Macey
I AWOKE THE next morning to find a note nestled against Dallas’s pillow.
Gone for a run, Jax is here. Love you. D.
I smiled and took some time to stretch. I’d slept soundly. Checking my phone, I saw that it was just after nine, and wondered how long Dallas had been gone. Even on the job, he took time to run. I’d venture a guess that running along Nye Beach was a lot nicer than running the streets of Portland. At the very least, a change of scenery.
I took a quick shower and dressed in sweats and a T-shirt before heading out to the front room. I saw one of the French doors was open, so I peeked my head outside to see if Dallas was back, pulling my hair into a scrunchy as I did.
Jaxon saw me and smiled, standing and making his way to me. “Hey Mace.”
Jaxon Quinn was gorgeous. The classic tall, dark, and handsome, lithe like Dallas, a little taller, but his sex appeal wasn’t just because of his looks and badassness… he was also a gifted musician, which meant he had a different woman every week. He could probably have a different woman every day if he wanted one.
“Hi Jax. How are you?”
He waved his coffee cup toward the sea. “Livin’ the dream.”
“Seriously! It’s stunning,” I said. “How often did you come here as a kid?”
“Couple times a year at least.”
“Lucky.”
“No doubt,” he said. “Are you hungry? I can run and grab you something to eat.”
“How about I cook?”
His face lit up. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.” I smiled. “I’m not as good as Bailey, but I do make a mean breakfast burrito.”
“Bring it,” he said, and followed me inside.
I pulled out everything I needed and then poured myself a cup of coffee. I had a moment of nervousness when Jaxon pulled his gun from his holster, but when he stepped out of the kitchen, I watched him holster it again, and then heard Dallas’s voice.
“Just me, Jax.” Dallas walked in and leaned down to kiss me.
“Ew, you’re all sweaty,” I complained.
Dallas chuckled. “You like me sweaty.”
I blushed and shook my head. “Would you like breakfast?”
“I would love breakfast. I’ll just take a quick shower.”
I grinned. “Okay.”
“Did you sleep?” he asked.
I stroked his cheek. “Yes.”
“Good.”
“Let me see your side.” He raised his shirt and I grimaced. A purple bruise was beginning to form where I kicked him. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. It looks bad.”
“It’s fine,” he assured me. “I’ll ice it after my shower.”
I felt around the bruise again. “I think I should bind you.”
“Honey, it’s barely a scratch. I’m fine.” He smiled, kissing me one more time before leaving the kitchen.
Jaxon sat on one of the stools at the peninsula that opened into the dining room. There was a pass-through from the kitchen into the area by the French doors, but nowhere to sit.
“So, did you draw the short straw?” I asked as I put bacon on to fry.
“Nah, I volunteered.”
“Really?”
Jaxon nodded. “I almost never get to come here anymore, and I miss it. I didn’t get to spend last Christmas with the family due to an assignment, so it’s been over a year.”
“I take it we can’t thank your parents for letting us use the place, huh?”
“When all of this is over, you absolutely can.”
I smiled. “When are you going to find yourself a nice girl and settle down?”
Jaxon nearly spit out his coffee. “What?”
“Sorry,” I said, and handed him a paper towel.
“Please don’t turn into Bailey and try to set me up.”
“I would never,” I said, but couldn’t stop a giggle.
“The Quinns’ aren’t the settling down kind. Well, except for Josh. He’s been married for ten years and has three kids.”
“Wow, that’s really cool.”
“Sure. If marriage is for you.”
“It’s not for you?”
He smiled. “Guess I haven’t met the one yet.”
“And you have no plans to stop banging the other ones anytime soon.”
Jaxon chuckled. “You make me sound like a dick, Mace.”
“Pretty sure you do that all on your own.”
Jaxon frowned. “Whoa, what crawled up your ass and died?”
“Oh, Jax, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m gonna go take a walk.”
“Please don’t. I didn’t mean what I said. Honestly.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m just irritable right now.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mace. I’ll be back in a while.” He stood, leaving his coffee mug on the counter.
“What about breakfast?”
“I’ll eat later.”
“Jax.” I reached for his arm. “I’m really sorry.”
He gave me a chin lift and left me, but I still felt like a royal bitch. By the time Dallas walked back into the kitchen, I’d worked myself into such a state, I was sobbing into the scrambled eggs.
“Mace?” Dallas pulled me away from the stove. “Hey, what’s wrong? Where’s Jaxon?”
“He went for a walk.”
He lifted my face and wiped my tears away. “Why are you crying?”
“Because I’m the biggest bitch on the planet. I just accused Jaxon of being a man-whore out of nowhere, and now he’s really mad at me. Enough to “go for a walk.” I don’t know who I am anymore, Dallas. I’m not this person. Except that I am.”
“Come here,” he said, and pulled me into his arms. “Jaxon will get over it.”
“But he shouldn’t have to get over it.” I pushed away from Dallas. “Jaxon Quinn is one of the nicest people on the planet and I just called him a dick!” I threw the spatula in the sink. “What the hell is wrong with me?” Shoving away from Dallas, I rushed out of the kitchen.
* * *
Dallas
I turned off the stove and moved the pan to the back burner before pulling out my phone and texting Jaxon. Macey was in full PMS mode and when she was, she was a freight train of emotion. This week was going to be a blast… probably in the form of an AK47 disguised as Macey’s mouth.
I grabbed a pad of paper and a pen the Quinns’ kept by the circa 1980s telephone and wrote down a list. Jaxon returned a few minutes later and I gave him a chin lift. “You good?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you run to the store?”
“For what?” Jaxon asked.
“Twinkies, Cheetos puffs, Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Therapy, there’s a sweet wine that she likes, so get that—”
“Are you shittin’ me right now?” Jaxon asked.
I shook my head. “Funyuns and Hersheys with almonds. Get me three of everything.”
“Three? Why?”
I glanced toward the back of the house, not seeing Macey, but lowering my voice anyway. “Because her PMS is like clockwork, Jax. It’ll last three days, then it’ll be done, and we’ll have Macey back. In the meantime, if she has all of those at her fingertips, she tends to stay a little calmer.”
Jaxon laughed. “You’re whipped, brother.”
“Just get the stuff, Jax. You’ll see. I might be whipped, but I’m also a genius.”
Jaxon held his hand out, palm up and I put sixty bucks in it. Jaxon shoved the money in his pocket and moved to leave.
“Wait,” I said, and handed him another twenty. “Grab more beer too.”
“I didn’t even get breakfast,” Jaxon grumbled as he walked out the door.
I locked up behind him and then went to find my tornado of rage. She was lying on the master bed, a pillow between her knees and a look of total and complete despair covering her face.
“Hey, baby.”
“Hi,” she snipped.
“Want some company?”
“Not really.”
I smiled. “Want me to get your Kindle?”
“No.”
“Want me to finish breakfast?”
“I don’t care.” She flopped onto her other side, facing the window. “Just go somewhere else to do it.”
“You got it, Mace,” I said, and left the room. I forced myself not to laugh, but I couldn’t control a smile. God, I loved her.
Jaxon returned an hour later with the goods, plus a box of donuts he’d already plowed into.
“I saved you a burrito, man,” I said with a laugh.
“I’ll take it.” Jaxon grabbed the burrito wrapped in foil from the fridge and put it on a plate to warm up. “Where’s Mace?”
“In the bedroom,” I said. I grabbed the ice cream and a spoon. “I’ll be back.”
I walked down the hall and into the bedroom, finding Macey sound asleep. I grinned and snuck back out, throwing the ice cream into the freezer.
“She okay?” Jaxon asked, and bit into his food.
“Yeah, she’s asleep.” I leaned against the counter and crossed my arms. “So, what have you got?”
“Not much,” Jaxon admitted. “No prints on the note, no DNA on the envelope. A little powder, so the guy was wearing latex gloves when he put it together.”
“How do you know it was a guy?”
“Security video.”
I nodded. “Any idea on who the guy is?”
“Not yet.”
“That’s not good.”
“No.” Jaxon cocked his head. “Have you thought that Nita might know something?”
“About the guy?”
“Or anyone,” Jaxon said. “She gave you the information you wanted… what are the odds she’d give it to someone else?”
“Come on, Jax. Nita’s not naïve and she’s loyal to us… not just the bureau, but us specifically. She’s also not a gossip.”
“What if it’s someone on the inside?”
“Fuck me. Another agent?”
Jaxon shrugged. “Or a cop.”
I took a deep, steadying breath. “You mean Bruce.”
“I’m not sayin’ it is, Dal, but he’s not right,” Jaxon said. “And he’s covering something up. Something to do with his family. Matt can’t quite get a lock on it.”
“I know the guy’s a bastard, and I don’t like his obsession with Macey, but I’m not sure I’m ready to jump to him stalking and leaving her notes.” I frowned. “I’m not saying I’m not willing to look at that angle, but if I jump to conclusions and find out he’s just a douche with asshole parents who could potentially buy their way out of something, then we’re screwed. If it’s him, I want enough proof to nail him to the wall.”
“I get it,” Jaxon said.
“When do you have to head back?”
“Two hours.”
“Okay. Was thinking Mace and I might take a walk on the beach before you go.”
Jaxon nodded. “Fine by me.”
I heard the creek from the hallway that couldn’t be missed, which meant Macey was moving toward us. Jaxon slipped off his stool and looked ready to bolt should he need to.
She walked into the kitchen, yawning as she gave Jaxon a sad smile.
“Well, hi there, Sleeping Beauty,” I said.
“I’m so sorry, Jaxon,” she said, ignoring me. “I was being a total bitch. I didn’t mean what I said. Will you forgive me?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you.” She relaxed and smiled, finally letting me wrap an arm around her.
I kissed her temple. “I thought you and I could head down to the water for a bit. Jax is gonna watch the house for us. He has to drive back in a couple of hours.”
“I’d like that. I’ll grab a hoodie and my flip-flops.”
“Grab my hoodie too, babe, yeah?”
“Yep,” she said, and headed back to the bedroom.
“Feel free to eat anything you want,” I offered. “Just don’t touch the Macey stash.”
Jaxon laughed. “Got it.”
I rinsed out my coffee cup and met Macey by the French doors. “Ready?”
“Definitely,” she said, and linked her fingers with mine as we maneuvered down the embankment and onto the sand. “Does Jaxon hate me?”
I chuckled. “Does Jaxon hate anyone?”
“Not the point.” She sighed. “I was such a bitch.”
“He doesn’t hate you.” I pulled her to a stop and lifted her chin. “You’re a little emotionally raw right now. He gets it.”
“But he shouldn’t have to get it. You should, but he shouldn’t.”
I laughed. “Babe, we’re men, but we’re men who get women. And do I have to point out that Jaxon can, on occasion, manstrate?”
“Huh?”
“He’s a damn good agent, Mace, but he’s also an artsy, fartsy, melancholic musician who goes on a man period every few months.”
Macey laughed. “Are you kidding me?”
“No. He really does. He shuts himself away for a few days and won’t talk to anyone.”
“Wait, what are you saying?”
“That you’re about to start your period and, for three days before it, you’re—”
She laid her fingers over my lips. “Don’t even.”
I kissed her palm. “I took precautions.”
“What kind of precautions?”
“Let’s just say you’re stocked with your happy juice and a few other necessities.”
She grinned. “You bought my wine?”
“I bought you that Kool Aid you try to pass off as wine, yes. And chocolate among other things.”
“And more beer,” she retorted.
“Hell, yeah, I bought more beer. I’ve done this with you a few times, baby, I need a little something to take the edge off myself.”
She giggled. “Mmmm. I love you.”
Macey faced the water and I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her back to my chest. “You know one of the things I love the most about you?”
“What?” she asked and dropped her head so she could see me.
“The fact I can point out you’re PMSing and you don’t decapitate me.”
She laughed. “You’re just speaking the truth, honey. Can’t get mad at you for doing that.”
I kissed her cheek and we stood watching the sun set as the breeze picked up along Nye beach. My phone buzzed, and I pulled it from my pocket. “We need to head back.”
Macey smiled. “Okay.”
I took her hand and led her back up the embankment and into the house, securing the French doors before closing the drapes. Jaxon walked out of the kitchen, my face relaxed, but my body locked.
“I’m going to take a shower,” Macey said. “Thanks for everything, Jax.”
“No problem, babe. I’ll see you later.”
Macey nodded, kissed me quickly, and then headed back to the bedroom.