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Mac grabbed her hand and led her toward the stairs. Just before they reached the first step, Jessie wobbled on her feet. Without any hesitation, Mac scooped her up in his arms, cradling her like a bride. She gasped but didn’t protest, which made him smile. He carried her up the stairs, holding her close as he made his way to the upper deck. When they reached the top, his eyes landed on the small dining table set for two and the candles flickering near the intimate sitting area.
His heart clenched. She had actually been planning to go on a date tonight—a blind date with someone else.
He carefully set Jessie down on the loveseat and then sat beside her. He never let go of her hand. He gently wiped more tears from her face, his thumb tracing soft lines around her cheek.
Fuck he missed her.
His jaw clenched, his emotions warring inside him. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Jess,” he began, his voice sounding hoarse, “where in the hell have you been for the last year and a half?”
That was all it took as she broke down and started telling him everything.
As Mac sat beside Jessie, his mind was reeling as she recounted everything that had happened over the past year and a half. He listened to her voice, but his emotions churned within him—anger, confusion, and a sharp sting of hurt piercing through him.
“I was forced to go into hiding,” Jessie said, her voice sounding shaky. “The threats started as letters and calls. But then they escalated. We thought anthrax had been mailed to my office, Mac. Anthrax!” Her hands trembled as she spoke, but she kept her gaze steady as if trying to ground herself. “And then, the brakes on my car. They tampered with them, causing me to crash. Thank God, it wasn’t bad.”
Mac’s jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists on the table. Fury surged in him like a wildfire. The thought of her life being in danger made his blood boil. “Who was it? Who was behind all this?” he growled, barely able to keep his voice in check.
Jessie looked down at her hand. “He was an ex-client of the firm. After looking through some older files, we found out that my dad had advised him on a few investments. However, the man didn’t follow my dad’s advice and lost a lot—like he lost everything. Of course, he blamed my dad, and since my dad was dead, he came after me.” She paused, her voice softening. “When I was told they had arrested the person responsible for ruining one and a half years of my life, I felt so numb.”
The anger in Mac didn’t subside, but at least the bastard wasn’t a threat anymore. Still, he couldn’t shake the hurt. “Why didn’t you call me Jess? I could’ve helped. For Christ’s sake, that is what I do for a living. I should’ve been there.”
Jessie’s expression crumpled, her eyes welling up. “You were the first person I wanted to call, Mac. I swear,” she said, her voice breaking. “But you were out of the country. You were onone of your top-secret missions, and I had no way of reaching you. The FBI was frustrated with me because I kept stalling, hoping you would come home. They pushed me, Mac. They said I needed to disappear if I cared about my life and my family and friends’ lives. They scared me, Mac. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to someone I knew because I didn’t act.”
Mac felt like he’d been punched in the gut. Guilt slammed into him. He should’ve been there for her, but he wasn’t. “Jess…I’m so sorry,” he murmured, his voice thick with regret. “I should’ve done more to find you. I should’ve—”
“No,” she cut him off, placing her hand over his. “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known. Unfortunately, it’s just the way things happened.”
He nodded, raking his fingers through his hair. The guilt still gnawed at him. “Where were you all this time?” he asked, needing to know.
She hesitated, then gave a small, almost sheepish smile. “Well, I didn’t say my stubbornness stopped when I finally agreed to go into protective custody. I made the FBI agree to my terms on where I’d live. So, with their assistance of moving a lot of money around and using fake names, I bought this yacht and lived on it, sailing around the world.”
Mac’s eyes widened. “You’ve been living here? Alone?”
“Well, not entirely alone,” she admitted. “I had a team of FBI agents with me.”
Mac’s heart twisted with jealousy. “All men?” he asked, with a raised eyebrow.
Jessie chuckled as she shook her head. “Yes, but they were strictly professional. Trust me, they didn’t cross any lines. I think they thought of their detail as a vacation.”
Mac snorted. That didn’t surprise him.
He looked at Jessie and let out a breath. He felt a strange mixture of relief and admiration. The idea of her sailing around,running her company in the shadows while her uncle handled the day-to-day left him in awe. She was incredible and so much stronger than he ever realized. And yet, all he wanted to do right now was to hold her, kiss her, and tell her how much he loved her.
But then, his thoughts drifted back to the date. She had accepted a blind date with a stranger. He now understood why she never contacted him when she was in hiding. But she’d been back now for over two weeks. Why hadn’t she tried to contact him?
He opened his mouth to ask that exact question, but then Martin appeared.
The older man looked thrilled, his eyes lighting up as they bounced between Mac and Jessie holding hands. “It’s good to see you two together,” Martin said warmly.
“Martin…” Jessie started to say, but Martin quickly interrupted her.
“Dinner is served,” he announced, then signaled to Emmett to bring out the meal.
Mac stood up and then helped Jessie stand. They walked to the table, and Mac pulled her chair out for her.
“Thank you,” she told him, and he smiled before taking the seat across from her.
Emmett, Martin’s young assistant, approached with two plates and sat them down in front of them. Mac looked over the food, his mouth already watering—steak, lobster, baked potato with all the fixings, and asparagus. He scrunched his nose up at the green vegetable, which earned him a laugh from Jessie.
