Page 39 of Mac (Demented Souls #7)

E lyse took a deep breath and let it out in a rush, pushing away the concerns of her workday. She wouldn't have to worry about any of that for two whole days. The weekend loomed large in front of her and she was going to enjoy it.

Talking to Dave last night she'd discovered he was heading home tomorrow, his flight back to Colorado took off at noon.

She'd asked if he planned to go out and see their parents before he left.

She couldn't have blamed him if he'd refused to after the way Mom had behaved, though that wasn't really fair to Dad.

Not that it mattered much, as Dave said he was going out there today while she was at work.

When she'd finished her shift and gotten out to the car she'd found a message from him letting her know he was eating dinner with them and wouldn't be back until later.

She wondered briefly if that meant seven, ten or even later than that. Sometimes her brother made her crazy.

That hadn't been the only message waiting when she'd gotten off work.

She'd also found a text from Mac asking if Dave was still in town and what she planned to do tonight, he'd invited her to stop by if she was free, that was the thought that had her singing along as the radio blasted on her way home.

The traffic was a little heavier than usual, which meant she spent more time sitting and waiting.

Normally that would irritate her but tonight she didn't care she was too happy looking forward to seeing Mac.

Maybe she should stop and pick up some steaks to toss on the grill? What if he had other plans for dinner.

Deciding she'd better call and check, she dialed his number and put the phone on speaker so she could talk no matter what traffic did.

"This is Mac," he said as he answered.

"Hey, it's me. I was thinking about stopping and picking up some steaks to toss on the grill but thought you might have other plans for dinner. This is me checking. Do you have other plans, or do you want to have dinner with me?"

Silence came back for about three seconds, then he spoke. "What about your brother, did he already go home?"

"Not until tomorrow but he's having dinner with our folks."

"And you didn't want to go join them?"

She wasn't sure if he was teasing or serious, so she answered as if he meant it.

"Not after the way Mom behaved this week.

I talked to Dad a little this morning, I'm good with him.

I'll talk to him but I'm going to give my mom the silent treatment for a while.

It's not that I think she'll learn her lesson, I've long since given up on that.

But I don't have to put up with being treated like that. "

"I wasn't trying to talk you into it, just checking. I'd love to have dinner with you, but don't stop. I've got a couple steaks here, I'll start putting something together to go with it. What time you plan to be here?"

She did some quick mental math, figuring how long it would take her to get home in the current traffic, then adding a few minutes so she could change out of her work clothes. "How's forty-five minutes sound? Is that too soon?"

"Now's not too soon, a thasgaidh. Come over whenever you're ready. I probably won't have food ready by then, but I'll take whatever time you have for me."

"Great, I can't wait. I'll be there as soon as I can." She disconnected the call and turned the radio back up. Dancing along and singing as she drove, the trip seem to take as long as it was.

At home, she hurried inside, changed clothes and shoes then went over to Mac's. The music was still playing in her head and she danced along to the unheard tune while she waited for him to open the door.

"You look happy." Mac smiled as she danced past him into the house.

"I am. I've got two days off and other than getting Dave to the airport in the morning, no plans.

I've been thinking about the best way to spend it.

I've come up with a plan, but I'm not sure what you'll think.

" She walked along with him as he headed back to the kitchen, wondering how he would react to what she'd planned.

"What 's your plan?" He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, as if he suspected she was up to something and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know what.

Elyse waited until they'd made it to the kitchen, then closed the distance between them, went up on her tiptoes and whispered her plan into his ear.

Mac let out a low growl, bent low and picked her up so her waist bent over his shoulder.

She couldn't help the laugh that erupted.

It was more than an hour later by the time they got back to the kitchen and the half prepared meal they'd left behind.

Their mood was lighter, and Elyse couldn't help but notice they were both more relaxed and comfortable with each other.

"You said your brother's flying out in the morning?" Mac glanced up from where he chopped vegetables for a salad.

"Technically he doesn't leave until noon, but I have to drop him at the airport about ten. Why? You want to do something?"

"I was thinking it might be fun to go out to Old Tucson. Have you ever been?"

"Yeah, it was years ago, and I was a kid. I don't remember if it was before or after the fire."

"Fire? I don't think I've heard anything about a fire out there."

"It was a long time ago. Like I said, I was a kid. I remember talk that they'd rebuilt it, but not the same. I remember asking Dad why, he said they'd already made movies with the old set, and the fire was as good a reason as any to rebuild it different so the new movies wouldn't be the same."

Mac frowned. "I guess that makes sense. I heard it's primary purpose is as a movie set, but most people just see it as something fun to do on the weekends. So, you want to go?"

Elyse pretended to consider his invitation, acting like she wasn't sure she wanted to go or not.

In reality, it was hard to keep her excitement off her face.

She'd enjoyed the ride he'd taken her on a couple weeks before, but this would give them more time to talk and interact rather than just a long drive.

"I think I could be persuaded." Elyse wasn't sure why she didn't want him to see how much she wanted to go, only that she couldn't seem too eager. Now that she thought about it, it felt stupid, Someday, she might quit sabotaging herself like this but apparently, today was not that day.

Elyse watched Mac. move around while he finished their dinner.

She'd offered to help but he'd told her to sit down and let him take care of things.

So now she was watching him as he cooked.

She understood now why people went to restaurants where they could watch the cook prepare their meals.

There was something attractive about watching a man cook, or pretty much any kind of waiting on you.

She wanted to say something and point it out, but she wasn't going to say anything and spoil the moment.

E lyse lay in bed that night, staring into the darkness toward the ceiling and wondering what was going on with Mac.

Most of the time things were just fine, but sometimes she got the feeling he was going through the motions without any of the emotional investment she'd made.

Or was she letting her insecurities run wild?

She had tried to hint at it with Dave earlier, to see what he thought but as her mind replayed the conversation she couldn't be sure her brother had understood what she was asking.

Now, as Mac lay snoring softly beside her, she tried to make her mind stop racing, and keep her doubts from running away with her.

But she wasn't having much success. She rolled toward where she felt the reassuring weight of Mac's body and wished, not for the first time in her life, that she understood the workings of the human male brain.

But she'd been wishing that for at least half of her life, and understanding had yet to happen.

For the most part she'd given up on it ever happening, but once in a while she renewed the old wish. Tonight was one of those.

She lay facing Mac, unable to see him in the darkness but feeling the weight of his body and the warmth of his breath feathering across her skin with his every exhalation.

She wondered what he was thinking, what he was dreaming about and if he would miss her if she was to disappear or if she was just one of a long string of women in his life.

No. she told herself. You don't call in to work to take care of someone unless you care about them, at least a little.

She took a deep breath and tried to push the worries from her mind.

She was making up issues that didn't exist. She had a problem with that and always had.

If she wanted to know where Mac stood, she was going to have to ask him.

Snuggling up against him, she told herself she would do just that — tomorrow. For now, she was going to enjoy having him here and the feeling of safety he brought with him and went back to sleep.

"T hat was amazing." Elyse fell onto the couch and dropped her head back against the cushion.

They had been on the go since dropping Dave at the airport hours earlier.

From there they'd gone straight out to Old Tucson where she'd spent most of the rest of the day on her feet.

Now she was starving, but glad for the chance to rest. Cooking was more than she wanted to think about right now, but they'd want to eat before too much longer.

"Let's order something for dinner. If they don't deliver I'll have one of my guys pick it up," Mac said before her thoughts had gotten that far.

"I'm in. I was just thinking I don't want to cook but hadn't thought about alternatives yet."

"What do you want?" he asked, still standing in the middle of the room watching her.

"I don't know, don't make me decide." She put a hand on either side of her head and pretended it was about to explode and the only thing holding it together was her hands.

Mac shot her a look that made it clear he thought she'd lost her mind. Elyse couldn't hold her laughter back and it burst free. She laughed until her sides ached while he watched her and shook his head.

"Seriously though," she said when her laughter finally died down and she could breathe again, "I don't care what we eat as long as I don't have to cook or clean the kitchen afterward."

"Sounds like a plan." Mac pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at her. "How about Oregano's?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I told you, as long as I'm not cooking and cleanup is refrigerator and trash, I'm good.

" She had shifted her position on the sofa while laughing but she still lay mostly limp, watching as he dialed the phone and started placing an order.

Her eyes remained on him, but she let her mind wander.

She should go take a shower and change. It would help her feel better, maybe a little more human.

The hardest part was making herself get up and go do it.

Mac continued to pace as he disconnected his call and dialed again.

She frowned as he put the phone to his ear again but decided that as entertaining as watching his ass while he walked back and forth was, she really needed to get that shower.

Standing, she caught his Mac's eye and motioned to the bathroom, trying to let him know what she was doing.

She wasn't sure he understood but he nodded and all she could do was hope.

He was still on the phone when she crossed the hall again a few minutes later with her clothes.