“He hasn’t moved into it completely.”
“Yeah, I know. Figure he will one day.”
Callie hoped so. She could only imagine how bitter Mac would be over the way he and his mom had been treated. He was a proud man and it didn’t take a genius to figure he’d balk at the notion of accepting anything from the man who’d never claimed him.
A bell rang and both women looked up, knowing someone had come into the store.
“I’ll go,” Ashley said as she headed from the room. Then almost instantly, she stuck her head back in. “Hey, a friend of mine just stopped by. Mind if I go to lunch a little early?”
Callie shook her head. “No, go on, Ash. It’s really slow today and I’m actually considering locking up for an hour so I can grab a bite to eat with Mac. He’s coming by.”
Ashley grinned and wiggled her brows up and down. “Ooh. Sounds promising. A little nooner maybe?”
“Hmm. Could be,” she teased in return. “Go on. Have fun.”
A bit later she stood back and admired her finished product, pleased with the elegance of the arrangement. She set it aside and cleaned up the worktable and was just heading to the front of the store when Mac walked in.
Mr. Yummilicious, wearing faded jeans and a black tee shirt, whipped off his straw cowboy hat as he moved in to grab her up for a smoldering kiss. Callie leaned against him, loving the way he held her against his firm chest. His kiss held heat and intensity, conveying he’d been as hungry as she for more of what they shared the night before.
“You taste good,” he whispered against her lips. His teeth nipped and then he stroked with his tongue. “Are we alone?”
“Nice of you to not check before you kissed me. Must have you hooked, huh?”
His teeth flashed white when he grinned. “Like a fish.”
“You don’t look like any fish I’ve ever seen.” Callie moved from his arms and flipped the lock on the door, setting her store sign to closed. Moving in for the kill, she smiled and grabbed his hand. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the back for our quickie.”
Mac laughed and when they got into the workroom he swung her back into his arms for another hotter-than-hell kiss. Heat crawled over Callie’s body to settle in her breasts, her belly and lower. Her pussy creamed at the feel of him, his cock pressed tightly to her center, rubbing slowly. Nipples, tightly pearled, brushed over his rock-hard chest. He’d been uppermost in her mind all morning and now she was frantic to have him thrusting inside her again.
“Damn, you feel good, Callie,” he whispered against the curve of her neck.
Sensation swept her and she squirmed to get closer. Her hands got busy teasing the planes of his chest, loving the hard feel of him, testing his muscle with the tips of her fingers.
She turned her head to give him better access to her neck, shivering as his mouth did wicked things to her flesh. “I can’t stop touching you.”
“Keep it up,” he murmured.
“Just try to stop me, cowboy.” She felt his smile against her skin. “Do I amuse you?”
“More every time I’m with you. You have a sharp and clever tongue.”
“You have nooooo idea.” Grinning, she grabbed the hem of his tee shirt in both hands and gave it a yank, exposing all that yummy dark skin. Planting her mouth smack-dab in the center of his chest, she kissed her way across the firm mounds, circling his nipples with her tongue, licking, sucking. His deep groan of acceptance only made her hotter for him. He loved what she was doing and she knew it. Mac reached behind her to slide his hands beneath the short skirt she wore. Filling his palms with her butt, he squeezed her flesh and simultaneously rubbed his cock over her aching pussy.
Jeez Louise!
The man knew how to touch her, knew exactly how to make her burn. He slid his fingers into the elastic of her panties and just as he slid his fingers ever closer to her damp flesh, she pulled away. Breathless, she lifted one finger. “Hold that thought.”
She snagged up a four-step ladder that she used for reaching high shelves and scooted it in front of him. Mac’s black brow lifted. “What the hell?”
“Be patient. Hang on.” Callie sat on one of the wide steps that brought her eye level to the huge bulge resting behind the fly of his jeans. The man made her mouth water.
Smiling up at him, she hooked her fingers in the waistband and dragged him close. “I have plans for you. Big plans.”
“I’m all ears.” Mac’s voice was deep, dark and full of expectation.
“Not thinking about your ears.” Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she worked the buckle on his belt and then the snap and zipper of his jeans. Then she paused. “Gotta love a guy who goes commando. Lordy, lordy, you are some kinda man, Mac Moreno.” Callie slid his jeans down a bit, out of her way and took his hard, bulging cock into her hands.
Mac went still and then fisted one hand in her hair, forcing her gaze to his. His eyes burned with hunger and lust. His voice came out rusty. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Have to? Oh Mac, I want to. I’ve thought of nothing else since last night when you showed up with burgers and we had hot sex instead.”
When Mac relaxed his grip and it turned into a loving caress on her head, she bent to run her tongue over the wide head of his erection. Licking along the tiny slit at the end, taking her tasting of him to the broad rim, she teased and sucked his flesh until, above her, Mac groaned. Finally she sank her mouth over him, taking as much as she could, sliding her tongue over him, sucking hard and then lightly alternating the pressure. Gripping the thick stalk in her fist, Callie worked him slowly up and down, paying special attention to his tightly drawn balls. Releasing him from the lusty imprisonment of her mouth, she slid her lips and tongue down then up his length. Her fingers gently stroked the taut sac and then finally, she stroked it with her tongue.
“You’re killin’ me, darlin’. That’s so fucking good.”
“I’m glad,” she whispered against his cock before again taking him fully into her mouth, fucking him that way. One hand found his rock-hard thigh. Stroking, teasing, in tandem with movements of her mouth, she felt Mac hold still as a statue until finally he gripped her hair and pulled away. What was wrong? “What did I—” she began but then Mac reached down and effortlessly lifted her, turning with her in his arms until she was sitting on the worktable.
“I need to fuck you, Callie. This isn’t just about me. It’s about us.”
She opened her mouth to speak but it was too late. Mac gently laid her back on the table and before she could say yes, please he had her panties stripped off. The cold of the table surface chilled her ass but then Mac’s hands were on her needy pussy and any hint of discomfort was immediately replaced by a quick, hot blast of heat. Pleasure whipped fast and hard through her body when Mac sent his fingers deep. He pumped them in several times and her hips lifted to meet each clever stroke.
“Come here to me, darlin’,” he said as he lifted her into a sitting position. Scooting her to the edge of the table, he lifted her skirt up around her waist until she was bare, completely exposed to him. Hunger swam in his dark eyes as he parted her legs and looked his fill. His big, bronzed hands provided a provocative contrast to the pale flesh of her thighs and Mac trailed his fingers, some of them damp from her cream, along that tender skin.
Frantic to have him, desperate for completion, Callie reached for his cock. It rose up between them, hard and thick. Mac groaned. “That’s it,” he growled low. His jeans were loose around his hips but he managed to dig out protection and cover himself.
Taking his erection in his hand, he trailed the fat head through the drenched flesh of her pussy and then drove deep.
Simultaneously, they sighed, went still. Pleasure arced up through Callie’s belly and her pussy vibrated as her muscles tightened to hold his thick cock. Unable to help herself, she looked down and studied the way their flesh connected. As Mac slowly plunged deep, disappearing into her flesh, she sucked in a sharp breath. She propped her hands on the table and sent her legs around his waist, mesmerized by this slow, sexual dance. His cock emerged, glistening from her juices before thrusting back in.
“Look at us, Mac,” she managed.
“Yeah.”
“Faster.”
Mac obliged with a low, hungry sound as he sent his cock deeper, pumping, thrusting, pounding through her needy pussy. Sensation sizzled through her veins, lashing her with pleasure until with a cry, she flew apart. Mac went still, seeming to gather himself before surging three more times until, finally, he made a harsh sound and came. Instantly, Callie’s arms went around him as she rested her head against his chest. His heart pounded against her ear and she loved the sound of it, loved the idea that she could make this big, strong man come apart this way. “Mac,” she whispered.
She looked up to see emotion glinting in his smoldering eyes. He bent his head to kiss her gently, brushing her hair back with one hand. “You are an amazing woman, Callie.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
Minutes later they repaired their clothing and cleaned up a bit. Callie locked up the shop and let Mac help her into his truck. As they headed to her house for soup and sandwiches, she asked him what he’d been up to.
“I went to the club and did a little paperwork. Made a few calls. Not much.”
She frowned at him. “You are supposed to be on vacation, Mac!”
He shrugged. “Just needed to make sure things were in order over there. The decision to take some days off was kind of sudden. Not a big deal. Leah called and asked me to pick up some stuff at the feed store too, so I did that and ran it out to the ranch.” He looked over and gave her a sexy grin. “All done in record time so I could show up for our quickie.”
“Ha. Ha. Funny.”
“I still think I should stay with you for a while.”
Callie shook her head as they pulled up in her driveway. “Nah, I was spooked last night but seriously, Mac, I need to handle this.”
“I beg to differ. I really don’t want to fight with you about this.”
Rolling her eyes, she got out of the truck and they walked into her house. She’d locked it up tight when they’d left together this morning. “Home sweet home.” Mac followed her into the kitchen and opened the fridge to gather up the makings for sandwiches and set them on the counter. While he was doing that, she went to the pantry for a loaf of bread and some canned soup.
Anger, a wild fear, swept her when she opened the pantry door. Gasping, she stepped back and immediately felt Mac’s arms go around her from behind. “Oh my God! Oh shit, Mac, he’s been here.” Cans were lined up like soldiers, labels facing out.
Everything was in alphabetical order. A jar of artichoke hearts, bread, and chicken noodle soup sat with the carrots and cocoa. An unopened jar of grape jelly set next to the green beans. Freaky shit! “Doug has been here. Look, Mac. He arranged my pantry.”
“Sick fuck!”
“Yeah, he was like this in our marriage. He had to have things just right. Crazy. I swear, he’s crazy.”
Her heart pounded hard as she struggled to catch her breath. Sometime this morning while she and Mac had been out, he’d come into her house and touched her things. There was no smidgeon of doubt about it.
Mac stepped back and took her arm, turning her to face him. Rage shifted over his face, coloring his cheeks. His nostrils flared. “Let me take a look around. Just sit down, Callie.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not a child. I’m not a victim or a wilting flower. I’m coming with you.”
A muscle worked in Mac’s jaw. “Fine. Come on then.”
Her house was small and it didn’t take long for them to see the mess Doug had made in the bedroom. The beautiful floral bedspread was sliced to ribbons and stuffing from the pillows was strewn around the room as if he’d been so enraged he’d wanted to inflict as much damage as possible.
“Callie. Come here, honey.”
Mac spoke from her bathroom so she joined him and stopped still in the doorway.
Doug had taken a tube of lipstick and written die slut on her mirror. Tears of rage and frustration burned her eyes so Callie scrubbed her hands over her face as she struggled to get a grip on things. He’d been bad before with the calls and the watching and sneaking around to scare her but Callie couldn’t fight the feeling things were escalating out of control.
“Oh Mac,” she whispered.
Suddenly Mac’s arms were around her. His hold tightened. “You listen to me, honey. We’re calling Sheriff Coleman and filing a report, okay?” Though his voice practically vibrated with emotion, his tone was gentle and low. “And then you are gonna pack a bag. Get your stuff together and come with me to the ranch.”
She looked up at him, for the moment ignoring the tears that fell in a steady stream down her face. “I don’t know.”
“Yes you do, Callie. You can’t stay here. I can protect you out there while Doug is hunted down and arrested. My family will help.”
Callie opened her mouth to protest but the phone by her bed rang. Pulling from Mac’s arms, she grabbed it up and spoke.
“Left you a note, Callie. Did you see it?”
Doug. She’d know his voice anywhere. He laughed.
“You bastard!”
“Now now, no name calling. You know I don’t like it when you use gutter language. It’s not appropriate.”
“Not appro—” she began when Mac yanked the phone out of her hand.
“Listen up, asshole.” Mac growled the words and then Callie heard a click as Doug hung up.
Mac cursed and punched a number into the phone. While he’d asked the sheriff to come by and stated it was an emergency, he went to her closet and dragged a suitcase out. He pointed to it. “Pack. Now. I’m getting you the hell out of here.”
There was no use arguing. She wasn’t stupid and Mac was right. Doug was getting braver by the minute and today there had been a touch of insanity in his voice.
Shivering in reaction, Callie did as Mac said and began to shove clothing and toiletries into her suitcase.
Within ten minutes, she was sitting in the living room with the sheriff and Mac talking things through. Together, Mac and the sheriff had examined every lock and latch, finding Doug had entered by the guest bedroom window, which she’d apparently, very carelessly, left unlatched. His footprints were prominent in the dirt outside. Callie seldom went into the guest room and she’d simply overlooked the window lock.