The Mane Event (16 page)

M
ace woke up to a cold, wet snout in his ear. He growled and snapped. Dez’s two dogs charged out of the room, leaving a lovely trail of piss in their wake. Great. Something else he had to clean up himself. Mace sat up and glanced at the dresser. Her badge and gun were gone.

Dammit, where was that woman? She kept disappearing on him. He knew she wasn’t in the house. He always knew when she was around. He could sense her, feel her. So the question became where the hell did she go this time?

Sliding out of the battered bed—the bed frame another replacement he had to make—he quickly found something to clean the floor and then jumped in the shower. He just finished washing his hair, which now reached to his shoulders, when it suddenly occurred to him where Dez may have gone.

The one place where she could get herself killed.

Dez watched as Mace stormed out of her house, down the front steps, and headed…somewhere. Maybe he decided to bail. Thinking he could finally make a run for it.
Ah, who the hell am I kidding?
She knew Mace wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. If she wanted him gone, she’d have to do it herself. Part of her wanted to make that happen too. Before she got in too deep. Another part—the one attached to her heart—kept telling her to back the hell off. Her heart wanted Mace to hang around for as long as she could keep him. But how long could she keep him once she started working again? When she got late-night calls about a murder they wanted her on? Or when she had to leave in the middle of dinner? Or she missed his birthday? How long would he put up with that?

She remembered her ex-husband’s words as clearly as if he were saying them right in her ear at that very moment. “You just aren’t pretty enough to put up with this kind of shit, Desiree.”

Mace spotted her SUV. He stopped and stared at it. She found it fascinating to watch him move. He’d been right, of course. She always knew he was a predator. That he wasn’t quite human. She’d known it deep in her bones.

He sniffed the air, then spun around, his eyes locking on her. With a growl, he stormed over to her as she calmly sipped her coffee.

“You’re making me crazy!”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Don’t ya think I know that?” Mace sat down on the stoop beside her, his thigh barely touching hers. She suddenly wanted to crawl into his lap and let him hold her, but she had never been good with public displays of affection. Mostly because she didn’t know how to do it.

“I thought you’d gone back.”

“Gone back where?”

“To that club from last night.”

“The one with the hyenas?” Had the man lost his mind? “Wow, I didn’t know I had ‘stupid idiot’ tattooed on my forehead.”

He smiled and she immediately became wet at the sight of it. “Not stupid idiot. Big, bad cop.”

“No way, cat. They tried to kill me once. Why would I push my luck? Besides, vice squad’s raiding them as we speak.”

Mace closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh. “You didn’t.”

“Oh, I fuckin’ did.” She took another sip of her coffee. “They can probably only close it for a night or two, but it will still give me such joy.”

“You’re crazy.”

“There’s no hard evidence of that.”

Mace suddenly lifted her arm up and stretched out, his head in her lap. He placed her hand on his head. “Stroke away, baby.”

She put down her coffee and started laughing. It seemed she didn’t have to know how to show affection. Mace would command her. Actually, that kind of worked for her. If she wasn’t in the mood, she could always roll his ass down the stairs.

Dez dug her hands into his wet hair and slowly pulled her fingers through the silky mass. After the third stroke, Mace began purring. Considering his head lay in her lap, damn near her clit…she shook her head. She really needed to get some kind of control around this guy or she’d end up embarrassing herself.

Mace rolled onto his back, his big feet planted firmly against the porch handrails. He smiled up at her with those beautiful eyes. His wounds from the previous night were already faded, but she’d probably have that scratch on her neck for the next couple of weeks.

Dez kept running one hand through his hair, marveling at how fast it had grown in, while she laid the other on his chest.

He took her free hand and held it between his. He slid his finger across her flesh, and Dez bit the inside of her mouth to keep from moaning.

“What do you want to do today,” he muttered softly.

Fuck you senseless?
“Whatever.”

“We could go into the city.”

“Yeah.” Not a bad idea, really. “I still have some shopping to do.”

“You know, Dez. For someone with ‘moral issues’ against this holiday, you sure do have a festive apartment.”

She kind of hoped he wouldn’t notice that. She should have known better. “I don’t have a problem with the holiday. I have a problem with…with my…” Exactly how did he expect her to make a cohesive thought when he insisted on putting her finger in his mouth and sucking on it?

“Go on,” he pushed, her finger still in his mouth.

She tried again. “I have a problem with my family.” She closed her eyes and shuddered as his tongue slid around her index finger. “They make me crazy.”

“Like I do?”

“No, Mace. Not like you.”
No one like you
.

“Good.”

Cocky prick.
She shook her head again. The man would never change.

“You know, we could stay here and fuck all day.”

“Very subtle, cat.”

His expression thoughtful, he said, “You seem real comfortable with what I am, Dez. Why is that?”

“Last night you said I was scared of you.”

“I was wrong. You’re not scared of the cat. You’re scared of the man.”

“Bullshit, Llewellyn.”

“You’re scared of where this is going.”

“It’s not going anywhere, Mace.”

“The hell it isn’t. You know I’m in—”

Her cell phone rang. “
Phone!”

Mace jumped, his words cut short, as she scrambled to answer her cell. She didn’t want to have this conversation. She wasn’t ready for this conversation. And she damn sure never would be.

“MacDermot.”

“Hey, darlin’.”

Dez blinked. “Sissy Mae?”

She heard Mace growl and wondered how the hell the woman had gotten her number. “Sure is. What’cha up to today?”

Looking down at Mace, she saw the intent in his eyes. If she stayed here with him, he’d fuck her until she promised him anything and everything. Until she admitted how she truly felt. She wasn’t even ready to admit it to herself.

She needed time. She needed to think. She needed for him to stop sucking on her fingers.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Why don’t you meet me in the city for coffee or somethin’?”

“Well, there’s just one thing—”

“Of course Mace can come.” Apparently, everyone knew about her relationship with Mace Llewellyn. “He can keep Smitty company.”

She glanced down at Mace. He’d taken her hand and slid it across his rapidly growing hard-on. With a healthy shove, Dez pushed him down the stairs of her porch.

“Ow!”

Funny. I always thought cats landed on all fours.

She smiled. “Yeah, Sissy Mae. I’d love to.”

Mace turned to Smitty and held up two watches. “Which do you like better?” He motioned to one. “The Breitling?” He held up the other. “Or the Breitling?”

Smitty stared. “Is that for one of those breedin’ males?”

“No. It’s for me.”

Smitty laughed and rubbed his eyes at the same time. “I think you’re missing the point of this particular holiday. It’s the season of
giving
.”

“Yeah. And I’m
giving
to myself.” Besides, he didn’t do last-minute holiday shopping. He took care of that months in advance. That way he could enjoy the holidays buying for himself. He motioned to the jeweler. “I’ll take this one. And that Tag Heuer I saw earlier, for a woman though.”

The jeweler scurried off while Smitty shook his head.

“Pathetic, hoss.”

“What? You want a watch too?”

“No. I don’t wanna watch. I just can’t believe you’re buying her one.”

“I don’t understand why you sound so pissed.”

“Cause my sister’s driving me crazy. The Pack is asking all sorts of questions I ain’t got answers for yet. And I’m freakin’ horny as a dog.”

“Well that’s fitting.”

Mace took the ladies’ watch handed to him. He examined it closely.

“I’ll take it. Wrap it up. I’ll wear the other one now.” He turned back to Smitty. “So what exactly was going on with you and those wolf bitches at the restaurant?”

“Aw, hoss. That was me playin’ around. That’s not good enough. I need a woman.”

“Then get one. Just stay away from mine.”

“New watch. Dire warnings. She must be quite the party in bed.”

Mace snarled and Smitty held his hands up. “Kidding. Calm yourself.”

Taking the watch handed to him, Mace placed it on his arm. “Let’s get this straight, Smitty. So there are no misunderstandings down the road. I love that woman. You even look at her wrong, I’m snapping your neck like a twig. Is that clear enough for you, hillbilly?”

Smitty sniffed in disgust, sounding more like a cat than a dog. “Crystal.”

“So.” Sissy Mae sipped her hot chocolate. “Is Mace good in bed?”

Dez choked on her black coffee. They sat at a small table in front of a quiet café. A chilly December day, but Dez wasn’t in the mood to sit inside. She felt restless. She needed the fresh air, the energy of the people-filled streets. She loved the Village. Always had. And if she had a large fortune, she’d live here.

“Oh, I’m sorry, darlin’. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Yes, you did.” Dez wiped her chin. She couldn’t believe she liked Sissy Mae Smith. But she did. Sissy reeked of warmth, honesty, and a slight insanity that made Dez completely comfortable.

“Yeah. All right. I did.” Sissy smiled. “I’m sorry, Dez. My brother’s driving me crazy. It makes me mean-spirited.”

“Why?”

“He’s worried about this new business he’s startin’ with Mace. He’s worried about me and our kin. And he needs to get laid.”

“You know”—Dez leaned back in her chair—“that’s a little too much information for me.”

“That’s too much information for anybody.”

“And yet you felt the need to share.”

“I worry about him, ya know? I mean, Mace got himself a nice little girl. I want the same for my brother.”

Dez slammed her coffee down, startling her new friend. She should have known Mace had another woman. Some poor Navy wife waiting for him to come home for the holidays. “What’s her name?”

“Who?”

“Mace’s ‘nice little girl.’”

Sissy raised an eyebrow. “I’m talking about you, darlin’.”

“Me?” Now it was Dez’s turn to be startled. “I’m not nice, Sissy Mae. I ain’t little. And Mace
does not
have me.”

She waited for Sissy to say something, but to her growing annoyance, the woman only folded her arms in front of her chest and stared at her.

Bitch.

Smitty bit into his hot pastrami on rye with spicy mustard. Mace almost laughed at the absolute rapture on the man’s face.

“Like it?”

He received the thumbs-up, since Smitty was enjoying his food way too much to answer. For the next ten minutes, the men ate without once speaking. Although they did occasionally grunt at one another.

When their plates were clean, they leaned back with their sodas and sighed in satisfaction.

“So, hoss. Have you actually told her you’re in love with her?”

“She won’t let me. When I tried, she threw me down a flight of stairs.”

“And you’re not concerned about that?”

“There weren’t that many steps.”

“Mace…” Smitty rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “She ain’t a village of well-armed rebels, ya know. You can’t just invade under the cover of night.”

“But I have. And I will. Again. As many times as I have to. Until she admits she’s crazy about me.”

“And if she ain’t?”

“If she
ain’t
what?”

“Crazy about ya? Then what?”

He didn’t want to think about it. He couldn’t. He loved her too much to think about it. To worry she didn’t love him. True, he could always find another woman, but he’d still always be alone. He’d be alone because he wouldn’t have Dez.

Mace looked at Smitty and shrugged.

Dez answered her cell. “MacDermot?”

“It’s Vinny.”

Dez slammed her phone shut and took another bite of chocolate cake.

“Problem?” Sissy asked as she studied all the activity on the busy Village street.

“Nope.”

The phone rang again. Dez answered it. “MacDermot.”

“Don’t hang up.”

Dez hung up and took a sip of her coffee.

“How long are you going to torture them?” Dez had filled Sissy in on her friends bursting into her house and putting a gun on Mace. Although she left out the astounding blow job she gave him beforehand.

“Until they learn better.”

“Sounds like they were trying to protect you. Friends like that are hard to find, darlin’. You should be grateful.”

“I am.”

“But you’re going to make them sweat anyway?”

“Yup.”

Dez’s phone rang again. She glanced at caller ID. The number looked familiar to her but it wasn’t one of the guys unless they grabbed someone else’s phone.

“MacDermot.”

“You fuckin’ bitch!”

Dez grinned. “Ms. Brutale. Is there a problem?”

“Why are the cops here? Why are they tearing my fuckin’ club apart?”

“Gee. I don’t know.” Dez licked her chocolate-covered fork.

“Bullshit, you bitch! You did this. And if you think for a second I’m going to let you get away with this…”

She wasn’t surprised Brutale was pissed. Dez heard back from the officer in charge of the investigation. A big, biker-looking, old-school cop called Crushek, or Crush if you liked playing with fire. Several of Brutale’s bartenders and waitresses pulled in for possession with the intent to distribute. They closed the club for at least the night, if not longer, depending on the Brutale political clout.