Page 8 of Reclaiming his Honor
“I’ll stay as long as you’ll have me in their lives.”
“They’re grown now, Mac. They make their own decisions.”
He reached up and trailed one finger gently down her cheek, her body arching like a bow, crying out for him to touch her more. “Then I’ll stay inyourlife for as long asyou’llhave me.”
She knew at that moment she was in dangerous waters. There were reasons she’d left him all those years ago, reasons that had nothing to do with his ability to arouse her sexually. Mac had returned from his last tour with the SEALs a broken man. He’d not only lost his lower leg, he’d lost his spirit and his belief in himself as a worthy partner. He’d used alcohol to make it all go away, including her and the children.
She worked to pull herself out from under his spell. “We’ve tried this already, remember? It didn’t work.”
“I remember some parts of it worked just fine.” He closed the distance between them, his foot settling between hers as if it belonged there, their bodies nearly touching.
“You’re still drinking.”
He raised his head slightly, enough to be able to shake it. “I’m clean and sober.”
“Four gin and tonics, maybe more.”
He leaned back in, his voice a throaty whisper. “You always said you could smell it on my breath when I kissed you. You remember that, baby? Why don’t you see for yourself if I’m drinking?”
This was ridiculous. It had been a terrible idea to bring it up, a last ditch effort at a strong offense. Now he was all but on top of her, challenging her to kiss him. “Forget I said anything.”
He shook his head slowly. “You’ll never know for sure unless you try.”
She turned her head away, breaking their connection, her heart racing like a girl’s. What the hell was she doing? Mac O’Brady was in her past. Turner was her future. “I don’t want to kiss you.”
He laughed. “You know better than to lie to me about that. I can see it all over your face. You got that sweet high color in your cheeks, and your neck is all rosy, all the way down here.” He dragged his hand from her neck to her chest, leaving fire in his wake. “Now, if you don’t want me to kiss you, just say the word and I’ll walk away. But don’t go lying and say you don’t want to kiss me, ‘cause that ain’t the truth.”
She closed her eyes, aware of his every breath, the warmth of his body seeping through her clothing to her hot skin beneath. “I hate you, Mac O’Brady.”
“I missed you so much, baby girl.”
He touched her, his fingers slipping down her face from temple to jaw, and every nerve ending in her body lit up. The control he had over her was terrifying, his ability to conduct her emotions like he was conducting an orchestra leaving her abruptly more frightened than turned on. She turned to meet his dark stare head-on. “Don’t touch me.” Her voice was strong, far stronger than she felt.
His chin lifted almost imperceptibly as his hand fell to his side. “What the lady wants.”
He used to use that line in bed, when she insisted he end his torturous foreplay and make love to her that instant. She narrowed her eyes, summoning all the pain and anguish this man had put her through. “I want you to stay as far away from me as possible. Shonda wants you here. I will respect that. But that is not an open invitation into my life, or any of our lives beyond today. You got that? Because I’m not going to allow you to just waltz in here and pick up where you left off.”
She leaned closer to him and pointed her finger at his chest. “You fucked up this family more deeply than you can possibly know. I will never forgive you for that, no matter what the hell you’re drinking.”
She turned and took several steps away from him before pivoting and turning back, her desire to hurt him launching the words from her mouth. “I’m marrying Mike Turner. He’s a good man. He was there for me when you weren’t. He was there for this family, and we’re going to make our relationship official just as soon as Shonda gets back from her honeymoon.”
She felt his reaction like an atmospheric change, but his voice was steady when he spoke. “How long?”
She cocked her head. “What?”
He closed the distance between them, his movements predatory and slow, stopping an arm’s length in front of her. “How long do I have before you make it official? When does Shonda get back?”
“A week.”
“Seven days to make you mine.” Before she knew what he was about, he lifted her hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss, dropping it before she thought to yank it away. His voice was deep. “I accept the challenge.”
Her body was on fire, her mind aflame with rage. “I will never allow you back into my life.” With a huff, she turned and headed back toward the party, more determined than ever to keep Mac out of her life—and away from her heart—forever.
CHAPTER7
Mac took his time returning to the reception. He needed to gather his thoughts as much as he needed his swollen cock to go down. Ellie held the power to bring him to his knees with desire, the scent of her on the air enough to do him in for hours. He remembered that smell, remembered her voice and the way it felt when she touched him. He remembered it all, and he was more determined than ever to get her back.
“I’m marrying Mike Turner.”
