Playing with Fire (11 page)

In all the years she had known Derek, she’d witnessed him drinking alcohol plenty of times, but never with the sole intent to get drunk. Tonight, he was drinking to get drunk. And he was pretty close to it, if not beyond, by the time Macey’s shift was over at eight.

“Hey, waste-oid, I’m taking you to dinner so you can sober up,” she said after clocking out.

“Don’t wanna sober up.”

“Tough. You’re too old for this kind of crap.”

“Not even twenty-nine yet.”

“Remind yourself that in the morning when you’re paying for it.”

Derek laughed sloppily and she should’ve realized then how far gone he was. But he was sitting up fairly straight and not being obnoxious. He’d actually been pretty quiet, talking to a few people who sat next to him but not getting loud or unruly at all.

Andie was closing with Charlotte, one of their latest hires—a woman in her late fifties with a decided smoker’s rasp—so Macey made sure they had everything they needed to get through the last few hours.

“You taking him home?” Andie asked, motioning to where Derek sat.

“Going to get him some food. If that doesn’t help, I’ll throw him in the shower.”

“If you really want to wake him up, jump in with him.”

Charlotte laughed huskily. “I like the way this girl thinks.”

“I would if I was half as naughty as you two,” Macey said. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“Good luck with Super Drunk,” Andie told her.

“Don’t let his cute little tush drown in the shower, honey,” Charlotte added.

“I don’t think he’s that bad off. He’ll be fine.” She picked up her purse and went around the bar to Derek. “Come on.”

“Come on, what?”

“We’re leaving.”

“I’m not done yet.”

“Give the bottle to Andie and she’ll save it for you for later. I’m taking you to dinner.”

“We can eat here.”

“I have a gallon of beer spilled on my shirt. We’re going to my place so I can change and then we’re going somewhere different.”

“You look good the way you are,” he said, and she wished he were sober and she really did look good.

“I’m sure I smell nice, too. If you have a thing for breweries.”

He leaned into her and sniffed her chest. “Sure do. Fresh hops.”

“Derek,” she said, trying to scold him. “Let’s go. Where are your keys?”

“Keys for what?” He stood but made no move to hand over anything.

Macey took a breath and reached into the front pocket of his shorts. She chuckled when she felt the dolphin she’d added after their cruise.

“Oh, baby,” Derek said loudly. “Didn’t know you felt that way.”

“Get ’im, honey,” Charlotte rasped.

Macey removed her hand as quickly as possible, after snagging the keys. She would never have tried that if he was sober, but no way was she letting him drive his truck now.

She also wasn’t going to be able to lead him far on foot, she realized as they headed out of The Shell Shack. She’d thought maybe they could walk to her apartment, but he moved slowly, and if she unwound her arm from his, she was pretty sure walking straight would be a chore for him.

Macey unlocked the passenger door of his truck. “Get in.”

He did as she said, and she went around to the driver’s side.

“Start thinking of a place to go for dinner.”

He didn’t respond and when she looked over at him, he just smiled at her with a little-boy smile that half melted her heart.

It took her a few seconds to adjust the mirrors and to move the driver’s seat forward enough that she could reach the pedals. Thank goodness they weren’t going far. This thing was four times the size of her Toyota.

While she parked at her apartment, Derek just sat there. She got out and went around to his side of the truck to open his door. “Come on. It won’t take me long to change. You want to jump in the shower first?”

“No.” He climbed out and took her hand as they headed for the staircase, as if they were on a date and he were sober enough to lead her anywhere. Instead of worrying about it, she just enjoyed the feel of his large, rough-skinned hand around hers for the few seconds it lasted.

He paused at the bottom of the stairs and she convinced him to go up by promising him he could rest while she got ready.

And that was the last of their conversation.

When Macey returned to the living room after changing, she found him sprawled on the too-short couch. Out cold. She shook her head and couldn’t help laughing. Fortunately, he hadn’t been an annoying drunk.

She made sure he was breathing, then went out for food. She drove through a fast-food place and got enough for both of them, knowing Derek would be starving when he woke up. To her knowledge, he hadn’t had anything to eat since lunch.

Back at her apartment, Macey turned on the television and sat on the floor in front of the couch to eat her burger and fries. He didn’t stir.

An hour later, she flipped the TV off. She looked at Derek, who’d barely moved.

“Derek.” She sat on the edge of the couch and shook his arm in an attempt to rouse him. Maybe he’d wake up and feel like going out for a couple of hours. “Hey, tequila boy, wake up.”

He groaned something she couldn’t understand and rolled over onto his side.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, figuring if anything would get him to stir it’d be food. “Come on, Derek. You’re wasting the whole night.”

He rolled so he was facing her, and opened his eyes. “You’re beautiful, Mace.”

He pulled her to lie down next to him and she stretched her legs out alongside his. Derek’s arm rested on her waist and her heart pounded so loudly she was sure he could hear it. Then…nothing. He drifted back to sleep, breathing heavily and evenly, smelling like a bar.

Macey had dreamed for years of being this close to him, but this wasn’t cutting it. Call her picky, but she preferred him to be conscious.

She lifted his arm from her waist before slipping off the couch. “Sleep well, Dare.” She kissed his unmoving head and retreated to her room.

It was early still. She could at least salvage the night by getting some work done.

He didn’t remember going to Macey’s.

Macey’s couch. Damned if this wasn’t the most uncomfortable damn thing he’d ever slept on in his life. He tried to stretch, but it was a foot too short. He sat up and put his feet on the floor. Every inch of his body ached, some of it post-exercise pain, which he was used to, but some of it post God-knew-what. What the hell had he done?

Tequila. The good stuff. Or bad, depending on your perspective.

He tried to moisten his lips, succeeding only marginally. He needed water. Needed to soak in it for hours. Ah, a glass of water on the end table. She was a goddess. He downed it in seconds.

Derek pushed himself up and headed toward the bathroom—the only one was through Macey’s bedroom. Hopefully, she was still asleep and he could sneak in and out….

Oh, sweet God above.

Macey’s door was open and she wasn’t sleeping. She stood with her back to him, getting dressed. His feet felt mired in glue, and he stared as she pulled her silky sky-blue panties up her legs to cover her perfectly rounded ass. Any moisture he’d summoned into his mouth before was once again gone, and he felt himself harden instantly.

He got an eyeful of her beautiful breasts as she picked up her bra from the dresser. Then she spotted him and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Whoops,” he muttered, unable to turn away. He’d apologize, but that view… He wasn’t sorry in the least.

Her brain went on hiatus and she slowly stepped toward him. The idea of his powerful arms around her, now, like this, became all consuming. When she was inches away from him, she stopped and stared up. His eyes met hers and burned a hole through her.

She had to touch him.

Timidly at first, she reached out to his sculpted chest, covered by a T-shirt. He didn’t move away, and she couldn’t stop herself from stepping even closer to him, running her hands over his pecs, feeling the hard muscle beneath her fingers. She trailed them up and over his shoulders.

Derek still didn’t resist. He looked ready to devour her. She could think of nothing but being devoured as she stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

His hands were instantly on her waist and lower, touching her everywhere, pulling her closer still. His unmistakable arousal pressed into her abdomen as he let out a sexy, carnal moan. His tongue swept inside her mouth and they explored each other greedily.

Her breasts pressed against the butter-soft cotton of his T-shirt, but she wanted skin. She ran her hands under the bottom hem of his shirt, raising it in a rush to feel his heat directly on her body. They parted just enough for her to yank the shirt off.

The glance she got at his bare chest would’ve made her swallow her tongue if it wasn’t already occupied with his again. He was so beautiful…. Everything she’d dreamed of and yet so much more than she ever could’ve imagined. Right here, in her arms. Touching her, wanting her.

Her head swam.

Derek’s hands crept beneath her panties and she felt the roughness of his fingers all over her backside. Her pulse throbbed where her ache was centered.

It occurred to her that Derek wasn’t in the right mental state for this, but instead of pulling away, she decided maybe distraction could do something for him. There was no way she could walk away from him now, anyway. She focused all her affection and everything she’d ever felt for him into her kisses and caresses, hoping he could somehow understand how much she cared.

Then she once again lost all coherent thought. This might be the only time she was ever this close to Derek, and she intended to remember every millisecond of it, every inch of him.

His hands slid upward, toward her waist, and she tried not to be disappointed that he’d left her panties on. For now. He worked his way up her sides to her breasts. He palmed them, kneaded them. Teased them until she gasped with the need to have him inside her.

Before she could draw a full breath, his hands had slipped around her torso, away from her breasts. His manner changed; she wasn’t sure how, but she sensed it. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his face in her hair, holding her so close that she couldn’t see his face, couldn’t kiss him. Could only wonder what had changed.

“I can’t do this, Mace.”

Oh. That.

She’d never needed someone as she did right now. Derek. Only Derek. Now that she’d been this close to him, she didn’t know how she could ever settle for another man.

“What’s wrong, Dare?” she finally managed to say in a rough, half-there voice, more as a stalling tactic than not knowing what was bothering him. She knew all too well.

He pulled away and peered down at her, but a shutter had closed, blocking her from seeing any real emotions. He was shutting her out once again, just like that.

“I’m gonna take a shower and get out of here. I’m sorry, Macey.”

Sorry. That was the last thing she ever wanted to hear after a scene like that. She should be the one to apologize, but couldn’t bring herself to say a word. Instead, she raised her chin a notch, nodded and turned away from him, as if she was going to get dressed and go on with her life.

As if.