“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?”