Could I sit back and watch as someone touched her? Brought her pleasure? If I could, I knew I’d be able to survive without her. If not? It proved what I already knew. I wasn’t done with her, and the chances were, I never would be. She’s somehow woven her way into me, threaded her being with mine.
I thought having Sheri there as a buffer would make it easier. It was two women touching each other—most men’s dreams come to life. Only, every time Sheri touched Mackenzie and kissed her, I had to physically hold myself back. That was my girl’s body she was touching. I wanted to be the one making her moan like that and bringing her to orgasm. I knew then if I couldn’t even stand Sheri being near her, bringing her to orgasm, then I wouldn’t be able to handle anyone else.
It was settled last night. She is mine. Even if she doesn’t want to be. She can fight me tooth and fucking nail, but she’ll always be mine, and deep down, she knows it.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and with one last look at Mackenzie, I excuse myself into my office. I settle back into the chair, pressing the phone to my ear.
“What is it?”
“It’s done,” Dan says, getting straight to the point. “Everything is moved. The house is fully furnished. You sure about this?”
No, I’m not, but I don’t have any other choice. I’m trying to right my past wrongs, and this is the best way I can do that.
“I’m sure,” I lie.
“The team will be on site Friday morning to get her ready for the gala.” I nod, already knowing this. “Mr. Covington is also back at his home. I have someone watching him, but as for Vincent…I still have no leads.”
I deflate. Where the fuck is he?
“I need one more favor. That last gala I attended with Mackenzie, find the foster agency the organization represents and get the names of the children who were there in attendance.”
Dan is silent for a beat too long, which tells me he wants to say more on the subject, but in the end, he decides not to. We spend the next few minutes briefly discussing my schedule for the next few days and getting up to speed on the sudden change in plans.
I hang back in my office after the call, doing some thinking. The media is still out for Mackenzie’s blood. Since the photos and articles of us together have been printed, most of the fodder has died down, but that isn’t enough for me. It won’t be enough until Mackenzie is safe from the harsh words.
I have an idea of how I can fix this, but I know she will never go for it. I am sure one more secret won’t hurt anyone.
My arms glide through the water, pumping until my back and shoulders ache, but I push through and keep going. I keep swimming, even when I feel someone’s gaze on me. I know who it is, without having to stop and look. I feel it in the shift in the air. Once I finish with this lap, I wipe the water from my eyes and slick my hair back out of my face.
Mackenzie stands there, her gaze eating me up in the water. There’s heat in her eyes, but there’s no missing the unsure expression on her face. She doesn’t know where we stand after last night, and I don’t really blame her.
She’s had that same wall built around her for protection since I stepped back into her life. Even with everything that happened last night, I can’t see her knocking it down anytime soon. Mackenzie hovers by the pool, watching me, an unsettled air surrounding her. She traps that plump bottom lip into her mouth, chewing on it anxiously, as she works out how to say whatever it is that’s bothering her.
I quirk a brow, egging her on. “Just gonna stand there staring?”
Her body jolts. She plays it off well with a sassy eye roll, lowering herself to the edge of the pool. She rolls up her pants to her ankles and sets her feet in the water. I let her have this moment to gather her thoughts.
She glances at me through her lashes, a slight frown marring her features. “About last night…” Her cheeks heat, and I can’t help myself. I smirk, which is probably the wrong thing to do. Clearing her face of emotion, she straightens her spine. “You said doing what I did would give me my freedom. I want it back now. I don’t care about the media. I can deal with it. I’m done. I’m ready to go.”
I fist my hands in the water. She’s running, just as I knew she would. Because last night changed things for her. It made her remember what it was like. For one blissful night, she wasn’t thinking about revenge or all the people who wronged her. No, last night, she just thought about herself and pleasure. And now that we’re here in the light of day, she’s scared. Scared of falling back into whatever this is between us.
Like hell am I going to let that happen. I’m not letting her push me away. Not anymore. I’m done keeping my distance from Mackenzie.
I swim toward her, my gaze soaking in every delectable inch of her. I settle my hands on her knees, and she gasps as the water soaks into the material. Her slender throat works a swallow as we stare at each other. I can see everything she’s not saying. She’s too proud to beg me to cut her loose, to let her go, because she knows, just as well as I do, that anymore time together will break down what’s left of our walls, and we’ll be well and truly fucked.
“We’re not done here, Dirty Girl. Not even close.”
Her features tighten. “Give it back to me, you son of a bitch. I did what you wanted me to do last night. This little game is over now.”
“You going to act like you didn’t enjoy last night as much as I did?”
“I didn’t,” she challenges. “I let you fuck me. I let you watch another woman fuck me with her mouth. That means nothing, Sebastian.”
I scoff. I see we’re back to the use of Sebastian. She uses that name when she wants to put distance between us.
“See, the thing is, Mackenzie,” I muse, tightening my grip on her knees, and she gasps. I lean into her, water droplets still dripping down my skin, now onto her. She takes it all in, her gaze following the droplets. I lean in, prompting her to look back up at me. “I know you. I know when you’re lying, and right now, you’re lying to me. Guess some things never change, do they?”
I use her legs as momentum to push away from her, and I climb out of the water. I hear her ragged gasp when I leave her. I have no qualms about swimming in the nude. I can feel her gaze on every inch of my skin, as I leave her to her own devices.
Mackenzie remains holed up in the guest room for the majority of the day, likely to keep her distance from me. After Dan delivers dinner to us, I knock on her door, half expecting her to ignore me and starve herself, but she doesn’t.
She throws the door open with a little attitude; her face twisted with annoyance. “What do you want?”
“Meet me in the kitchen for dinner.”
She guffaws. “I’ll pass. I’m fine eating in my room by myself.”
I grit my back teeth together. “This isn’t a request. Meet me in the kitchen, or I’ll drag you there myself.”
Those hazel eyes narrow skeptically. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me, baby.”
After setting out the food, I give her a good ten minutes before I decide to drag her here. As if knowing she’s testing my patience, she strides down the hallway with a scowl on her face, mumbling under her breath. I smirk in victory.