Page 71 of Unlawful Seduction

“Incredible,” she said. “My mother once told me that any time I was having a bad day I should turn on some music and everything would appear brighter. She was right.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Thank you for sharing the song with me.”

Nodding, I sniffed, seeing Jax and how comfortable he was being at her feet. When I stood, he didn’t move. As I walked toward the guitar stand, he opened a single eye. Mallory was different, never blinking as she studied me. How many times had we done the exact same thing to each other? She finally turned her attention to the back door.

“You shoveled another path in the snow.”

“I did.” I walked closer yet kept a good distance between us. “It’s pretty packed so Jax shouldn’t have any difficulties.”

“Does that mean I can go outside?”

“Why would you want to?”

Very slowly a smile drifted from one side of her face to the other. “You don’t have much fun in your life. Do you?”

Snorting, I immediately tried to counter her accusation with a quick and quippy comeback, but she’d caught me. “It depends on your definition of the word fun.”

“You know. Entertainment that allows you to laugh, cry, swoon, or feel invincible? Even intense and very raw fear after watching a horror movie. Emotions so strong you burn to feel them again. Fun. A walk on the beach. Playing Frisbee with Jax. Racecar driving.”

I was staring at her.

“Mountain climbing? You know. Rappelling? I know. Surfing. You look like you could be a surfer. You’re not a yachting kind of guy.”

I took a step closer.

“Amusement parks? Rollercoasters? A haunted mansion?” She sighed when I remained silent.

I took another step closer. “You’re trying too hard, Doc.”

“Maybe you’re right. When you’re not chasing bad guys, what do you do?”

She could make me laugh and feel foolish like no one else. “I’m not bad using a hammer and a miter box.”

“Hmm… Maybe I’ll get you to fix up my dad’s place. My father wasn’t good at repairs.”

“I’d be happy to.” If only we could engage in normal activity.

Mallory nodded, but I could tell by the sadness on her face she certainly didn’t anticipate that happening. When her eyes flickered, I was instantly tense. She had a way of getting out of control. She jerked up, tapping her foot. I could swear she was communicating with my pup through their eyes only.

Suddenly, Jax jumped up as well, woofing and racing toward the door.

She tossed back her head, moving toward the front door. When she threw open the closet, I became more intrigued.

“What are you doing?”

“You were right. I was trying way too hard.” She pulled out her jacket, hurriedly tugging it on. “For someone who doesn’t understand the concept of fun, you can’t start with the bar set too high. That will lead to a catastrophic failure. If that would happen, I doubt you’d ever bother again, ending your life old, lonely, and bored.”

“You have it all figured out. Don’t you?”

She tossed a jacket toward me, winking after doing so. “What if I do? Put that on. Don’t forget your gloves. Do you want a scarf?”

“What are we doing?”

“What does it look like, big man? We’re going outside. If the snow is packed, we shouldn’t have any issues. Right?”

“That depends.” I debated allowing her to walk out the door. While I’d seen no sign of trouble, my hackles would be raised for the time being until I made a few inquiries. That would take breaking the protocol I’d put into place the day I’d left New York. It needed to be done, but very carefully.

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