Page 28 of Mac
"Will do."
She smiled again and hurried off to check on her next table.Mac turned his attention back Elyse, who had already started eating.Seeing as she was busy, he picked up his burger and took a bite.Flavor burst in his mouth and he closed his eyes for a moment.Yep, the food was just as good as he remembered it.
CHAPTER14
By the time Mac steered the motorcycle down their street, Elyse's butt and thighs had gone numb.They'd ached for a while when they'd first gotten back on the road, but after a while, the pain had stopped, and she hadn't given them much thought.
Mac pulled into his driveway and eased to a stop in front of the garage door before killing the engine.
"Thanks again for taking me with you."Elyse stood on the pegs her feet had been resting on.Her thighs screamed and didn't want to move but did, slowly.It took her a second, but she managed to swing one leg over the back of the bike and nearly fell but managed to brace herself on Mac's shoulders before she lost her balance.Once she made it off the ride, she tugged her helmet off and shook her hair back into place as she handed him the helmet.She needed to get home before the ache in her legs became too much and he saw the tears she knew would be falling soon.
"I enjoyed having you along."
She turned and started for her place.
"Wait, are you all right?"
Elyse nodded, not trusting her voice.
"You sure?"
She bit the insides of her lips to keep small sounds of pain from escaping as she continued.Before she knew he'd moved, Mac swept her up into his arms.Surprised by the move, she let out a sharp squeal.
"No, you're not all right.Let me help you get inside.Where are your keys?"He held her with an ease she had a hard time believing but picked up the purse she'd worn slung across her body all day and unclipped the keys that hung tucked inside.They got to the door and he held her so she could unlock it then carried her inside."What you need is a hot bath, that will help more than anything.Do you have any Epsom salts?"He carried her into the bathroom and set her down on the edge of the tub.
"Under the sink."Her face heated when he opened the cabinet and revealed the boxes of feminine products sitting beside the bag of Epsom salts.He didn't say a word, just grabbed the bag and brought it back to the tub where he turned on the water and dropped several large handfuls of the crystals.
"Where do you keep your towels?I'll make sure you're all set then I'll leave you to get in and soak away some of your aches."
Elyse pointed to the cabinet at the end of the tub.Mac pulled a pair of towels from the shelf and set them where she could reach them.
"There, I think you're all set.I'll leave you to get in on your own.Where's your phone?"
She pulled it from the pocket of her jacket and held it up.
"Good.Call if you need anything.Do you want me to stay here or leave you alone and go home?Stay in the house in case you need help, I mean."
"I think I'm good."Heat rose up her face, but she hoped it was just steam from the filling tub."Thank you though."
"You'll call if you need help?"
Elyse looked away.She didn't want him to see how embarrassed she was.She had been hoping to invite him in when they returned home, but not like this.She hated needing help and hated him having to carry her in.More than anything she hated having to ask for help.
Two fingers on her chin lifted her face until her gaze met his, it was hard and held more steel than she'd ever seen from him.The look sent a shiver up her back, but she did her best to keep him from seeing it.
"Promise me you'll call if you need help or I'll sit in your living room until you're through in here to make sure you get out okay."
She scowled, making sure he had no doubt how unhappy she was with his ultimatum."Fine," she bit the word off between clenched teeth."I promise to call if I need help."She would crawl into her bedroom before she'd call him for help, but she knew better than to say that.She'd never get rid of him.Elyse stared back at his hard, gray eyes, which couldn't be more than a foot away at the moment and knew there was no doubt how angry she was.Mac stared back for several seconds before releasing her chin and stepping back and watching her a moment longer, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Something tells me you'd have to be lying on the floor bleeding out before you'd call anyone for help."
Elyse kept her mouth shut.He was more right than she wanted to admit.
"I think I'll just go sit on the front porch, with the door open and the screen closed, just in case."
"In case what?"She tried to keep her mouth shut but her smart tongue just wouldn't be contained sometimes."I have a hard time withmy panties?"The question came out more biting than she'd planned but she wouldn't take it back.Not now.
Mac took a deep breath and pushed it out in a rush.
