The Mane Event. Shelly Laurenston
released Smitty’s throat and stood. “Just so we’re clear,” Mace sneered, barely able to control himself.
Smitty gave him a thumbs-up while trying to get his breath back. “We’re clear,” he wheezed out. Then Mace followed after Dez.
Chapter Four
She found it interesting how she kept having to remind herself to keep breathing. But Dez had to. She kept forgetting. Every time she looked up from her food and found Mace staring at her, she’d simply forget to breathe. She kept trying to find some flaw on him. Something wrong with his features or his hair or his teeth. Anything to make him less godlike and more human.
Yet she found everything about him perfect. From that voice that kept dropping impossibly lower every time they touched on the topic of sex to the way his gold eyes glinted in the dimly lit restaurant to the way his muscles bunched under his seen-better-days, black, long-sleeve T-shirt.
If she really intended to keep her Puerto Rican ass out of his bed, she should have never gone to dinner with the man. Because he still knew how to get to her. Still knew how to make her smile and pant. Still knew how to make her hot.
And she wanted his dick in her mouth so bad she thought she might start crying.
Is it actually wrong to toss a woman onto a restaurant table and fuck her senseless? Probably.
Mace sighed and continued to stare at the lovely Detective First Grade Desiree MacDermot. Dez who always made him smile. Always made him hard. Always made him crazy.
Still made him crazy. With those gray eyes, those amazing breasts,…and that voice. That fucking voice still made him sweat.
He found her so distracting he completely overlooked the fact he’d spent the last three hours in the company of wolves. Owned and operated by the Van Holtz Pack, the Van Holtz restaurant chain had the best prime rib Mace had ever tasted. In retrospect, he was glad Smitty joined them. Smitty had actually been able to keep the wolves at bay and away from him. They clearly didn’t like having Mace in their space, although all the Van Holtz restaurants were supposed to be neutral territory. Mace guessed that only applied to other Packs and not Pride.
It amazed him what he would willingly put up with for this frustrating and beautiful woman.
“What I’m not quite clear on, Dez, is how you didn’t actually notice your husband moved out.”
“Ex-husband. And I had a lot going on at the time. It was my first big case. A lot was riding on it. It just took me a while to realize he’d left.”
“What’s a while?”
She held the coffee cup between her hands and stared at it. “Three weeks.”
Mace leaned forward and waited until she looked him in the eye. “You noticed after three weeks or he told you after three weeks?”
When she didn’t answer but went back to staring at her coffee cup, he couldn’t help himself. He laughed. Loud.
She glanced around as the entire attention of the restaurant turned toward them.
“Christ, would you keep it down? I’m not exactly proud of this.”
“Sounds to me like he was boring and selfish and you should be glad the asshole is gone. I know I am.”
She smirked and a blush spread across her cheeks. He liked that he could make a tough city cop blush.
She glanced up, clearly ready to change the subject. “Where did the redneck go?”
“I don’t know. He does keep disappearing, doesn’t he?” And that’s why he’s family.
“We should probably check the ladies’ room.”
Mace grinned. “Probably. Smitty’s always had an easy time with women.”
“Oh, and I’m sure you have a real struggle with women, Mace. I bet they ignore you and treat you like you don’t even exist.”
He smirked at her. “Only one does that.”
She put down her coffee and ran her hands through her hair. She’d been doing that more and more as the night wore on. “I know you exist, Mace. Trust me. I know. But you forget, I was in the military. I know exactly what you scumbags get up to. Sorry if I’m not blindly diving into the deep end of that pool.”
“So, you think I just want—”
“To screw the one girl you didn’t? Yeah. That’s what I think.”
“Then you don’t think much of me.”
“I didn’t say that. But you are a guy, Mace. A Llewellyn, true. But still a guy.”
“Which means what?”
“Well, I did read that testosterone causes brain damage.”
Mace snorted out a laugh as Smitty, reeking of some wolf female, sat back down at the table.
“What did I miss?”
“Dez was telling me how all men are mentally handicapped.”
“I didn’t say that,” she corrected with a condescending smile. “I merely said that you all have”—she made air quotes with her hands—“‘special needs.’ The reality is you guys really can’t think past that thing between your legs.”
“Damn, girl.” Smitty wasn’t used to women not immediately bowled over by his charm. “That is mighty harsh, darlin’. Lumping us in with any-ol’-body.”
“Really?” Dez picked her coffee back up.
“Yes. Really. Mace is a good guy. One of the best. And I am a caring, sensitive male that has many, many layers. Don’t let this tough, manly exterior fool you. There’s so much about me you’ll never understand.”
Dez swallowed a mouthful of coffee. “You have a hickey on your neck.”
Dez grinned at the two men as a waiter placed a piece of cake between them. He laid out forks for each. Smiled at Smitty. Leered at Dez. And practically spit at Mace. Man, the staff at this restaurant really didn’t like him.
Smitty winked at her. “You’re right, ya know. We’re all scum.”
Mace shook his head. “Thanks for the help there, bud.”
“What can I say? She caught me in my lie.”
“You admit nothing. Deny everything. Demand proof. Did you learn nothing in Boot Camp?”
Dez did like Smitty. She liked him a lot. But the man sure wasn’t Mace. Darker in appearance. An inch or two shorter. Not as wide. She found herself surprisingly comfortable around him. Mace, however…well, she didn’t actually feel comfortable around him. Not with her body tingling at the mere thought of him. She kept noticing things about him. Little things. Like the way he unconsciously scratched the scar on his neck or the way he kept pushing his blond-brown hair out of his eyes. Her eyes narrowed. Wasn’t he bald just yesterday? No. That wasn’t possible.
“Don’t blame me, hoss, because she knows we’re all brain damaged.”
Dez looked down at the chocolate cake garnished with dark chocolate and wondered how she kept getting involved with such idiots.
Mace watched as Dez took her forefinger and swiped up some of the drizzle of dark chocolate sauce that decorated the plate as garnish.
She slipped her chocolate-covered finger into her mouth and sucked it clean.
Mace growled. He couldn’t help it. If it were a practiced move, meant to tantalize, he wouldn’t have even noticed. But Dez did it because she clearly liked dark chocolate and was slightly tacky.
She frowned and smiled at the same time. “Did you…growl at me?”
“Sorry.