Mackenzie
Between long hours at Coast & Roast and stopping by to check on her mom almost every evening, Mackenzie hardly had any time to think about anything other than the task on hand. She could finally walk like a normal person again and didn’t wince when going down her stairs in the morning. Trudging down was way worse than going up.
After tugging on her sports bra and Lycra workout shorts, Mackenzie sat on the edge of her bed to lace up her sneakers. She and the girls had a lot of fun at their every-other-week girl’s night at the Rock the Gym.
It had been a week and she hadn’t heard from Blake. Not that she’d expected him to call, or had been waiting by the phone. She’d wasted enough years being that person, the one who waited to be called on, the subservient woman worshiping her boyfriend because he worked harder and made more money than her.
She worked her ass off to break the mold of the woman her mother wanted her to be. It wasn’t Renee’s fault and it wasn’t bad parenting, it was simply the way her mother believed relationships and families should run. She was a product of the fifties, though born a decade later, and raised her children well, treated her husband adoringly, and ran a tight ship at home.
With such a big age difference between her and her brothers, Mackenzie was often overlooked when she was younger, and when Richie graduated from high school and moved out, she finally earned her mother’s attention, being her right-hand helper. Back when she was a kid, she loved the attention, but when she got into high school she started questioning her mother’s path for her. Still, she didn’t want her mother to be disappointed, and fell in love with a boy who had all the qualities her mother had said were important.
Financial security, respectable family name, a hard worker, and a nice person. Yes, Chad Warner was all of the above, but not honest. Sure, he’d treated her well when they were together, bringing her out to eat, bringing her gifts, taking care of her, assuring Mackenzie she’d never have to work a day in her life and that he’d support her.
Just like her mother had always wanted for Mackenzie. It wasn’t until Chad started working longer hours, missing dinner, and leaving for work earlier in the morning without saying good-bye that she began to question their relationship. The shiny bauble on her finger was supposed to reassure her that things were fine. Or at least that’s what Chad would say.
Maggie, her only sounding board, had left for college and didn’t offer advice when they’d talk on the phone, but listened and asked questions. The typical therapist best friend, making Mackenzie reflect on what she wanted in life, from a relationship. How she pictured her future.
And that was when she realized she wasn’t ready for the big house Chad had picked out for them to move into after their wedding, or the four children he said he wanted them to have. She didn’t like staying home all day in their apartment, keeping it clean and orderly, preparing meals that Chad would often miss.
She was only twenty-two and she was bored, had nothing to look forward to, and wasn’t happy. Kelly Berghoff showing up on her doorstep four months pregnant only weeks before Mackenzie and Chad’s wedding had been a blessing in disguise.
More pissed off that she’d been such a fool than heartbroken over losing Chad, she’d packed up her few belongings and moved out. At the time, Maggie had recently moved back to Maine and bought a cute little home. Mackenzie had crashed there while she’d figured out what she wanted in life.
She applied for a job at the Main Street Coffee Shop and worked her way up to assistant manager, eventually buying the place when Winnie Missick put it up for sale. The woman sold it to her for a bargain and Mackenzie worked her butt off to modernize the old place, turning it into Coast & Roast.
After five years, the place was still thriving and Mackenzie had never worked harder or been so satisfied with her life.
Until Blake came into her world, tipping it just a tad to the left. She’d never craved adventures or the outdoors but she was liking it more and more. It had nothing to do with the dark-haired sex god leading her on these fantastic journeys. Sure, they had fun on their hike, but she’d made it clear that whatever was going on between them was purely sexual. She could have sex with a guy and still do stuff together and not be in a relationship.
Totally.
Mackenzie pulled on a tank top and brushed her hair back into a ponytail. She spritzed herself with a squirt of vanilla essence and grabbed her keys on her way out the door.
She noticed Lucy and Sage’s cars already parked outside the gym, and was thankful she wasn’t the first one there, nervous she’d jump his bones if she was alone with Blake.
“Hey, friend.” Rachael came up behind her as she opened the door to the gym. “You ready for the strawberry festival in a few weeks?”
“Me? You’re the one who does all the baking. All I do is stand behind the counter and sell coffee and your baked awesomeness.”
“And you never get to enjoy any of the fun because you’re always behind the counter or bustling around the shop.”
“I like being busy.”
“I hear you’ve been extremely busy lately.” Rachael winked as she swung her arms around, warming up her body for their workout.
“Hey brats.” Lucy plopped herself at their feet, slipping out of her flip-flops and reaching in her bag for her socks and sneakers.
“Nice hair,” Sage teased from behind, looking perfectly put together as always.
“I’m an artist. I need to look the part.”
“At least it’s not as punk rockerish as when I first met you.”
Mackenzie liked the look on Lucy. Her hair had grown out to past her shoulders but was pulled back today. The bottom two inches of her dark ponytail were dyed a deep purple.
“I like it.”
“Thanks, Kenzie. I knew I liked you better than my sisters. And sister-in-law.” Lucy sneered teasingly at Sage.
“Ladies, welcome.” Blake greeted them, offering a kiss to the cheek for each of his sisters and a quick nod of his head to Mackenzie. “Since you’re all now trained and somewhat experienced with each obstacle, I’ll run through the circuit I designed for you tonight and let you have at it.”
Blake completely ignored Mackenzie, checking in with each sister to make sure she understood the pattern of the obstacles.
So that’s how it was going to be? A total brush-off when she’d spent every night tossing and turning, smelling him on her sheets until she couldn’t take it anymore and tossed them in the wash? The man would pay for haunting her dreams every night.
Stripping her tank top so she stood in her sports bra and short shorts, Mackenzie jogged in place and whipped her arms back and forth across her chest, warming up for tonight’s workout.
Blake’s gaze darted to her then dropped to her chest. Plenty of women exercised in just a workout bra. Her boobs were more protected than in a bathing suit. When his jaw tensed and she saw the effort it took for him to swallow, she smirked and walked past him, purposely bumping her shoulder into him.
“I’ll go first.”
Mackenzie did a few squats and then reached down and touched her toes, knowing her ass looked pretty damn good in her shorts. She jumped on the mini trampoline and hopped a few times before leaping out to the rings, grabbing hold of one and swinging like a monkey.
Her arms were limp noodles by the time she reached the end, but she did it. Jumping on to the landing, she hollered out a whoop and did a fist pump before turning and supporting the other girls.
The girls cheered for each other while Blake stood to the side, a pained look on his face as he stared at her. Just for fun, she adjusted her boobs and smiled wickedly at him.
When everyone reached the end—Sage being the only other one who didn’t fall—Blake walked around the ring pit, making his way to the group.
“You ladies seem to know what you’re doing. Push yourselves, encourage each other, but be safe. I’m going to work with them.” Blake nodded toward a group of ladies contemplating the salmon ladder.
“Where’s Colton tonight?” Mackenzie asked Maggie, realizing for the first time that Blake’s partner in crime wasn’t here. Normally Colton led Ellie and the girls around.
“CJ isn’t feeling well so Colton stayed with him tonight,” Ellie said, a sad smile on her face.
CJ’s kidney transplant last fall was scary and beautiful at the same time. Colton had recently returned from his tour of duty, after losing many of his fellow marines and his own leg, and learned he had a nine year-old son. He stepped up and donated his kidney to CJ and fell in love all over again with Ellie. It was a happily ever after story Mackenzie could get behind.
Heck, all the Rileys’ love stories were sweet. But sweet wasn’t what she was after. There were things Blake did to her body that she needed him to do again. Soon. As in tonight.
For the next hour she laughed a little louder, called attention to herself more than usual, and smiled brighter every time Blake looked, or rather, scowled, her way—which was often. She could feel his dark, brooding gaze on her all evening.
Served him right for acting like their sex was nothing but…sex.
Damn. It was exactly what she wanted and here she was acting all girly and put out because he didn’t…put out. As soon as their hour was up, Mackenzie said quick goodbyes to the girls and hightailed it out of there, not once looking over her shoulder to see if Blake was watching.
***
Blake
The woman would be the death of him. Flaunting her body as if he didn’t have every inch, every curve, every freckle memorized already. He worked like hell to stay away from her, keeping their relationship on the down low, on the sexual level only.
Not that he’d had much time to do anything other than work and sleep, but he’d squeeze in a round or two of sex if she’d offered.
And she hadn’t. Blake had been the one to initiate their four-wheeling outing and the hike up Washington. He’d hoped she’d call with an offer to do anything. Stroll along the beach, hike, bike ride, go four-wheeling again, or more sweaty sex. Hell, he’d settle for coffee and donuts.
Ideally the morning after a night of sweaty sex. Blake wanted Mackenzie any way he could get her, and watching her work out in his gym when he had to keep his hands and dirty comments to himself was not what he had in mind.
After showering in the locker room and locking up the gym, he got in his truck and headed home. Only he turned left instead of right at the intersection of Harris Road and Main Street.
Next thing he knew he was pulling into her dark and vacant parking lot. Blake turned off the truck and looked up into the second floor windows above Coast & Roast. The lights were on.
Like a beacon calling out to him, a sign that she too wanted him to come up. He’d hoped the outside door would be unlocked, another sign Mackenzie wanted him to come over tonight, but it wasn’t.
She should have heard his truck or seen the lights from her window, so he waited for her to come down and let him in.
She didn’t. He knocked, not sure if she could hear him from the apartment. Still, he waited. Finally he took out his cell and sent her a text.
I’m in your parking lot. Can I come up?
Blake waited for a reply. Nothing. And then the sound of footsteps and the doorknob turned. Mackenzie stood in the doorway, dressed in loose shorts and a tank top.
“Did you want something?” The little bit of attitude she threw off turned him on more than it should have.
“You.” Blake stepped inside, slamming the door behind him with his foot and crushing his mouth to hers. He backed her against the wall and slid his hands through her damp hair, pressing his hard body into her softness, wanting her to feel just how badly he wanted her.
Soft protests turned into sexy moans and Mackenzie reciprocated, clutching his back and hopping up onto his hips, wrapping her bare legs around his waist. She pushed her pelvis into his stomach and did the same with her tongue in his mouth, riding him, taking and driving him mad with lust.
“Mack.” He lowered his hands to her waist and slipped them under the elastic of her shorts, cupping her naked ass in his hands. “I can’t make it up the stairs.”
“Take me here.”
Blake cursed as he moved his hand from her ass and brought it to his back pocket, praying he was prepared. Mackenzie bunched up his shirt and tried to pull it over his head, but his hands were busy holding her and searching through his wallet.
“Condom.”
“Hurry.” The urgency in her voice unraveled him and he nearly dropped her.
Since she couldn’t get his shirt over his head while his hands were busy, she grabbed hold of the bottom of her tank and whipped it off.
“Holy shit.” She wasn’t wearing a bra and her boobs were level with his neck. Lowering his mouth, he licked the top of one breast and she hoisted herself higher on him so he could have better access.
Mackenzie banged her head on the wall behind her. “Hurry up with that condom, Riley. I’m dying here,” she panted.
Blake cursed again and had no choice but to drop his hands from her butt and rip open the condom. “Damn.” His jeans were still on, buttoned and zipped, and he had a condom ready to go. “I need some help here.”
Mackenzie lowered her body, removing her boob from his face—unfortunately—and smirked. “What’s the matter?”
The witch knew what was wrong, not that it was a bad problem to have. His hands were full of a half-naked horny woman, he had a condom ready to roll on, and couldn’t access his erection.
Slowly, Mackenzie unwrapped her legs and slid them down his body. She shimmied out of her shorts then spun Blake around so he was against the wall. Her hands gripped his shoulders as she wrapped her legs around him again. Tilting herself back, she teased him with her body and he gripped on to her hips so she wouldn’t fall.
Working her hands down his chest, she fingered the top of the waistband of his jeans and slid her hand underneath, her cool, soft skin causing him to nearly double over in erotic pain.
She toyed with him before biting her lip and winking mischievously. “Need some help down here, do you?” she whispered in his ear, before tugging his earlobe between her teeth.
“I swear, Mack…” he growled and thrust his erection toward her hand.
She pulled back and worked at the snap of his jeans before tugging down his zipper. Mackenzie took the condom from his hand and covered him. The second she finished he swore again. “Hold on. Tight.” He turned them around so her back was against the wall and rode her hard and fast.
They clawed at each other and moaned and cursed each other’s names as they fought to get closer, closer until not even a breath of air could slip between them. It wasn’t long before she clenched him, her thighs squeezing his hips, her heels bruising his back.
And he loved every second of it. “Mack,” he bit out between clenched teeth before following the fireworks exploding behind his eyes.
The entry room was quiet and still, except for their heated panting. When his eyes finally focused, he leaned his forehead against the wall and tried to catch his breath. “What the hell was that?”
“It’s called sex.”
“I’ve had sex before. That was…” He didn’t want to say it meant something, it didn’t. How could it? His jeans were around his thighs and Mackenzie was naked, wrapped around his body as they stood in the back of the storage room to Coast & Roast at the base of the stairs to her apartment. If it meant anything more than sex they’d be in a bed or a fancy hotel or something.
“That was hot.”
“Yeah.” Blake massaged Mackenzie’s ass in his hands and she squirmed off him, breaking their connection.
“Thanks for the sex. I’m gonna hit the sack. Long day.” Mackenzie was dressed before Blake could pull up his jeans.
“Oh. Okay.” He was kinda hoping she’d ask him upstairs so they could do the sex thing again. Only this time fully naked. Maybe even horizontal. Or semi-horizontal. Mackenzie would look good draped over her kitchen table. Or couch. Or against the wall again.
“See ya around.” Mackenzie headed up the stairs to her apartment and Blake’s gaze followed her retreating figure, zeroing in on her ass, wondering how the hell he got so lucky.
He should have been more relaxed on his way home after his grand slam in her hallway. Instead he was tense and confused, not something he’d ever been after having sex.
There were times he misread a woman and he’d found out too late that she was the commitment type. He would work hard to rectify the situation as quickly as possible, not wanting to hurt the woman and not wanting to come off like an ass either.
The signs Mackenzie threw out were pretty clear. They were on the same page, and yet there were times, like at the gym, when he sensed her annoyance when he worked and flirted innocently with other women. It was part of his job, to make the women—and the men—feel comfortable and safe, but still challenge and push themselves.
From the little he’d learned, and the little he’d asked about Mackenzie, she was the female version of him. Dedicated to her job, looking for a good time and not into relationships.
So what was their problem? Why was it that every time he left her he felt unsatisfied, like he wanted something more, even after the most ridiculously amazing intense sex of his life?
Blake pulled into his driveway and shoved his gearshift roughly into park. “Damn women,” he cursed. Fumbling with his keys as he stood on his front stoop, he finally found the right one and held it to the lock. “What the…”
The front door was slightly ajar, not enough so anyone walking down the road would notice it had been left open, just enough so the lock didn’t click. Blake slowly pushed the door open and called out.
“Hello?” He flicked the light on and scanned the entryway. He could take the four steps up and check out the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms, or the four steps down and check out his storage and workout space.
There were more places to hide downstairs so he went there first, turning on lights, opening closet doors. He didn’t have a lot of crap to look through—one of the perks of living on the go for the past decade—and shut off the lights, taking two stairs at a time to check out the upstairs.
No boogeymen popped out of the closets or were hiding under his bed. Blake jogged up the stairs again and locked the front door, clicking the deadbolt. Then, remembering his loose screen the other week, he went back into his workout space and checked the windows. The one in the back was unlocked.
Blake wasn’t one to scare easily—he was a guy after all and had a million gallons of testosterone running through his veins—but he got a sudden case of the willies. He checked the rest of his windows and did the same upstairs, even though they’d be harder for an intruder to get to.
There was no need to text his family. They wouldn’t have crawled through his downstairs window and left his front door ajar and would only worry, or make fun of him for being scared.
Taking another quick inventory of his expensive items, he felt a little better and went into the kitchen to make a sandwich. Pulling open the deli drawer in his fridge, he reached in and came out empty. The roast beef and Swiss were gone.
Weird. He swore he still had enough left to make another sandwich. He grabbed the tinfoil package Rachael had left for him yesterday and dumped the pork chop and baked potato on a plate before tossing it in the microwave. He wouldn’t let a minor thing like an opened door and window freak him out. Could have been the wind or negligence.
He knew, though. And while he didn’t want anything to do with them, if he called the police, it would make the possibility of this being Alyssa more real. Better to think of the intruder as a stranger. Blake was the master of playing dumb to get out of doing things.
Or believing what he didn’t want to believe. A total head case, he was. Hell, Blake’s head hadn’t been on straight since being with Mackenzie.
It was her fault he forgot little things like locking the front door, putting gas in his truck. Eating.
After scarfing down his dinner, he took another shower—to wash off the willies—and fell into bed naked and still wet.
He couldn’t help but smile and imagine Mackenzie naked and wet in his bed too.
Soon.
Sporadic sex with Mackenzie Pratt wasn’t enough to keep him satisfied. He’d need to step up his game.