13. Mac
13 MAC
“I never pegged you as a dancer.” Kayla’s lush mouth was next to my ear, her warm breath on my skin as I twirled her around the dance floor.
“Well, I’ll take any excuse to hold you in my arms all night long,” I shot back with a seductive smile. “And I figured this was better than dinner with everyone gawking at us.”
Her laughter was sweet and sultry. “You think they’re not gawking now?”
I shrugged. “We’re too wrapped up in each other to notice, which means we still get to have a great time.”
“Smart and pretty. A winning combination.”
“You say the sweetest things to me, Kay.” It was a heady thing, the way Kayla saw me. “Everyone sees the looks and the onstage persona, but I don’t think anyone has ever seen me the way you do.”
She looked at me with more than just heat in her eyes—a mix of affection and attraction. “I see what you let me see, Mac. And that man is pretty awesome.”
I knew without a doubt I was falling for the beautiful doctor. I had a feeling when she opened the door and I saw her in that tiny black dress that showed off her mouthwatering curves and deep red fuck me heels that matched her lips. But now I knew it for sure. “I’m glad you think so, because I think you’re pretty amazing, Doc.”
“Amazing, huh? I like that.” She shook her head and let out an embarrassed laugh. “Nobody’s ever called me amazing before. At least not unless I’ve just saved their life.”
“You’ve certainly made my life more interesting.”
She laughed. “Mac, you travel the world and perform in front of tens of thousands of people. That’s definitely more exciting than me.”
A new, faster song began, and I twirled her away from me, loving the way her eyes lit up with surprise. “You’re selling yourself short, Kayla. You challenge me, which I love. But with you, I just have so much fun. Even with our clothes on, we have a good time together.” She ran her fingers through my hair gently, almost unconsciously, and I groaned. “What have you done to me, woman?”
Her smile was soft and slightly hazy. “Exactly the same thing you’ve done to me, Mac.” She shook her head. “I’m terrified that you’re going to break my heart, but I can’t stay away.”
“Good, because I couldn’t let you go on threat of death.”
“So dramatic,” she sighed, rolling her eyes, but her smile remained. “You don’t have to let me go because I’m right where I want to be.” Her gaze was steady and sincere.
My body was on fire. I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers, intending for a chaste kiss that would end quickly. But Kayla sucked in a breath and flicked her tongue out just as her body pressed against mine, and I lost my mind for a moment.
The kiss was needy, but the fire grew slowly. Each swipe of her tongue increased my temperature, but when she gripped my hair a little harder and moaned into my mouth? I lost it. My hands slid down to her waist, pulling her closer against where I was hard and aching for her.
She moaned again and pushed her hips forward. Kayla drew back first, heat burning in her hazel eyes. “Want to get out of here?”
“Hell yes. I have another surprise for you anyway.” We were mostly quiet on the way back to Holiday Grove, but the tension in the air was thick. Our labored breaths fogged up the windows until we both burst out laughing.
“This is crazy, right?”
I nodded. “I feel like a teenage boy,” I admitted as we entered Holiday Grove. Soon enough, we were parked in my driveway. “We’re here.”
She laughed. “Is the surprise your dick?”
I laughed and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before stepping out and going around to her door, opening it with a flourish. “It’s yours whenever you need it. But first, dinner.”
“You know it’s impossible to resist a man who feeds you, right?”
“All part of my evil plan, Doc.” I led her inside, where candles lit the space and rose petals led the way to the formal dining room, where the table was set for two.
“Wow, Mac! This is… it’s beautiful.” Her voice cracked as she looked at me. “This is really sweet.”
“I wanted to take you out, but I also wanted you all to myself.” In that moment, I felt like a nervous boy trying to ask out the girl he liked.
“See? Smart and pretty. Thank you for this, Mac. It’s lovely.” Gratitude shone in her eyes. Gratitude, not expectation, and it only made me like her more.
“Since you loved the Irish food so much, I had my friend Luka come in and make us a sampling of dishes from Eastern Europe.”
“You did?” She squealed and pressed a kiss to my mouth. “That’s amazing! Let’s dig in. I’m starved, so you can tell me about your writing process while we eat.”
I was wrong; it wasn’t earlier than I fell for Kayla. It was this moment, right now. That question and the curiosity in her eyes as she asked me questions between bites did me in.
It was too soon to fall for her; I knew that.
Logically.
Intellectually.
Too bad my heart was neither of those things.