Mac
LET HER COME BACK
Insomnia.Fuckinginsomnia.Twonights in a row. He blamed it on Grady, whose parting gift was a carved figurine and words that tore his heart out. “Don’t let her down.”
Fucking Grady, bypassing his defenses like that.
Alcohol hadn’t helped. The women hadn’t helped. He’d been desperate enough to bring the last one home.
He ran into her at a convenience store on the east end of the massive lake as he’d gassed up his Scout. She’d been bitching at her phone maps app as she stood opposite him, gassing up her SUV. She’d looked up and asked, “Where the fuck is…?”
He still didn’t know where she’d been trying to go; he didn’t care. They’d ended up here. She bought a frozen pizza at the convenience store; he bought more beer. She’d jokingly asked if he was a serial killer when she’d seen the cabin, but it hadn’t kept her from spreading her legs and letting him fuck her while the pizza cooked.
They ate the pizza, drank half the beer; she went down on him, expecting him to return the favor. He didn’t. But she wasn’t complaining about what he did do for her, judging by her screams. He was about to send her on her way when she’d jumped up, grabbed her clothes, and cursed, “Fuck, gotta go.” And she’d run out the door.
Easy enough. He’d raised a beer to cheers her departing figure, appreciative of her discarding attitude because he understood it. He’d hoped, after three orgasms, a full stomach, and enough beer to fell a normal man, that dreamless sleep would come to him.
But no.
The half-moon was bright, and it taunted him as it made its ascent into the sky, which meant it still had to peak and then decline. The majority of the night was ahead of him. There were no sounds from nocturnal creatures on this chilly spring night.
Mac sat on the porch and stared at the massive glittering expanse that was the lake, his view. It went on and on, like an ocean. There were coves, shallows, and depths; strange clusters of limbless trees sticking up like dead forests where fishermen liked to hang out. In his area, situated in an inverted part of the lake, a small stream off to his property’s right side separated him from his other neighbors. Their dock was on the other side of the bluff. Hopefully, he’d never see them.
One distracting neighbor was enough.
By boat, the distance from Cassidy’s dock to the town, which was on the far side of the lake, meant she had to traverse the expanse of the lake, then turn down a channel of both live and dead trees. He’d watched her hug her shoreline before cutting across; he assumed she knew when or where to slice through. He’d also noticed her returning after dark a couple of times; the muted colored side lights and twinkle of the instrument lights alerting to her approach before she turned on a brilliant light as she neared the dock.
He found watching her control her boat sexy as hell. She was comfortable on the water, managing the craft with ease, her body moving gracefully. Skinny as she was, there was still a curve to her: ass, tits, and hips. Her slight curves formed an alluring figure; with more fat on her, she’d be perfect. Lush.
He knew fuck all about boats, but hers was white with green on the bottom. The controls were in the center, and she tended to stand instead of sitting on the center bench, peering through the plexiglass. The cushioned seat was also white; the outboard behind it. A single white jump seat was situated in front of the console. What appeared to be storage areas and optional seating angled to the tip of the boat. Knowing her husband’s name, he understood the name,The Caseli, but he didn’t like it. Too Hollywood, maybe.
Her boat bobbed lightly against the dock. He hadn’t seen her return. Without acknowledging it out loud, he noted when she was there or not. He wanted to tell himself he had nothing else to look at other than the dock, so noticing the boat was to be expected. But he couldn’t remember being as in tune before he knew it washer.
With that thought, he pushed off the porch. She must’ve arrived back sometime when he’d been entertaining the woman from the gas station. The boat hadn’t been there when they’d arrived; he would have noticed—his guest had taken in the view. He made it a habit to check.
Maybe she was still awake.
He knew she wasn’t.
He cast about for an excuse.
He thought of Fred.
So he walked through the trees, thinking he needed to clear a path. It made practical sense. If she needed anything, being a woman out here alone, she should have an easier way to get to her neighbor than using the driveways or winding her way around the woods by going down to the lake shore and walking up.
He broke through the other side of the tree line, noting with satisfaction a small light twinkled in the front room. He wasn’t the only one unable to sleep tonight. He walked up the sloping lawn toward the wraparound porch, alert for Fred. He didn’t want to startle her, a man walking up on her in the night.
On the heels of that thought, his gaze swept the area; her windows were open. He frowned. He could beanyonewalking up to her property, and her windows were open. Irritated at her lack of concern over her security, he stepped up onto the porch and peered inside.
The light he’d seen was from one of those Himalayan salt rock lamps; it cast a glow in the room. It was enough to see Fred peering over the back of the sectional at him, his head moving enough to let Mac know his tail was thumping. However, his interest was in the woman who was sleeping on the other part of the sectional, more visible to him. She was on her back, with one arm flung out.
She had a pillow and a blanket. A robe was lying on the ottoman. Mac’s gaze went to her face, flushed in sleep, lips parted. She hadn’t accidentally fallen asleep here. She was sleeping on the sofa intentionally.
Fred yawned, catching his attention. The dog was resting his chin on the back of the sectional, body shifting, eyes happy to see his friend through the glass.
At least her dog was there.
Mac made a motion with his head coupled with a low whistle, indicating Fred should join him outside. He knew the dog had a way to leave the house.