Against my back, I feel his heartbeat echo each of mine.
His thumbs stroke.
Our breathing syncs.
Jiminy and the dozen other voices in my head battle it out over if there’s any merit to doing something about this sexual tension that’s brewing.
Sexual tension? Did I really just think those words in conjunction with Dex?
Those strong hands grip me, spinning me to face him. One of the curls from my ponytail is stuck in the stubble on his face, but I barely notice it falling as I’m knocked back a step from the banked heat swirling in those chocolate eyes.
There’s a hint of pride there, but it’s the raw possession lurking that has everyone in my brain cheering like we’re at a Blizzards game.
He removes his ear protection, leaving the neon green headphones to hang around his neck before doing the same with my own.
“Tink.” His hands come up to cradle the back of my neck, my hands automatically bracing themselves on his hard, hard chest when he tugs me closer, his eyes locked on my mouth.
His nostrils flare when I worry my bottom lip with my teeth.
I thought the moment we shared in my office was something, but this one right here puts it to shame. Sebastian is full-on singing “Kiss The Girl” as Dex inches closer.
“Hook.” I exhale, rising up on my toes.
“Tink.” His hold on me tightens.
Unlike in the movie, there’s no crab and his helpers singing to us. Instead, our soundtrack is the occasional echo of gunshots as, millimeter by millimeter, the space between us disappears.
This is it.
I’m going to kiss Dexter Stone.
His lips brush mine and—
Ring! Ring!
Chapter Nineteen
One crazy stalker note, two near kisses, and three McClains under one roof all added up to twenty-four hours of insanity.
After I was saved by the bell—or in this case, the ringing cellphone—from almost kissing Maddey for the second time in a handful of hours, the rest of yesterday was a whirlwind of activity.
Minutes after Maddey and I returned home from the range, Justin, Jack, and Paul arrived guns blazing—thankfully not literally—to discuss the latest developments.
We looped in the local LEOs, and after Maddey gave her statement to one of the detectives in charge of her case, she excused herself and hid away in her office for the rest of the night.
Thankfully the McClain men ignored the note’s claim of me sleeping with the youngest member of the family, but it didn’t do anything to help assuage the guilt over almost crossing a line I could never uncross.
The worst part?
If given the chance, I wouldn’t just cross it, I would overtake it like it was the only thing keeping me from an HVT. To my heart, there’s no higher value target than Maddey McClain.
After a mostly sleepless night strategizing the best course of action to finally catch this fucker once and for all, the only play we’ve come up with is to use me to draw him out. Honestly, I was shocked Justin suggested it. It’s so not how he normally handles things with Maddey.
We still haven’t figured out how the stalker even knows I’m staying here, but we will. The important thing is using his newly displayed jealousy to our advantage. When emotions get involved, people tend to get sloppy.
I loathe that this asshole thinks he has any right to Maddey, that he thinks she belongs to him when I know she’s the other half of my soul. All I need is for him to make a move so I can prove it.
Trident perks up beside me, the dog surprisingly having stuck to my side instead of Maddey’s since she’s been sequestered away. My gaze follows his, and a moment later, the door to the deck slides open.
“Tinker Bell, where you at?” Jase Donnelly shouts as he steps inside.
“You know she hates it when you call her that.” Ryan bends down to pet Trident when the dog rushes to greet him. I ignore the flash of jealousy I feel at how much the canine loves him.
“Duh! Why else do you think I do it?” Jase replies before shouting, “TINKER BELL!”
“Yes, piss off the deadliest Covenette—that sounds like a good plan.” Jake edges his way past his brothers-in-law with baby Logan strapped to his chest, greeting me with a nod.
“Eh.” Vince is the next to enter. “Let him talk shit. Personally, I could use the entertainment.”
“Truth.” Sammy makes a beeline for the coffee pot. “If she can tase him”—he hooks a thumb in my direction—“I can’t wait to see what she would do to you.”
“Pfft.” Jase waves them all off. “Tink loves me. She would never hurt me. I’m her triplet.”
The guys all let loose a round of guffaws while I try not to lose it over Jase calling Maddey Tink. I don’t have exclusivity on the nickname. Hell, her brothers helped coin it, and I’ve heard her friends use it from time to time, but being here, staying in her house, being called Hook more than Dex…
“Come on, Tink. Use those wings and fly on do—”
“I dare you to finish that sentence, Jason.” Maddey pushes Jase back into the kitchen.
“You wound me, Madison.”
“I’ll be sure to send you a get well soon card, Trip.”
The rest of their banter fades away as I take in what Maddey is wearing, or in this case, not wearing.
Where are her clothes?
She does live at the beach.
It really, really is a bad sign when the Admiral in my pants is the one being logical, but fuck me. How is a man supposed to think straight when Maddey is walking around like…like that?
To be fair, the black bikini bottom fully covers her heart-shaped ass and her top covers as much as her sports bra did the other day, but I was not expecting her to come down in essentially her underwear.
“Here, Madz.” Sammy holds out a mug of coffee.
“This is why you’re my best friend,” she declares, taking a sip.
“Hey!” Ryan cries.
“You know you’re my bestie, Ry.” She pats the hockey captain on the chest as she walks past him. “But Samz has both seniority and caffeine right now.”
“Burn,” Jase and Vince say in unison.
“Bite me, assholes,” Ryan retorts.
“Can we maybe keep this child of mine from learning profanity from you puck heads?” Jake has his hands covering Logan’s ears as the child sleeps, blissfully unaware.
“Don’t worry, bro.” Jase claps Ryan on the shoulder. “I’m pretty sure Logan hears worse from JD every day.”
“Says the man who taught the twins how to say asshole,” Jake adds.
“Not that I’m not happy to see you guys or anything”—Maddey leans back against the counter, and my gaze does not drop to the ring sparkling in her belly button—“but what are you all doing here?”
“I came for my running partner.” Ryan pats Trident on the head.
“He didn’t give me a choice.” Jase points to Ryan.
“Holly had to work at Espresso Patronum today—no point in staying in bed without her.” Vince shrugs.
“I’m just letting my girls get extra sleep by taking the little man out of the house,” Jake says.
The topic jumps, multiple conversations happening at once, all of it typical of their group, and with as much crap as the guys give the ladies, they aren’t much better.