Page 1 of Mac
Mac let the door slam shut behind him.
“We’re closed,” said the voice from somewhere deep inside the near darkened room. The place was empty. No stragglers were left. He’d waited outside until he saw the last of them leave.
“Not for me.”
Jackie’s head popped up from beneath a table in the far corner. Mac could only see the outline and the movement. “Most definitely for you.”
Mac laughed and flipped the lock on the door. “You shouldn’t leave the door unlocked after hours.”
“No kidding. Anyone could walk right on in as though they were welcome here.”
“When are you going to stop lying to both of us?”
“When are you going to stop thinking I’m lying?”
Her head disappeared again beneath a table. She was out of sight for only a moment, before she stood and the noise of the vacuum cleaner filled the air. Mac shook his head, though Jackie didn’t see it.
He wove his way between the tables and chairs. His boots echoed across the parquet of the dance floor.
Silence filled the cavernous room once more as he pulled the cord from the outlet in the wall. Jackie sighed. “That’s not a safe thing to do, you know.”
“Neither is ignoring me.”
“Sheriff —”
“Don’t you dare finish that statement.”
“I was only going to say your name.”
“Off duty, I am not the Sheriff. You know my name, Jackie. Say it.”
She huffed and waved him off. “This is pointless. I have work to do.”
“You always have work to do. Say. It.” Jackie shook her head this time and stepped toward the wall to plug the machine back in. Mac’s hand circled her wrist.
Minutes ticked by and Mac could swear that his heartbeat and her pulse rate began to match up. “That’s all? If I say your name, you’ll let go?”
Mac nodded. “Yep. That’s all.”
She lifted her eyes to meet his straight on. She was the only woman he’d ever been interested in who could look stand face to face with him, and the only one since he was elected Sheriff who dared to still do so. Of course, she had to have on heels to do it, but that was completely beside the point.
She sighed, put out and on the spot. She hated when he pushed. He loved that she hated it. He loved that he got under her skin the way she was under his.
“Mac.”
The end of his name trailed off her tongue with her gaze still glued to his. He saw the flash of heat that she banked immediately. He knew she hoped he hadn’t seen it, but one of these days she’d learn that he saw everything when it came to her.
She was both bold and shy, in your face and timid, especially when it came to him.
She was a flirt with every man who walked through the doors of her club, but she either picked a fight or ignored him. Mac had been good with that once upon a time. Not anymore.
He was done waiting for her to realize what was between them. He was done waiting for her to drop her guard.
He was going to drop it for her.
Mac eased his hold on her wrist, but didn’t move away from her.
“I have work to do.”
