“I don’t have one. But you know me.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I do. I know you’re a thief.”
“Okay, you’re right. But do you really think I’m the kind of person who’d sell a killer virus to terrorists?”
She didn’t think so. But ten years could change a person. Had Mac changed that much? “I don’t know.”
He reached out and skimmed his knuckles across her cheek. So gentle, the action so incongruent with his bad boy image. That’s what always made her insane about him. He was unpredictable, never fit into any kind of a mold, part of what was attractive about him. And she’d always been able to see beyond the surface, past what everyone else had seen of Mac Canfield. She’d seen the goodness in him. Was that part of him still there?
He hadn’t hurt her, and he could have. If he’d changed enough, become bad enough, he could have shot her, or left her behind to fend off the shooter. Instead, he’d grabbed her and taken her with him. He’d thrown his body over hers, making himself vulnerable to protect her.
“Don’t believe everything you see, Lily. Things aren’t always as they seem on the surface.”
She sighed. “Then if there’s a reasonable explanation for what you’re doing, tell me.” She wanted to believe him, wanted to accept that he’d changed, that what he was doing was some kind of superhero act, that he was working for the good guys.
“Sometimes you have to rely on faith and your instincts. What do your instincts tell you?”
“They didn’t serve me so well ten years ago,” she muttered, more to herself than to him.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “For a lot of things. For ten years ago, for this. I can’t change the past and I can’t change you being in the wrong place at the wrong time tonight. What happened tonight was a f**kup and you got caught in the middle. Now you’re going to have to come with me. I know you don’t like it—I don’t like it. But I don’t have any other choice.”
She paused, her mind replaying what he’d just said.
“You can’t mean to kidnap me.”
He moved back to the tent and resumed erecting it.
“I’m not sure what I’m going to do with you. I hadn’t expected to run into anyone and especially not you, but I sure as hell can’t let you go.”
Her frustration returned. She couldn’t believe she’d almost had sex with him. What the hell had she been thinking?
Oh, right. She hadn’t been. Just like when she’d offered her body like a sacrificial lamb, as if giving up her virginity to Mac would somehow open his eyes and make him realize she could be the greatest thing in his life.
It hadn’t made a damn difference to him. He’d taken what she offered and still dumped her. She’d been stupid then, just like she’d been stupid a few minutes ago in the bathroom.
What was it about him that made her IQ drop a hundred points and turned her into a quivering mass of bimbo?
“I’m not going anywhere with you voluntarily, and I can’t believe you’d stoop to kidnapping.”
He tightened the tent ropes and stood, wiping his hands on his jeans before he approached. “Look, Lily. I wish I could give you answers. I’m not into anything illegal, but I can’t tell you what I’m going to do with the virus and I can’t let you go, so you’re just going to have to ride along.”
She was about to start another argument with him but that was pointless. He was obviously lying and probably into ‘illegal’ up to his neck. But it occurred to her if she went with him it would be a perfect opportunity to bide her time and recover the virus. If she didn’t go with him, the virus was gone.
And no way could she let that deadly virus get out there in the world. And while she was at it, maybe she’d figure out what Mac was really up to. If she was clever enough, she could wait until just the right moment, uncover his secrets and steal the virus before he made delivery to…whomever. Hell, she could bust this case wide open.
Then again, she’d be bringing Mac down while doing it, and that wasn’t something she wanted to be responsible for.
But she’d figure that out later. First thing she had to do was cooperate, gain his trust. Maybe even ply him with a little seduction.
After all, men thought with their cocks most times, anyway. And she wasn’t above using her feminine wiles to get Mac to give her what she wanted. And what she wanted right now was information, the virus, and her freedom. And it would make her agency happy. Good PR, right?
Okay, so maybe she still carried a big, bright burning torch for Mac. That much was obvious after the episode in the bathroom. Her pu**y quivered at the way he’d backed her up against the wall, the promise in his touch and in his kiss. She wanted more.
But he’d used her ten years ago. Payback time.
As soon as he trusted her and let his guard down, she’d be history—along with the virus.
“Lily,” he said, breaking her thoughts. “I’m sorry this happened..”
She shrugged and sat in front of the fire, not saying anything. She didn’t want to give in too easily. He sat next to her and added another log, the additional flame calming the chills shivering through her body. The night had grown cooler, the wind picking up around them adding a bite. It wasn’t quite summer yet and late spring nights up in the hills could still be cold.
“I remember when you took me up to the point to see the stars,” she said, glancing at the sky.
He smiled. “You said you’d never been out in the country before. I was surprised.”
“Hey, I was a city girl. It wasn’t like my dad ever took camping trips or treks into the hills.”
“You had your head tilted back for so long you ended up with a crick in your neck. You must have gaped at those stars for hours.”
“They were so beautiful. Like tonight.” The bittersweet memories washed over her. Sitting in Mac’s convertible, the sky clear black and the stars so close she felt like she could reach up and touch them. She’d never seen anything like it.
They were like that tonight, too. And the same man was next to her again. He’d been the only one to give her adventures. She’d had to create her own excitement after Mac, and even then it hadn’t been the same, because he hadn’t been with her.
“So you were a cop?” he asked.