He frowned and wondered if he’d been to blame for his nephew’s change. Mac had been a steady kid, not taking after his loser of a mother or troubled father. As much as Ian had loved his brother Brian, Brian hadn’t been strong enough to handle Marissa. When Brian had died, Marissa had left without looking back, leaving Ian with an eight year old and no way to care for him except to leave the Corps and start over.
At the time, Ian had thought his life had ended. Instead, it had just begun. He loved Mac to death, but the stubborn bastard couldn’t see past Ian’s mistakes to a bright future of his own.
He refused to commit to a woman, and if anyone needed an honest relationship, it was Mackenzie Jameson. The boy had been left too many times by those he loved. First Brian, then Marissa. He’d formed a tight bond with Julie, Ian’s biggest mistake and regrettable heartache. He’d poured his heart and soul into the woman. Unfortunately, so had Mac.
When Julie had left him, it had hurt. He knew he was partly to blame, but she hadn’t wanted to give them a chance. And she left not only him, but Mac as well. The boy hadn’t taken it well at all. Julie had acted as his mother for four long years before she’d fucked Ian over and split.
Still a kid, just a twelve-year-old wanting a mother’s love, Mac had lashed out. But the rebellion hadn’t lasted, and Ian soon had his hands full of a scholar athlete with too much passion to succeed. A good enough problem to have, except Mac kept a lid on his emotions. On the outside, he excelled. But on the inside, he’d never gotten past the lonely little boy fearing rejection.
He went through relationships like most people went through tissues. Never a handful, but one at a time, one after the other. Mac never got angry or hurt over his breakups, because the idiot never let himself care. Until now. He’d certainly never cursed and banged cookware over a woman before.
Ian heard the name “Maggie” and suddenly understood so much more. Ah. Mac had a thing for the pretty little blond working at the gym. The man who didn’t get involved seemed awfully annoyed with a woman he refused to talk about.
A good sign. Ian made some noise before entering the kitchen once more. “Where the hell are my eggs?” He watched Mac take hold of his temper and settle down—on the outside.
Mac gripped the spatula with a fist the size of a brick. “Here.” He slid the plate across the kitchen island, and Ian caught it before it could go over onto the floor. “Don’t choke on them.”
“Lovely. Thanks, Mackenzie.”
Mac gritted his teeth. The boy hated to be called by his first name. His mother had picked it out. Ian liked to use it to remind Mac to overcome the past and learn from it. What didn’t kill you made you stronger. An idiom the Marine Corps enforced.
“You’re welcome, Ian.” Mac took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Now could we please get a move on? I have to drop off the car in half an hour.”
“Aye, aye, Top.” Top, a nickname for Mac’s last held rank in the Corps—Master Sergeant.
Mac sighed. “It’s gonna be a long fuckin’ day. I can feel it.”
“Right as rain.” Ian shoveled some damn fine eggs into his mouth and said around them, “What the hell did you put in this? Tastes like shit.”
Mac beat his head against a cabinet, and Ian chuckled. Yep. Time to see a few friends and study the woman who had his nephew’s dick in a knot. Then a plan to make sure Mac stayed frustrated, annoyed, and connected to the woman. With any luck, Maggie might very well be the key to unlocking Mac’s heart.
Ian grimaced. That sappy shit had to come from a woman, because no way in hell could Ian handle another one of those “open yourself to love” talks he’d once had with the boy so many years ago. He shivered and pushed the plate away. “Well, Top. Let’s hit it.” He followed Mac’s car, plotting on his way to the dealership.
Chapter Nine
Maggie wiped the sweat off her face with a towel and smiled her goodbyes to the group leaving the workout studio. All in all, she’d had a stellar few days. She’d finished all but one of her paper sculptures for Kim and had been working out like a mad woman for Mac. Her added income would help with the Christmas shopping she planned to nail tomorrow. One shot shopping.
Her list had grown considerably from last year. She had her brother, Shelby, Mimi and Ron, and now Shane. Maggie glanced through the glass wall of the workout room and spied Mac laughing with two other guys by the free weights. She couldn’t decide whether to get him something or not. She wanted to but she feared he might take her gift the wrong way. He was her boss, they’d been lovers—hell, she’d called him Master and liked it—but she wanted them to remain casual friends. The thought of a relationship excited her way too much, so she quashed the idea before she could act on it.
Imagining herself crying over Mac the way she’d cried over too many exes reinforced her notion to stay away. They’d have sex again, because they both wanted the physical gratification, but the emotional thing scared her. She wasn’t ready to go down that road again.
“Well, well. If it isn’t my favorite aerobics instructor.”
She turned to blink up at George Collins, Shane’s younger brother. She smiled with true affection. “Geo. How have you been?” She accepted his bear hug and wheezed. “A little tight.”
“Oh. Sorry.” He let her go, then studied her from head to toe wearing the same smile his older brother wore when looking at Shelby.
Maggie gripped the ends of the towel to cover her breasts. The kid was seventeen, for God’s sake. “You know, staring at a woman’s breasts is not considered a form of flattery.”
“It is in high school.” He winked at her. “Besides, I’m no lecher. I think you’re beautiful. You need someone who truly appreciates you.”
“Oh?” Maggie decided to play. “And what exactly can you do for me that men my age can’t?”
Apparently the opening he’d been waiting for. “Great question.” Geo led her toward the bench where she’d stashed her gear and fetched her water bottle for her. “I’d take care of you. I mean, those older guys, they don’t have any stamina.”
She choked on her water. Please tell me he’s not talking about sex.
“You’d maybe get a dinner out of them, but they’d fall asleep before you hit the end of a movie afterward.” Geo made a face. “Shane can barely work ten hours then stay up for poker night. And now that he’s with Shelby, he’s always tired.”
Maggie stifled a grin. “Oh?”
“Yeah. He never wants to go out anymore. Always needing his sleep at night. Guy is like a thirty-two year old Boy Scout. It’s embarrassing to the Collins name.”
Shane wants to sleep with Shelby, more like. She cleared her throat. “That’s too bad.”
“Then you have guys like Brent, Tom and Mac.” Geo pointed at the three of them still talking by the weights. “I mean, sure, they’d do you. No question. But after that first time, it’s all downhill. Men peak at eighteen. Heard it in biology class.”
“Wonderful what they’re teaching you in school.”
He grinned. He had the same dark hair and green eyes as Shane. He’d be a lady killer in no time, especially since he had charm all but tattooed to his forehead.
“You know, Geo. You should give Mac lessons in how to deal with women. I think you’re on to something.”
Geo brightened. “That’s what I’ve been telling him. But Mr. I’m-God’s-Gift-to-Women doesn’t think so.”
She laughed with Geo. Especially when they noticed Mac look over at them and frown.
“What’s this?” A deep voice with a slight brogue preceded Ian, Mac’s uncle. Another charmer who would have been hell to deal with in his day. Even now she felt like she had to keep on her toes around the older man.