To Catch A Cupid: Thomas (MacKenzie Family) (5 page)

Six Weeks Later…

“Your wife is waiting for you in your office,” Janeen said without looking up from her computer screen. “You only have one appointment this afternoon, so the rest of your schedule is clear unless there’s an emergency.”

“Thank God for that,” Thomas murmured. “For a place with such a small population,
it’s always amazed me how many sick people there are.”

Janeen cackled. “
They just like to ogle you and your brothers. You’d think the women in this town would pay attention to the fact that you’re all happily married, but they don’t care a lick.”

“Nah, they might look now and again, but they’re all too afraid of our wives.
We married some dangerous women.”

“You also
married women with common sense, which is a blessing for all the children you boys have managed to sire. You were a bunch of troublemakers growing up. Can’t believe none of you ended up in jail.”

Thomas grinned and went to flip the
Closed
sign on the door before he locked it. “And now we’re all respectable citizens. Whoever would’ve thought?”

“Not anyone who knows you, that’s for damned sure.”

“Go home early, Janeen. People can call the answering service or my home line if they need to. No need to stay and answer the phones.”

“I was going to
leave anyway, but thanks for the suggestion.”

He was laughing as he made his way back to his office,
but the laughter stopped the moment he stepped into his office. Cat sat in the chair behind his desk with her stiletto heels propped on the corner and a Cheshire cat smile on her lips.

She wore a black
skin suit almost identical to the one she’d been wearing the first time they’d met. It hugged every curve he could see and the need to peel her out of it became a priority. Her hair was loose around her shoulders and her lips were slicked with red.

“
Well, well,” he said, locking the door behind him with a decisive click. “It looks like I’m being robbed.”

Her
laugh slid across his skin and heated his blood. “I’m not sure you have anything I want.” Her gaze drifted down to the bulge behind his zipper and she arched a brow. “Maybe you’d better let me see the merchandise.”

Thomas smirked and went to the other door that connected to the main part of the house and then locked it. He didn’t want any interruptions. “Maybe we can work out a deal. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

Her feet dropped to the floor and she stood, her fingers trailing the edge of the desk as she walked toward him. No—walked was the wrong word. Her hips moved with a sensual sway that was almost mesmerizing, and he felt his knees go weak the closer she came.

“What do you have in mind?
” she purred.

“I was thinking about bending you over that chair and fucking your brains out, but if w
e’re not on the same page, I have a chess set in the top shelf of my closet.”

Her laugh bubbled out and her fingers toyed with his belt before tracing the outline of his erection. “I guess we’d better go with option number one. Chess takes too long, and I’ve got a doctor’s appointment this afternoon.”

“It just so happens I’m a doctor.” His hands moved to her waist and he pulled her closer, molding her curves and memorizing the shape of her. His fingers found the zipper at her back and he pulled it down slowly, holding his breath as the fabric loosened and slipped from her shoulders.

“That’s convenient for both of us then. I don’t suppose you make house calls.” She moaned as the flat of his hands stroked her back and peeled away the material.

“House calls are my specialty.” His voice was husky with need and he placed kisses where her skin was exposed.

She wore nothing beneath the suit and his lips clamped over a n
ipple and suckled as he pushed it past her hips. His erection was painful and he stopped undressing her to unbutton his jeans, but he never let go of the tiny bud of her nipple. Her hands moved to his head and she pressed her breast against his mouth while her head dropped back in surrender.

He kissed his way down her stomach and kneeled in front of her, helping her to step out of the suit.

“God, look at you. So wet for me.” The soft curls at the juncture of her thighs glistened with need and he inhaled her scent. His tongue flicked out and she widened her stance so he could reach the hidden bud between her folds.

“Ahh,” she moaned as he kissed the very heat of her, suckling and tonguing her clitoris until he felt the tremors of a building release
in her legs.

“Is this what you normally get from your doctor’s appointments?” he asked, pulling
away to tease her.

Her breathing was labored and a fine sheen of perspiration covered her quivering skin. “Sometimes. And sometimes he gives me a little something extra.”

“Hmm.” Thomas picked her up and took her to the floor so she was flat on her back, moving between her thighs and pushing into her so swiftly her cry of surprise turned into a long, satisfied moan.

“How about now? I always try to satisfy my patients.”

Her legs twined around his waist and she brought her hips up to meet his as he began to pump in and out of her.

“That’s a little better.”

Her muscles tightened around him like a fist and his vision started to dim as he felt the come boiling in his balls and the orgasm gather at the base of his spine. He rocked higher into her and her nails bit into his shoulders as she began to shudder and shake around him.

“A lot—better,” she managed to say just before she cried out his name with her release.

“Thank God,” he said, allowing himself to follow after her.

Thomas managed to keep himself from collapsing on top of her, and he rolled them to their sides, so her leg was hitched over his, their bodies still joined.
Their breathing slowed and their bodies cooled. They’d come a long way in working on their marriage, and if things got any hotter between them he might not survive it.

“I’ve got one more patient and then the afternoon is ours,” he said, kissing her lips softly, then her chin and the top of her shoulder. “What do you say we spend it in bed?”

“I told you I have a doctor’s appointment.”

He pulled back in surprise. “I thought that was part of the game. Are you sick? Do you want me to drive you into the city?”

“I’m your afternoon appointment, Doctor MacKenzie. It turns out those birth control pills you prescribed me were defective.”

He felt the blood drain from his face. “I beg your pardon?”

Her laughter dislodged him from the warmth of her body. “Wow, if you could see the look on your face right now. Are you okay? Do you need some water or something?”

“Wait a minute. Are you telling me you’re pregnant?”

“So it would seem. And it’s all your fault. Those MacKenzie sperm are strong.” Her smile was contagious and he felt the happiness bubbling in his chest.

“Jesus, Cat. That’s four.” He couldn’t seem to stop grinning.

“I know. Are you upset? I know we didn’t plan for it.”

“Of course I’m not upset. How could I ever be when each one was made from the love between us?
And maybe this one will be a girl.”

A tear gathered at the corner of her eye and she dashed it away. “Stupid hormones make me emotional.”

He rolled her back over and kissed her softly, fitting himself between her legs as he hardened once more. He kissed her nipple and watched it pucker beneath the touch, and then he stared deep into her eyes as he slid inside of her again. This time was more about the connection than the physical release. He just wanted to be part of her—joined with her in every way possible.

“How far along?”

Her hands touched his face and down his back, as if she needed the connection as much as he did. “Since Valentine’s Day.”

He moved slowly in long, e
asy strokes. “I should’ve known. There must be something magic in the city.”

“At least in the back of that limo. Maybe our driver was playing Cupid.”

“Then he really deserved the tip I gave him.”

They soon forgot about everything but each other
, and their happiness and love turned to sighs of pleasure.

Liliana Hart is an
award winning author of more than a dozen books. She lives in Texas in a big rambling house with her laptop and cats, and she spends way too much time on Twitter. She loves hearing from her readers.

Connect with me online:

http://twitter.com/Liliana_Hart

http://facebook.com/LilianaHart

My Website:
http://www.lilianahart.com

If you enjoyed reading
TO CATCH A CUPID: THOMAS
, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy this book, too.

Lend it
. This e-book is lending-enabled, so please, share it with a friend.

Recommend it
. Please help other readers find this book by recommending it to friends, readers’ groups and discussion boards.

Review it
. Please tell other readers why you liked this book by reviewing it at Amazon or Goodreads. If you do write a review, please send me an email at
[email protected]
so I can thank you with a personal email. Or visit me at
http://www.lilianahart.com
.

WIN $100!

Beginning in April, I'll be giving away a $100 gift card* on the 15th of the month, and every month after, to one newsletter subscriber. The winner will be announced inside the newsletter, so you'll have to actually open it to see
who won:-) So if you're not a newsletter subscriber, go do it. This will also be open to international readers.

*Must be deliverable online

CLICK HERE TO JOIN!

Coming March 11, 2014!

Chapter One

She was taking a risk. A big one.

Naya Blade parked between two rusted pickup trucks and hit the kickstand of her bike with a booted heel. She turned off the engine and pulled the black helmet from her head, releasing long black hair that cascaded to the middle of her back.

The last dregs of an Indian summer lingered—the air like hot breath slapping against the face, and the vegetation wilted and gasping for moisture. If the weatherman was right, there’d be storms rolling in some time after nightfall and the farmers whose livelihoods depended on their crops could breathe a little easier. The rain would only make her job harder. 

She dismounted
the bike and hooked her sunglasses into the front of her black tank top, then ripped at the Velcro of the black leather fingerless gloves she wore and shoved them in her pack.

Her boots sent up plumes of dust as she made her way up the wooden steps to a row of identical shops. Her footsteps creaked across the clapboard sidewalk as she made her way to the glass door of the diner. She gave a quick wink to the two men playing checkers on the porch and opened the door to a jingle of bells.

“Good afternoon,” the woman behind the counter said. “Just take a seat anywhere. It’s only me working the counters today, so service might be a little slow.”

“I’m not in a hurry.” Naya headed to the far corner booth. 

She moved with a sensual grace that had the two men at the counter following the sway of her hips and wishing they were forty years younger, and she tossed her pack into the seat before sliding in beside it, her back to the wall.

The trip into Surrender hadn’t been her idea. Jackson Coltraine had made that decision for her. An idiot judge in New York had released Coltraine on a million dollar bond after he’d gunned down his wife and her lover in cold blood. But Coltraine’s family had money and the judge didn’t think he’d be a flight risk.
Idiot.

She
’d been two steps behind him all the way across the country. Until she’d caught a lucky break just on the border between South Dakota and Montana. Coltraine had caught some kind of virus that had slowed him down. It was hard to run when you were bent over puking every five minutes. She’d been inching her way closer ever since.

When her skip crossed into Surrender, Naya could only shake her head at the irony that God would give Coltraine the plague but send her into hell with him by making her face a past she wasn’t ready for. Coltraine was in Surrender now. She could feel him. She just had to find him.

“You’re a little past the lunch rush,” the waitress said, making her way to the table. She had faded red hair and her rouge fell into deep creases of skin. Her eyebrows were drawn on and her lipstick was fresh and cherry red. She wore jeans and a stained apron that wrapped around her bony body a couple of times. “We’re about out of everything except for cold sandwiches and what’s left of the vegetable stew. My name’s Gladys.”

Naya’s lips twitched as the woman slapped down a plastic menu on the table. “A sandwich will be fine. And some coffee.”

“Tourist season is over. Last of the vacationers headed out last week. It’s still warm enough, but the weather’s about to turn. You’d be smart to vacation somewhere else.”

“I’m here on business.”

“Never seen no businesswoman riding into town on a motorcycle. You a drug dealer?”

“No, ma
’am. “

Gladys harrumphed and fisted a hand on her hip. “It’s a good thing too. Our sheriff helped the DEA shut down a drug ring not too long ago.”

“Is that right?”  Naya had briefly met Cooper MacKenzie on her last visit in Surrender. She was almost positive he wasn’t going to be happy to see her again.

“Don’t think because we’re small that we let any trouble get past us. I got a sawed off big as Leroy’s arm over there behind the counter.”

“I’m sure that makes your customers feel very safe,” Naya said deadpan.

“And the deputies are just as qualified as the sheriff.”

“Is it a big department then?” The last time Naya had been in Surrender there’d been Sheriff MacKenzie, Deputy Lane Greyson, and the little busybody who worked in the office and knew everyone’s business.

“We’ve got two deputies now. One is ex-military. Doesn’t say much. Looks like he’d be a good knife thrower. But Lord, that man has a nice behind.”

  Yeah, that was a pretty accurate description of Greyson. “What about the other?”

“You sure do ask a lot of questions. I don’t
got time to stand around and blab all day. Let me get your sandwich and coffee.”

Gladys went back to the kitchen with a swish of bony hips and a chip on her shoulder that probably weighed as much as she did. Naya had always found Surrender to be an interesting little town.
Especially the mix of people who lived there. It was certainly different from her Brooklyn neighborhood and the one-bedroom apartment she rented.

Naya checked her email and sent her boss an update on her progress, and a few minutes later Gladys hustled back out with her food. The sandwich was thick as a brick and made her mouth water at the sight of it. Homemade potato chips were piled high beside it.

“Here you go,” Gladys said. “And here’s the check. The total is five, but I suggest you leave a ten.”

“Seems reasonable enough to me.” Naya slipped the photograph out of her bag along with a twenty-dollar bill. “Do you recognize this man? He would’ve gotten into town yesterday.”

Gladys’s penciled eyebrows raised almost to her brow and she slipped the twenty into her apron pocket. “Haven’t seen him. But if he’s in town he won’t be able to keep it secret long. We’ve only got the one main road here. Though if he’s a good camper there’s plenty of places he could be. He your ex or something?”

“He’s a fugitive. And he’s dangerous. If you see him give me a call.” Naya passed her card over, and Gladys didn’t even glance at it as she tucked it away with the twenty.

“I thought I recognized you.” Gladys pinched her lips in a tight line. “You were here before. Girl, you are trouble with a capital T.”

Naya winked and picked up her sandwich. “Being good is no fun at all.”

Gladys cackled and headed back behind the counter. “Don’t I know it. Take your time with your lunch.”

As much as she wanted to, she didn’t have extra time to spare, so Naya ate quickly and nodded to Gladys as she went back outside. The men who’d been playing checkers were still there, though it looked like neither of them had made a move since she’d gone inside.

Gladys had been right. There were a lot of places a lone man could hide in the area. Surrender sat nestled in a valley with only one road leading in and out of town. Businesses with matching black awnings and clapboard wooden sidewalks lined each side of the street in a neat row. The only anomaly was the large metal building that said Charlie’s Automotive at the opposite end.

The people of Surrender were ranchers and farmers for the most part. There were no subdivisions with tract style housing. Neighbors were spread far and wide and there was no such thing as a quick trip into town. She had her work cut out for her. And if she could do it without running into the one person she was hoping to avoid,
all the better.

Naya looked up and down the street both ways and then moved back toward her bike. She looked it over out of habit to make sure no one had messed with it and then grabbed the helmet.

She felt him before she heard him and knew it was too late. The handcuff snapped around her wrist and the helmet fell to the ground. Her arms were pulled behind her back as the other cuff snapped onto her other wrist.

She gritted her teeth as the metal bit into her skin and she turned her head so she could look her captor in the eyes—green eyes with impossibly long lashes she’d always envied—and they were narrowed in suspicion.

“Hello, Naya.”

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Deputy Greyson in the flesh.”