STORY EXCERPT

“Son of a bitch!” He used a fist to pound the seat next to her, then raked a hand through his hair, tousling it even more than usual. Sloan’s eyes followed his movement. He had such wonderful hands, long, strong fingers with broad palms. She’d always felt safe leaving things in those capable hands of his. Despite their troubled past and current estrangement, today was no exception. She had no idea what she would have done had he not been with her. Breathing in through her nose she caught that wonderful scent that always seeped through his pores and enveloped her whenever he was near. Just minutes earlier, while investigating Tiernan’s stable of horrors, that scent had been her savior and his steady warmth had brought her back from the brink of despair.

She took another deep breath and sighed. In close confines, Sloan could feel the intensity of his eyes on her as they traveled from her profile down the length of her body. When she turned her head and looked at his face, she recognized the fire that burned behind his stare because she felt the same thing.

His voice was low pitched but filled with emotion. “I could kill someone right now.”

“I know. Me too.”

Leaning forward, he rested his forehead against the steering wheel. Later, looking back at that moment, Sloan wasn’t sure what possessed her or why she took the liberty, but for some reason she couldn’t help herself. She reached out and touched his arm.

“Mac?” She’d barely finished uttering the question in his name when his hand cupped the back of her neck and his lips came crashing down on hers. She struggled against him at first, knowing it was frustration and anger that had instigated the kiss. But it took only a moment for Mac to ignite the heat in her own blood and suddenly it no longer mattered to her what had precipitated the contact. All that mattered was what fueled it—passion. She welcomed it, with a cherry on top.

Despite the violence of his emotions, Mac still managed to kiss with finesse and she opened to him like a flower to the sun. He held her so tight she felt her bones might crack, but somehow he knew just how far to go without actually hurting her. She reveled in his touch and gave as good as she got. He pulled back slightly and she took the opportunity to suck his bottom lip into her mouth. It was Mac who’d taught her the art of kissing and in the intervening years she’d expanded on that knowledge. He moaned. Clawing at his chest, trying to get her hands on more of him, Sloan groaned with frustration. Reading her mind and coming to her rescue, he tore at his shirt, exposing his bare chest. Not satisfied with his nakedness alone, he pulled her T-shirt up over her bra and with adept hands freed her sensitive breasts. Glorying in the feel of his skin, Sloan rubbed herself against him over and over again. His hands dove into her hair and yanked her head back. He used his mouth, his tongue, and his teeth to worship the length of her arched neck and the softness of her breasts, making her tremble and moan.

“Oh God, Sloan, I want…so bad…I could hurt you right now,” he said between gritted teeth.

She heard his words over the pounding of her pulse and the roaring want in her ears. “You won’t,” she moaned.

Sloan could feel the hard length of his arousal as he drove his hips against hers and her hand flew to his crotch stroking his huge hardness with firm, sure strokes. He rose up and ground against her, pushing her back in the seat. His hand slipped under the waistband of her jeans and she said a silent word of thanks to the person who decided to put just a touch of spandex in denim. Like some sharp shooter, with unerring accuracy, Mac found just the right spot and touched her very core. His fingers were quick, thorough, and oh so clever. This was the man who’d known her more intimately than anyone. Years ago, he’d taught her how it was done. No one did it better and within moments Sloan felt that urgent sweet rush, climbing higher ever higher until she broke into tiny breathless fragments, throbbing, crying out his name. But for Sloan and Mac one release wasn’t enough. He’d always been able to make her climax over and over again with just the right pressure and movement of his fingers. He obliterated every other man in her experience. Lost in each other, place and time meant nothing to either of them. She wanted him inside her and knew he wanted to be there. She tugged at the button on his pants and he grunted.

The honking of a car horn snapped them out of their passionate oblivion. Somehow moving with lightning-quick speed, Mac protected her from prying eyes. In that split second’s distraction, their moment of sexual insanity was lost, gone forever. Pushing her away, as if he’d been burned, he rebuttoned his pants. He sat frozen for what felt like a long time, but must have been only seconds. Finally, he heaved a huge sigh. Turning his head, he watched as she finished setting her clothing to rights.

He ran a shaking hand through his hair, but as usual managed to avoid smoothing it. His expression wasn’t kind. “What the hell were you thinking? You shouldn’t have touched me.” His eyes still held a raging storm as they scanned her face. “Damn you, Sloan, I almost lost control. You should have stopped me. A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed. I could have hurt you. I’ve never hurt a woman in my life. That’s as close as I ever want to get.”

Still trembling from the experience, Sloan stared out the window. Her mind raced. Silently, she cursed herself over and over again. What had she been thinking? It was her fault. She just had to put her hands on him.