Winter Awakening by Elizabeth Lennox
Chapter 6
Kate pulled the loaf of bread out of the oven, biting her lip in indecision. “Should I?” she asked the empty kitchen. “It’s really the only polite thing to do,” she told the empty air.
Smoothing her hands down over her jeans, she debated back and forth with herself. But in the end, she knew what she was going to do.
Before she could finish the task, the doorbell rang.
She glanced at the front door, wishing that her mother’s house had a more open style layout. That way, she could look out a window and see who was ringing the doorbell.
“It’s Mr. Hennesy,” she whispered. “I’ll give the loaf of bread to Mr. Hennesy.”
Decision made, she walked to the front door, paused to paste a polite smile on her face, then pulled the door open. The squeaking of the heavy door barely registered as she realized that it was Mack standing on the front porch. Not her mother’s seventy year old neighbor.
“I need your help,” he began.
Kate blinked, frozen for a moment. Mack needed help? How…unexpected!
“Sure!” she said, opening the door further, and waving him inside. “I was going to bring you something anyway. So, your visit will save me the trip.”
He walked into the smallish house, heading straight for the kitchen. He was so tall and big and…just his presence was overwhelming, that she backed up a step as she laid a hand on the still warm bread.
“Did you…bake that?” he asked, licking his lips as he eyed the golden loaf of bread.
“Yes. I just…” she stopped when he opened the fridge, and peered inside. “What are you…?”
She stopped when he pulled out the butter dish. Yes, her mother was old-fashioned enough to still have a butter dish. Kate had never bothered with the dish. She just left the butter in the wax paper wrapper and stuffed it into the fridge. She kept the butter in the small compartment designed to keep butter, with the garlic and yeast.
“Yes!” he hissed, taking the butter and grabbing a knife. He paused, looking at her. “You were bringing this to me, right?” he asked, but didn’t wait for her response. He was already cutting into the loaf, and grinning at the steam he released. “I don’t care. Whoever you made it for will just have to suffer.” He spread butter over the first slice, pausing to watch the butter melt a little. “Dean’s wife bakes him bread all the time. And cookies. But Dean never brings in any to share with us. He just tells us about it, the ass!”
He closed his eyes after the first bite, clutching the counter with his free hand and swaying slightly as he savored the bread. She couldn’t help but smile.
“You like it?” she asked.
“Hell yes!” he sighed, taking another bite. “Freshly baked bread is…it’s the best thing in the world besides sex. And beer.”
Kate laughed at his clarification. “Okay, good to know.”
He finished off the first slice and cut another, smothering it in butter. “Aren’t you going to have some?” he asked as he devoured the second slice.
“Um…no, that was going to be my gift to you as a thank you for the other night.”
He blinked at her, startled. “What about the other night?”
“You let me cry on your shoulder?” she prompted, a little hurt that he didn’t remember.
“Hell, cry all you want if it gets you to bake bread!” he told her.
Kate laughed again, charmed by this almost child-like version of Mack. He was always so serious and tough and strong! Seeing him eager, just for something as simple as bread, was a revelation.
“Good to know that you’re easy,” she replied, leaning a hip against the counter. But that’s when she noticed the fatigue in his features. “Are you okay?”
He stopped eating. “Absolutely. Never better, actually. Why?”
“You look tired,” she said. “What’s messing up your sleep?”
He shook his head dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.” He brushed the crumbs from his fingers over the sink. “But I do need your help with something important.”
Her eyes widened, then a slow smile formed. “The dangerous Officer Mack needs help? From little old me?” She twisted around as if looking for something. “Hang on. I need to write this date down.”
He growled then spun her around, pressing his body against hers, imprisoning her against the kitchen sink. “Are you going to be a smart ass? Or are you going to ask me what I need help with?”
She tilted her head slightly, those lips curling into a mischievous smile. “I think I’m going to be a smart ass a bit longer.”
He rolled his eyes. “Get your coat. You’re coming with me.”
He didn’t give her time to reply, just grabbed her hand and led her out of the kitchen. Along the way, he grabbed her coat, then her house keys, pulling her out through the front door then locking it carefully.
“Although the cave-man tactics are interesting,” she teased, “could you at least give me a clue?”
“I need a sofa. You’re going to help me pick one out.”
“I am?” she asked, following him down the front steps. Shouldn’t she be packing? The realtor was coming by to do a preliminary estimate on the house tomorrow morning.
“You are.”
“What value will I add to your selection process?”
“You know what looks good and what kinds of furniture will fit the style of my house.” He opened the passenger door to his SUV and eyed her pointedly, waiting for her to get in.
“How do you know that?” she asked, standing in front of him. She took a moment to look at him, enjoying the scruff on his jawline and the determination in his eyes. This was Mack! And he needed her help! She was tingling with awareness and excitement.
He shrugged. “I’m guessing you advise brides and grooms on what is tasteful. So, I’m assuming you have good taste.”
He had a good point. She loved decorating, matching colors and textures, picking out the perfect lighting to make a room or an area stand out.
“Okay! I’m in!”
Fifteen minutes later, Mack pulled into the parking lot of one of the furniture stores. Kate was excited to get started. So, she jumped out of the SUV and met him at the back of the vehicle. “Okay, so what colors are you thinking about?”
“That’s your area of expertise.”
She was almost bouncing beside him with excitement. “What are your criteria?”
“It has to be comfortable.”
She waited, but that was it. Mack kept on walking. “That’s…it?” she asked, surprised. “That’s all that you need? Something comfortable?”
He pulled the door open, looking down at her with a confused expression. “What else would there be?”
She laughed, rolling her eyes as she walked through the door. “Well, comfort is a given,” she said, heading towards the first sofa in the area. “But there’s also the style, the feel of the room. What kind of feel are you looking for?”
“Comfortable,” he repeated, stuffing his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans.
Kate sighed, shaking her head. “Okay, well then what type of fabric do you want?”
He blinked at her, his face completely devoid of expression. “Something that keeps the stuffing in?” he offered.
They headed towards a big leather sofa. “What about this one?”
He sat down in it and looked up at her expectantly. “Do you like this one?”
Kate shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “No way, Mack. This will be your sofa. My opinion doesn’t matter.”
His lips compressed ever so slightly, but other than that, he didn’t respond. He settled back and stretched his arms along the back, looking up at her. “Will this one work in the house?”
Kate’s mouth twisted as she looked down at the sofa. Hmmm…perhaps she wasn’t looking at the sofa. She was looking at Mack. At his long legs. His flat stomach. His muscular arms. He looked like a superhero stretched out as he gazed benevolently out at his people.
“It’s…um…” she had to blink to evict the images of Mack sitting there, naked, from her mind. “It’s a good sofa. Is it comfortable?”
“Why don’t you come over here and find out?”
She hesitated for only a moment, remembering the other night when he’d held her in his arms. She’d loved feeling him like that. His arms were the best! And leaning against his chest? Yeah, that had been pretty darn nice!
“I can see the sofa better from here.”
His eyebrow lifted slightly. “You’re looking, but you don’t know what it feels like.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “You only asked me to come along for aesthetic opinions. This is your sofa. You determine if it feels right to you.”
He glanced down at the leather, then shook his head. “No, this one isn’t right.”
They tried out several sofas and he went through the same ritual, including trying to entice her to try it with him. But she refused every time. She remembered so many nights when she and Mack would be “doing homework” in the family room while her mother was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. But she and Mack hadn’t even cracked open the text books. They’d come home from school and he’d pull her onto the couch and kiss her. From that moment until her mother called her in for dinner, he’d sneak kisses or touches or…just looked at her, if Kate’s mother was too close.
Ugh! Those memories needed to stay in the past. No need to make painful new ones. Well, they wouldn’t be painful now, but they would be when she went back to Miami.
Why did the thought of going back to Florida fill her with a sense of dread? The warm weather, the beach, the ocean…she loved Florida. Didn’t she?
Following Mack as he moved among the displayed furniture, Kate thought about her small condo. It wasn’t her dream home, but…her dream home was that old Victorian, where Mack lived.
Woah! Where had that thought come from? She looked up at him, his dark eyes studying her as if he could read her mind somehow. He couldn’t know that she’d just been thinking their long conversations in that abandoned house. Could he?
“That one,” she declared, pointing to a big, deep sofa covered in white canvas. It had an easy to remove cover, so it could be washed, and it looked cozy and casual.
“Why that one?” he asked, moving towards it. He eyed it for a long moment, then turned to sit, pulling her down with him.
The sofa was even more comfortable than she’d thought. The cushions were filled with a mixture of foam and down that cupped her body.
But all of that comfort was negated because half of her body was heated by Mack. Hips, thighs, shoulders…she felt hot suddenly.
“Kate?” he prompted.
She turned her head and noticed the small flecks of gold in his dark eyes. The lines around his eyes hadn’t been there twelve years ago, but they worked on him. They might have made him look a bit craggier, but she liked that. It was all part of his rugged persona.
He blinked. She blinked. Time seemed to slow down. She watched as he leaned forward. Kate knew what was about to happen. In her mind, he was already kissing her. She should have anticipated this. It was inevitable.
And yet, when he brushed his lips against hers, the electric shock was still surprising. She pulled away, but not far. Looking up at Mack, she recognized the surprise in his eyes as well. Then she felt his hand on the back of her head, his mouth moving closer, moving towards her. She braced herself for that shock, and it was even more intense this time. His lips brushed against hers and she melted in his arms. He shifted so that she was on her back as her arms wrapped around his neck while they kissed. It didn’t matter that they were in the middle of a furniture showroom. It didn’t matter that twelve years had passed. They were together again and he was kissing her and it was beautiful and amazing, familiar but different, and if he stopped, she was going to…she didn’t even know what she might do! That’s when his lips drifted from her lips to her earlobe and…oh dear heaven, that felt so incredibly good.
Someone cleared his throat pointedly and they froze. Mack lifted his head, gazing down at her with flames of desire glowing in his eyes for a long moment. Suddenly, their arms still wrapped around each other, they both realized where they were.
Slowly, as if it hurt him to do so, Mack sat up, pulling her with him as he turned to the sales person. “We’ll take this couch,” he announced.
The salesman, a stiff, fussy man in a three piece suit and a bow tie, morphed from a disapproving disciplinarian and broke into a pleased smile. “Excellent!” he replied. “Would you like to finance the sofa?”
Mack stood up, grabbing her hand but he threw his arm over her shoulder. “Nope, no need. I do want the matching chairs and this coffee table though.”
Kate glanced down at the coffee table. It was a wood and iron thing that looked like one of those industrial type deals. And it was perfect for Mack. She knew that he liked to stretch his legs out while watching television. So any coffee table needed to be strong and sturdy, tough enough for a pair of heavy boots. Kate liked it because it was a bit…avant-garde in a weird sort of way. She could already picture the books she’d lay out over the top and…she stopped imagining and turned to look up at Mack, then snorted with laughter.
“What?” he prompted, pausing in mid-sentence of his conversation with the salesman.
She shook her head. “I was just thinking about how you could put colorful pillows on the sofa, and change them out for each season.”
His eyebrows lowered, as if what she was saying didn’t make sense. He even turned to glance at the sofa, then at Kate. Obviously, her comment went right over his head.
“Never mind,” she told him, waving her comment away.
The salesperson lifted his hand, as if he were in a classroom. “We have an excellent selection of pillows along the back wall if you’d like to peruse the options.”
Mack shot her a look that said, “See what you’ve done?”
Which only made her laugh harder. She turned to the salesman, humor sparkling in her eyes as she asked, “Can you honestly picture this guy choosing pillows?”
The salesperson adjusted his bow tie as he looked Mack over. “No,” he replied, his lips pursing in disapproval. “I suppose not.” He looked hopefully at Kate. “But if you’d like to steer him in the right direction, just let me know.” He went on to explain the benefits and quality of the pillow materials. Kate glanced at Mack. She even opened her mouth to say something, but he growled low in his throat and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Don’t you dare!” he growled into her ear.
Which only made her laugh harder.
Twenty minutes later, the salesperson beamed and handed Mack the receipt. “When would you like us to schedule delivery?”
“No need.”
The salesperson frowned, confused, and looked out at the parking lot, obviously looking for a moving van.
Instead, he saw three big men walk into the store and his mouth fell open.
Mack tilted his head in their direction. “My friends have pickup trucks. They’ll handle the delivery.”
The salesperson nodded politely at the men. “Good evening gentlemen. I’ll go arrange for the pieces to be moved to our loading dock.”
Mack shot a grin at his friends.
“Kate, this is Simon, Arik, and Dean. They are my fellow detectives on the homicide team, and they moonlight as a cheap delivery team.” He winked at Kate.
The men snorted, but politely extended their hands to shake Kate’s hand. “We’re not cheap,” the one with green eyes said. They were a handsome bunch, in a testosterone-laden way. They were big and muscular and all had the same look in their eyes. The look that warned her that they saw everything, including what she wanted to keep hidden. For some reason, she inched closer to Mack after shaking each of their hands. It wasn’t that Mack was less dangerous. But…well, he was her kind of danger.
Which was another ridiculous thought that didn’t make sense. But she gave herself a break; she’d just been kissed silly by Mack. His kisses were utterly intoxicating.
One of them, Kate thought his name was Dean, punched Mack’s shoulder playfully. “So the call finally makes sense!”
The other two men chuckled in agreement.
“What?” Mack grumbled. “Are you going to stand around shooting the shit or are you going to help me get my new furniture back to my house?” he asked. “You’ve all nagged me about furniture for a while now. I finally do it and all you can do is stand around, looking like idiots.”
That caused the three men to laugh harder. “Now he’s edgy,” Simon said.
“All the signs,” the big guy named Arik added with a knowing nod.
Mack huffed with irritation. “Seriously, the guy who sold me this sofa is going to toss it into the dumpster.” He glanced over at Kate, then quickly away. “He didn’t like my selection process.”
All three sets of eyes turned to Kate, who turned a painful shade of red.
“Ah!” Arik said, nodding his head as if he really did understand much more than Kate might want him to. “Okay, let’s do this. The ladies are already coordinating a celebration.”
Mack shifted his glare. “To celebrate what?”
But the three men were already heading back out the door, ignoring Mack, who continued to glare daggers at their backs. He sighed in frustration when his friends didn’t bother to be wounded by his look and turned to Kate. “Come on,” he grumbled, putting a hand to the small of her back as he shoved the furniture receipt into his pocket.
Fifteen minutes later, the sofa, two chairs, and coffee table were loaded into the pickup trucks and SUVs. Twenty minutes after that, the four men were carrying everything inside Mack’s house.
All four of them turned to look at Kate. “What?” she asked, not sure what they were asking. Or not asking. Didn’t they know that words helped?
“Where do you want these?” Simon asked, gesturing in the general direction of the furniture.
Even Mack waited expectantly for her direction. “It’s your house!” she told him, even though she loved this house with all of her heart. And the guys had put the furniture in a stupid place. The sofa should be…nope! Not her house!
“Yeah, but you’re the expert,” Mack replied smoothly, resting his hands on his hips. “Where do they go?”
Kate eyed the four men, then the furniture, then her gaze moved back to Mack. They were waiting for her to tell them how to position his furniture!
“Okay, fine,” she sighed, throwing her hands in the air with resignation. “The sofa needs to go along that wall. The chairs should be in front of them.
The men shifted everything around. Then they looked at her. Waiting.
Kate moved around the room, evaluating the setting. After a moment, she shook her head. “No, this isn’t right.” She asked them to try it with the sofa to one side, then the chairs in front of the sofa. The men moved the furniture into place, then stopped and waited.
Kate looked at the setup, her finger tapping her lower lip thoughtfully as she gauged the flow of the room. “Yep! Perfect!”
The men nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, and she heard the clinking of bottles. A knock sounded at the front door. But instead of waiting for the door to be answered, the door opened and two beautiful blonds and a brunette looked in. “Hello?!”
Before Kate could respond, the ladies stepped inside, each carrying a six pack of beer and something food related in their arms. And each gasped in delight at the sight of the furniture.
“Oh my gosh! Simon wasn’t kidding!” one of the blonds gushed as she circled the furniture.
The beer was plucked out of her arms by two masculine hands. Then the food was removed from her grasp by a second pair of rough hands. The blond woman didn’t even blink at the rudeness. She continued to admire the furniture.
The other blond went through the same ritual, although different male hands collected her food bounty before disappearing. But she stood next to the first blond and Kate was struck by how similar they both were. Vibrant green eyes and curly blond hair…but nope, that’s where the similarity ended. Their chins were alike, but the two women were different. Even the shade of their hair was different. Both blond, but one’s was darker. One was vibrant and energetic, the other a bit calmer. But both were stunning beauties! The brunette was just as gloriously lovely. She stood back a bit, standing closer to Kate. The food and beer were already gone from her arms, but the humor remained in her eyes. “I can’t believe that Mack finally got furniture!”
The blond women nodded, their mouths still slightly open. “When Simon told me what was going on, I didn’t believe him.”
The second blond lifted her hand. “Skeptic as well!” she laughed. “But this…!”
“Pillows!” the brunette announced.
The blond women nodded in agreement. “He could switch out the pillows for each season!” the second blond announced, clearly thrilled.
There was a snort from the right and the women turned to find the men were standing in the wide archway, each holding a beer, watching the scene with typical male perplexity.
One of the blonds looked up, smiled dazzlingly, and stepped closer to Kate. “I’m Jade, by the way. I’m married to that one.” She pointed to the man in question as the second blond stepped closer. “I’m Sage. And yeah,” she pointed to Arik who lifted his beer in acknowledgement, adding a cheeky wink as well, “that one suckered me into marrying him.”
The last lovely woman stepped forward. “And I’m Sylvie. Dean convinced me that he was worth it.” She shook her head with mock sadness. “He lied,” she added in a stage whisper.
The man in question, tall and handsome, with a determined look in his piercing blue eyes, came into the room and swept the woman into his arms. “You love me,” he said, perfectly balancing the beers as Sylvie laughed up at him.
“Yeah,” she whispered, her hands sliding up his chest. “I do.”
There was a brief kiss before Dean pulled back, keeping Sylvie against him as he turned to Kate. “So you’re the one who finally convinced that idiot to furnish his house?” He handed one of the beers to his wife, but kept his arm wrapped around Sylvie’s shoulders. “I’m impressed! How did you do it?”
Kate glanced over at Mack, who was leaning against the archway. “I don’t think I had anything to do with it, really. He just…asked me for help. And since he’d helped me the other night, I figured it was only fair.” Her eyes narrowed slightly as she continued, “Although I had no idea what I was in for.”
Mack’s features didn’t move, but his eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Anyone hungry?” Jade interrupted, clapping her hands. “We brought taco fixings!”
A masculine groan of hunger echoed through the room. Everyone moved around the kitchen counters, setting up platters and opening bags of chips.
When everything was laid out and plates loaded up, the group was silent for a long moment as everyone devoured the delicious chicken and beef with grilled peppers and onions, shredded cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, which was better than anything Kate had ever tasted.
“Oh this is amazing!” she mumbled as she took another handful of chips. “Who made the guac?”
“That would be me,” Jade announced, lifting a hand. “It’s really just avocado mixed with salsa. But you gotta get the right salsa.” The men all nodded their agreement. Mack walked over to the fridge and pulled out beers for everyone, even handing Kate a fresh bottle with the top twisted off.
She looked up at him, then froze for a long moment as the electricity zinged between them.
Someone called out to Mack and the moment ended, but Kate was startled by the intensity of it.
No one had more than two beers, but the food was pretty much gone by the time everyone left around ten o’clock.
Kate smiled and waved to everyone as they departed, then she hurried through the clean up process. On the one hand, she didn’t want to leave Mack to clean up. But on the other hand, she knew she really needed to get out of there. That fission of awareness earlier scared her. Plus, the sofa! The kissing! It was…she was very confused.
She’d just put the last container in the fridge when Mack entered the kitchen. “Thanks for all of that,” he said, his gravelly voice skimming over her body, making her hyper aware of Mack and the silence now that everyone was gone.
“No problem,” she replied, looking around as she rubbed her hands on her jeans. “Well, I guess that’s everything, so–”
“I’ll walk you home.”
She shook her head. “No need. I’m just…” she gave up when he shot her “the look”. “Right. Police officer. Overly protective.”
He didn’t bother to correct her this time, he just put a hand to the small of her back as he walked with her out the door.
The night was quiet and a bit warmer than normal for November. Still, the silence and the darkness seemed to envelope them, making everything seem significantly more intimate.
Kate opened her mouth to say something, but she wasn’t sure what to say. She just needed to break the silence.
“Are you okay? With your mom?” Mack beat her to it.
Kate latched onto the subject. “Yes!” she replied, stepping up onto the front porch. “I visited her this morning and she’s doing much better. The doctors ran some tests and don’t think there is any damage from the mini-stroke, but they’re monitoring her closely.” She unlocked the door and turned back to him. “Thank you for tonight. I enjoyed meeting your friends.”
He gave her a half smile. “You mean the other ‘officers’ on my team?”
She laughed, but nodded. “Yes. They’re all very nice. And I enjoyed meeting their wives too. I’ve seen some of Jade’s mosaics when I was in New York. She’s an amazing artist.”
“Have you read any of Sage’s books? They’re pretty great.”
She laughed, wondering when Mack had read a mystery novel, which is what Sage wrote. “I’ll download one off the internet tonight.”
He moved closer. “Kate, I…” he stopped, looking down at her. There was less than an inch of space between them. He kissed her. And Kate kissed him back as if her next breath depended on it! She couldn’t believe that she was kissing Mack – again!
She wasn’t sure who moaned, but she suddenly realized she wasn’t cold. Vaguely, she became aware of movement, then they were inside her mother’s house and he kept kissing her, backing her up so that she was pressed against the wall with his hard body leaning into her.
“Tell me you want this!” Mack growled.
“I want this!” she whispered back, clenching fistfuls of his hair, afraid he might stop. She’d wanted this for so long. And in the back of her mind, she knew that she’d hoped this would happen when she’d come home.
Suddenly, he scooped her up, his hands under her thighs as he carried her up the stairs. “I’m too heavy,” she whispered, but didn’t struggle to get down.
“Shut up,” he ordered, kicking open the door to her childhood bedroom. He didn’t know she hadn’t been sleeping in here, and Kate didn’t mention it. Not now. She’d tell him later. Much later!
He lowered her to the floor, then pulled his shirt up and over his head, dumping it beside the frilly, pink bed. He didn’t say anything, but he picked up her hands and placed them on his bare chest. Kate didn’t wait for a second invitation. She slid her hands over his chest, enjoying the sensations zinging through her.
He pulled her sweater up and over her head, then reached behind her to release the clasp of her bra. Kate gasped when she felt his hands cup her breasts, closing her eyes as she tried to slow down, to control the desire that welled up at his touch.
But it was too much! Mack’s fingers were relentless! Those thumbs teased and tortured her nipples while he continued kissing her, his tongue darting into her mouth to tease and entice. Then his hands were gone and her eyes popped open as he gave her a gentle shove, so she landed on the bed.
Kate wanted to ask him to slow down, but she might burn up if he did! His fingers deftly unsnapped her jeans as his mouth kissed a trail along her stomach before he stood back and tugged, pulling everything off. She was completely naked now and she lifted her head, watching him with anticipation.
Thankfully, Mack understood and stepped back, stripping off his boots, socks, then his jeans and boxers were pushed down over muscular thighs to reveal…!
“Yes!” she gasped, kneeling to wrap her fingers around that impressive shaft. She heard him hiss as her fingers re-familiarized themselves with his length. She remembered…everything! He loved it when she caressed that spot just under the tip. Kate smiled when she heard him groan, but before she could continue her exploration, he grabbed her hands, pushing her back onto the bed.
“I wasn’t finished,” she protested as he moved between her legs. Kate ran her hands along his skin, exploring his shoulders and arms and loving the way he still fit so perfectly against her. It was better than coming home, she thought.
“Later,” he snapped, grabbing a condom and tearing it open. He rolled it down his length and Kate stared, wanting to do that herself. Mack must have realized where her thoughts had gone because he looked intensely into her eyes and shook his head, warning her that he knew what she was thinking, remembering all of the times she’d done it for him…slowly, her lips and tongue leading the way as her fingers had covered him with the protection. It had become part of their foreplay and Kate wanted it all!
Before she could argue, he pushed her on to her back again, wrapping her legs around him so he was pressed more intimately against her core.
“Tell me,” he ordered.
Kate wanted to laugh or scream or…punch him! She was so ready for him, but she remembered how careful he’d always been. “I want you, right now!” she moaned, lifting her hips enticingly. Mack never followed orders. He gave them! It had thrilled her years ago, intensifying the feeling of his need for her. But right now, she was…on fire!
Thankfully, Mack pressed slowly into her body, working his way, inch by delicious inch, into her depths. Deeper still and Kate’s hands moved to his butt, pulling him in closer until he was fully buried in her heat.
Only then did he open his eyes and look at her before beginning to move. Slow thrusts initially, but with every gasp, every lift of her hips, his thrusts became faster, more determined! Too quickly, Kate’s body tightened and she opened her mouth to tell him to slow down, that this was too fast. But he knew her too well and he rolled his hips just right, taking her over the edge and Kate screamed his name as her body exploded with blinding pleasure. All she could do was dig her nails into Mack’s broad, powerful shoulders as he plunged into her, bringing her to entirely new heights of passion.
Mack shook his head, stunned. Never, not even years ago, had it ever been quite that good! He wanted to smile, but his body wasn’t ready to work yet. Lifting his head, he realized that Kate had fallen asleep. How long had he been like this, spooned behind her?
Propping his head up on his hand, he gazed down at Kate, wondering how her skin could be so incredibly soft. He trailed a finger down her hip, then her butt. She really had a great ass. And legs! Damn, her legs were sexy! Lean and muscular from her runs, but so feminine.
He grinned when she sighed blissfully, snuggling back against him. That was another thing he remembered about her. Kate loved touching. Normally, he’d have been gone right afterward. Post-sex snuggling was not something he did. Ever!
Except with Kate.
As the moonlight filtered in through Kate’s old bedroom window, he wondered what her life had been like over the past several years. She’d grown up and matured, obviously. But she was still the sweet, vivacious, beautiful woman he remembered from high school.
Staring down at her wasn’t giving him any answers. Mack also knew that he had an early morning meeting with Dean to discuss the investigation. Yeah, he should head home.
Instead, he reached down and grabbed the blanket, covering them both. Then he wrapped his arm around her waist and, because it was there, cupped her breast in his hand. Moments later, he was asleep.
