mother raised an eyebrow, and Dez wanted to crawl into a hole. “And we’ll see you on Christmas, Mace.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Dez’s head snapped up and she locked eyes with Mace. “I thought you had other plans.” No way.
No way
could she let Mace spend that much time around her sisters. When it came to the worst lowlifes on the planet, Dez always kept total and utter control. But her family remained a whole different matter. Five minutes with them and they’d completely turn him against her.

“Nope.”

“What about your sisters? Shouldn’t you go to their house for the holidays?” She knew the whole family thing would get to her mother. Sure enough, her mother didn’t disappoint.

“Oh, Mace. We can’t take you away from your family.”

“You’re not, Mrs. MacDermot. My sisters aren’t expecting me. Besides…” Those gold eyes turned to Dez. “Dez and I already had plans to spend the day together. Didn’t we, baby?”

She wanted to say “No, we did not” but her sisters were waiting for that. Waiting to see something they could feed on. Mace knew it too. He had sisters—he knew exactly what he was doing. Fine, then. He wanted to spend time with her family, more power to him.

“How could I forget?” She rubbed her mom’s back. “We’ll be there, Ma.”

“Good. Good. Don’t forget pie.”

The women headed toward the door, leaving Mace downing that sandwich like it was his first meal in six months.

Once at the front door, her mother leaned in conspiratorially. “I still like him. He’s grown into a very nice young man.”

“Ma, you don’t even know him.”

“Yes, but I’m never wrong about these things.”

“Of course, it doesn’t hurt he’s a Llewellyn.”

Dez glared at Lonnie, “Fuck you” on her lips. One look at her mother told her that would be a bad idea. The woman believed in the holiday spirit, even if she had to kick the shit out of you to make sure you were feeling it too.

Her mother hugged her. “See you soon, honey.”

“Bye, Ma.”

She walked out the door, but her sisters remained.

“The Llewellyns are powerful, little sister. Hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Why don’t you let me do what I gotta do and you two do what you gotta do.”

“Fine.”

Then Lonnie snatched the towel off Dez and charged out the door, Rachel slamming it before Dez could get to them. Instead, she collided with the hard wood.

They were too old for this bullshit.

Dez kept her head against the door, unable to turn around. Not when she knew Mace stood right behind her.

“Here, baby. Here’s a towel.”

She reached back, unable to face the man, and grasped the towel he handed her. Of course, it was a dish towel and not much good.

“I hate you.”

“You so wish you did. But tragically, you’re crazy about me.”

She wanted to argue with him, prove to him she hated him. That she still had control. But when his hands slid across her ass, she completely forgot what she’d been mad about.

So that was what a nice normal family was like. Yeah. He could get used to that. As much animosity that passed between the three sisters, fangs and claws never made an entrance. And before Dez arrived, the two women grilled him like he’d applied to the CIA. They didn’t want anyone hurting their baby sister. He bet Dez had no clue.

No. He’d make sure they went to see her parents on Christmas. Besides, it would be nice to have a real Christmas dinner that didn’t involve senators or a live wild boar they hunted and devoured raw.

He would worry about that later, though. Right this second, he had the most delectable ass staring at him.

He ran his hands over the curves and planes of her body, pulling her back against his chest.

Man, he had some great sex over the years, but nothing like that. Nothing like her.

He trapped her against his body, wrapping his arms around her, and leaned down close to her ear. “We didn’t wake you up, did we?”

“No. I didn’t hear you guys until I was out of the shower.”

“Good. I wanted you to get all the sleep you needed.”

She leaned back into him. “Why?”

In answer, he slipped his hand between her legs and gently stroked her. “You sore?”

She wiggled against him. “I’ll live.”

Then her stomach growled. Her head dropped forward in defeat. “That was more embarrassing than the towel.”

Mace took pity on her. He dragged her to the kitchen, pausing long enough so she could grab the Jets blanket from off the couch.

“You need to feed. It’s normal after all that sex.” He sat her down at the counter in the large kitchen. A cook or chef must have once owned the house. The kitchen easily outstripped the rest of her place. The island in the middle of the room was made of stainless steel and marble. Shame Dez never used it. Still, he found himself liking her house more and more. It smelled like her. Well, her and those stupid dogs, but he could learn to live with that. He could learn to live with a lot to be with this woman.

“Your mother made you a sandwich.” He pulled it out of the fridge and put it in front of her, along with a cold can of soda. He leaned against the counter next to her.

She stared down at the sandwich as she finished wrapping the blanket around her like a towel, covering everything from her chest down. “What’s the meat on this? Antelope?”

He smiled. What a smart-ass. “Actually they were out. It’s zebra.”

She picked up the sandwich, brought it to her mouth, but stopped when she realized he was staring at her. “What?”

“I’m waiting for you to finish eating.”

“Why?” He grinned and she turned completely red. “Oh.”

“So hurry up.”

“I can’t eat with you staring at me. Talk or something.”

“Well, when I started in the Navy I knew this guy—”

She cut him off by raising one finger. “No, and I mean
no
Navy stories.
Ever.
”

“What’s wrong with the Navy?”

“Nothing. It’s military stories in general. Nothing makes me crazier than listening to a bunch of males sitting around talking about their goddamn military glory that always ends with something about a barhook giving them a happy ending.”

“Okay then. Of course that doesn’t leave much. I was in for fourteen years.”

She finally took a bite of the sandwich and now spoke around a mouth full of food. “Come up with something. You’re smart…” She looked him up and down. “Basically.”

“Okay.” He waited until she took another bite of food. “My sister tried to rip my throat out once.”

He pounded on her back to prevent her from choking. Eventually she swallowed and glared at him. “Don’t do that!”

“Sorry.”

She took a gulp of soda and leveled those gray eyes at him. “You know, your sisters are real bitches.”

“Yeah. I know.”

She went back to eating and talking simultaneously. “The worst thing my sisters did was hold me down and spit on me.”

Mace grimaced. “I think I’d rather have her rip my throat out.”

“There’s an upside to both.”

Mace watched Dez eat. He examined her long neck and strong body. Her arms well defined, probably from handling those two stupid but huge dogs. He noticed faded, jagged scars on her shoulder. Without thinking, he ran his forefinger across the indented flesh. “Where did you get these?”

Dez shrugged. “Baby.”

“A baby or your baby?”

Dez grinned around her sandwich. “Neither.
The
Baby. My first working dog. I was a dog handler in the Marines. Her name was misleading.” Mace guessed so when he made out at least a dozen puncture wounds on and around her shoulder.

“A dog handler, huh? Were you any good?”

“Nope. I was one of the best.”

“Yet who knew you were really a cat person at heart?”

“I’m not. I just tolerate you because you have exceptional thighs.”

Mace laughed. “So what happened with Baby?”

Dez swallowed a mouthful of food. “I’d only been working her about two weeks or so. I was pretty terrified of her, but I didn’t want to tell my sergeant because I didn’t want him to think I was weak or something.” She shrugged again. “One night I was putting Baby up in her run, I took this chewed up old ball from her…and she didn’t seem to appreciate that much. Next thing I know, she had me by the arm and had dragged my ass into the run with her. Then I woke up in the hospital, covered in bandages.”

“Jesus, Dez.”

“It’s the risk you take being a dog handler. You’re gonna get bit.”