“Mace.”
He turned to her. “You’re skipping class.”
&n
bsp; “I beg your pardon.”
“We’ll be going then,” said Carmen. “Close your mouth, Aggie.” She tried to hustle everyone.
“I dunno, this looks entertaining. I’d like to stick around,” said Alfie.
Mace turned cold, determined eyes on Alfie. “Out, all of you. Now.” He went to the front door and opened it. There was obviously nothing wrong with him that an injection of decent manners and a thump in the head wouldn’t cure.
She trailed behind her guests. “I’m so sorry. I’ll come with you.” She wasn’t staying in the loft with Mace for one more second.
Ingrid hesitated in the doorway. She ignored Mace. “Would you like me to stay?”
He answered. “I need her, Ingrid.”
Ingrid lifted her chin and stared him down, her expression fierce. She was approximately half Mace’s size, but she wasn’t the least bit intimidated by his Doberman to her Toy Poodle. She must’ve seen something she liked. She patted his chest, pushed Agnes ahead of her, glanced back at Jacinta and stepped into the stairwell.
It didn’t matter what Ingrid thought she saw. Jacinta was having none of it. Who did he think he was? She stepped around him to leave and he blocked her exit with his outstretched arm.
“Let me go, please.”
He closed the door. “So civil.”
When he’d been so obnoxiously offensive.
He moved in on her, his eyes measuring, bouncing all over her face and body, his expression locked down, severe as a winter’s night. She stood her ground. Let him pull that menacing stunt. She’d faced down menacing men before. He shifted quickly, his hand coming up to cup her cheek, the tenderness of the move at odds with everything else about him. She jolted from the shock and heat flooded through her as his other hand slid over her hip to grasp her butt.
“I haven’t seen you awake for days. I need to be with you right now.”
She should’ve backed away from the rawness in him, grabbed her keys and opened the door, but to her disgust she was so turned on by his edgy frustration, so melted by his words, his voice and hands. “You don’t get to come in here, act like a pig and make demands like that.”
“I can’t be nice. I don’t care if all you do is scream at me. I need to hear your voice. I don’t care if all you do is slap me, I need your touch.”
He’d moved closer so her body was grazed by his and she swayed towards him. “You were so rude.”
“I’m coming apart, Cinta.”
“I hate you so much right now.”
He moved the hand on her cheek to her ear, rubbed the helix between his thumb and finger. He’d been so stiff and unyielding, but his touch was smooth. “So long as you still feel something for me.”
She angled her face away, a last ditch effort to pretend escape. “You are so sacked as my boyfriend.”
He gave a soft laugh and his fingers pushed through her hair. “You owe me a bunch of warnings before you sack me from that job.”
He turned her head back around and she let him. “Consider that the first one.” He groaned and brought his face close, nose in her hair, breathing her. “What’s wrong, Mace?”
His arms came around her and pulled her close. “I’m terrified.”
She touched his chest, his face. “Of what?”
“Losing us.”
Her heart double tapped. “That’s not going to happen.” She wound her arms around his neck.