Protecting What's Mine(113)

“Hi yourself, Dreamy.” He let her slide down his body in a sinfully decadent move that was not safe for public consumption. She kissed him lightly on the lips.

“You can be my running buddy,” she told him.

“I’m all for that as long as it doesn’t jeopardize my position as your naked orgasm buddy,” he teased.

“You know, if we run fast enough,” she mused. “We could have dirty shower sex before you go to bed and I go into the office.”

“I knew I loved you for a reason.”

“So Thanksgiving…” Mack began.

“Here’s the plan. We’ll host at my place, which is a little tight, but then I’ll be on my turf when your foster dad is like, ‘What are your intentions toward Mackenzie?’” Linc mimicked.

She laughed as they turned the corner. “You’re insane.”

“My sisters are already primed to sing my praises. I compiled a Top Ten list of my best rescues, and they’re under orders to deploy them if anything starts to go south.”

“Nothing is going to go south, you weirdo.” Mack laughed. “You’ll love Dottie and Win, also Violet. They’re good people, and they want me to be happy. And you and your gigantic cock, heroic personality, and sweet, beautiful dog will win them over in seconds.”

“I approve the order of my virtues.”

They turned down another street, closing in on home and that shower.

“Do you think Sunshine would like a little brother or sister?” she mused.

“Human or canine?”

“Canine. For now.”

“We should involve her in the decision, but yeah. I think she’d love another dog.”

“And if we get another dog, we might have to talk about living arrangements,” she said, biting her lip.

He loved his gas station. It suited him to the ground.

“Race you to the stop sign,” he said, nodding toward the end of the block.

Mack took off. Even two months stale, she beat him by two paces.

He slung an arm around her shoulder, and they walked toward home. “About these living arrangements.”

“My place isn’t mine.”

“Plus, it’s a shoebox.”

“There is that. And your place is an ode to the bachelor lifestyle,” she pointed out. “Not that I don’t absolutely love your gas station.”

“Of course you do,” Linc said amicably. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “But we’re going to need more room for dogs.”

“And maybe other things…small people type things.” Mack felt her heart catch in her throat. She was expressing a desire—poorly—but she was still attempting it.

Progress.

He beamed down at her. “We’ll find the right place for our menagerie of dogs and small people type things,” he promised.

“And a big shower made for after-run shower sex?”

He stopped her on the sidewalk. “Dreamy, anything you want. All you have to do is ask. I’ll do anything in my power to give you everything you want.”





56





“Yes, you can have dinner in five seconds. Geez. Just let me unlock the door,” Mack said to Sunshine as the dog whimpered and tap-danced next to her at the front door.

It was three days to Thanksgiving. Linc was still working B shifts at the station, and Mack had taken over primary parent duties where Sunshine was concerned. She’d taken the dog to the clinic today. Sunshine had whiled away her day snoozing on a pet bed in Mack’s office and entertaining patients in the waiting room.

She pulled the keys out of her bag and frowned in the dark at the knob. The brass finish was scraped and scratched. It struck her as odd. She didn’t remember it being that way.

The dog bolted inside as soon as the door was open, and Mack followed her. The lights were off, and the living room had a chill consistent with an empty house on a winter day. But still… There was something off. It nagged at her.

She hadn’t left that book on the floor, had she?

And the pillows on the couch looked different.

Sunshine was busy nosing around the perimeter of the room, some mystery scent catching her attention.

Mack put her bag down inside the door and flicked on the lights.

It had been a long day thanks to flu season. Dehydrated patients and exhausted caregivers had kept them hopping all day long. She was probably just imagining things.

In the kitchen, things looked the same. Except for that coffee mug in the sink. Mack hadn’t had time for tea that morning. She’d gone through a drive-thru on her way to the clinic.

Maybe Linc had been here on some boyfriendy mission. Maybe he’d helped himself to a cup of coffee.

Sunshine’s snuffling at the back door caught her attention. The worn sliding door was unlocked and askew on its track. There was a tiny pile of wood shavings on the floor.

“Shit,” Mack muttered.

She dialed Linc.

“Hey, beautiful,” he answered.

“Hey. Were you in my house today?”

He shifted gears from playful to serious. “No. I slept at my place, worked out, and then came straight to the station.”

“I think someone’s been here.”