Road to Passion (12 page)

She raised her hand. “Swear to
God.”

It took me all of twelve seconds
to feel the burn in my tear ducts. I forced the tears away. “Ohmigod,” I
rasped, and headed to the sofa where I flopped down and dropped my face in my
hands.

I felt the sofa dip and an arm
come around my shoulders. “What can I do?” Kim asked.

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “For
the last three days, I’ve been sure he’s an asshole cheater and now I’m not
sure of anything.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yes, although, I reserve the
right to kick his ass.”

“Fair enough.” Kim smiled. “I’ll
help.”

“Are you positive about all of
this?”

“Beyond. When I saw him yest—”

“You saw him?”

“Yes.”

“Is he okay?”

She shook her head. “He was
worried about you and asked me to come over. He’s wrecked Darien and his house
is a mess.”

I rolled my eyes. “Let’s be
honest, he’s not the greatest at cleaning.”

“No, hon, he’s not. But that’s
not what I’m talking about,” she said. “He’s put holes in several places and
his hands are all bruised. He’s not sleeping or eating. He looks like shit.”

“Good. That makes two of us.”

Kim giggled. “You look a lot
better than he does, trust me.”

“I have to see him.”

“That’s going to be tough because
he obviously feels like his home isn’t safe or you’d be there.” She sighed.
“And he hasn’t come here, so he’s obviously trying to keep a distance for a
reason.”

“I don’t understand why he hasn’t
at least called me.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Unless your
phones are being monitored.”

“Ohmigod.” I snorted. “I think
you’re reaching right now.”

Kim smiled. “You’re probably
right, but seriously, if he’s not calling you back, something’s up.”

“Yes,” I said, pathetically.
“We’re over.”

“No. That’s not it. I swear it’s
not. Trust me.”

“No offense, but I don’t really
know you,” I said.

“I know. But
I
know Mack
and he loves you.”

“Even people in love cheat, Kim.”

She faced me. “Do you really
think he cheated, Darien? Because if you do, I’ll go. But think about it
honestly. Take the emotion out of it.”

“I don’t know if I
can
take
the emotion out of it.”

“I get it, and normally I’d tell
you to ask Booker because he’s his closest friend, but Book won’t tell you
anything, especially since all of this is due to club stuff anyway.” She let
out a loud breath. “Which means Dani won’t know anything, so she’s a dead end.”

I groaned. “You’re not helping.”

“I could call Dani,” she
continued, tapping her finger to her lips, “and she’ll confirm that Mack would
never
cheat on you.”

“She doesn’t know me.”

“But she knows Mack.”

I sighed. “I know Mack too.”

Kim grinned. “Finally a
lightbulb.”

“Shut up.”

She giggled and then got serious.
“He didn’t cheat.”

“I think you might be right.”

“A-fucking-men.”

I rolled my eyes. “So what do I
do?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“But give me a little time and I’ll figure something out.”

I tried for a sincere smile.
“Thanks, Kim.”

“Okay, honey, I have to go. I’m
working tonight, but I’ll call Dani and see if she can help.” She rose to her
feet.

I nodded and followed her to the
door. She hugged me and left, while I grabbed Barney’s leash and took him out
to do his business. Pauley wouldn’t be home for a few hours, but I had
something to do and I needed Barney safe for a little while, so I went next
door and asked Mrs. Waterston if she could watch him until Pauley got home. My
neighbor loved my dog and was always looking for an excuse to spend time with
him, so she agreed quickly and I handed him off. Then I went home and changed.

M
ACK STEPPED OUT of the shower and pulled
on a pair of sweats after drying off. Nothing was resolved, the club was still
in a precarious position, and his woman was still in danger. He swore. The
longer he had to keep away from Darien, the more she’d grow to hate him. He was
in a no-win situation, but he’d protect her, even if it meant he lost her.

He made his way into the great
room and noticed movement out the back door. The house was dark, the back yard
even darker. Grabbing his gun, he stepped to the wall and watched. As a figure
in black sidled up to the sliding glass door, he let out a sigh. He wasn’t sure
if it was relief or irritation, but he couldn’t help but smile. He stowed his
gun and waited to see what she’d do. The door slid slowly and quietly open and
Darien stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

“Darien.”

She squeaked and spun to face
him. “Ohmigod, Mack, you scared me to
death
!”

“You’re the one breaking into
my
house,” he pointed out, both pissed and elated to see her. “I could have shot
you. What are you doing here?”

She shifted from foot to foot.

“Darien?” he said. “What are you
doing here?”

“Did you cheat?”

“No.” He crossed his arms.

* * *

I watched Mack
watch me. There wasn’t a whole lot of light in the house, but I knew him enough
to know his body language and I felt tears well in my eyes. He really hadn’t
cheated.

I let out a frustrated yell and
launched myself at him, ready to maim him, but he obviously knew
me
enough to know
my
body language, and caught me, gently dragging my hands
behind my back and leaning in close. “Not gonna happen, Darien.”

“Why not? You deserve it.”

“You might be right, but that
doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t be here.”

“No one saw me. I made sure.” I’d
worn all black in effort to camouflage myself.

He studied me again. “You gonna
be nice?”

“You gonna pull your head out of
your butt?” I retorted.

“Are you eating?” He loosened his
grip and slid an arm around my waist. “You’ve lost weight.”

“No, I haven’t really been
eating. I’ve kind of been a mess.” I found myself leaning into him and sliding
my hands up his chest.

“I’ve been a mess too, baby,” he
admitted, and kissed me.

“Logan.” My floodgates opened and
I gripped him desperately as I cried.

Mack slid his hand through my
hair, squeezing the back of my neck. “Shhh, baby, it’s okay.”

“No it’s not.” I smacked his
chest. “You lied to me and I believed you!”

He took a deep breath. “I never lied
to you.”

I pushed away from him and
scowled. “You told me you cheated!”

“I didn’t, Darien. You assumed—”

“And you didn’t correct me!” I
jabbed a finger toward him. “Then you let me believe it!” I tried to force back
tears again, but failed miserably. “We have been apart for three days.” When he
reached for me again, I held a hand up. “No. I’m mad. And I’m hurt. But more
than anything, I’m confused. I thought we were a team.”

He rubbed his forehead. “I know.”

“So, am I wrong?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Baby, I can’t talk to you about
this.”

I crossed my arms. “Well, you
better tell me something, or I’m walking out that door and we’re done.”

“Darien.” He gave a resigned
sigh.

“That’s my name,” I retorted.

I could tell he was holding back
a smile. God, he was gorgeous. “I’m between a rock and a hard place here,
Darien. Part of it’s attorney, client privilege and part of it’s for your
protection.”

I relaxed a little. I could
accept some of that, but it didn’t mean I had to like it. “I get the privilege
part, Mack. But if no one knows I’m here, then no one will know you told me
anything, which means I’m still protected.”

“Okay, baby.”

“Really?” I smiled. “I thought
that would be a harder sell.”

“Missed you, honey,” he said, and
kissed me.

“Missed you too,” I whispered.

He released me and moved to
secure the door I’d sneaked in through before closing the blinds. After setting
the alarm, he grabbed his gun and led me into his bedroom. Closing the door,
Mack turned on a lamp and faced me with a chuckle. “Holy shit, Darien. Were you
going for the cat burglar look?”

I glanced at my feet and
shrugged. “Well, I didn’t want to be seen.”

“The beanie’s a nice touch.” He
plucked it from my head and dropped it onto the bed.

My hair fell in messy waves
around my face and I scooped it back as best I could, finally getting a good
look at my man. Gorgeous all shirtless and ripped, but almost as sad as me.
“You look tired.”

He sat on the edge of the bed and
pulled me between his legs. “Yeah, that happens when you don’t sleep.”

I cupped his face. “What’s really
going on?”

“Threats have been made, babe.
That’s all I can really say.”

I slid my fingers into his hair.
It was still a little damp. “Against me?”

He sighed.

“Honey, I need something,” I
pressed.

“Do you remember meeting Nika
Kozlov?”

I frowned. “Where?”

“At work.”

“Oh. Um, tall, blond Russian
guy?”

Mack nodded. “Yes.”

“Vaguely. He was a little
creepy.”

“Yeah. Well, he was checking you
out.”

I gasped. “What?”

“He had a plan to get to know
you, but you quit and since no one told him you were leaving or where you went
afterwards, his plans didn’t quite work out the way he wanted.”

“I’ve been back half a dozen
times to see Mr. Akerman, and I haven’t seen him.”

“Consider yourself lucky, Dare.”

“I don’t understand.” I frowned.
“His grandfather’s there.”

“I know,” he said.

I let out a quiet snort. “Are you
saying he moved his grandfather into an assisted living program in order to get
close to me?”

“Yeah, baby, that’s exactly what
I’m saying.”

“Why?”

“To get to the Dogs through me.”

I took his face in my hands and
leaned in. “What aren’t you telling me?”

He closed his eyes for a second
and then took a deep breath. “The woman in the photos that Millie sent you is
Katya Kozlov. Nika’s sister. We had a thing... not really even a thing. Fucked
a couple times, but she wanted to start up again and I said no.”

“Okay. So why were you kissing
her on a public street?”

“I wasn’t kissing her on a public
street,” he snapped. “She moved in and I immediately pushed her away. Millie
must have just gotten a lucky shot.”

“Why couldn’t you just tell me
that?” I complained.

“Babe, there’s so much shit goin’
down right now, I was caught a little off-guard by your unexpected visit, but I
saw a way that maybe I could protect you and went with it.”

“You’re an idiot.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I settled my hands on his
shoulders. “Honey, we’re supposed to be in this together. I love that you want
to protect me, but I’d like to officially go on record and say that living
without you sucks balls... and not in the good way. I’d rather be dead than
without you, so you need to just deal with that.”

He grinned. “Dramatic.”

“Yeah, when my man keeps his dick
away from me for a few days it makes me a little dramatic.”

Mack slid his hands up my back
and unhooked my bra then pushed everything over my head, burying his face
between my breasts. “Fuck me, I’ve missed the girls.”

“I could suffocate you like this,
you know.” I giggled and pressed them together. “Death by motor boating.”

He kissed one then the other.
“That’s what we call in the biz, boob-hicular homicide.”

“That’s not a real thing, is it?”

Mack laughed. “No, but I think
I’ll make it one.”

I grinned and wrapped my arms
around his neck. “Before that, can you please fuck the living daylights out of
me, because I’m horny as hell and you owe me.”

“Yeah, baby, I can do that.” He
pushed my yoga pants down, panties and all, and I stepped out of my sneakers
and then my clothes.

Mack flipped me onto the bed and
settled his face between my legs, diving straight in without talking or witty
banter. Just his tongue on my clit and my legs fell open of their own volition
and my fingers slid into his hair.

It took seconds to climax, which
was a little irritating, but then he was inside of me, so I no longer cared
about anything but the feel of his cock. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“Same, baby,” he whispered, and
slammed into me again.

He caught my scream with his
mouth as I came around him and he continued to surge into me until he came as
well. Rolling us onto our sides, he slid out of me before he pulled me closer
and kissed me with desperation. “Never again.”

I nodded, meeting his eyes.
“Promise me.”

“Promise, baby. We’ll figure it
out.”

I felt tears leak out again. “I
thought I was going to die, Logan. My heart hurt so much. I can’t live without
you.”

“Shhh, baby, it’s okay. I’ve got
you.”

I cried for several minutes,
letting the emotional exhaustion of the past few days come out in all its
horrible glory. Mack held me close and stroked my hair as I sobbed against his
chest, kissing me when I’d calmed down a bit. “I love you.”

I took a deep breath. “I love you
too.”

“Aren’t you signing for your
house this week?”

“Today,” I whispered. “I signed
today.”

Mack stroked my cheek. “I’m sorry
I wasn’t there.”

I burrowed into his chest.
“Merlot.”

He chuckled. “I have a few
bottles of your favorite in the kitchen.”

“You do?” I asked, and met his
eyes.

“Yeah, baby.” He slid his hand to
my cheek and smiled. “I stocked up a little while ago.”

“Of course you did.” I scowled
and sat up. “I am so
pissed
at you right now.”

Mack dragged his hands down his
face. “Darien.”

“No! God, you’re such an idiot.”
I slid from the bed and paced the room. “I can’t believe you’d do all of this
for... for...”

“For?” he prodded.

“I don’t know! Arrgh. I’m too mad
to even yell at you right.”

Mack leaned up on his arm and
watched me with a smile.

“What?” I snapped.

“Just watchin’.” He waved his
hand. “Continue.”

I crossed my arms. “What exactly
are you watching?”

“You bein’ cute when you’re
pissed.” His smile got bigger. “It’s fuckin’ sexy, Darien.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Shut up.”

Mack laughed and grabbed for my
hand, pulling me down with him onto the bed again. “Gorgeous,” he whispered,
and kissed my neck. The sensitive part just below my ear. The sensitive part
that made me instantly wet.

“Evil,” I whispered back.

He chuckled and slid his hand
between my legs. “I’m gonna show you evil in just a second, honey, but right
now, I want to make sure we’re okay.”

I arched against his fingers and
sighed. “We’re okay in the sense that I love you and there’s nothing that’s
going to change that, but then that makes me mad again because you made me
believe the worst.”

He slid his hand away and gave me
a gentle smile. “It was a dick move, Darien. I get it. I’m sorry and if I could
go back and change it, I would. But I need you to forgive me and then let it
go.”

“I have already forgiven you, but
I’m not ready to let it go yet.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I haven’t slept
well or eaten practically anything in almost three days, and I’m hangry. I was
also horny and you weren’t there to help with that, so I’d kind of like to
shove it in your face for a little while.”

He kissed my right breast. “You
can shove anything in my face baby, particularly if it’s your pussy.”

“Ohmigod, Logan.”

He laughed. “You need a
vibrator.”

“I do not need a vibrator.”

“Baby, you do.”

“Why?”

“Do I need to state the obvious?
Just trust me, you need one.”

“Um, I beg to differ. The only
reason I would ever need a vibrator is if my man decides to lose his ever
blessed mind again and keep this from me.” I ran my hand up and down his
hardening length.

“You and I can use the vibrator
together too, baby,” he rasped as I continued to concentrate on his cock.

“I don’t need a vibrator, Mack,”
I said, and then took his head into my mouth.

“Fuck.” Mack wove his fingers
into my hair and I went to town on my new favorite “toy.”