Secrets and Satin: A MacKenzie Novel (Romantic Suspense) (MacKenzie Family) Read online

  She’d already made the promise to herself that she would never marry again—never give her heart and soul to one person the way she had with Donovan. That kind of love hurt too much, and she wasn’t strong enough to take it again.

  “How’s your headache?” she asked.

  “The medication is kicking in. Though I’ve found something better than drugs to ease the pain.”

  Even she couldn’t miss the innuendo there. She’d spent months wondering if he’d really wanted her as he’d said. Wondering if he’d turned her down because he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Her experience with men wasn’t vast. Donovan had been her first and only lover. She wasn’t good at reading subtleties or playing the dating game. She was blunt and preferred when others were the same because it was what she understood.

  If he’d been so overcome by the sight and feel of her, then he wouldn’t have been able to stop. Would he? But she couldn’t be imagining the interest she saw in his eyes now. And there was nothing in the world that could’ve hidden the erection tenting the front of his sweatpants. She could go into an affair with her eyes open this time, without the guilt plaguing her or the anger making her do things she normally wouldn’t. This would be a healthy coupling between two people who knew what they were getting into, and when the mission was over, they could go back to the way things were before she’d screwed them up.

  Jade couldn’t, and wouldn’t, expect anything more from him than a casual affair. Max deserved to have a woman who was whole, who could give him a home and children and hold up the traditions of the Devlin name. She could no longer offer that to any man. Not to mention his grandparents would probably go into apoplexy if he brought home a mixed-race orphan girl from Louisiana. Her future was in her work, and that would have to be enough to fulfill her.

  “You’ve still got some splinters embedded in the skin,” she said, touching around the deepest cut near his eye.

  She grabbed the tweezers and got to work, taking out the thin slivers of wood as the wounds bled sluggishly. He didn’t flinch and he stayed perfectly still, but his gaze never left her face. His eyes were heavy lidded, and the brown contacts were gone so the brilliant blue blazed with hunger.

  Her breasts grew heavy and her nipples spiked against the thin material of her bra. Warmth spread through her body and it felt as if some invisible thread was binding them closer, though their bodies weren’t touching. She stood between his open thighs, basking in his heat and enjoying the feel of him beneath her fingers.

  “You said you were here for a couple of reasons.” His voice was seductive and low, and she finally found the courage to meet that endless blue gaze. “The first is the mission. But you haven’t told me what the second reason was.”

  “That was careless of me,” she whispered.

  They stared into each other’s eyes, completely lost to anything else around them. It was a stare that lasted too long and saw too much. A stare that heightened the senses and changed how each breath was drawn, so they were completely in sync with one another. It was like being caught in a spell, so body and mind were no longer theirs to command.

  Jade drew in a shuddering breath and glanced down at his sensual lips, ripe and full and so tempting she could have spent hours there, but then she remembered he was waiting patiently for her to see to his cuts and heat rushed to her face at how easily she’d been distracted. Only he could do this to her—only when he was near was her ability to focus on the job at hand sorely tested.

  The splinters were gone and she wiped the cuts with an antiseptic pad before placing a couple of butterfly bandages over the deeper ones. She froze when she felt his hands on either side of her knees. His touch was molten through the fabric of her pants, and he squeezed once before gliding his hands higher up her thighs and around so they rested just below her rear.

  “You didn’t answer me, Jade. What was the other reason for coming here?”

  She couldn’t keep herself from touching him, from feeling the coarseness of his stubble beneath her hand. Her thumb skimmed across his bottom lip and his nostrils flared at the boldness of her touch.

  “Answer me, dammit.”

  Impatience simmered inside him, and his fingers flexed against her backside. He reminded her of a big golden tiger locked in a cage, waiting for the opportunity to pounce on whoever opened the door.

  “You told me before—” she licked her lips and ran her fingers through his damp hair, massaging the back of his skull. “You told me to come find you when I was ready to live for real.”

  “And?” he asked.

  “It looks like I found you. Now what are you going to do about it?”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Jade could see the surprise in his eyes, and the way her challenge affected him. His hands cupped her ass and he pulled her closer, so her breasts were only a whisper away from his mouth. She leaned down boldly and took his bottom lip between her teeth, sucking it into her mouth before letting it go with an audible pop.

  “You’re under my skin, Max Devlin. All these months of separation, and I still couldn’t get you out of my head. There are no ghosts between us now. Memories—yes. But no ghosts. We’re just a man and a woman, and I know what I’m asking for. Give me this one time. Just to make the ache go away.”

  She kissed him in earnest then, lips and tongues melding. His hand clasped against the back of her head, holding her in place as he took control. If he hadn’t been holding her steady, her knees would have buckled because kissing Max was like sending an electrical current through her system.

  “You think just once is going to do it?” he asked, pulling away. “You’d better be damned sure what you’re asking me because I promise, the kind of living I have in mind is like nothing you’ve ever experienced.”

  “I need to be touched,” she moaned. “I’ve missed it so much. I’m yours for the taking.”

  He pulled her hips down so she straddled his leg and she groaned as pressure was applied against her pussy. A wicked hunger rose inside of her, daring her to push him for more.

  “I love your ass,” he said, palming the globes in his hands. “It’s definitely my favorite body part, and yours is grade A, baby. My dick goes rock hard every time I see you bend over. Your ass is going to be mine, baby.”

  “God, Max—”

  His teeth nipped at the sensitive flesh of her neck while his hands massaged her ass. “Be damned sure this is what you want,” he whispered. “Because there will come a time when we’re past the point of no return. I’ve waited too long for you. Do you have any idea the things I’ve dreamed of doing to that sweet body?”

  How could she answer? She gasped as his head dipped down and he took one of her nipples between his teeth through the barrier of her shirt, biting down gently. Her pussy became hotter and she began to writhe against his leg, looking for relief from the pressure building inside of her. She’d been married and widowed, but never in her life had she felt anything like what was happening to her now.

  “I’m going to be demanding,” he said. “And there won’t be anything you’ll deny me when you’re in my bed. Have you thought about the consequences of that?”

  “It’s all I’ve been able to think about,” she panted. “I want you. Just you, Max.”

  “You’re going to get me, sugar. But you don’t have any idea who you’ve set yourself up against. I know you, Jade Jax. And you coming to me is the perfect excuse for you to get what you want and not have to face the consequences. Yes, you’re ready to live for real. I can see it when I look at you now. But you’re still feeling your way back into the world, and you think I’m a safe choice for testing your wings.”

  She froze against him as his words mirrored her thoughts. She shook her head to deny him, but the fire burning between them wouldn’t be doused so easily.

  “Don’t push this, Max,” she said, her hand putting against his chest. “I want you. My body comes alive for you. Let it be enough.” She didn’t bother to add he’d probably lose i
nterest before long anyway. She knew exactly what she was getting into. They’d use each other for as long as it lasted and move on.

  His fingers gripped her hips and he held her against his muscled thigh. “I’m not safe, baby. I’ve waited for this too long, and once you give yourself to me, you’re mine.”

  She shook her head, denying him the one thing she couldn’t give.

  “You’ll give me everything you have without question. If I tell you to bend over so I can watch my dick slide into that sweet ass, then that’s what you’ll do.” His voice was dark and sinful and she shivered at the image he described. “There won’t be any hiding when you’re with me. Is that something you’ll be able to live with?”

  Jade’s mind was cloudy with the promises he made, and there was no turning back now—not after she’d come so close to satisfaction.

  “Only if you can live with the things I want to do to you,” she managed to get out. “I won’t be a bystander in this affair.” She nipped at his ear and felt the growl rumble in his chest. “I may not have as much experience as you when it comes to certain things, but I’m a fast learner and I can hold my own. You may dominate me in the bedroom, but we’ll stand side by side when it comes to the job. One has nothing to do with the other. I want your promise on that or I walk out the door right now. Are we clear?”

  “Crystal.” Max smiled as he tugged her shirt from her pants and pulled it over her head. “And don’t threaten to walk out my door, or I’ll have you bent over my knee with my palm prints on your ass.”

  Her ass clenched and her eyes widened at the suggestion, and he laughed, a caress that touched every nerve ending in her body.

  “So you like the idea of being spanked, do you?” he asked. “Maybe I’ll surprise you.”

  Jade didn’t know what she’d expected from Max, but these dark promises weren’t it. She was way out of her league, and as passionate and daring as she’d thought sex with Donovan had been, she realized now how sheltered her experience had been. Not that Donovan hadn’t made her blood race or had been unable to give her orgasms, because he had, but the sheer chemistry she felt with Max made her realize how wide the spectrum of pleasure was. And he hadn’t even been inside her yet.

  She wished she was the kind of woman who owned sexy lingerie, or had the kind of breasts to fill that lingerie out. But she’d never taken the time to learn to be a girl. Her whole life had been about survival, from the time she’d been a child in the orphanage to adulthood when she’d sworn to serve and protect.

  But the way Max was looking at her in that moment made her feel very feminine. It didn’t matter that she wore a plain white cotton bra. His eyes were dark with arousal and took in every inch of her, as if he were committing the sight of her to his memory.

  “Do you know how good it’s going to feel to finally be inside you?” he asked. “I’ve dreamed of it often, but then I’d wake up alone and so hard I had no choice but to jack off or live with the pain in my balls.”

  Jade moaned and shifted her weight against his thigh, undulating her hips and feeling the flickers of electricity gathering in her clit. His words brought a clear picture to mind, and the thought of him masturbating while thinking of fucking her was its own aphrodisiac, even if it was a lie. If he woke up hard, probably all he had to do was roll over and slide into whoever was laying next to him.

  His hands skimmed up her flat stomach and cupped her breasts, his thumbs flicking across her cloth covered nipples before moving to her back to open the clasp of her bra. Jade trailed her fingers down the hard planes of his chest and across the ridges of his defined abs, and gasped as her gaze went below his waist. His cock was hard and huge, and his erection was so impressive the waistband of his sweatpants couldn’t contain it.

  Her fingers moved lower and she was just about to take it in her hand when a sharp knock pounded against the door.

  “Fuck.” Max’s jaw clenched as he quickly pulled her shirt back over her head. “That’ll be the team. Sometimes MacKenzies are a pain in the ass.”

  Jade snickered and moved on unsteady legs to lean against the counter and put herself back together. Max looked rakishly disheveled, his hair mussed and his lips swollen from her kisses. Not to mention his sweatpants left very little to the imagination.

  “All I know is you’d better put that hard-on away or they’ll call you something a lot worse than Agent Danger,” she said, laughing again. “You know Cade never passes up the opportunity to get his jabs in.”

  He looked down to where her gaze was riveted and grunted. “I figure they’re used to it by now. I’ve had a perpetual hard-on since you walked through my door five years ago, but I’ll go put a shirt on since Elena is probably with them.” He grinned wolfishly. “You can answer the door and deal with Declan. He’s probably not going to be happy about the way things went tonight. Maybe you can soften him up some.”

  Jade snorted. “Not likely. There’s only one woman that man is ever soft around, and it sure as hell isn’t me.”

  Max slipped into the bedroom and she grabbed her weapon from the counter and went to the door—you could never be too careful. She checked the camera and opened the door to a group of men who towered over her substantial height, and Elena, who stood behind them hugging her computer.

  “Sorry to interrupt your party,” Declan said, moving past her and straight to the kitchen. “Some of us would like to get some work done around here.”

  “Don’t mind him,” Cade said, following close behind. “You know how pissy he gets when he has to fly. I’ve never met a man who hates to fly as much as he does, yet has to do it so often.”

  “I’m not afraid to fly,” Dec said, grabbing a couple of beers from the fridge and tossing one to Cade. “And if you keep poking at me, I’m going to tell Bayleigh.”

  Brant Scott, Dec and Cade’s brother-in-law, laughed from the corner and took the beer Dec handed him, leaning against the counter to watch the show.

  “I’m tired of everyone threatening to tell my wife on me,” Cade scowled. “I’m not afraid of her.”

  “Yes you are—” several voices said at once.

  “I just don’t like sleeping on the couch,” he said. “My feet hang over the end. Not that I know what sleep is. I swear my child must be half vampire. She thinks nighttime is playtime.”

  “I think that’s called poetic justice,” Brant said. “Because Darcy and I have perfect children. Both of them were sleeping through the night at two weeks old. Your mom said you get what you deserve. You must deserve an awful lot.”

  “You have no idea,” Dec said. “He enjoyed his power as the oldest immensely. I’m surprised Shane wasn’t scarred for life after some of the things Cade did to him.”

  “You’re not completely innocent in this, you know,” Cade said. His arms were crossed over his chest, his posture defensive and his scowl black. “You’re the one who wrote that poem about him under the bleachers. I don’t think he had a girlfriend his entire freshman year.”

  Dec grinned, stretching the white scar along his jawline, and tapped his beer bottle against Cade’s. “Well, now that I think back on it, he probably deserved it.”

  “Speaking of,” Max said, coming into the fray. “Where is Shane? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

  “He’s back in the world,” Dec said, referring to Shane coming home after a long mission overseas. “It’s haying season, so he’s helping Mom up at the house for the next few weeks, but he and the team are on call if we need them.”

  Jade took a seat next to Elena and watched the byplay continue for a few minutes. She had been brought into the MacKenzie family so seamlessly over the past couple of years that it seemed like she’d always been there. The MacKenzies were special—they were hard-headed and tough and could be scary as hell if the occasion called for it—but underneath it all was a deep caring and respect for each other and for their jobs. They believed in justice and that right should always win, and they were loyal—to each other and their wi
ves. She trusted every person in the room, and she realized how rare that was.

  “They are always like children,” Elena whispered, her lips twitching at an insult Max tossed off to Cade.

  “That’s because they’re men,” Jade said.

  “And proud of it,” Max said.

  Jade’s body went hot when she met his gaze over the top of Elena’s head. The look he gave her reminded her exactly how male he was. The banter and voices around them became muted as she remembered what Max’s hands had felt like against her skin, but reality came crashing back when Cade nudged her in the shoulder.

  “You falling asleep on us?” he asked.

  The spell was broken and she turned to elbow Cade in the ribs.

  ***

  Max let out a slow breath and ignored the long look Declan gave him. Dec was protective of Jade, just like all of the guys were, but Max didn’t need the subtle warning he saw in Dec’s gaze. Jade was going to be his. And he’d fight anyone who tried to tell him differently.

  He headed to the coffeepot, poured himself a steaming cup, and didn’t bother to add cream or sugar. He needed the kick, and he was hoping the caffeine would take the edge off the pain in his head. The pills he’d taken had eased the headache, but the dull throb was still there. At least it was manageable.

  “I’m assuming there’s a reason Dec has come down from his mountain on high and is now drinking beer at my kitchen table?” Max asked.

  “Sometimes I like to mingle with the commoners,” Dec answered dryly.

  Dec took a seat at the head of the table and everyone else grabbed a chair to pull up. He passed out a manila file folder to everyone and the joking expression he’d had earlier was completely gone. This was Dec in business mode.

  “Senator Henry is screaming from the rooftops about the breach of his security tonight,” Dec said. “Henry doesn’t know who broke into his office and tampered with his computer, but he suspects Martin Vassin.”