Sins and Scarlet Lace

chapter THIRTEEN

Sophia felt as if she’d fallen into a rabbit hole as they made their way through the town. Declan waved at a few townspeople as they passed by.

“We won’t stay long,” he said, turning left on one of the one-lane roads just past the town. “I know you’re tired, but this is a good chance to fill everyone in at the same time and let them know I want them to increase their own security.”

“You don’t need to drag them into this, Dec.”

“That’s the thing about this family, sweetheart. I don’t have to drag them anywhere. They’ll be there whether I want them to or not. And they’ll do it for you too just because I love you.”

“You shouldn’t say things like that.” She looked out the window as they drove past miles of white rail fences.

“I figure if I say it enough then you’ll start to believe me again.”

“Sometimes love isn’t enough. We’ve both changed over ten years, and I need something a hell of a lot more than your love. I need to be able to trust you again. To count on you when the times get tough. And I just can’t do that.”

Dec turned onto another road that cut into the rail fence, and Sophia caught her breath as she realized it was a long driveway that went on for more than half a mile. Trees lined each side of the drive all the way down and a tire swing hung from one of them. Horses roamed freely in the pasture to the side and the sunlight glanced off the big lake at the back of the property.

The house itself was a mismatch of stone and wood, and it looked as if rooms had been added as the space was needed. It was long and stood a full two stories with a wide porch that surrounded it on all sides. It looked like they were adding on some more at one end of the house, and as they got closer she saw the sign that said Dr. MacKenzie’s Office and a sign that pointed to patient parking.

“This house used to belong to my aunt and uncle—my dad’s older brother,” Dec said. “When they died my cousins were all still fairly young. Cooper had just gotten out of the military, and Dane and Riley were both in college, but Thomas, the youngest was still in high school. So they all lived here together until Thomas went away to medical school. He took over as the town doctor almost ten years ago and he uses one end of the house for his practice. As you can see by the size, business is booming.”

“There are a lot of cars,” she said, trying to count the haphazardly parked vehicles in front of the house. “How does he have time to see all the patients?”

Dec laughed and pulled in next to a bright red SUV that belonged to his cousin Dane. “All the patients are gone for the day. These cars all belong to MacKenzies. I told you there were a lot of us. Come on, I’ll walk you around the lake a bit and show you the land before you have to face everyone. You’re the only woman I’ve ever brought home, and everyone knows about you from before, so you can expect the ladies to be curious. And they won’t be subtle about it. I’m not sure the word MacKenzie and subtle are two that go together.”

Sophia let Declan take her hand and lead her past the house and down to the lake. She wasn’t sure how she felt about being put under the microscope for all MacKenzies to see, but she could admit her own curiosity about his family. She’d never gotten to see Declan in that kind of environment when they were together before, how he interacted with his family and how they interacted with him.

“You see that house there?” he said, pointing directly across the lake. “That’s my parents’ house. My dad was the youngest, so this house we’re at now is actually the original MacKenzie homestead. The main structure dates back to the early 1800s. And every generation has added something new as the family expanded. When my parents married they built that house across the lake. The design mirrors the original structure here exactly, and then they expanded it so it would hold five children and all their friends. My cousins have all stayed close. They each have homes on this property. My parents are gone on another of their world travels. They only spend time here now when they know the whole family is going to be around.”

She didn’t interrupt or ask questions as he talked about his family. He might not realize it yet, but he missed them more than he thought. The sadness in his voice was unmistakable, and she got the impression that he was tired of living the life he’d chosen. If he didn’t slow down and find something to balance out the horror he dealt with on a daily basis he was going to crash and burn.

“Thomas is married to Cat,” he continued. “And they live in this house with their four children, so you can see the need for that extra wing they’re building. Cat has some useful skills from her former life, so she does the occasional contract work for MacKenzie Security, but only the jobs where I know she won’t be in danger.”

“You saw Charlie’s Automotive on the way in, and that shop belongs to my cousin Dane’s wife. She’s about forty-two months pregnant right now with their fourth child though so she’s not able to get under the hood, and she’s cranky about it because Dane is making her stay home until the baby is born. I think he’s probably sleeping on the couch a lot these days.”

“I can’t say I blame her. She’s probably going crazy without anything to do.” Though the thought of a hugely pregnant woman trying to maneuver her way under the hood was amusing.

“Hunh,” he said. “I’m sure we’ll get to hear all about it at dinner. There are so many pregnant women in this family at one time or another it’s hard to keep track. We like big families.”

“And sex, apparently,” she said dryly.

His lips quirked and she realized how rare this playful side of Declan was. “That goes without saying. Then there’s my other cousin Riley and his wife and their three kids. He’s a professor at one of the private colleges a couple of hours from here. And you met Cooper already. His wife’s name is Claire and she’s the librarian here in Surrender. My brother Grant and his wife and kids will be here too.”

“I remember meeting him before. He’s the quiet one and has those serious brown eyes. You and Cooper look like you should be brothers instead.”

“We get that a lot. Me and Cooper and Cade and Darcy all take after the MacKenzie side in coloring. We’ve got a picture in the house of my great-great grandfather who looks so much like Cade that it’s eerie. Blood is a weird thing.”

He changed their direction and led her back in the direction of the house. She hadn’t realized how far they’d walked, and the smells coming from the house made her mouth water. It had been a long time since she’d had a home cooked family meal, not since before her mother had died.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “What you’ve all made here. And you probably don’t realize how lucky you are to have this to come home to, or to have that built in support system. I can’t tell you how many times over the last several years I wished my parents were still alive or that I’d been lucky enough to have brothers and sisters to call once everything started spiraling.”

“You called me,” he said softly.

The laugh that escaped her lips was sardonic, and she looked out over the lake as the sun started to set. “I guess that should tell you just how desperate I was.”

“I would’ve been there whether you’d called me or not,” he said, taking her hand so she couldn’t keep walking. “I bloodied more than one lip and blackened more than one eye when I found out they were bringing you in, and I did the only thing I could do to make sure they kept me in the loop and didn’t push me out completely. You have to believe that, Soph. I would never leave you stranded that way, without someone in your corner to fight on your behalf.”

She let out the breath she’d been holding slowly. “It didn’t feel that way at the time, that’s for sure. But you’re still here trying to take over my life, so maybe you’re being honest with me.”

“There’s another reason why you called me instead of an attorney or anyone else who might have been able to help you.”

“Because I’m a glutton for punishment?”

“No,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing the palm softly, making her heart turn over in her chest. “Because even though we’ve had our struggles and I was an idiot for doing what I thought was right by sending you away, you realized something when your back was against the wall.” His gaze followed to her lips where she was biting down nervously. “You realized, that despite everything, I’m your family too.”

And then she stopped breathing altogether as his lips came down on hers. Fire rushed beneath her skin and bombs exploded in her head. His hunger took her by surprise, and she realized just how much he’d been holding back during their exploits. There were no handcuffs strong enough to restrain this man when his need was so fierce.

She ached to the depths of her soul for this man—only for him. His arms circled her waist and he pulled her close, so his erection pressed against her belly, and his lips slanted over hers as his tongue invaded her mouth. Heat surrounded her, enflamed her, and she gave back as good as he was giving, sucking on his tongue until she felt his harsh growl rumble in his throat.

How had she ever thought she’d escape Declan MacKenzie with her whole heart? The games they’d been playing where she’d had the illusion of control weren’t going to work anymore. She needed him hot and hard inside of her, dominating her and taking her the way he had so many years before. His mouth had satisfied her but it hadn’t quenched the fire of her desire.

The consequences would have to be dealt with later, and she hoped spending another night in Declan’s bed would make up for the heartbreak he was sure to give her again before their time together was through.

“Hey, Kissyface,” Cooper called out from the back porch. “Dinner’s ready.”

Sophia didn’t think she’d ever laughed during a kiss before, but when they pulled apart they were having trouble holding it together.

“Maybe you can get Darcy to put itching powder in his jock strap,” she suggested.

“Oh, she did something much better to him than itching powder. Being the only girl and the youngest in a family of nine boys makes you more imaginative than the average eight year old girl.”

“Maybe I need to get some tips from her on how to handle MacKenzie men.”

“I shudder to think,” he said, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Besides, I’ll let you handle me any time you want to. All you have to do is ask.”