Chapter Seven
Mac stood there in the street, watching her drive away.
That was unique, he had to grudgingly admit. He rarely had to chase them. Or. Never. But he never wanted to catch anyone for longer than a day or two. Until her.
Right then he had to fight back a flood of possessiveness as her taillights faded.
But the problem here—one of them anyway—was his damned brother constantly causing trouble. Darrell had attempted to scare Katie Faith and Aimee. Part of Mac wanted to rip his brother’s arms off and beat him with the stumps. A big part. Okay, all.
His family should have nothing to do with him and Aimee and whatever he’d manage to get her involved in. Starting with his pants. But they were his family after all, and that meant of course they’d be a problem.
He turned on his heel and stalked back to his truck. He’d have to deal with his family soon enough. Especially because Darrell waited for him with his cousin.
“I’m really close to leaving you bloody right now, Darrell. So I’m telling you to keep your trap shut and open your ears.”
“I don’t have to listen to you,” Darrell spat out.
Mac popped him a quick one in the nose. Enough to make him bleed and make the point about how easy it would be to do it again.
Darrell howled and started for Mac, who popped him again twice more before he pivoted, sending Darrell to the ground as he lost the target he’d been lunging at.
As he lay on the pavement, holding his nose—already healing, the fucking baby—he complained long enough for Mac to telegraph that he was going to be punched again, and then Darrell shut up quick, not wanting any more pain.
Mac left his brother on the ground as he knelt next to him. “You’re making my job a lot harder than it has to be. And that makes me really cranky. If I ever catch you trying to scare witches or anyone smaller or less powerful than you again, especially in the name of this pack, I will personally make sure you’re stripped of membership and shunned. You will not start a war, Darrell. Hear me? And you will not terrorize women like a goddamn bully. You disgust me. Now get the hell home and if I see you again before I tell you I’m ready, you’ll be spitting out teeth.”
He turned, giving Darrell his back, letting his brother know he had no fear of him at all. To Huston he said, “Make sure he gets his ass home. He makes any stops before that, I want to know.”
His cousin nodded before moving off to follow Darrell.
Rage roared through his veins. Aside from the pact that the wolves were supposed to abide by—namely never using their power unfairly—his brother had no call to try to harm or intimidate Aimee. She was strong. Hell, when she told him off... Well, each time she did, because she seemed to do it a lot, he got off on it.
But teeth and fur, claws and ferocious beast strength could break her. Catch her by surprise or off balance and if she wasn’t ready, she could get caught in the crossfire. Which was unacceptable.
He’d keep a very close eye on his brother. Yes, there was no way around a challenge. Pembrys were going to self-destruct unless they got some real leadership. So his dad had to step up or get out of the way immediately. His hope of a peaceful transition like the Dooleys had just gone through was waning.
He got into his truck, scrubbing his hands over his face before sighing. He needed to talk to Aimee, make sure she truly was all right and also speak with her about the situation in town. Try to diffuse things. And maybe ask her out. Yeah.
It’d be part of him truly moving back to Diablo Lake. Plus she smelled really good. And he wanted to lick the magic off her skin.
First the job. Make nice with the witches to diffuse this a little. Then the romance.
* * *
Half an hour later, she opened her door to find Mac standing on her porch.
“I thought this was done for the day.” She crossed her arms over her now braless chest.
“You’re nice to other people.” He said this like it was new to her.
She cocked her head, eyeing him warily. “I’m a very nice person. But that doesn’t mean I’m a doormat. And it doesn’t mean I don’t push back when someone shoves me. Nice doesn’t mean weak.”
He smiled and it sent a slow shiver of delight over her skin. He had a really great mouth.
Even from where he stood she caught the scent of wood smoke on his clothes, pine and cold, clean air. What must he have been like in London? Far away from this place with these stars, did he have that same sort of capable masculinity emanating from him?
“I bet no matter how hard any of those other guys tried, everyone’s gaze flicked your way when you entered a room.”
She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Everything moved in horrified slow motion as the words left her lips for him to hear. And then his smile slipped, changed and then it was something else entirely.
Something sort of dirty and naughty and she liked it.
Aimee swallowed hard, her pulse thundering.
“Everything about you is unexpected,” he told her, sounding like he didn’t know if he was mad or not.
Katie Faith was the unexpected one. Aimee was solid. Predictable even. She frowned at him. “I just meant in London or in the army. I’ve met army guys before.”
One of his brows slid up slightly. “I’m an alpha wolf.” He shrugged. “It tends to catch attention.”
Lord, yes it did.
That and his butt.
“Did you know I can taste your heartbeat?” he murmured, leaning in close. “I can scent your blush as it heats your skin and the way your body chemistry changed. It’s delicious.”
Holy shit. He’d essentially just told her he knew he got her wet.
And she’d be lying to insist anything else. What she felt right there as he stared, looked at her like she was something he planned to lick from head to toe, was the most intense thing she’d ever experienced.
Made her feel like an amateur because this was big-league attraction.
She put a hand to her throat but didn’t deny. Didn’t argue.
The chemistry swirling between them was a thick current, catching her, holding her. Not that she would have attempted to break free.
She cleared her throat and found some words. “I knew. In general, I mean. Katie Faith is married to a werewolf. She dated Darrell for years before that so I’m not ignorant of your heightened senses.”
“Why do you sound so mad then? When your scent is just for me?”
“I don’t know. I don’t like not knowing, which makes me mad too. You’re very sexy, did you know that?” He made her blurty. Which agitated her even more.
“Are you going to invite me in, or are we going to keep having this weirdly entertaining conversation out here?” he asked. “I promise not to bite. Not unless you like that sort of thing.”
Exasperated and totally tingly at the image that conjured up, she stood to the side and motioned him into her kitchen. “I just made hot tea. You want some?”
He stood there and breathed in deep, his eyes closed, body tensed as every bit of him seemed intent on sniffing or smelling or whatever he was up to.
She knew he was big. She’d been next to him and up against him now twice, but in her house he seemed massive. The intensity of his concentration only seemed to make him larger, more compelling.
Just standing there he took up most of the oxygen and it was hard not to sway just a little, caught in his power as he so intensely cataloged whatever smell he was smelling.
Then, without anything else being said about it, he snapped out of it. “Sure. Got any cookies?” He plopped down at her table and began to poke around in the bread box. “What are these? Can I have one?”
A lot more like a bear than a werewolf just then. But she kept that to herself.
“Those are pecan sweet rolls. Merilee made them for the Counter. You can have one, but the other is mine and you should know up front I am mean when anyone steals my food.”
“Cross my heart I will not steal your last sweet roll.” He made an X on his chest. “I’ll even bring you some extras if that means you’ll be nice to me.”
She poured his tea into a mug and indicated the sugar and milk if he wanted some. “I’m sorry I was short with you. Again. The first time at the market it was because I was still freaked out and mad about nearly being knocked over by two giant wolves. No one likes feeling that vulnerable. And tonight because something was said about someone I love like family and your damned mother has done a lot of damage with her mouth. I know she’s your momma and so of course you love her.” Aimee rolled her eyes. “But together with your brother, she’s bound and determined to cause some sort of fight everywhere Katie Faith goes in her own hometown. What sort of person does that? But you didn’t say it and I shouldn’t have included you in with them. Though I do expect you to rein them in.”
He could make Pembry a better pack. If they allowed him to. But she had her doubts about that. His parents were so focused on Darrell taking over as Patron, even though they’d called Mac home and knew he was going to take over. They seemed to wallow in some fantasy that both things—Darrell in charge and Mac taking over—were possible at the same time. Or maybe they just wanted him to do all their dirty work to get rid of Darrell so they could still be on Darrell’s side in a way. Which made Aimee angry. What parent did that? They’d set up some sort of situation where no matter what Mac did he’d be the villain in some sense. So they didn’t have to come out and say to Darrell’s face that he wasn’t the wolf for the job? Ugh.
He watched her as he ate his sweet roll and drank his tea. His energy was intense, yes, but it was easy being with him. She didn’t feel like she had to fix him or shield him or even be mad at him. That was a nice thing.
He said, “I accept your apology. And I want you to accept mine because I know this mess hurts Katie Faith and her family and I hate that Avery’s health is in jeopardy and this nonsense makes it worse. You shouldn’t have to be afraid to be out and about or have someone try to ruin your day. I get why you were upset. Both times. I’m trying. Please understand that. I’m trying to make the changes we need at a speed they’ll actually work in.”
His tone and the sigh at the end tugged at her. He was torn. That much was clear. And he’d probably already figured out that his parents were using him as the cudgel they didn’t have the spine to be themselves.
She found herself really wanting him to share. “Before you say anything else, I think you should know I’m a little empathic. I can’t read your mind or anything like that. But we all give off emotions, even when we try to lock them down. I try to be up front with people. I never want them to think I pry.”
A new blush heated her chest and cheeks.
“Really? That’s sort of cool. Well, wait. Is it cool? Come to think of it, that might be annoying or scary given how people can be sometimes.” His reaction let her admit she would have been really sad if he’d reacted negatively.
Instead he seemed interested rather than repulsed. Which made her like him even more.
“It’s a gift and like all gifts, they come with blessings and flaws. I can shut it out in crowds but I’d hate to live in a big city. It helps me do my job better. I’m still learning how to use it.” It hadn’t saved her from her foolish mistake with Bob, but stone-cold liars were often really good at it. “Miz Rose says she still learns new things about her power. So if she can, I guess I’m glad to do it as well.”
“Huh. Okay, I get that. So. I’m sexy?” One corner of his mouth hitched up and punched her in the gut. So much desire filled her that all her renewed guilt over the whole situation with Bob melted away.
“You seem to bring out the blurt in me. You know you are so stop pretending to be modest. What’s your mom’s problem?”
He leaned back after wiping his mouth. “Wow, you’re all over the road there, Aimee. How about we get back to how sexy I am? And then we can promise to never include details about my mom when we’re talking about sex or who is sexy.”
Lord. He was trouble. Except this trouble was well over six feet tall and had shoulders wide and strong, and he looked like Paul Bunyan only... Well, no, not Paul Bunyan, but like the paper-towel guy. Yeah, that one.
She was a rule follower usually. But he made her want to break them all. Or at least the good ones that might end up with kissing him. Or fucking. Whatever. Wow.
At least his wolf sense couldn’t smell this conversation she was having in her head.
“My mother is fiercely protective of the Pembry wolves.”
He had to go and ruin that lovely little fantasy she was having about him with that? “Is that an actual answer to my question, because if so, that’s dumb. You think she’s the only one who feels protective? And yet none of us are poking old men trying to recover from a near-death health crisis over it but her.”
“Are you always like this?”
“Right, you mean? I am. Way more than people give me credit for,” she muttered. “Or do you mean annoyed that as dumb as your family is, you look good enough to take a bite out of?”
“I don’t have the slightest idea how to deal with you.”
She laughed then. “I’m not a puzzle to be solved. Anyway, you need to be kept on your toes.”
“Are you the woman to do that?”
This was bad. She should avoid this moment. Laugh it off, shoo him away and masturbate instead.
“I don’t know.”
He cocked his head. “Do you want to be?”
“Yes. Parts of me right now are all shouting yes. My brain says no. I shouldn’t. But you have such a pretty face, it’s hard not to get all caught up in it.”
“What if I said I wanted you to get all caught up in it? Like if it was between your thighs?”
Delicious shivers of delight wracked her as they both crossed that line.
There was no misunderstanding he was referring to oral sex. Not any more room for misunderstanding how much she wanted that to be happening either.
She blew out a breath. “So. You know this could end in total disaster, right?”
“I’m not sure I can think right now. All my blood has rushed from my brain to my cock. But whatever to all that. I want you. You want me. Fuck everyone else.”
“I can’t imagine anyone in your family would be okay with this.”
“None of them are going to kiss you. And not all my family are bad.”
“You’re going to kiss me?”
“I sort of feel like if I don’t I’d be missing out on something really good. And you want me to. So I’m happy to oblige.”
“That’s good because my appetites are insatiable.”
He laughed, leaning over to drop a kiss, a brush of lips and the warmth of his breath against her mouth.
“That one was an introductory kiss. Free of charge.”
“It was okay.”
Her mouth tingled so there was that.
His smile told her he wasn’t insulted. “Don’t put that review up online, okay? I have a reputation to uphold.”
“I’m thinking you’ll have to give me a few options so I can judge appropriately. You don’t have a Consumer Reports page so I need to do my research. I’m very responsible.”
“This is hands down the strangest conversation I’ve ever had with a woman.”
“I doubt that. I know who your mother is.” She gave him a look.
“I thought we decided we weren’t going to talk about my mother right now?”
“Well, you said that because you want to kiss me instead of talk about how out of bounds she’s acting.”
“Just so you know, I’d pretty much always rather kiss you than talk about my mother.”
He was so funny. How had she never known this? Damn it. Funny men were a weakness and this one also had wide shoulders, soulful eyes and an ass you could bounce a quarter off.
“I understand that, Mac. I surely do. And yet, the topic is pretty important.”
He leaned across to kiss her again, this time there was no sweet brush of lips. This time he eased right in, his tongue sliding over her bottom lip and right into her mouth like he was meant to be there.
Oh, his taste. Dear heavens above. It rushed through her system like little tiny sparklers of pleasure.
He slid a hand—a big, strong hand—around the back of her neck, holding her close as he deepened the kiss.
She grasped the front of his shirt, more to keep from melting into a puddle of goo than anything else. Her heart pounded as he nipped her bottom lip hard enough to elicit her gasp of pleasure/pain.
If this man did anything else as well as he kissed, she was really going to enjoy getting to know him.
Then again, he was a Pembry and his mom was a total kook and his brother was a psycho.
And yet, she had no intention of breaking the kiss.
* * *
Mac had never tasted anything like Aimee Benton. And now that he had, he found he had no interest in any other flavors.
Ever since the night when he’d broken up that fight and pulled her from the fray, he’d been unable to stop thinking of her.
She tasted like fine, smoky scotch. Her energy, her magic was golden and full of light and sensuality.
It didn’t matter that they were improbable.
What mattered was the way she felt as she surrendered to the kiss. The fire in her spirit. The fantastic rack didn’t hurt either.
Aimee was someone he could see as an equal to his own power. A witch who, though generally genial, had a very tough spine.
He wanted more.
He was pretty much as hard as he’d ever been and there was probably no chance he’d get inside her that night. Two days ago he’d have said never. After that kiss though, he knew it was inevitable.
Mainly because once he’d set his mind to something, he rarely failed. And also because he knew how much she wanted that too. Something else he liked about her was that if she wasn’t interested in anything else with him, she’d tell him straight up.
Admittedly, he kept kissing her to keep her from overthinking and to make his case that he would be worth the time and effort.
That and he liked kissing her, so why stop?
He sipped at her. Savored each moment as he took her bottom lip between his teeth, tugging gently.
Her moan in response seemed to physically grasp his cock and squeeze and he had to swallow back his own entreaty.
The back of her neck was so fucking soft and smooth he wanted to rub his face along it, preferably as he took her from behind.
She wriggled to get closer, which only made him madder to have her.
“Let me take you to dinner,” he said as he cruised kisses across her jawline to her ear. Unfortunately he had to go back home to deal with that scene at city hall. He’d only come over to apologize and it had been longer than he’d planned on.
Not that he regretted their kiss. Or whatever else they’d just started. But duty called and it sucked so he figured he’d better lock her in at least for the next step.
“Right now?” The disappointment in her voice made him smile as he sat back.
“Tomorrow night. I need to go home right now and deal with the scene at city hall earlier. Believe me when I tell you I’d rather be here than there.”
Understanding lit her eyes and she nodded. “Bummer. But I get it. Uh, dinner in public though? Like Pembry wolves would see us?”
“You ashamed to be seen with me?”
She made a face and snorted. “Yeah, I make out with guys all the time but they have to be really special to be seen in public with.”
“You know what I mean,” he said.
“No. I think you need to know what I mean because I’m not interested in you if you can’t admit there’s a problem at your end, not mine. Like I’m going to complain if people in this town see us eating together? That’s the least of all the problems you need to handle. We both know what’s happening right now in town.”
“Okay, okay. Fair enough. Yes, in public, and who knows what my family will think. I already told you we aren’t all like my mom and brother. My uncle and cousins like you.”
“Jeez, don’t get a complex or anything.”
He would have been annoyed but the grin she wore let him know she was just teasing. He liked her.
“So. Dinner tomorrow. I’ll pick you up here? Say, seven?”
“All right. That works.”
She got up to walk him to the door where he lost himself in her for a few more kisses and rushed out before he decided not to go at all.
* * *
He skipped heading to his parents’ house, stopping off at his uncle’s first. He’d called and left messages with his father and Darrell, and wasn’t surprised to see none of them had responded.
“Where have you been?” Huston asked.
“Told you I had to handle something. I went to talk to Aimee Benton. Apologize for what happened earlier.”
“Really now?” His cousin gave him a look. “Must be why you smell like a witch.”
“I was in her house. Of course I smell like her.” They’d all see him out with her the following night anyway. That and he had no desire to hide it. He liked the idea of people knowing he had plans for the delectable Ms. Benton.
If people watched them—and they would, because everyone in town was nosy as fuck—they’d also see a wolf with a witch. They’d see the normal stuff like dating and a budding romance. Normalcy was what Diablo Lake could use a heaping helping of.
Well, normal for Diablo Lake.
“Is that your story?” his aunt asked with a smirk.
“I truly did go to her house to apologize, yes, ma’am.” Mac avoided direct eye contact.
She snorted. “You’re over there all up in her because she’s adorable.”
Aimee was pretty damned adorable, as it happened. But that was something he’d discuss at another time.
Right then he had to handle Pembry business. “What’s going on with Darrell and my father? Have they been over? They’re ducking my calls.”
His uncle’s expression told Mac what he thought of that. “I saw him corralling your mother into the car. Lights are on at the house so I imagine they’re home. God knows where your brother is, but he’s not making trouble at the moment so I’ll take that as a win,” his uncle said.
“Before he left he wouldn’t tell me what JJ said to him or how the fight started. Do you know?” Mac asked as he plopped down on the couch.
“If I were to take a guess, I’d wager it had something to do with Josiah Dooley, but I don’t know for sure. You know your dad doesn’t say much to me unless he has to these days.”
“The witches are pissed. He’s stirring up a hornet’s nest and I don’t know why. But I do know there’s nowhere to go but more tension unless we can work this out.”
His family was tearing apart and it weighed heavily on him. The knowledge of what was to come if things kept heading in the same direction.
He hated it. Resented it. And it didn’t matter. Because he had to clean it up.
“Anyone want to tell me why my mother is losing her shit so much worse than usual? This seems like a lot more than her normal high-strung behavior.”
His aunt and uncle averted their gazes and he barely withheld an impatient sigh.
Barely.
Secrets never stayed secret. Not forever. And this whole thing was headed for a spectacular crash.
“Scarlett keeps her own counsel, Mac. If she has things to hide, she’s not sharing them with any of us here,” Huston said.
Mac hadn’t gone to a goddamn war zone to come home to shovel secrets for anyone.
He stood and headed toward the door. “This festering stuff has poisoned our pack. I got dragged back here across the world to clean up a damned mess and it makes it a lot harder when no one wants to speak honestly.”
Though he tried not to slam out of the house, he knew he failed as he stomped down the steps leading to the yard beyond.
“You know the law,” Huston told him as he caught up.
“I’m sick and tired of trying to handle this bullshit with one arm tied behind my back.”
“Dude. I get it. Okay? We’re not the enemy.”
“What the actual fuck? Why is everyone getting in my way instead of helping?”
Huston shook his head. “Let’s go for a run. You’re all kinds of messed up right now. Get yourself under control. Especially if you’re going to go rubbing up over Aimee on the regular.”
Mac growled but stalked to the woods just beyond. He’d cut short some pretty spectacular rubbing all over one another to return home to this?
Huston was correct though. It would indeed be on the regular. Now that he’d tasted her, he planned to taste her a lot more.
A run would help him get himself reined in. He needed to burn this all off before it singed him.
He did one of the few things that always felt exactly right. Mac slipped his human skin and let his wolf come and take over. He tore into the trees, his cousin already ahead of him on the trail.