In an alternate reality, Macy Jackson’s dreams came true. Movie execs and TV producers pounded on her door day and night, begging for her to grace their latest production with her star power. Designers lined up to offer her gorgeous clothes for free, just on the off chance the paparazzi might photograph her in them. Make-up artists gushed at the natural glow of Macy’s skin, and hair stylists hardly needed to provide any touch-ups to her already perfect hair.

In that world, she didn’t have to endure the googly-eyed stares of drunken men. In that world, she didn’t need to pour beers for a living, dressed in this ridiculous tight white tee with the suggestive animal stretched over her breasts. In that world, she lived a normal life, waking in the daylight and going to sleep in the dark.

Macy blew a stray piece of stark-red hair out of her eyes and scanned the crazy crowd. Wednesday nights had never been so busy, so rowdy. Over in the back corner, a group of eight or so shouted joyfully, raised their steins high in the air and cheered in unison. Their happiness brought a grin to her lips as she slid down to the far end of the bar.

“What’ll it be, sugar?” Macy smiled at the tall, lean business suit with shaggy blond hair. Hmm, surfer boy meets Donald Trump. Interesting.

He beamed a grin at her, his blue eyes sparkling in the dim light as they bounced between her chest and her face. “Martini, dry, shaken.”

What was it with guys and boobs? Macy could almost understand if she had a decent pair of knockers. What was it about them men found irresistible, regardless of cup size? She wanted to ask if he’d like to make a toast to her minimal chest.

“You’re new here?” Macy filled the ice shaker with ice cubes, the required gin and the splash of vodka. As she reached into the chilled cavity under the bar for his olive, she felt his eyes rake over her skin. Maybe he took a peek down the V of her top, maybe he merely looked at her exposed shoulders. Either way, Macy felt it as surely as if he’d touched her.

“In town on business.” The huskiness of his low voice raised the fine blond hairs on her arms. “I’ve been here all week negotiating the biggest deal of my career, and today, we signed the papers. I’m going home to accolades, and maybe, if I play my cards right, a raise.”

She tried to ignore the self-importance in his voice. He had a right to it, landing the big deal and probably reinforcing his career. A career, she suspected, that paid big money. His suit came from the top rack, the best of its kind. The briefcase sitting on the seat beside him was made from the finest leather. No fake imitation there.

A career, she also guessed, that garnered respect from his family. Success envied by his peers. The town hero. She sighed sadly, pushing the thoughts from her mind.

“And your line of work?” she enquired, somewhere between acting out of habit and genuinely interested in what he did for a living.

His beaming smile returned, and she noticed he sat up a little straighter on his barstool. “Real estate. I live up in Queensland. You know--beautiful one day, perfect the next?”

Macy fitted the lid of the shaker to it and began her finely-tuned shake of his martini. Okay, maybe not so respectable. “I have watched TV before,” she said dryly. “And I’m more than aware of where Queensland is on the map.”

Chuckling, he shrugged out of his suit jacket, unbuttoned his cuffs and began rolling up his sleeves. The strong, tanned forearms made her belly tighten, and the masculine way he rested his elbows on the bar to lean toward her made her mouth water.

Macy didn’t want to think about the last time she’d been with a man. So long ago it felt like another lifetime. Strangers didn’t usually snag her attention, and she usually kept flirting to a minimum. Sure it helped with the tips and kept the unusually large proportion of male patrons under some sort of control, but this strapping young man had her knees knocking and her heart racing.

“See?” he nodded. “You noticed the tanned skin.”

“I take it you enjoy your hometown, then?”

“Oh, definitely.” There was not a hint of doubt or sarcasm in that smooth voice. How dare he experience a joy she couldn’t?

“Well,” she sighed. She dropped the olive into his glass, poured the martini and set it in front of him. “Count yourself lucky. Lots of folks don’t like their hometowns, sugar.”

His fingers brushed hers as he took the stem of the martini glass, sending prickles of delight up her arm. “Wanna talk about it?”

Gorgeous body, scrumptious eyes, hair she wanted to tangle her fingers in and sweet to boot? Of course he’d live on the other side of the country. That was Macy’s luck with men. Something always got in the way.

“You don’t want to hear about my boring childhood, sugar, I assure you.”

Fire flashed in his eyes, and she heard a deep voice resonate in her head. Sweet talk a woman with enough of the words she wanted to hear, and he might get himself laid. What better way to celebrate his big success?

Out of the blue, she saw herself accepting such an offer. The very thought of spending a night tangled in a stranger’s arms and legs nearly knocked her off her feet. She had to be seriously starved for sexual attention to even consider taking up an offer from a man she didn’t know. Macy wanted to kick herself. Such a hussy. So what if he would fly out, head back home to his sunny northern state and never see her again? If anything, that made a night of hot, sweaty, lose-your-mind kind of sex with a stranger more appealing.

But Macy wasn’t the girl he needed. She didn’t want to build a reputation for taking guys home from the bar. Out-of-towners or not, sleeping with the patrons wasn’t her thing.

She glanced at the clock. Almost ten. Seven more hours of this madness, and she might very well be in danger of doing something completely out of character. In part, that was why she’d left her small country town and come to Melbourne, to do anything she wanted. Things no one cared to tell her mother, or her brother, about. Things that didn’t embarrass her father. Behave so totally out of character so she could experience someone else’s life.

In four years, she’d managed two outrageous acts. One was getting this job and taking on night shift. Everyone thought she was the nine-to-five kind of girl. And they had a point, considering her two years working in the local council office. But everyone was wrong. The other ... well, the other she didn’t want to think about.

“So how long are you in town for?” Macy continued, eyeing off the raucous group by the big screen watching the live NBA match on pay-per-view and wondering if she’d need to call in the bouncers.

“My flight leaves at noon tomorrow,” he winked. The lilt in his voice planted naughty ideas in her head, and she had to wonder how many times he’d charmed some young filly into his bed. “How long ‘til you get off?”

Laughter exploded out of her mouth before she slapped a hand across it. Her cheeks burned. How could she be so immature?

“Hmm,” he took a long swallow of his martini. The motion of his throat drew her gaze. “Guess I should re-word that, huh?”

“Five.” Her gaze snapped to his. “But you’re not asking what I think you’re asking, are you? Because I don’t do that sort of thing.”

He laughed then, a full and deep sound that made her toes curl. “Oh, honey,” he reached across and slid the pad of his index finger along her jawline. “That’s a real shame. I’m sure we’d have a whole lot of fun.”

Macy laughed too, hers bittersweet. “Why is it always about sex with you guys?”

* * * *

Right where her brother said she’d be, Macy Jackson seemed to relish being in the centre of this ... mayhem. She flirted with the guy she served while she somehow filled two other orders. Her hands moved constantly, her fiery red hair flying behind her as she zipped from one end of the bar to the other, artfully dodging the other bartender.

Lucius Devon took in the scene in a state of awe. Everything from the rowdy jocks down near the big screen to the mix of music, basketball and shouting made his mind spin. The noise was deafening. How did she stand it? He knew her brother would hate this place, the crazy louts making googly eyes and wolf-whistling at her. Josh would want her out of here.

His eyes fell on her, and he couldn’t remember a time when Macy flirted. The last time he’d seen her, she’d just turned sixteen, wore braces and avoided his stare like he had the plague, leprosy and the Ebola virus, all rolled into one.

She treated him that way, too. Always made a wide berth whenever he got near, never accepted his presence in her brother’s life and swore black and blue she’d rather stick a thousand needles in her eye than let Lucius dance with her at Josh’s wedding. Understanding Macy turned out to be a task Lucius could never get the hang of. Whatever he’d done to deserve her wrath, he’d sure like to know.

Lucius made his way through the bustling crowd and stench of sweaty male bodies to a booth along the back wall. From there he had a perfect view of both the basketball game on the enormous flat screen and an uninterrupted view of Macy. Her eyes, glued to the blond businessman, never strayed. Despite the gaggle of men clamouring at the bar for her delicious attention, Macy continued to lavish attention on the guy. While Lucius couldn’t see the man’s face, he knew there’d be joy and amusement, and no doubt, a bucket-load of lust.

For the life of him, Lucius could not remember Macy ever looking so fine. What was she now? Twenty-four? The once-blonde pixie had turned into a siren. A tight, white tee stretched across her pert breasts, the Cougar logo perfectly placed to enhance those curves and the V of the neck dipping rather low. Sleeveless, it ended just above her navel, giving him a fine view of a tight, toned stomach. His mouth watered, but he reined in the response, knowing at once Josh would die if he saw his little sister dressed so provocatively.

What the hell was wrong with him? He didn’t come here to ogle Macy.

He supposed it could be because he hadn’t seen her in nearly eight years. But mostly, he suspected it had something to do with Josh, who’d threatened to beat the snot out of Lucius when they were fourteen if he ever made a move on Macy. But Josh was three hundred kilometres away, preparing for the birth of his first child.

Six years older than Macy, Lucius never looked at her as anything other than his best friend’s little sister. She was always too much work for him, bouncing around with all that childish energy. They’d nicknamed her The Pocket Rocket. His lips curled into a smile as he remembered her ten-year-old fury. Insisting she was no pocket rocket, she’d stormed off. Everyone thought she’d gone to sulk, but not Macy. No. The girl, even at ten, possessed a mind as sharp as a razor. Rather than self-pity, revenge filled her thoughts. She got it, too, took it out on an unsuspecting Lucius by smearing Vaseline all over his bicycle seat.

The ride home that day had been rather tricky.

Lucius chuffed. How did she end up working here? Macy had too much get up and go for a place like this. And working the graveyard shift?

But he had to stop focusing on the girl he once knew. Clearly this woman kept a few tricks up her sleeve a travelled man like Lucius might not have seen before. The red hair suited her, though he missed the sandy blond. And her eyes made up with thick black mascara and charcoal eyeliner looked dark and mysterious. The very definition of bedroom eyes, they were.

And as for that body ... Lucius sucked in a long, slow breath. Men would sacrifice an arm or a leg just for a taste, and her plump red lips caused him to wonder whether he’d really ever known Macy Jackson at all. But then, his job wasn’t about getting to know her. Rather, he’d been charged with the unenviable task of convincing her to come home.

Until he laid eyes on the sexy little five-foot-dynamo, Lucius thought he’d simply talk her ‘round. He shook his head and scrapped that idea. Now he had to come up with something else. Was she still the sweet little Macy everyone doted on? And what had the city taught her? He narrowed his gaze on her.

She was a flirt.

That’s what the city had taught. And damn, she did a fine job of it too. Not only did she have the surfer-boy wannabe eating out of the palms of her hands, Lucius too, felt the pull of those sexy little flutters of her eyelids. He noticed she played with a silver shaker, saw the way she wrapped her slender fingers around its girth and instantly felt a tightening below his belt, which was ludicrous. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything toward Macy.

She despised him. Saw him as a good-for-nothing, motorcycle-riding lout who had to leave town because he got on the wrong side of the law. Everyone else in the Crossing thought the same thing, so why wouldn’t Macy? Especially with the adamant tone of her voice at Josh’s wedding. Dance with Lucius? You have to be kidding. Never mind he was a groomsman and she a bridesmaid and they were supposed to dance together.

Macy wouldn’t listen to him, but he promised Josh he’d at least try. He’d definitely need a drink before he started, but that presented a dilemma all its own. How was he supposed to bolster his confidence with a stiff bourbon when she would take his order?

Lucius shrugged. He wasn’t the kind to be shy or hesitant; life only worked for him when he took the bull by the horns. About to get up and make his way to the bar, he noticed her slip out from behind the counter. With a tray of drinks balanced on one hand, that petite body wound its way through the crowd.

Everyone turned to watch her twirl and twist, firm calves shaped by heels, legs lengthened and exposed by that thigh-high skirt and breasts thrust forward in supreme confidence, bouncing enticingly beneath the Cougar. Lucky devil.

His eyes pulled painfully wide. Both at the sight she made and the reaction she received. Hot damn. It took him a moment to notice his jaw had fallen open, and his mouth gaped. He should check for drool. Drawn to her, he watched her glide through the haze of testosterone and felt the throb of the bass in his groin. The girl he came to find had disappeared, and in her place was one truly ravishing woman.

On her way back to the bar, surfer boy dropped onto his feet and stepped into her path. Macy pulled up short, the empty tray taking a dive onto the counter. Lucius noted her guarded eyes, but then a big bloke stepped in front of him, and he lost sight of her.

Lucius stood, unaware of where the need to protect her came from. As an independent woman, she wouldn’t want to be rescued. As his best friend’s little sister, she would definitely not want him to play the rescuer. At least on his feet he had a better view of Mr. Octopus and the clever little widget successfully evading his grasp.

Lucius smiled. Now that was the Macy he knew.

Still needing a drink, he weaved through the crowd toward the bar. She’d put the counter between surfer dude and herself, the move easing the tension along Lucius’ shoulders. Smart girl. As he approached, her attention skipped to another patron. Macy grinned and asked the guy how Dixie was doing. Lucius caught a glimpse of the dip between her pert little breasts and nearly stumbled.

Damn.

He needed to think straight, and somehow, Macy screwed with that ability.

At the bar, he squeezed between the man of many hands and the older guy she’d begun making eyes at. He stopped and waited. A minute went by, but he could tell she wasn’t ignoring him on purpose.

Lucius cleared his throat, at which Macy’s eyes drifted over to him. The glaze cleared in a shot. She snapped straight and blinked. Her jaw dropped open, but she said nothing.

“Hey, kiddo.”

The man beside Lucius turned his head from Macy to him and then asked if she knew Lucius or was he giving her a hard time. Such a perfect opening for Macy to pound her dreadful opinion of Lucius home. Instead she closed her mouth and pointed at him.

“Tell Josh I said no.”

Lucius laughed. With a mind sharp as that, he had his work cut out for him. “You haven’t even heard the question, Macy,” he noted, lifting his hip onto a swivelling bar stool. “And I’ll have a beer.”

Her eyes narrowed, and two small scowl lines appeared between her eyebrows. It looked cute and brought a smile to his lips, but then she looked away and focused on her other customer again. “I’ll be right with you,” she winked.

He’d never seen anyone pull a beer so fast. Before he could utter a word, the tall, frosted glass stood in front of him, the white froth spilling over and pooling on the smooth black counter. When he looked up, she was all smiles again, just not for him. Lucius refused to let it get to him. He’d expected a chilly reception from her; anything less would have been a disappointment. But how she could brush him off so easily floored him. Didn’t she want to give him a lecture? Or tell him he wasn’t the right kind of friend for her?

His curiosity piqued, he made himself comfortable on a barstool and watched her work the bar. Either she’d mastered the art of flirting, or she was a natural-born siren. Lucius grinned behind his beer at the thought. If only Josh could see her now. Though he had to admit, if her brother walked in, there’d be hell to pay by any man who looked sideways at his little sister.

She worked the crowd with ease, bantering with every guy who salivated when her back was turned. She hardly batted an eye when she caught them ogling, making a jibe and looking way too comfortable as the centre of attention. Her sexy swagger down to the other end of the bar gave him a titillating view of her firm legs, and he shook his head at the heels. What self-respecting woman would wear those when she needed to be on her feet for eight hours? Lucius could only shake his head in complete confusion at Macy. A mass of contradictions. And he was supposed to convince her to come home?

It pushed his buttons that she ignored him the entire time, and Macy always seemed to know which buttons to push. At least she did with him. She affected him like no other, and she enjoyed it too, the little vixen. Well, if there was one thing he’d achieve this week, it would be to return the favour and give her a taste of her own medicine.

Lucius stared at her until she turned. He hoped she could feel his persistence because he wasn’t going anywhere until she heard him out. “Something else?”

Oh, little miss sweetness now? The challenge appealed to his dark side. Didn’t she remember he had a wild streak? She’d get an awfully stark reminder if so. “Actually,” he nodded, deliberately dropping his eyes to the Cougar logo on her shirt. “I’m going to need a shot of bourbon.”

That got her interest. “Oh?”

Glancing at the man next to him, Lucius wondered what she saw in the phony. “Yes, I’ve been charged with a very important job, you see. I have to bring a lost child home, only I fear she’s gotten herself into all sorts of trouble.”

The corner of Macy’s ruby-red mouth quirked upwards. In a flash, she slammed a small shot glass down in front of him and poured it full of amber fluid. “Cheers to your cause.” As she bent to return the bottle to its home under the counter, Lucius heard her mutter, “I hope you choke on it.”

Except Lucius paid no attention to her words. Rather, he fell headlong into the violet-coloured eyes that had fascinated him for as long as he’d known her. “Cheers kid.” He swallowed the brew in one gulp and squeezed his eyes to savour the burn of the liquid down his throat.

“Excuse us,” she nodded to the men either side of him and then called through to the back of the bar that she was taking her break.

Lucius watched in amusement as she rounded the end of the counter and powered toward him. Strength poured from her, with her take-no-shit attitude and you-can’t-tell-me-what-to-do aura. He never expected her to grab him by the earlobe or twist it until he found his feet. And he had no option but to follow when she yanked it hard and led him to a staff change room. When she pushed him down to the low bench, Lucius obeyed.

“Damn girl,” he said, rubbing his earlobe when she finally let go. “What was that for?”

“That was for covering my bedroom door handle in Vegemite when I was eleven.”

Lucius blinked. He’d forgotten about that. “Only getting you back for lubing my bicycle seat.”

She stood above him, though given her short stature, her chin came level with his forehead. “Lucius Devon,” she shook her head. “I never thought I’d see you again. How long has it been?”

He tilted his head back to look into her eyes. “Nearly eight years. But you already knew that, and I’m sure I’ll never live that down either.”

“Hell no. You...” She poked him in the chest. “--left my brother in the lurch. My father had to pick him up from the police cells because you were nowhere to be found. Oh, don’t try to explain a thing. My brother is too gullible and too loyal to actually tell the truth, but I know it was you.”

Ah, so she did believe the rumours. “Maybe you shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”

She reared back. “Are you telling me it wasn’t you who posted all those flyers in town, outing the local sergeant? Are you even suggesting it was my brother?”

Just like everyone else, she didn’t appear ready to believe Lucius’ side of the story. He was fine with that. Josh knew the truth and was the only person who really mattered here, anyway. Even if the sexy Macy Jackson did do things to his mind and body no other woman could lay claim to.

“So I suppose telling you that I’m here to take you home is out of the question then?”

* * * *

Macy tried to calm her breathing, tried to settle her racing heart. It didn’t work. Whatever magic surrounded Lucius Devon weaved through her defences and struck her deep. Reminding herself he’d come here to take her home against her will, she straightened her back and lifted her chin.

“Josh wants you to bring me home?”

Seated, Lucius wasn’t much shorter than her. His face came level with her chest, but to his credit, he didn’t stare at her boobs. “Yes.”

“It’s not going to happen.” A wickedly delicious grin lifted those sinister lips of his. “I mean it.”

The low chuckle didn’t make it past his lips, yet it rumbled across her skin. How did he do that?

“I’ve heard that before, little lady. If I remember correctly, I got my way last time. And...” he winked, a mischievous glint twinkling in their murky depths. “...you know I’ll get it this time, too.”

Macy wanted to stomp her foot and wipe the smug expression from his face. She should’ve known he’d bring up Josh’s wedding and the dance she’d insisted would never happen. It didn’t matter they were supposed to dance, or that her mother seemed mortified by the idea. Josh nagged until Macy relented, essentially meaning Lucius got his way. And if she remembered correctly, Lucius got his way far too often.

For a moment, Macy allowed her eyes to wander over his tanned skin. He’d always been a mystery to everyone but her, though she never understood how her straight-laced brother ever hooked up with the deviant Lucius Devon. They were complete opposites, two totally contrasting guys. Rebellious men like Lucius loved to give her geeky brother a hard time. He was physically bigger, street smart and a wise ass.

Her eyes fell on his, and those dark, dark irises seemed as dangerous as ever. When Josh brought him home for the first time, Macy knew he’d be trouble. The very definition of it. Didn’t matter that she was just seven, or that he was a lanky boy, all arms and legs and black hair. She understood Lucius had a wild streak in him. As she got older, she saw in him what she felt deep down inside herself, a mirror image of the beast she kept caged. Kindred soul or not, Macy vowed never to let him see how alike they were.

And she’d rather eat a ham and jam sandwich than give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d been the inspiration behind her journey to the city.

Lucius understood all too well the need to escape their small town, to experience everything life had to offer and to find an identity outside their tiny world of Jackson’s Crossing. If he realised she hadn’t succeeded in her quest, that she questioned the validity of her move to Melbourne, he’d use it against her.

To protect herself, Macy had to show him she was a city girl now, that nothing and nobody could convince her to move back to their dustbowl town or life on the farm.

“Lucius...” His name on her lips sounded ominous. “...you may think you can boss me around or order me to go back, but I’m an adult now. I have everything I need right here in the city.” A dark shadow crossed his eyes and then disappeared. “I’ve never listened to you in the past; why would I listen to you now?”

He shrugged, the move slow, but Macy saw the cunning glint in his eye. He had a plan just for her.

“Because everyone goes home, Macy. You can deny it all you like, but you belong in Jackson’s Crossing. This place...” He gestured with his hand, but neither broke their gaze. “This place isn’t for you. Don’t you feel claustrophobic here? I do, and I’ve been in town a day.”

“You are lecturing me about returning?”

He nodded matter-of-factly, as if the situation didn’t smack of irony. “I went home, didn’t I?”

“Seven years after you left. And what about the reason why you went away in the first place?”

Lucius stood, his six-foot frame towering over her five feet, zero inches. He probably meant it to be intimidating, but Macy found his size rather exciting. She shouldn’t, but she did, and it infuriated the hell out of her.

“Ah, Macy, why do you listen to rumours? I thought you were smarter than that.”

Much to her surprise, Lucius lifted his big, work-roughened hand to cup her chin. He raised her face to his. The hunger that burned in his eyes as his thumb rubbed lazily along her jaw surprised her. Lucius had never looked at her like he wanted to devour her before. Insanely, she thought he might kiss her. She wanted him to kiss her.

This wasn’t the harmless attraction she felt to surfer boy, the idle flirting to pass the time. This posed all sorts of possibilities Macy couldn’t let herself imagine. At least, not with him so close, not with the secrets she’d rather take to the grave that lingered so close to the surface for him to expose. Sure, he was a sexual fantasy come to life, but he would never be Macy’s.

Still, she couldn’t stop the heat from his skin as it sizzled along hers. His eyes held her captive, the closeness of his body causing her nerves to vibrate with excitement. Never before had she experienced such an intense physical reaction to Lucius, and for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why. He pulsed with raw, magnetic energy. Beguiling, charming her body with lures of lustful passion and wild abandon. Everything she’d come to the city to find.

It drew her closer, her hand finding its way to his broad chest. She saw her fingers flatten as her palm pressed against him, felt the strong, slow beat of his heart, but she wasn’t in control. His spicy scent prowled through her veins, searching for a crack in her defences. Macy could smell the desire in the air. Was it his? Or hers?

Salacious urges possessed her to touch him so intimately, and she didn’t know where they came from. All she understood was that, at this second, she wanted Lucius’ hands on her.

Macy told herself to pull away, silently screamed for the outrageous carnal whispers to shut up. They didn’t. Instead her temperature began a steady rise, her pulse quickened and a delicious liquid heat began to surge through her. The waves ebbed and flowed with the power of his eyes, and the hypnotic back and forth slice of this thumb lulled her breathing into a matching rhythm. She couldn’t look away, but fascination had a way of forcing her eyes down his body.

To the solid wall of chest covered by stretched white cotton. To the black leather jacket and the scent she pulled into her lungs with each breath. And to the figure-hugging blue denim jeans. Only for Josh’s wedding had she seen Lucius in anything but jeans.

Remarkably, the mere sight of him made her insides quiver, and she knew she was in trouble. She’d fallen victim to his magic barely ten minutes after he walked in the door. Her self-control flew out the window, blown to bits by the musky maleness reminding her she hadn’t been fully satisfied by a man in far too long.

“I am smart.” Her voice came out a low growl. “Smarter than you think, Lucius. You won’t get your way, I promise.”

He puffed a breath, momentarily lifting away the hair from around her face. “You’re working mighty hard to convince me, little one. Or are you trying to convince yourself?”

“Stop being a bully. Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you know better.”

He laughed, this time loud and full, the bobbing of his Adam’s apple again stealing her attention. “I do know better.”

“Oh?”

“You bet your sweet cheeks I do. Right now, you want to know what it would be like if I kissed you. Or whether I’d like it if you took charge and kissed me first. You’re wondering if the rest of me is as hot as my skin on yours.”

Oh, God, he could read her so well it was wrong. “That’s not what I’m thinking at all.”

His eyebrows arched in question before he threw his head back and laughed again. Macy didn’t hesitate. Grabbing the edges of his leather jacket, she pulled him down to her and dragged her tongue up his throat, cutting off his laughter. He growled, the vibration under her tongue addictive as the sound shuddered through her.

“Macy.”

His voice held a warning, and if her body wasn’t burning up, she’d listen. Instead, she licked his smooth skin up his neck and chuckled into the shell of his ear. “See? You don’t know what I’m thinking at all, Lucius. Stop being an arrogant pig.”

The words made a mockery of her, because she wanted to know how he kissed, whether he’d take her mouth roughly and where his hands would travel to. She craved to understand what it was about Lucius that encouraged her to act impulsively and desired to know how she could convince him she was never going back to their tiny hometown. Most of all, she needed to quench the hunger he’d ignited, douse the temptation he provided.

She pulled back, wanting nothing more than to see the surprise in his eyes. That’s not what she saw at all. Those dark brown orbs bubbled with animalistic need as his grip on her chin tightened.

“I’ll stop being an arrogant pig when you stop being a stubborn mule. You think this is all about you. Did you ever consider that maybe your family needs you? Don’t run away, Macy. It might bite you in the ass. And just so we’re clear,” he grinned and winked. “I came here to do a job, and I’m not leaving until it’s done.”