“Lust and avarice,” he agreed. His hands dropped to her hips and dragged her down more sharply. “My only vices.”
She gasped and let her head fall back. Her fingers tightened on the headboard and she quickened her pace. “Help me. Come with me.”
A short, harsh curse was his only answer. He guided her hips, thrusting up harder when she lowered her body to his. Passion and pleasure mounted, and a light sheen of sweat dampened Jackson’s skin. “Shit,” he hissed. “Baby—”
She barely heard him. Blood pounded in her ears and she ground down, chasing the release that trembled just out of reach. He thrust into her one last time and the world flew apart. She cried out as everything faded but his body inside hers and the sounds and scents of pleasure and release.
Jackson’s fingers clenched on her hips, holding her as he stiffened and shuddered. His rasping, desperate groan tickled her ears and shivered up her spine. Then he relaxed, dropping his forehead to her shoulder.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she mirrored him, nuzzling her face into his neck. “Jackson. God.”
His chest heaved at first and settled into a steady rhythm as he slowly caught his breath. “Yeah.”
She inhaled deeply. “Maybe I need to put the magical pants back on.”
“Would that involve getting out of this bed?”
Mackenzie couldn’t remember where the pants had ended up, or how many pieces they’d been in at the time. “Maybe it’s not that important.”
He raised his head and sighed regretfully. “I think it probably is.”
“Okay, except I don’t know if I can move. My knees aren’t feeling all that solid.”
Jackson lifted her off his body with a grin and laid her gently on the bed beside him. He paused by the bed and found her pants. “Here. Now you don’t have to move.” He brushed a kiss over her forehead and headed for the bathroom.
There was so much to talk about. So much to say, not just about what she’d gone through, but what had happened at the mansion. Mackenzie wiggled into the warded pants and rebuttoned the oversized shirt before curling up again with her head on the plush pillows. Too much to say…and all she wanted to do was snuggle into Jackson’s arms and sleep. Even knowing intellectually that the danger was far from past…
He padded quietly out of the bathroom and warmth flooded her. She felt safe with him. She felt peaceful now that he was here with her, now that he was safe. After the past week of terror, she was so giddy with the sudden relief that she felt light-headed.
He stopped and frowned at her as he reached for his underwear. “Are you feeling okay? You look a little spun.”
“I feel like we should be getting dressed and going to find everyone else. Like we need to be making plans or something.” She inched over as he slid into the bed next to her. “But I’m so tired, and I feel safe now.”
“We can go downstairs,” he offered. “Or we can sleep. Trust me when I say Nick and Alec aren’t expecting to see us until breakfast.”
“But everything that happened…” Her protest sounded weak, even to her own ears. She didn’t want to go anywhere. “I guess we can wait to talk to them. I couldn’t process much right now anyway.”
“We can talk about it later. Everything, Mackenzie. Just…later.”
Later. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. His body felt warm, strong. Perfect. We’ll talk about it later.
As reprieves went it wasn’t much, but it was something. Enough. Whatever comes tomorrow, I won’t have to face it alone.
Chapter 23
“That’s when we found out you and Marcus had already hightailed it out of there.” Jackson stalled by pouring cream in his coffee and reaching for another muffin. He didn’t want to burden Mackenzie with the details of what came next. “So Charles tossed Marcus’s friend into the wall and shot Steven.”
Mackenzie’s face tightened, and her hands shook as she lowered her teacup to the table. “I should have found a way to contact you. I should have found a way. It was for nothing.”
“If I’m not allowed to blame myself for dragging everyone else into this, neither are you.” He fixed her with a serious stare. “I’m not kidding, Kenzie. Stop saying it. Stop thinking it.”
She swallowed. “It’s so much pain and death over me. Because of me. I know it’s not my fault, that I didn’t ask for it—”
“No, you didn’t.” None of us did. “Steven knew he probably wasn’t going to make it out of there. He felt responsible for Charles’s actions, and he was willing to risk his life to stop him.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “So we’re going to do it for him.”
She squeezed back. “You think we can?”
I think we have to. “If we can find him.”
“We can—” She paused and tilted her head to the side. “Nick’s coming. Well, I suppose everyone’s coming, but I can hear Nick.”
Jackson looked up in time to see Nick and Alec walk through the dining room door, arguing, with Marcus close behind.
“Just admit you were pissed off about it,” Nick demanded.
“There was nothing to be pissed off about.”
“Except for the fact that Marcus had more women crawling on him, and you can’t stand that.”
“Honey, if you think I’m that insecure, you haven’t been paying attention.”
She groaned and snatched an apple from the glass bowl on the table as Alec jerked out the chair next to Mackenzie’s. “How exhausting is it, Alec, carrying around that ego?”
Alec scrubbed a hand over his face. “A lot less exhausting than listening to you bitch all the time.”
Jackson sighed. “If you two keep bickering like this, people are going to think you’re having sex.”
Alec laughed and scooted over so Marcus could slide another chair in next to his. “Only people who don’t have to watch her lovesick puppy routine around Derek.”
Nick sat beside Jackson and shrugged. “Whatever, Jacobson. You already spilled the beans. The man loves me.”
“Uh-huh. God help him.” Alec leaned forward and stole Jackson’s coffee. “So, Casanova, have we got a plan?”
“We go home. We look for him, and we get ready.” What he didn’t say, what Alec already knew, was that they wouldn’t find Charles Talbot if he wanted to hide. They couldn’t.
But he would come to them.
“What about Mahalia? Is she staying in New York?”
“Far as I know.” Mahalia didn’t particularly want to see any of them, and he didn’t blame her.
Mackenzie spoke, her tone oddly protective. “Marcus wants to go to New York. Can you arrange for him to meet with your father, Nick? Maybe he can answer some of your sister’s questions about Charles.”
She smiled. “Sure. Marcus mentioned something about it last night. I’m going to call Daddy this morning.”
Marcus nodded. “Nick thinks her father can help me talk to the Conclave about Eddie.”
“Right.” Nick twisted the stem from her apple. “I’m going to call Ronnie Coleman, too. She mediates for the Conclave, but I think she’d be interested in Eddie’s case.”
“Good.” Mackenzie squeezed Marcus’s shoulder lightly. “They can protect him, right? I mean, in case—in case anyone comes after him?”
Nick barked out a laugh. “Charles Talbot’s crazy, but he’s not crazy enough to try waltzing through the Conclave. Though we’d all be lucky if he tried it. They’d eat him alive.”
Jackson nodded. “Marcus would be a guest, entitled to every protection. They’d guard his life with theirs.”
“Good,” Mackenzie said again. “We can call you if we have questions, but you need to go and make sure Eddie’s okay.”
Jackson watched as Marcus smiled at her. “Thank you, Mackenzie. For everything.”
She shrugged and reached for her teacup. “So we’re going home. I don’t know what else to do.”