Strong Reflection: Book 2 of the Dark Series Trilogy (2 page)

The pain in her eyes had shriveled his hard on quicker than a douse of ice cold water.  Bunny quickly took her hands off his body.  

“I apologize, Agent Mackenzie.  I did not know you were standing there.”  Kyle cursed violently to himself, obviously!   He was pissed because not only had he hurt a woman with his words, he had given one of his agents the impression that he talked about them behind their backs.  And, that just wasn’t the case.  He had let Bunny’s insistence push him into speaking carelessly.

Before he could say more, Bunny spoke, “Well, you know what they say about eavesdroppers?”  She shrugged unconcernedly.

“Mack may not be as slutty looking as you, but at least all her curves are real.”  Nancy spoke when Ashley didn’t.  Nancy fiercely defended those she loves.

Bunny laughed.  “What curves?”

“Mack isn’t false in any way and doesn’t need to put her wares on display to get a guy’s attention.  She turns down more dates in a week than you could get standing butt ass naked offering blow jobs.”  Nancy was in nasty mode.

Bunny gave a frustrated grunt before reaching out for a little decorative vase on a nearby table and flinging it full force at Nancy.  Nancy tried to duck.  But, there was no need.  Mackenzie’s hand shot out, catching the vase inches from Nancy’s face.

The two who were not in law enforcement flinched at Mackenzie’s speed.  But Kyle hadn’t.  He had seen Agent Mackenzie’s remarkable reflexes in various situations.  Although he wasn’t surprised, he was still in awe.  Once again it made him wonder at the cause that made Agent Mackenzie hone her skills and instincts so finely.  Even in a state of relaxing at a friend’s home she still found it necessary to be on alert.  What the hell had happened to her?

When Mackenzie stepped threateningly to Bunny, Kyle stepped protectively in front of Bunny, blocking any access Mackenzie had to her.  Their eyes locked in a test of wills.

After a silent war, Mackenzie had stepped back and with quiet calm replaced the vase back on the table.
 And, just as quietly, Mackenzie had took a hold of a fuming Nancy’s arm and led her from the den, leaving Kyle feeling like an ass for protecting his girlfriend.

And it was two days after that encounter when Agent Mackenzie had been standing under the mistletoe in the doorway of that same den.   He had just arrived with Bunny to show his support for the orphanage and his sister.  He didn’t like it when they were not talking and Nancy had been giving him the silent treatment.  Regardless of their difference of opinions concerning Bunny, the siblings were close, loved each other deeply.  They wouldn’t be angry with each other for long.  

And Nancy being Nancy, she had wanted to express her displeasure with her brother plus her dislike of Bunny all at the same time had laughingly said, “Oh, brother, dear, you have to kiss all the ladies standingunder mistletoe today and donate cold hard cash.”  Nancy held up the holiday-decorated metal box acting as the donation bank.  “Mackenzie has already caused several men to part with some serious funds.”

Bunny frowned and said sourly, “Isn’t that called prostitution?”

Mackenzie rolled her eyes, looking Kyle straight in the eye.
 “It’s called supporting your community,” Mackenzie raised her brows questioningly, “Or does your girlfriend control whether or not you support your sister’s causes too?”

Something deadly flashed in Kyle’s eyes, reminding Mackenzie that although he could be jovial, he was still a very dangerous man and shouldn’t be trifled with for any reason.

Kyle’s hands went to Mackenzie’s waist slowly, he pulled her to him.  He lowered his head maintaining eye contact until her eyes fluttered closed.  He touched their lips softly and smoothly rubbed them together.  He was pulling back when he felt Mackenzie’s teeth give his bottom lip a nip and then her tongue glide a soothing stroke across the mark her teeth had left.

At the sensations flashing through his body, his eyes sprang open and he took in a sharp breath. Her eyes were hot and her lips glistened invitingly.  An invitation he took hungrily.  He pulled Mackenzie flushed against him as his mouth took hers, his tongue pushing pass her lips, tasting her, teasing her. When she moaned into his mouth, his senses just took completely over.  He filled his hands with her ass cheeks and deepened the kiss, grinding their pelvises together.

He remained in euphoria until he heard his sister’s laughter and Bunny’s outrage. “Woo, hoo, my brother has got game!”

“Kyle!”
 An angry tug on his arm followed the equally angry shout.

Kyle had stumbled back in a daze, looking deeply into Ashley’s eyes.  Ashley swayed towards Kyle, her body automatically following his before she jerked to attention, standing straight.

“Well, now, brother, that was some hot kiss.  All the other guys just gave her a peck on the cheek or a chaste touch of the lips.”  Nancy laughed and then looked at Bunny before adding, “And, look at that, my girl didn’t even have to get butt ass naked and offer to suck his cock.”

When Bunny understood the full import of Nancy’s words she looked down at the large bulge in the front of Kyle’s pants.  Giving another one of her signature angry shouts, Bunny stomped from the room.

Nancy laughed and shook the donation bank in front of Kyle’s face, drawing his attention from Ashley’s eyes.
 “Ok, Kyle, give up the dead presidents.  The orphanage needs a new minivan.”

Kyle looked away, pulling out his wallet.  He opened his billfold, exposing the cash.  “Here, take it all.”  Then while catching Ashley’s gaze again, he added in a husky voice, “It was worth it and more.”

Nancy snatched all the bills from their slot.  “Don’t mind if I do.”  Then in her best Elvis voice she said, “Thank you, thank you very much.”

Kyle had excused himself to get his body back into his control.  Because, kissing Ashley had sent his body into overdrive, he had cooled off in the bathroom and then went to find Bunny.  Bunny had shrewishly screeched her objections to him.

“How dare you humiliate me like that, kissing that… that…n—“

Kyle had been enduring Bunny’s rant in silence but at her searching hesitation for a word for Ashley, Kyle had snapped to sharp attention, narrowing his eyes on Bunny and in a quietly deadly voice warned, “I’d be very, very, careful about the next word that comes out of your mouth.”

Taken aback, Bunny instantly stopped talking and stepped back.  “I-I wasn’t going to say that!”

Kyle studied her for a few more seconds.
 “Good,” He then sighed, “Look, Bunny, it was just a stupid kiss under the mistletoe and it was for charity.”

“You told me there is nothing going on between you two.”

“There isn’t!  Our relationship is strictly that of boss and employee.”

“So, you kiss all your employees and fondle their asses and get ragging hard-ons for them?”

“Listen, I am only going to say this once more and then I am done with this conversation.  There has never or is there now anything between me and Agent Mackenzie.  Other than constantly being summoned to her hospital bed after she has pulled one of her crazy, death wish stunts or me having to reprimand her for not following protocol and policy, and to assign her duties, I don’t have interaction with S.S.A. Mackenzie!”

Bunny had smiled then.  “I’m sorry.  You’re right.  I shouldn’t get upset.  I know there could never be anything between you and that woman.”

They had hugged and Kyle had given Bunny a makeup kiss before returning to the party.  But something had changed inside Kyle when he kissed Agent Mackenzie.  The all-consuming electricity that had arced between them the instant their lips touched had him trying to recreate the feeling with Bunny.  But, it was useless.  No matter how amorous he was with Bunny, he could not bring back the wonderful tingling sensation he had had with Agent Mackenzie.

In the past several years since that perception altering kiss, Kyle had been doing his best to cement his relationship with Bunny and forget Ashley, forget her soft luscious lips, forget her sexy firm ass, forget the heat of her mouth and the honey glide of her tongue.  Absolutely nothing he had done -- extra exercises, extra mile or two added to his run in the mornings, all and any kind of sexual position he could think of to do with Bunny, sexy weekend getaways and steamy hot tub trysts -- could make him forget the wonderful heat between him and his agent.

He tried to avoid her at work except when it was absolutely necessary.  But each time Ashley had gotten hurt or almost hurt, Kyle hadn’t been able to control his emotions towards her. He had gone rushing to her side as though Ashley were his.  He had used his position as her boss to get personal medical information, very personal information.

And the information he had received during her last hospital stay had sent him reeling.  He still constantly thought about the doctor’s words.  At least once a day, the words, 
Ashley Mackenzie has an intact hymen.  Ashley is a virgin,
 went through his mind.

When he had first inquired whether or not Ashley had been raped by the Newburgh Slasher, Kyle had really wanted to know for both business and personal reasons.  He still felt the rage he had felt the first time hearing Ashley had been sodomized.  But, as he listened to the horrible news from the doctor, Kyle was also given a miracle, only seconds later, when the doctor informed him that although Ashley’s anus had needed repair, she still had an intact hymen.

And from that day on Kyle had thanked God for sparing Ashley that pain.  It was also why he asked about her memory every day.  Kyle didn’t want Ashley to remember how she was violated. He had taken certain liberties regarding her medical information.  When she had finally awakened from her coma he had asked the doctor to allow him to tell Ashley of her injuries.  By the time she had been fully cognizant she was almost completely healed.  She had needed some PT to regain her muscle strength and flexibility.  He had told her about the blunt trauma to her head, the removal of her gall bladder and the many bumps, bruises and abrasions.  Kyle had felt no guilt leaving out the information that would haunt and possibly hinder Ashley’s healing progression.

He knew he would have a lot to answer for if she actually ever remembered or if it came up in her therapy.  Kyle would deal with that situation if and when it ever arose.  For now he had to follow his instincts and feelings.  They were telling him he would do anything to protect Ashley.

And, with protecting Ashley uppermost in his mind he said, “I won’t be taking Bunny to the wedding.”

Ashley’s dark gaze probed his for long seconds.  She cleared her throat.  “I’ve remembered something else from our investigation of the Newburgh Slasher.”

Kyle tensed.  “And, that is?”

He grew even more tense and nervous when Ashley hesitated in answering, her hands clasping and unclasping in agitation.  “I-I remember you kissing me, holding me in your arms.  D-did that really happen?”

His eyes became hooded as he watched her closely.  Oh, he remembered every single second of their shared kisses in Newburgh, NY.  He had heard via the grapevine that Ashley once again ignored his direct orders to remain on desk duty until further notice and he had went tearing after her like a crazed lover in the guise of her superior.  

When he first reached Ashley she had been in, what he thought at the time to be, a life and death struggle with a stranger, while wearing only panties.  Kyle had seen red and had ripped the man away from Ashley, flinging him several feet into a dresser.  It had been a misunderstanding which was straightened out fairly quickly.  But Kyle couldn’t forget the very real fear he had felt for Ashley when she had been fighting Chief of Detectives, Jack Gard.

It had been with relief and guilt that he later taken Ashley into his arms and kissed her senseless.   Now he looked at her studying him with her very expressively, curious brown eyes.  The truth slipped easily from his lips.  “Yes, that really happened.”

When all she did was tilt her head and regard him with curiosity, focusing on his lips with a heated intensity and then say, “Ok.”  Kyle gave a sigh in relief.

She spoke softly, “I was wondering if it would be out of line for me to request an extra couple of weeks off before the wedding, seeing as I’ve only been back for 10 days?”

“Agent Mackenzie, that was medical leave due to injuries received in the line of duty.  It’s strictly apples and oranges.  I do believe you have quite a bit of vacation time saved up.  All you need to do is fill out the request forms and I will approve the time.”