Page 18 of Tempting

Shouldn’t be too hard.

I’m proved wrong a minute later. Mac opens her front door, and damn . . . she’s . . .

Damn . . . She’s beautiful.

Her dark hair hangs down around her bare shoulders in long waves, covering the thin pink silk straps of her dress. Her dress hugs her perfect chest and tiny little waist before it flares out around her legs.

She’s my sisters’ best friend.

My team captain’s little sister.

She’s in the damn circle, like Callen said.

I’m here to keep the dickhead doctor away from her and maybe make her smile.

She’s got a great fucking smile.

I open my mouth before Mackenzie puts a frazzled finger up in front of her beautiful face. “Give me one more minute.”

She disappears down the hall as I step through the door and pull it shut behind me. The same moving boxes from the other night sit stacked taller than Mac in the corner of the room, untouched. An oversized chair, small couch, and coffee table seem to be the only pieces of furniture she has. Out here, anyway. Her television hangs above her fireplace, surrounded by a few candles in what appears to be the only area she spends any time. Judging by the lack of furniture and the way she refuses to unpack, I get the impression she may not be staying for long.

“Hey, sorry...” She walks back into the room, slightly out of breath and so fucking beautiful, I lose any thought I may have had. “I broke the heel on my shoe and had to find another.” She lifts her foot up in a little kick. A silver heel with a little ankle strap winks back at me as her eyes crinkle. “Crap. Where’s my wrap?”

She spins in a tornado of anxious energy as I pick up the pink silk from the back of the couch and grab her shoulders. “Slow down and take a breath, Mac.” I wrap the pink silk around her delicate shoulders and bend my knees, bringing myself eye level with her. “You okay? You seem a little...”

“Neurotic?” she asks behind closed eyes.

“I was going to say nervous.” Her eyes stay closed, and it makes my skin crawl. “Look at me, Mac.”

Wide honey-brown eyes fly open, and her lips part on a little O.

Fuck me... I take a step back, needing the distance. “You good?”

Mackenzie nods. “Sorry. It’s been a long day.” She exhales, and her shoulders seem to shake before she smiles a pitiful excuse for a smile. “I broke one of the shoes Caitlin gave me, and my hair wouldn’t do anything, and I poked myself in the eye with the mascara, and now it won’t stop tearing.” She leans her head against my shoulder. “I’m a mess.”

“Don’t worry, Hayes. No one is going to be looking at your shoes.” I lift her face until I’ve got her eyes. “There won’t be a soul there looking at your shoes, Mac. You look beautiful.”

A pink flush spreads over her cheeks, then down her neck and over her chest.

It’s the kind of flush that has a man thinking bad thoughts.

Thoughts he’s not supposed to have about his friend.

I take a step back and offer her my hand. “You ready?”

“Will you think less of me if I say no?” she asks quietly.

“Not your scene?” Way to ask the fucking obvious, Sinclair.

“Not really. I kinda skipped the whole how to be social in your twenties thing and spent every extra minute I had studying. Now my version of a fun night is getting a burger from West End and binging season two of Stranger Things.” Her hair tickles my nose as she turns away from me to grab her purse. Sugar and citrus fills my senses and makes my stomach growl. Does her skin taste like sugar? Does her— “Ohh... One of those BBQ bacon cheeseburgers with truffle fries. Doesn’t that sound good?”

“Sounds delicious.” I swallow and follow her to the elevator.

Fucking hell. It’s going to be a long night.

Kenzie

Thunder claps over head as Nixon and I walk into the ballroom at the Kroydon Plaza Hotel. The perfect ominous soundtrack for what is destined to be a disaster of an evening, if my day so far is any indicator. I tense when the first person I see is Dr. Dick.

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