Heat of the Storm (9 page)

“I’m tired of waiting,” Wil replied flatly.

He shrugged her hand off him and marched to the exit. Hol y frowned when she noticed his expression, which Mac imagined to be fierce and resentful, but the brunette didn’t have time to react because, in an instant, Wil pul ed Hol y into his arms and kissed her.

Mac’s heart promptly plummeted to the pool of pain and bitterness in the pit of her stomach.

Wil wasn’t sure why he’d decided to kiss Hol y.

They’d agreed to some tame hand-holding and a few pecks on the cheek, but the ire coursing inside him like a volatile ocean current had inspired this impulsive decision. Screw Mac, and her excuses, her fear, her denial. She didn’t want to give him a reason to stay? Fine, then he’d show her exactly what she would be missing. To hel with her.

His mouth closed over Hol y’s, swal owing the shocked little sound she made. Carson would kil him, yes, but to hel with him too. Placing his hands on Hol y’s round bottom, he pul ed her toward him, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and kissing the living daylights out of her.

His body reacted the way it always did when his tongue was in a warm female mouth. His cock grew hard, his pulse quickened, but he suspected the result had more to do with the fact that Mackenzie was watching. He sensed her presence, felt her beautiful blue eyes on him, and he knew she stil stood by the gate, witnessing this kiss.

To his surprise, Hol y responded to him, twining her arms around his neck and sinking into his body. Her smal breasts pressed against his chest, and though they stimulated a pleasurable sensation, it was nothing compared to the way Mackenzie’s ful breasts had felt on his bare chest.

Damn her.

He fondled Hol y’s ass, tangling his tongue with hers, wishing it could be this simple. Kiss another woman, love another woman.

But it wasn’t, and the hopeless realization that he could never get over Mackenzie Wade prompted him to end the kiss.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured against Hol y’s lips then slowly drew back.

She stared up at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. “It’s fine.” After a second of hesitation, she lifted her hand and touched his chin. “Are you okay?” He practical y choked on the word “no”.

Hol y shot a discreet glance behind them, where he knew Mac was stil watching. “Let’s go then.” Nodding, he took Hol y’s hand and led her away, needing to get the hel out of this damn carnival. Away from Mackenzie and her goddamn excuses. He didn’t look back, not even once, and when they were far enough away, he stopped walking and shot Hol y an apologetic look.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said.

A devilish glint fil ed her green eyes. “Nope. Carson is going to kil you, you know.”

Wil suppressed a groan. Oh, he knew al right.

He’d be lucky if his friend didn’t skin him alive.

At least Hol y seemed to take it wel . She’d obviously recovered from that spontaneous kiss he’d launched at her, the flush gone from her cheeks and a wise look in her eyes. “You’re done, aren’t you?” she asked quietly.

“With Mac?” Pain stung his heart like a wasp. “I think so.”

They began to walk again, making their way through the crowd of happy, smiling people. They reached the edge of the lot, and instead of heading over to his Jeep, he led Hol y across the street. “I need a drink,” he muttered.

“Me too.” Hol y fanned her face. “Don’t tel Carson I said this, but you’re a damn good kisser, Charleston.” He managed a grin. “Thanks.”

She frowned. “I wish you’d given me a heads up, though. I don’t kiss wel under pressure.” The grin turned into a laugh. “You did just fine.” They reached the one and only bar in Hunter Ridge.

A look through the window showed the place to be practical y empty, and Wil held open the door for Hol y then fol owed her inside. He gave a polite smile to the waitress, who ushered them to a booth near the window. After they’d sat and ordered a couple of beers, Wil looked at Hol y and groaned.

“What would you do, if you were me?” He sighed.

“Give up?”

She paused thoughtful y. “I’m not sure it’s possible to give up on love.”

“If Carson had put up a fight about being with you, would you have tried to force him to change his mind?”

“Yes, if I knew he loved me.” Hol y gave a sheepish grin. “Actual y, Carson and I were kind of in the same situation. I kept fighting the relationship, didn’t want to get seriously involved, and he kept pushing until I final y gave us a chance.”

“Are you glad he did?”

“Yes.” No hesitation in her tone. “If he hadn’t fought for us, we might not be together right now.” Wil ran a hand through his hair. “So you’re saying I should fight for her? Even when she’s determined to pretend she’s not in love with me?” The waitress returned to deliver their drink order, and Hol y lifted the beer bottle to her lips. “But you know it’s a lie, and she’l admit it eventual y. Because she
does
love you. You should’ve seen her face when the kiss ended. Sheer misery.”

His stomach clenched. He did
not
like knowing Mac had been in pain, and that he’d caused it.

“I didn’t see her trying to stop me,” he final y said, then took a long swig of his beer. His mouth lifted in a bitter smile. “She’s probably gone home by now, hiding in that farmhouse the way she’s done for years.”

Hol y’s lips curved, her focus on the window behind Wil . “I wouldn’t bet on it,” she murmured.

He quickly twisted around, his heart leaping when he spotted Mackenzie crossing the narrow street, each step she took heavy with determination. Her lush mouth was set in a firm line, her pale blue eyes flashing with what looked like fury.

Seconds later, she threw open the door and stormed into the bar.

“You’re an asshole, Wil Charleston!” Mackenzie flung the insult at him like a live grenade, her cheeks burning with anger.

He raised one brow. “Am I?”

Ignoring him, Mac turned her attention to Hol y, who seemed to be fighting back a smile. “You should know that you’re dating an insensitive jerk.” Hol y echoed Wil ’s reply. “Am I?”

“Did he tel you he slept with me last week?” Mac demanded.

The bar grew quiet. The three patrons sitting by the long chrome counter immediately swiveled their heads in the direction of the booth. Even the waitress eyed them curiously.

But Mac was oblivious to the inquisitive stares, and that said a lot—she always cared way too much about what the people in town thought of her. “Wil and I had sex last week,” Mac said, her gaze trained on the brunette. “Did you know that?”

“No,” Hol y said with a shrug.

“Doesn’t that bother you?” Mackenzie snapped.

“Why should it?” Hol y took a casual sip of her beer.

“If it had meant anything, he’d be with you right now, not me.”

Wil hid a smile. Hol y was going al out, wasn’t she?

“It meant something!” Mac burst out. “It meant
everything
.”

Wil was stunned to see her eyes fil up with tears.

“Mackenzie—”

“No,” she interrupted. “I don’t want to listen to you anymore. I get it, you’re done with me. Fine. I’m done anymore. I get it, you’re done with me. Fine. I’m done with you too, Wil .”

She spun around and hurried out the door, the heels of her sexy leather boots clicking with each furious step.

“Go,” Hol y said with a sigh.

Without a response, Wil shot out of the booth and took off after Mackenzie. He caught up to her just as she reached her car. “Don’t even think about running off,” he ordered, digging his fingers into the sleeve of her shirt.

“Leave me alone,” she said, trying to free her arm.

He tightened his grip and dragged her to the narrow al eyway that separated Paula’s general store from the hair salon. A single bulb bathed the al ey in a pale yel ow glow, revealing Mac’s wet cheeks and eyelashes that were spiky with tears. Her gaze flitted al over the place, landing on everything but him.

“Look at me,” he demanded.

“No.”

He edged closer, slowly backing her into the brick wal , one hand stil on her arm, the other now on her chin. He forcibly made her look at him. “What the hel do you want from me, Mackenzie?”

She let out a smal sob. “Nothing.”

“Bul shit. What do you want?”

A few more tears spil ed out of the corners of her eyes. “I don’t want anything to change.”

“Too bad, it has.” He wiped the tears away with his thumb, then lowered his fingers and rubbed her bottom lip. “Everything changed the moment you kissed me. Not when I showed up at your house during the storm, not when I slid my cock into you, but when you kissed me.”

“I already told you, I was upset about Dan and—”

“You were attracted to me,” he cut in. “You’re stil attracted to me.” He dragged his fingers along the slender column of her throat, across her col arbone, down to that enticing ‘V’ of her chest.

“Don’t,” she whispered.

He dipped his fingers into her cleavage, stroking the upper swel of one breast. “Don’t even pretend you want me to stop,” he whispered back.

She gasped as he moved his palm underneath the lacy cup of her bra and cupped her breast. “This isn’t right.”

“It’s right,” he disagreed huskily. “Baby, it’s always been right.”

He let go of her arm, moving his other hand underneath her shirt. He cupped both breasts, stroking, dragging his thumbs over her nipples. Her breathing quickened, her blue eyes dark with arousal.

Knowing she was turned on, that
he
turned her on, made his cock thicken and strain against his zipper.

Anticipation coiled inside him, tight and urgent like a rattlesnake about to attack. With a groan, he lowered his head to those enticing breasts, nuzzling his cheek against one stiff nipple before catching it in his mouth and sucking deeply.

Mac gasped with pleasure.

“You like that, don’t you?” he murmured then scraped his teeth over her hard bud.

She didn’t reply, only released a little moan, and it was al he needed to hear. With his face on her breasts, tongue licking a nipple, he slid his hands down to her ass and squeezed her firm buttocks, stroking and caressing, the intimate massage making her moan again. His cock jerked when Mac’s fingers found their way into his hair, tugging on the dark strands, keeping him trapped against her breasts.

God, he would never get enough of this woman.

He moved a hand to the button of her jeans, skil ful y popped it open and let his fingers go exploring. He rubbed her pussy through her panties, the heat of her searing his skin. His groin clenched. Fuck, he could come right now if he let himself, just from the feel of that hot mound under his palm. Mac started rocking against his hand, urging him on with soft little sounds, against his hand, urging him on with soft little sounds, thrusting her breasts into his face.

With a strangled groan, he shoved aside the crotch of her panties and found her clit, applying pressure with his thumb.

Mac threw her head back and climaxed, a rippling explosion that covered his fingers with moisture and made every inch of him ache with raw, uncontrol able desire.

“I’m taking you home,” he ground out, barely able to breathe, let alone speak. “Right now.” She looked up at him with glazed, sated eyes.

“What?”

“I’m serious, baby. I need to be inside you.” He took his hand out of her panties and quickly tugged her bra and shirt back into place.

“But…” She shook her head, as if trying to snap out of a hypnotic trance. “What about Hol y?” It took him a second to realize what the hel she was talking about. His supposed new girlfriend. “You don’t need to worry about Hol y. Just get in the car and drive home. I’l fol ow you there after I talk to her.”

“Wil —”

He cut her off with a harsh kiss, his tongue fil ing her mouth. Just as she began to respond, he pul ed back.

“Go home, baby. And you better be naked when I get there.”

Mac was ful y clothed when Wil walked through the front door of her farmhouse nearly half an hour later.

During the drive home, and the subsequent wait for Wil to settle things with the woman he was currently dating, Mac had had plenty of time to think and ask herself a few important questions. The main one being,
what the hell was she doing
?

It was bad enough that she’d let Wil bring her to orgasm in public, but agreeing to spend the night with him again? It was crazy. And foolish. Without the haze of sexual attraction fogging up her brain, she had a clear line of vision to the reason she’d always kept Wil safely in the friend zone. Their friendship. Sex was temporary, but what she and Wil had, wel , that wasn’t something she was wil ing to give up.

And considering what she’d seen, she couldn’t al ow sex to complicate her fragile relationship with Wil . If he died in that crash—she refused to use the word
when
—then she didn’t want their remaining time together to be messy and complicated. She didn’t want to fight with him, or have sex ruin their friendship.

She wanted the familiar. Stable, comfortable Wil , her best friend.

But…what if he
did
die? Shouldn’t she al ow herself one more night with him? She’d already decided to tel him about the vision, a goal she’d seemed to lose track of between watching Wil kiss another woman and then letting the attraction distract her in the al ey.

She’d planned on doing it now, before that attraction reared its irritating head again, but suddenly she was reconsidering.