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“I don’t want to be here.”
“So, you keep telling me, but I can keep you safer here than anywhere else, so we’re staying.” He watched her take a deep breath and instinctively knew what she was about to say.
“About what happened earlier.”
He crossed the distance between them, both physically and emotionally, and pulled her into his arms. She made a token attempt at resisting, then gave in to what she really wanted.
“You mean when we kissed, and you made it abundantly clear neither of us wants to be sleeping alone tonight?”
Before she could respond, he lowered his head and once more took possession of her mouth. God, she tasted sweet. Everything about Willa called to him—her fiery personality, her voluptuous body, and the way it responded to his with very little effort on his part. He’d never felt such a strong pull toward a woman. Mac was smart enough to know you never truly tamed a woman like Willa. He figured she’d always need a fair amount of consistent dominance to behave—a level of dominance he was more than able and happy to supply.
The timer went off on the stove.
“Mac, I need to take the frittata out of the oven. Overcooked eggs are terrible.”
He rubbed his nose against hers and leaned down to kiss her again before letting her pull away. She needed to accept that he meant to reclaim her, and she wasn’t going to be in charge. He let her go but liked that she seemed reluctant to let go of him completely as her hand trailed down his arm, and her fingers reached out to him, even when they were no longer touching.
He followed her into the kitchen and couldn’t help fondling her backside as she bent over to take the biscuits and frittata out of the oven. She stood and went very still.
“Stop that,” she whispered.
“No,” he said as he encircled her waist with one hand and drew her into his body, so she was facing away from him as he held her against his chest.
He held her easily since she seemed disinclined to actually avoid his touch. He stroked the column of her throat and tilted her head, so his lips could murmur sweet kisses all along her jawline and up to her ear. He ran his knuckles down the side of her body in a light caress, avoiding any direct contact with what he knew would be her pebbled nipples.
Mac let her draw away, then reached past her to get the plates out of the cupboard, setting them next to her on the counter.
“We usually have beer, wine, soda, water. What’s your pleasure?”
“Water is fine, but feel free to have a beer or some wine.”
“I’m technically on duty, so no alcohol for me.”
She faced him.
“Do you grope all of your female protectees?”
He shook his head and grinned.
“Don’t start, Willa. Let’s serve our plates, and we’ll go sit on the couch and have dinner.”
“I’m fine here in the kitchen.”
“No, you were shot earlier today. We’re going to go sit down and have dinner.”
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” she cried.
He took her face in his hands, kissing her deeply, and was rewarded by her body softening and molding to him.
“Yes,” he whispered, “I do. Not just until we catch Eastwick. You may as well accept that.”
“I’m bad at doing what I’m told.”
He chuckled. “I remember, but I’m pretty damn sure, I can bring you around to my way of thinking. Now, be a good girl, and let’s eat our supper before it gets cold.”
Mac handed her the two bottles of water as well as the flatware, napkins, and butter for their biscuits. He started her toward the living room, and when she didn’t move on her own, he gave her a light swat that didn’t seem to startle her but got her moving in the right direction.
Putting the rest of the biscuits in a basket, he covered them with a napkin, then took the basket and their dinner plates and followed her into the living room. She seemed uncertain how they were going to eat on the couch, waiting to follow Mac’s lead. He placed the things in his hands on the coffee table, then relieved her of those in hers. Sitting, he drew her close beside him. Before she could protest, he shook out one of the napkins and handed it to her, then unlatched the top of the coffee table and brought it up and toward them on its hinges, so it provided a dining surface.
