Oh, shit.
Mac stared at the
Love, S
at the end and all he could think was
Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit.
He rubbed his hand over his head again.
Oh, shit.
What did that mean? She had no idea what he thought of her. Or just how much attention he’d been paying. And how guilty he’d been feeling about it.
What did
I’m going to be a woman you’ll pay attention to
mean, exactly? Did Sara know what kind of women he generally paid attention to? If she did, how? And how was she going to become one of them?
She didn’t have nearly enough cleavage for one thing. She also didn’t have enough body piercings or tattoos, didn’t know enough swear words, hadn’t done anything borderline illegal and hadn’t spread her legs nearly enough.
Which was what scared the crap out of him.
If she was in St. Croix to catch up with his usual girls he had to get down there
now.
And pray a lot on his way.
“I’m going,” he announced, pushing to his feet.
Danika didn’t seem surprised. “What do I tell Sam?”
20
Just My Type
“Don’t tell Sam
anything.
”
He did not need to deal with his friend’s aneurysm right now.
“What about Jessica?”
Mac let out a frustrated sigh. “Tell them she’s out of town. Which is true. Shopping. Because I’m sure she’s spending money. With a friend. Because I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“And do I tell them she’s with you?” Danika pressed.
Hell. Did she? Until two weeks ago he wouldn’t have hesitated. They would have been relieved she was with him.
Then they’d kissed.
Sam had seen them. Would he believe Mac was going after her out of friendship?
Was
he going after her out of friendship?
He frowned. Of course he was.
Just friendship?
The little voice in his head whispered. It was probably his conscience, but he was out of practice listening to it.
Okay, no, not just friendship. However, that didn’t mean he shouldn’t go. Someone who loved her, who would do something as crazy as going after her, but who wasn’t her newly married brother or her pregnant sister should go. After Sam and Jessica, no one loved Sara as much as he did.
“Yes, tell them I went after her. That will keep them from coming too.” Sam might kick his ass later, but he wouldn’t fly to St. Croix to do it. Sam might worry Mac would kiss her again. Maybe even more.
But Sam would also know Sara would be safe from
other
dangers with Mac.
He stomped to the door. He didn’t want Sam doubting him. He didn’t want Sam to have a reason to doubt him. Sam
wouldn’t
have a reason to doubt him. Mac might have some impure thoughts about Sara, he couldn’t cut out his frontal lobe after all, but he would not act on those thoughts.
“And whatever you do, keep Jessica from getting on a plane.” Lord, he’d have his hands full enough of the younger Bradford girl, he didn’t need the older one complicating things even further.
Danika nodded. “You’ve got it, Mac.”
He gave her a quick nod. “Yeah, I do.”
“This is a hell of a temper tantrum, princess.”
Mac’s deep voice vibrated down her spine and through her body, making her sigh. She loved that.
Sara probably should have been surprised, but she realized she wasn’t as she took a deep breath and absorbed the fact he was here. She turned to find him nearly right on top of her.
“Hi, Mac.”
His eyes narrowed at her casual greeting.
“What the hell are you doing?”
21
Erin Nicholas
She glanced at the guy she’d been dancing with. His name was Brad and he was very good-looking.
Those were the only things about him she knew for sure, besides the fact he wanted to sleep with her.
Those were the only things she needed to know.
“Practicing.”
His eyes narrowed further and she wondered if he could see anything. “Explain.”
“Flirting.”
“Apparently you’re getting good at it.” Mac glared at Brad, who simply continued moving to the music even though his partner had been stopped by another man.
Sara felt her smile grow. “Really?”
Mac’s frown came back to her. “Didn’t mean it as a compliment.”
“Well, it is, since getting good at it is why I came down here.”
“We still talking about flirting?”
She grinned at him. “Among other things.” She could almost feel his blood pressure rising as she watched him.
“We need to talk.”
“I’d rather dance.”
“Too bad.” He grasped her upper arm and started across the sand toward the fake tiki hut that housed the bar.
She wasn’t going to let him boss her around indefinitely, but for the moment she tripped along behind him, simply happy he was there. Sure, she was still humiliated when she thought about the parking lot at her brother’s wedding. Sure, she was still disappointed he hadn’t been as rocked by their kiss as she had been. But he was here. He’d come to find her on the beach…
“Who came with you?” she asked his wide back.
“No one.”
“You came down here alone?” No one in their group did anything alone. Hence, the fact she was no longer on St. Croix alone.
“Yep.”
He stopped next to the barstools. Of course, she had dressed as was expected of the tourists on the beaches of St. Croix, which meant a bikini and sarong. Which meant a lot of bare skin. Every inch of which tingled when Mac’s big hands went to her waist to lift her onto one of the stools.
The tingling turned into waves of heat the next moment, when he should have let go of her but didn’t.
His palms rested in the dip of her waist just above her hips and he stood close enough that she could smell his aftershave over the tang of the saltwater. She rested her hands on his forearms, relishing the heat of his skin and the solid muscle under the crisp hair. The hair on his arms was dark, as was the stubble on his jaw in the evening. Those things, along with the thick, dark eyebrows, that were still pulled together in a deep 22
Just My Type
frown, were the only way she knew his hair color. Mac had shaved his head bald for as long as she’d known him. He’d been a swimmer in college and then had kept it up because of the ease. Not only could he pull it off, he made it sexy. She’d been around the hospital for long enough to have heard multiple women comment on how much they liked the look. For a while he’d worn a goatee, which she’d liked, then he’d shaved it and she liked that too. Sara suspected it had a lot more to do with it being Mac than any particular hairstyle—or lack thereof.
The skirt gaped where it wrapped around her hips, baring the leg nearest Mac. His gaze flickered to her thigh, then trailed up over her hips, tummy, breasts, neck and mouth. She was breathing faster when he finally looked her in the eye again.
She pressed her lips together, trying to tamp down the desire to kiss him. She’d had that desire for a long time, but ever since the curl-her-toes kiss at Sam’s wedding she wanted it like a bee wanted nectar.
What she didn’t want, however, was another rejection.
“I can’t believe you came alone.” She sounded out of breath.
He was still looking at her lips. And holding on to her. “Didn’t ask for company.” That surprised her. “You just got on a plane?”
“Took off two hours after I read your damned note.”
Wow. He’d reacted quickly. Almost like he cared. It was just after sunset on St. Croix, seven sixteen p.m., which was only one hour ahead of home. “Long trip?”
“Three planes, princess. Three airports. Twelve hours. Very long trip.” And a ticket that had to have cost him over six hundred dollars. Yeah, he definitely cared. She leaned closer and smiled up at him. “I’m glad you came.”
“That right?” He didn’t smile in return.
“You’re not glad you came?”
“I’m not glad that I needed to.”
“You didn’t
need
to.”
“Yeah, I did.”
At first, her heart jumped. He’d
needed
to be with her?
Then something in his tone and expression made her frown. It was…resignation. Like she’d gotten herself into trouble and he had to come rescue her in spite of having a hundred other things he’d rather do.
He wasn’t here because he was worried, exactly. He obviously wasn’t here because the idea of a week with her in a tropical paradise was more than he could resist. He was here because he felt obligated. Like a big brother. Since hers was newly married and her sister and brother-in-law were newly pregnant, they sent Mac to watch out for Princess Sara, everybody’s little sister.
Terrific.
23
Erin Nicholas
That realization certainly helped the guilt she’d been feeling over how worried Jessica and Sam had to be.
Mac’s thumbs stroked up and down over her skin and she nearly jumped. She wasn’t sure he was aware he’d done it. If he was and he was teasing her, it wasn’t funny.
She shoved his hands away and pivoted the stool so she faced the bar. She signaled to the bartender, who knew her by name now, and he gave her a thumbs up which meant he’d make her favorite and bring it right over.
“So what? You lost the coin toss?”
He took the stool next to her, scowling at the frothy orange drink with the umbrella in front of her.
“Coin toss?” He indicated his need for a beer to the bartender.
“Or did you draw straws since there are three of you?”
“Three?”
She took a long pull on her straw before answering. “Kevin, Dooley and you.”
“Kevin and Dooley weren’t options.”
“They weren’t available for the search-and-rescue mission?”
“I came to be sure this doesn’t turn into a search-and-rescue mission.”
“You came because Sam asked you to.”
“Haven’t talked to Sam.” He took a drink of his beer.
She glanced at him suspiciously. “Text message?”
“No communication at all.”
“Jessica?”
“Nope.”
She’d always kind of liked Mac’s no-nonsense, straight and simple way of talking. Now it was driving her crazy. “Let me guess, Sam and Danika were too physically exhausted to answer the phone and Jessica had to get four more baby-name books from the library.” Mac just looked at her.
“What?” she asked, irritably.
“Feeling a little left out, princess?”
She frowned at her drink. It wasn’t that. It wasn’t the attention, or the fact that she had always been the center of everyone’s attention and now suddenly wasn’t. At least it wasn’t
only
that. Was she hurt her brother and sister both now had things they’d rather do than talk to and hang out with her? Maybe a little.
But it was more that she missed them. That sounded dumb even in her own head, but their group of friends had always been the center of
her
attention. They were her family. And though she loved Danika and Ben, and would definitely love her niece or nephew, she realized the group was changing. Her rock, her foundation, the heart of her existence was shifting and if Sam and Jessica could change, then anyone 24
Just My Type
could. Especially those who weren’t biologically bound to her. And that scared her. That was why now was the time for her to finally let Mac know she wanted him. All of him. Forever.
He was the one part of her life she couldn’t—wouldn’t—give up in any way.
She had lost Sam to a few dinners and weekends with Dani’s family. She was losing Jessica’s time and focus to baby and mommy things. Those were good things, things she had to accept because she wanted her siblings to be happy and fulfilled.
But she wasn’t losing Mac to anything or anyone. Period.
It was a good thing she was convinced
she
was what could make Mac happy and fulfilled.
“They’re so busy with other things it was the perfect time to get away,” she finally answered him.
“Uh-huh.” He took another pull on the beer bottle.
“So if they didn’t send you, you came all on your own?”
“Right.”
“Why?” she demanded. He cared about her, dammit, and she was going to make him admit it.
“To make sure you don’t do something stupid.”
She spun to face him. “For instance?”
“Ending up arrested. Or kidnapped. Or dead.”
She puffed out a frustrated breath. Big-brother obligation. That was what this was in his mind. Not Ican’t-live-without-you-for-even-a-moment. Instead no-one-else-could-come-so-I’m-here. “Sorry you had to pull your face out from between those breasts.”
He grinned and tipped his bottle back. “I forgive you.” She scowled at him. “Well, thanks. And as you can see, I’m not in jail, tied up in a trunk, or six feet under. You can go now.”
When she tried to turn back to her drink, Mac’s hand went to her elbow and though his hold was firm, it was gentle. The look in his eyes was not.
“I’m not leaving without you.”
“Mac, that isn’t necessary. I’m going to have a little fun and then…”
“A
little
fun?” he repeated. “I read your note. If you want to keep up with me, there’s nothing little about it.”
Heat swept over and through her. He was mad, clearly. She wasn’t even sure he meant it the way she’d taken it. Still, his words made her want to respond with
prove it
.
“Pretty big talk in your letter, princess.”
She made herself lift her chin. “I know. I meant it.”
“If you wanna be a woman I pay attention to, you’re gonna to have to get into some trouble.”
25
Erin Nicholas
His lazy near-drawl didn’t fool her. He was angry about what she’d written. Well, she’d wanted to bait him a bit. She wanted him thinking about her in a new light. It looked like she’d at least gotten his attention.
“I know about your women, Mac.” And she did. Too well. She’d been observing Mac, listening to him, learning about him for thirteen years. Even before she’d realized she wanted more from him than the favorite ice cream he would drive out of his way to get for her, she’d been mentally cataloging facts about him.