She Who Dares, Wins (7 page)

“Come and find me, Mac.”

Katie, too, knew exactly what she was going to do to him when he found her.

I
T TOOK
M
AC
more than fifteen minutes to find her, then he kissed her senseless. Once he helped her out of the bouncy-ball contraption, they decided to try out the giant swings hanging from the ceiling.

“Now, this could be very interesting,” Mac's voice teased.

Katie ducked away, but he saw her grin.

“Go play on the slide and tell me how you met Hunter.”

Mac chose a big pogo stick instead. “At the pub, which funnily enough is where I've met most of my friends.” He laughed. It was true. He spent most of his time at the university, especially those first few months. But he'd run into some interesting people at the Knightsbridge pub where he'd met Katie.

“Huh,” she said as she sat on the swing and then spun it out of control. Mac loved watching her like this. The tension was gone from her shoulders and eyes, and the smile on her face was one of pure joy.

The sight made his heart do double time.

“And?” she questioned him.

“Oh, I was trying to find a last-minute gift for my nephew Taylor. He's the son of my second-oldest sister, Raina. She's a single mom, the best. Takes after my mom, who is pretty stellar even though she has something against toys that are just for fun. I actually have three sisters. I'm the only boy, and the youngest. They're all caring, loving women, who can't seem to keep their noses out of my life. It's like having four mothers, but I love them.

“Anyway, I had the laptop open at the bar and the guy sitting next to me happened to see I was on a page looking at toys. It was Hunter. We talked, and he took me around the corner to his parents' store. They hooked me up with the coolest remote-controlled helicopter, and my nephew still calls me King Uncle because I give the best gifts. Every time the holidays roll around or birthdays, I call Hunter and ask what's the latest and greatest.

“We play tennis two Sundays a month at the club with some other friends of ours. And his mom makes me come to dinner at least once a month. She can't actually cook, but she's a pro at finding takeout that tastes like homemade.”

Katie laughed. “I don't know what I'd do without my friends,” she said, but her voice had suddenly grown serious. “They keep me sane. Of course, we all work together, so we're always in each other's business. It's really not that much different than being home.”

She crossed to the window and stared out at the scenery.

“Katie, what's wrong?”

She shook her head.

He put the pogo stick back where he'd found it and joined her.

“Tell me, please. Something I said upset you.”

“No.” She touched his arm lightly. “It isn't you at all. Well, it is, but not the way you think.”

“I'm not following your logic.” Mac truly was clueless.

“I can't tell them about you,” she said. “They'd be so disappointed in me right now. We're pretty loose with the rules, but dating a client is a big one. And I've been here for two days and I've done nothing to solve your case. Well, I narrowed the suspect list, and I've left some voice mails for people at the university to call me back. I was able to get a feel from some of the students and faculty about how your role at the university is viewed.

“But I need to be out there doing the grunt work, instead of playing around here. What kind of detective am I? A guy makes amazing love to me, and I turn into a total flake.”

Mac turned her so she faced him. “Give yourself a break. In the two days you've been here, you've done everything you could, given the circumstances. You worked all day, and kept me safe last night. And you're keeping me safe today. Think about it. I wasn't going to sit around a hotel room. Your job was to keep me safe, and that's what you're doing. It's quite logical. As for your friends at work, I've been thinking about them.” He lifted her chin with his hand. “And I've deduced you have no need to worry anymore.”

“Mac, you know what we're doing is wrong. It doesn't matter what business you're in, you don't sleep with your customers. Well, except for maybe one business, we are
so not going there. I'm a detective, and it's my job to stay objective and to protect. End of story.”

“Now, there you go ruining a perfectly wonderful day with misinformation,” Mac told her.

Katie's eyebrows drew together. “What are you talking about now?”

“Let's set the record straight. I didn't hire you, Katie. I didn't ask you to protect me. I didn't ask you to take on my case. The dean did all that. And I'm sorry, but I'm not going to let what your friends think get in the way of this.”

He kissed her then. Teasing her lips at first and then growing more passionate.

Katie put her hands on his chest and pushed away. “You're trying to distract me.”

“Guilty,” he said as he kissed her one more time. “Did you have fun today?”

“Yes. More than you know.”

“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea. But all this playing around has made me hungry.”

“Do you ever stop thinking about food?”

He laughed at that as he guided her back to the Segway. “You'd be surprised how many times I forget to eat when I'm working,” he said. “Though I think I've made up for most of those lost meals in calories alone the last two days.”

This time she laughed, and the joy he'd heard before returned to her voice. “You know, I never had many toys that weren't trucks or superhero action figures,” she said. “I can't remember ever playing anything but cops and robbers and stickball.”

“You didn't have any dolls?”

She snorted. “Please, I had a doll one time when I was
really young. Liam used it for target practice with the BB gun he got for Christmas. She was so full of dents and tiny holes.” She shook her head. “Nope, nothing girlie in our house ever survived.”

Mac had always thought he took life too seriously, but Katie absolutely did. For however long she was here, he would make certain they had a good time together. The woman was due some fun.

“How do you feel about Chinese takeout?”

“I'm a fan,” she said as they rode up the curvy path to the main office.

“It's a good thing I don't work here,” Mac said. “I'd never get anything done.”

“I'm sure after a while the novelty wears off,” Katie said as they made their way to the elevator.

Picking up the phone, Mac called down to the guard station. Then they stood staring at the view again. Darkness had fallen while they played and the city lights twinkled. It looked like a magical world out there.

“You're probably right. Know what, Katie?”

“What's that, Mac?”

“You're one toy I'm never going to get tired of, and that is a fact.”

She playfully pushed at him. “I'm a toy now? Hmm. I'm not sure how I feel about that.”

Mac slipped his arms around her. “Hey, I'm careful with my toys, and I always play nice.”

His mouth captured hers.

“No.” She winked at him as the elevator doors slid open. “You don't play fair at all.”

 

I
CAN HONESTLY SAY
I've never eaten Chinese noodles in the bathtub.” Katie rubbed her toes against Mac's
thigh, as she used her chopsticks for another bite. Mac had insisted she jump into the bath to rid herself of her Popsicle status after walking in the snow. Then he'd brought the food in and told her to move so he could climb in.

“It's great, especially when you drop the noodles on your chest, which always happens to me,” Mac said. “No stains on your shirt this way.”

“Mac, have you ever eaten in a tub before?”

He laughed and shook his head. “Technically, no. But you have to admit it's a great idea.”

“Okay, so we talked about my dating past, but I noticed you were quiet during that conversation.”

“We're eating, in a tub, naked, and you want to talk about the women I've dated.”

She pursed her lips. “Uh, yes.”

Mac laughed. “Well, prepare to be bored.”

Pointing her chopsticks at him, she encouraged him to continue.

“Well, I'll tell you about the high school years later. Suffice to say, there was only one girl, and it ended tragically.”

Katie gasped. “Oh, no. I'm sorry. Was she killed?”

Mac guffawed. “No, she dumped me, but it's still too painful to talk about. I need to know you at least another day before I can share that story.”

Katie rolled her eyes as she took another bite.

“In college I was going after multiple degrees, though I did manage to spend most Thursday and Friday nights in pubs and bars. There was a six-month period when I thought I was in love with Shelly Cramer and she sort of felt the same way, I guess. She had a chance to study abroad the next semester, and to be honest, I stopped
writing her. Did I mention I was busy with school? Now that I think about it, I was a total geek. Let's just say if there were encounters, they were brief and not terribly memorable.”

Katie laughed. “I have a hard time believing that. For a scientist, you're pretty creative.”

Mac's brows furrowed with confusion. “What does that mean? I'm supposed to be boring because I work in a lab?”

“Now, don't get defensive. To be fair, I haven't met many scientists, but I can honestly say I'm pretty sure you aren't the norm. Most of the doctors and smart guys I've met are buttoned-down nerds.”

“Katie!”

“I'm speaking from my own experience. Are you telling me your peers are as hot, sexy and sexually creative as you are?”

Mac glanced up at the ceiling and back at her. “You think I'm hot and sexy?”

Katie couldn't help but giggle. “You are front-cover-of-a-magazine sexy.”

He pretended several silly model's poses one right after the other.

She laughed so much she had to put her food down on the ledge by the tub.

“So if I was a model would you still make love with me, Katie McClure?”

“Macon Douglas, I'm not sure I can keep my hands off you no matter what you do for a living.”

“That's funny,” he said seriously.

“What?”

“I seem to have the same problem where you're concerned,” he said as he climbed out of the tub.

“Hey, where are you going? We aren't finished with our noodles.”

“Oh, I have something much more tasty in mind,” he said, scooping her up and wrapping a towel around her.

“Dessert?”

“Mmm. Yes.” He nibbled her ear. “The tastiest treat I've ever had in my life,” he said as he whisked her off to the bedroom.

T
HE NEXT MORNING,
they entered the building and went through security, Katie was careful to watch everything around her. A few students said hello on their way to the classroom, and Mac always gave them his winning smile.

He genuinely seemed well liked by everyone they came in contact with, and she began to question her hunch about someone at school being the culprit.

“Mac?” A dark-haired man with a comb-over hair-style and a lab coat stopped Mac in the hallway outside his classroom. He was about five inches shorter than Mac and a good ten years older.

Katie stood back so that she could observe without being overt about it.

“Phillip, good to see you made it out of your lab. We were beginning to think your project had eaten you alive.”

Katie wondered what the man could be working on that could eat a human, but then realized Mac was joking.

“You're one to talk.” Phillip gave him a quick smile.

“You got me there.” Mac took the file folders the man handed to him. “Did you get those reports I sent you about the drought-resistant behavior of B1 and B2?”

The other man nodded. “That's what this is.” He pointed to the folders. “I made some notes for you about certain bacteria you might want to try in the test trials.”

“Ah. Good work here,” he said as he flipped through the papers. “I appreciate the time you took to look this over. I know how busy you are.”

“No problem,” Phillip said. “Well, I've got to get back to the lab. I'll see you at the party later?”

Mac nodded, and as he turned to the classroom door he didn't see the strange look on Phillip's face. But Katie did. She made a mental note to check out the professor. Could be he was worried about something unrelated to Mac, but her gut told her she should check him out.

Katie had decided to observe one of his classes, since this was a teaching day for him. Maybe she'd pick up on something the students said, or the way he interacted with them. Back in the States students had done everything from pipe bombing teachers to egging their houses over bad grades. She wouldn't put it past someone to do the same, especially in a high-stress environment like this university, which was known for its excellence in academics.

Katie searched for the best vantage point to observe the class. Making her way up the stairs, she sat on the last row of the seats. With her jeans, jacket and knit cap no one would suspect how old she might be. Hell, there
were times when she was still carded in restaurants in Texas.

The students filed in—noisy at the door, but as they reached their seats there was silence. They opened their notebooks and wrote down what Mac put on the white board in front of them. Earlier, on the way to the university, he had told her that he was one of the few professors who didn't allow laptops in the classroom. He found the finger tapping distracting, and half the time they were chatting with friends online instead of taking notes. He liked his students fully engaged. There was respect in the room—she could feel it. That made her curious. The absentminded professor obviously had some fans.

Mac busied himself writing things on the board while the kids settled down. Today he wore a cream-colored cable sweater and jeans, again making him look like a male cover model. If Katie were in his class, she most certainly would have a crush on her professor. Okay, she knew she was way past the crush stage.

In all, there were about twenty students. He'd said this was his largest class. Freshmen. Most of the professors hated teaching the underclassmen, but Mac told her he liked getting the young minds before they became too jaded about science. He saw this as his opportunity to bring them into his world.

A pretty blonde walked in just as the class was starting. She stood by the professor and tried to talk to him. He gave her a thumb motioning for her to sit down. When she turned toward the seats, there was no mistaking that expression. She was furious.

Katie chewed on her thumbnail, curious what that was all about. The girl huffed into her seat and slammed her books on the desk. She saw one girl turn and roll
her eyes at her friends. The girl's lips read “Drama Queen.”

Katie smiled, but had to find out what Mac had said to the girl to make her so angry. Pulling out her notebook, she wrote down the color of the girl's clothes and hair, and made a note to ask the professor.

Mac moved to the front of the long table he used as a desk in the front of the classroom.

“Good morning. I hope you did your reading for today. We have a great deal to cover before we get to your review on Friday. Let's talk about population density and food production.”

As he launched into his lecture she expected to be bored to tears. But that turned out to be far from the truth. He was passionate about his subject and the kids were into it. They asked questions. Those who were shy he'd draw in, prodding them until they became involved. The whole thing made her respect him even more. She was so caught up in what was going on, she almost forgot her job was to observe.

The only person he didn't actively engage, and who didn't bother to participate, was the young blonde.

Katie's mind went to a bad place.

What if they have history? Would Mac date someone so young?

She and Mac had had a glorious two days, but what did she really know about him? In truth, he hadn't shared any more than she had, preferring to live in the moment. Pulling out the laptop that had arrived along with her new phone, she opened it and tapped the keys—gently, to keep from disturbing the class.

The computer had a satellite card, so she didn't have to worry about the university's wireless codes. The
Stonegate Agency used a specific satellite company for security reasons. Opening the databases they used for research at the office, she typed in Professor Macon Douglas.

His file came up. He'd done undergraduate studies at Harvard and moved to MIT for his graduate work, where he'd earned three separate doctoral degrees. She did a home search and discovered he had one in Surfside, California. That was where he grew up with his mother and father. And three sisters.

Interesting. He'd mentioned the mother of his nephew, but she'd forgotten there were more sisters, that he'd grown up in a houseful of women. That might explain why, even though he was a bookworm of a professor, he still had a romantic side.

She'd grown up with brothers, so she could relate. That was probably why Mac was so good at getting his way with her. All those women—he'd had a lot of practice in the art of persuasion. His résumé read like a Who's Who list. He'd met with diplomats around the world. There were even pictures of him with presidents in the U.S. and numerous dignitaries around the world. The man had certainly made a name for himself.

The research he worked on was top secret, but she perused several journal articles written about how universities around the world had wooed him. Mac had been wanted by the best.

The class was wrapping up and she needed to ask Mac about the blonde. Something about the girl didn't sit right with her. Stuffing everything into her bag, she made her way down the steps.

The girl took her time loading up her gear as if she
were waiting for the classroom to clear so she could talk to the professor again.

The girl hadn't noticed Katie, so she slipped behind a small partition that stuck out on the third row to watch what would happen next.

“Professor?”

Katie saw Mac's shoulders tense.

He shook his head. “Megan, I'm not going to change my mind. I'm sorry. I have two lab assistants and that's all I need right now. I tried to make you understand, but it's not going to happen.” He erased the board without ever turning to face her.

“I know,” she said sadly. “It's just, well, I'm worried about this midterm coming up. I was wondering if I could come by for some tutoring.”

Mac still didn't face her, even though the board was clean. “Sara McKinley has set up a study group that meets Thursday nights here. She's the teaching assistant for this class, and helps me in the lab. That's your best bet for tutoring. But I'll be stopping by to answer any questions any of you might have.”

She huffed. “I can't be here Thursday.” Her nasally whine grated on Katie's nerves. “If you don't want to help me, I get it.”

The girl hustled out the door, her shoulders hunched over the books she carried in her hands.

Oh. Crush.
Katie knew what that felt like. She'd had a crush on one of her instructors at the academy. He was one of the reasons she'd done so well. Katie would have done anything to please the man.

“How about me, Professor? I could use a little one-on-one tutoring. Do you have time for me?” Katie teased.

Mac chuckled. “Yes, Ms. McClure, I will teach you whatever you wish.”

“Who was that? The blonde.”

His smile turned into a frown. “Megan. I turned her down as a lab assistant, but she's persistent. I made sure the application stated graduate students would be considered only, but she refuses to understand. Obstinate thing. She makes the other students uncomfortable at times. I seem to have one of those every semester.”

“She has a thing for you, and she's just looking for a way to spend more time with you.”

Mac scoffed, and the action made her laugh. “Well, I actually tried to fix her up with her classmate, Ian. He's a brilliant young man, and I have it on good authority from my TA that he's what the girls call hot. But Megan would have none of that. I see her everywhere I go. I don't want to say stalker, but sometimes…”

This time it was Katie who frowned. “You don't think she'd be angry enough to hurt you, do you?”

Mac's head popped up from behind the desk where he'd leaned down to pick up his pen.

“Oh, no. She's not the type. Annoying, yes. Attempted murder? I don't think so.”

“You never know. We do stupid things for love,” Katie said. She made a mental note to do some checking up on Megan all the same. Crimes of passion were the number one cause for murder in… Hell, in most of the world.

“So what's next?”

“I need to work in the lab for a few hours, and then I have a faculty party tonight at the dean's home. I don't suppose I could talk you into being my date?”

She sat on the edge of the desk. “Actually, I have to be there no matter what. While you're in the lab, I think
I'll see if the dean is in. I don't think he'd appreciate me asking my questions during his party.”

Mac agreed. “He does these silly theme parties. For morale, he insists. But I think he has a thing for dressing up in costumes.”

Costumes. Yuck. Katie hated that kind of thing. “What's tonight's theme?” she asked, praying she didn't have to find some awful outfit before the party.

Mac pulled an invitation out of his backpack.

He snorted.

“What is it?” Katie was afraid to know.

“Cops and robbers.”

That she could do.

Mac's phone rang.

“Hey, Hunter. Tonight? Sorry, I've got a faculty party.”

Katie remembered Hunter was the toy guy. She pulled out her phone to check messages, but she couldn't help but listen in.

“Yes, as a matter of fact I do have a date.” Mac laughed. “Yes, she's gorgeous.”

Katie's cheeks grew warm. No one said those kinds of things about her. Dependable, maybe, but never anything close to gorgeous.

“I probably won't be able to play tennis Sunday, but maybe next week? Tell your mom and dad I said hello.”

Mac hung up and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

“You play tennis?” Katie crossed her arms against her chest.

“A couple of times a month and usually with Hunter.
In the summer we also play soccer, though they call it football here. Do you play tennis? We could—”

“Not really my thing.” She cut him off. As much as she would like to play all kinds of games with Mac, she was here to do a job. “I'm off to talk to the dean.”

“Oh, well, I'll see you later, then.”

Yes, he would. Katie couldn't get those words out of her head.
She's gorgeous.

She might just take a little extra time with her makeup tonight.