Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
B eckett
Very few people had challenged me in my adult life. While women often pretended that they were bad-asses, once you peeled away the layers of clothes, makeup, and jewelry, they were almost always pussy cats needing a solid stroking.
The doc was entirely different. After the lip she’d given me, I’d easily determined she was a tough girl, but only to a point. Her eyes reflected such a soulful look I found my mind wandering to far too many filthy desires. That was totally inappropriate.
I’d found the search page on her computer in her office. She could dig all she wanted, but she wasn’t going to find anything. I’d also caught the expression when she’d noticed lumps in my jacket. Whether or not she’d put the pieces together I wasn’t certain, but it didn’t really matter.
If she’d wanted to call the sheriff based on her apprehensions of me, they’d be rousing me right now. Her curiosity and our chemical attraction had prevented her from doing do.
The mistake I’d made with her was underestimating her sneaky little abilities that came innate to her. The position of my jacket was slightly different. I’d survived two decades of working around the vilest of men by using crystal clear observation skills.
Given I hadn’t had the opportunity to check the wallet, there was no way of knowing if what she’d found had terrified her more than before.
Mallory didn’t respond to my command. She was still busy putting out little cartons of food. She also wasn’t looking at me. Perhaps she believed by aiding me she was an accomplice to whatever horrible crime she’d figured I was responsible for.
When she was finally finished, she rubbed her trembling hands down the front of her scrubs. “Sit,” she told me. “Eat before it gets any colder.”
I did as she asked, completely amused by her reactions to me. One minute she was hot and bothered, the other wishing she had an icepick in her hand. I did so love a woman with spirit. She was the perfect package with complete confidence in her work, the slight air of arrogance a wonderful addition. But privately she was reserved, her nervous tics not ones every male would be astute enough to pick up on, but I’d noticed everything about her.
As she eased into the chair, she brushed at long strands of hair on both sides of her face, tucking them behind her ears several times. The action was more about her continued anger and uncertainty around me.
I settled in, leaning back in my chair and sipping the beer. I still wasn’t certain what had possessed me to demand I stay the night. It wasn’t as if I believed she was incompetent in her profession. The way she’d handled digging a bullet out of my shoulder had been admirable. She’d obviously performed surgery on animals at some point, but working on an injured human could bring about an entirely different type of response.
The only thing that had provided me with a sense of how nervous she’d remained around me was the hitch in her breathing. From my perspective, the electricity we’d both experienced from the night at the hardware store had only increased.
She forked out food from two different containers, adding rice and two egg rolls on the side. I was even rewarded with her taking a couple of gulps of beer from the bottle before she dug into her food.
After a few seconds, I could tell she’d realized she was the only one eating. She lifted her head, a few drops of duck sauce remaining in the corner of her mouth. “What?” she challenged. “I’m hungry. Okay? I didn’t eat much this morning since I knew I’d have a busy day. And lunch, well, forget it. The people kept coming in. So I’m eating.”
Her lilting voice was so sensual that my balls tightened. She didn’t stop eating like a starving woman even as I reached across the small table, running the tip of my index finger through the remnants of sauce.
There was a strange joy in seeing her face turning beet red as she lifted her head. She blinked furiously, her voluptuous chest rising and falling as I pulled my finger into my mouth. Maybe teasing her was a shitty idea, but she’d done so with me almost every step of the way since we’d met.
Mallory swallowed again and forcefully forked her food around the plate, punishing the Kung Pao shrimp for my misdeeds.
She lifted her gaze briefly when I served myself twice what she’d put on her plate. As if not wanting to be outdone, she added a second helping.
“New practice?” I asked after polishing off half my food.
“For me. I purchased it not long ago.”
“Nice. You’re new to town.”
“Aren’t you?” she pushed, her head snapping up this time. “Didn’t you purchase the Ryan place up on the hill?”
“It’s a mountain and I have no clue who owned it before me.”
“We call it a hill.”
“So you’re not new.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why do I have a feeling this conversation is going to be tit for tat?”
“What do you mean?”
The little snort the doc issued was as adorable as everything else. “Come on. You’re like some mystery man who refuses to get close to anyone. Folks in town talk about how aloof you’ve been. I don’t care who you are or what your business is. None of my business. I simply want to make a better life for myself. So you can keep your privacy. I just don’t care.”
I shoveled more food into my mouth, doing exactly what she expected, but what I’d learned bothered her the most.
I held a hard. Cold. Stare.
She didn’t flinch, nor did she lose eye contact. Very impressive. I could count on three fingers the men who’d managed such a feat.
And one of them had been my father.
When I jerked to a standing position, the noise from the way the metal feet of the chair were forced across the tile was startling in such a quiet environment.
Yet she still didn’t flinch.
I grabbed another beer, returning without saying a word. She’d been goading me for information and her tactics had almost worked. But I wasn’t in a place like Stowe, Vermont for good feels or friends. This was all about remaining alive.
We both finished our beers and food at the same time and through every bite of food, my hunger only increased. But the strange pooling of longing in my loins had nothing to do with the food I’d consumed, but the woman sitting directly in front of me.
When Mallory finally dropped her gaze, she did so with a flash of a vixen-kissed smile and a slight roll of her eyes. I almost swept everything off the table at that point, ripping off her clothes and fucking her like a twisted, predatory animal.
The thing that got to me more than the thought was that I knew in my gut it was something she would enjoy.
Hot. Primal. Sex.
The sweaty kind that would leave us both panting for minutes after, our bodies dripping with perspiration. As she rose to her feet, she gave me one of those onceovers where you knew what her brilliant mind was processing.
Whether I was just a basic bad boy or one on steroids. Either way, she remained attracted. Visions of her naked body continued to invade my mind as she tossed our plates and plastic silverware in the trash, doing her best to shove the remaining food in the tiny refrigerator.
What would it be like to taste her sweet pussy, lingering during a delicious exploration of her entire body? Her rounded curves with breasts sized perfectly for my hands refused to be hidden behind the shapeless scrubs. The look was wholesome on her, a powerful reminder someone like Dr. McGregor was off limits.
Mallory jerked around to face me as if sensing my thoughts, her eyes darting back and forth. I laughed softly. “Do I scare you, Dr. McGregor?”
While she tried to pass off her feelings, the way she raked her hand through one side of her hair was a dead giveaway how nervous I made her. “Does that kind of dark and dangerous vibe work on other chicks, because it certainly doesn’t with me.”
Her sweet face was pinched. Defiling her would be one of the greatest joys of my life.
I crawled off the chair, advancing toward her. She tilted her head and crossed her arms over her chest, defensive while attempting to act as if my presence didn’t bother her in the least.
She wasn’t expecting it when I gripped her jaw, wrapping my other arm around her waist and gripping her bottom with one hand. Her gasp was sweet yet inviting and I accepted, pulling her onto her toes in the adorable Converse tennis shoes she’d worn with her vet’s outfit.
“What are you doing?” She hissed the comment, pulling her arms free and slamming her palms against my chest.
Did she honestly think she was going to stop me with such a gesture? Hell, no. Her feigning fury only called to the predator in me.
“You’ve been wondering what it would be like to taste a savage. I’m going to grant you your wish.” I didn’t give her time to object because I wasn’t that kind of man and her plump lips glistening in the ugly lighting called to me.
I captured her mouth, my body tensing the moment I did. Just having a woman in my arms felt entirely forbidden, yet the fantasy spun over Chinese food and trauma had created a hunger so infused with need I couldn’t ignore my desires any longer.
She remained stiff at first, avoiding her true longing just as I knew she’d do. I wasn’t surprised when she did her best after ten full seconds to break free of my hold, finally resulting to pummeling her hands against my chest.
Did she really believe anything was going to work?
I swept my tongue inside, tasting hot sauce and beer, the combination strangely irresistible. I’d never been known as a passionate kisser even during the period of my life I considered myself alive.
And a normal man.
But dear fucking God, I could kiss her soft lips for hours. Maybe she didn’t realize her body was already betraying her, but her tongue melded with mine. The dance was one of power and seduction. Finally, her body relaxed and she even wrapped her fingers around my shirt.
I ground my hips against her, pressing my throbbing cock into her taut stomach. She trembled in my hold, both moaning and mewing into the kiss. There was still fight in the woman, likely when I’d least expect it. That was her strength. She could make any man or woman believe anything she wanted.
I slipped my hand to the back of her neck, digging my fingers into it. My hold was possessive as hell and she knew it. As the moment of intimacy continued, her tension fell away. Her tongue was now fighting with mine as if she’d ever be allowed any control.
Mallory finally regrouped, ignoring fantasy fueled by our searing electricity. She managed to slide her hands between us once again, using all her strength to break our physical connection.
Her gasps indicated frustration, but the way she dragged her tongue across her lips highlighted something else altogether.
“You’re a fucking asshole,” she said.
I chuckled. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“I don’t need a man in my life.” She purposely turned away.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’m not the kind of man you need to fixate over.”
“Fixate?” The snap of her head was fierce, the fire in her eyes something I would remember for several long, cold nights to come. “Don’t fool yourself, Beckett, if that’s what your real name is. You’re not that hot.”
I’d never considered myself a flirt because up to this point, being with a woman had always been entirely physical. Romance was not on my radar. So when I rubbed my thumb across her bottom lip in response, pulling it down by a few centimeters to expose her pearly whites, I wasn’t certain who was more surprised.
The closeness to her was riveting, but after pinching for a couple of seconds, I pulled away, giving her a nod before walking from the room.
We’d both tossed our gauntlets into the sand and I was curious to see what she’d do.
“Hey, buddy,” I said to my sleeping dog as I walked closer to the cage. Seeing him this way after everything he’d been through was like a knife driven into my gut. He’d been a true lifesaver over the last year. “Don’t worry. A steak is in your future.”
The single thump of his tail brought me back to reality. I pulled out the assailant’s wallet, flipping it open. I’d found it interesting over the years in my capacity as an enforcer that separating the professionals from the amateurs was as easy as seeing the contents of their wallet or purse.
Amateurs believed themselves to be invincible, not bothering to hide every aspect of their true identity. Professionals went to great lengths to forge a path no one could track. In my world, the majority of enforcers fell into category one. They honestly believed their shit didn’t stink and bragged about their last kill.
The way of the mafia.
What I found inside the wallet was telling and somewhat comforting. The man sent to kill me had been hired, using one of likely a hundred fake IDs, this one making him appear as a local resident. There was no indication who’d sent him or where he was actually from, only cash lining the pocket of his wallet.
I’d need to crack his phone and even then, it was entirely possible I’d find nothing but bullshit, lies to make it seem as if he was a normal guy. But I’d learned that the effort was useful in several ways.
The lovely Dr. McGregor found me a few minutes later crouched down next to Jax’s cage, two fingers stuck between the bars so I could continue to stroke his fur.
Hearing the slight rustle, I opened my eyes. In the dim lighting, I was still able to catch the intensity of her expression.
“I hope I didn’t wake you.”
I shifted on the floor, half chuckling. “Nah. I’m used to staying awake at night.”
Mallory nodded and leaned against the door jamb. “So you know, I have a couch in my tiny office. I don’t think it’s that comfortable, but it’s certainly better than the tile floor. You’re welcome to it. I brought a blanket with me the other day and left it in there for you.”
“Where are you going to sleep?”
Her laugh was back to being as nervous as when I’d first met her. “I don’t sleep much either. I was going to play a game of Scrabble.”
“Scrabble? Doesn’t that need at least a second person?”
She nodded vehemently, but it wasn’t about an invitation. “Yeah, but when you often don’t have friends, you learn to compromise. Plus, I hate Solitaire. At least I expand my mind with forming words. Anyway, don’t worry. I’ll check on Jax periodically. If there are any problems, I’ll wake you, but I don’t anticipate any.”
She faded into the shadows and I pressed the back of my head against the cage.
Did she have any idea she was the more dangerous of the two of us?
Against common sense and my better judgment, I returned to the kitchen. She hadn’t been lying. She had a Scrabble board positioned on the table and was actively concentrating on forming a word.
The fact she ignored my return all through me grabbing two remaining beers from the fridge and planting myself down opposite her spurred another wave of explosive heat. The box lid was on the chair and I selected another holder and the correct number of letters, taking my time to position and move them around while I let my gaze meander on the words she’d already placed on the board.
“Can I join in?” I asked. Why not be polite?
“Do I have a choice?”
“Everyone has a choice, sweetheart. Sadly, it’s often not the one that makes us happy, but the one we need instead.”
“Oh, now you’re a philosopher as well as everything else. Go for it.” She waved her hand inches above the board. “I’d like to see what you can do.” She sat back, swirling the bottle of beer back and forth.
The challenge was accepted. Granted, not the one I’d enjoy partaking in, but the only one allowed. After a full minute of thinking, I was able to place six of the squares on the board.
Her expression shifted from sheer joy in knowing she was going to beat me at a preferred game to shock then annoyance as she peered down at the word.
“What… the… hell?” Her whispered voice saturated the room with a spicy essence.
“That’s thirty-six points.”
She was still staring at the letters a full thirty seconds later. “This means war. Be careful, dangerous man. I might best you.”
Two hours later and she’d done just that more than once, although I’d given her a decent run for her money. After returning from the bathroom, I was shocked to find her still in the chair, but with her head lolling in front of her.
The beauty was fast asleep.
I moved closer, inhaling her sweet essence as I’d done half the night. The fragrance suited her, exotic yet subtle. I tilted her forward from the hardback chair, gently wrapping one arm around her upper back while sliding my other arm under her legs. Given my muscle mass and huge frame, she felt tiny in my arms.
As soon as I had her nestled against my chest, her eyelids fluttered open. Whether or not she registered who was holding her I couldn’t decipher, but I was mesmerized by the soulful look in her eyes. What man wouldn’t be?
She wrapped her fingers around my shirt as she’d done before, nuzzling her head into the crook of my arm as I walked into her office. After positioning her on the highly uncomfortable-looking sofa, I covered her with the blanket, making a mental note to purchase a couple of soft ones.
A single moan left her lips and she rolled over to face the back of the couch. I stood right where I was for a full two minutes before flipping out the light and returning to where the cages were located. I sat down, resting my head against Jax’s cage. He snuffled in appreciation. This would be a restless night, but I’d certainly been forced to sleep in much worse conditions.
As I closed my eyes, visions of her returned to my mind.
I’d experienced every concept of danger possible in my life.
Or so I’d thought.
But being around a woman like Dr. McGregor made me realize she was perhaps the most dangerous creature of all.