She shook her head, then stared at him for a moment longer. The shock slowly faded to amusement. A small laugh came from her, then another, until she was laughing so hard she doubled over. “Oh, my God.” She gasped, pressing her hand into her side. “You people could give Scare Tactics a run for their money. That was awesome.”
“And you.” She stepped over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, gazing up at him with her eyes full of happiness and awe. “Baby, you just took Gayle’s bag of dares to a whole new level. You just wait for what I pull out for you to do next.”
She tugged his head down and pressed her lips against his. Her warning was something to look forward to. Hell, he had a lot to look forward to. Finding out more of Gayle’s Achilles’ heels and using them to do crazy things like this were one of them. Yeah, he could definitely see himself spending a lifetime concocting his next dare for her.
And a lifetime anticipating hers. He hoped nothing changed that.
Chapter Fourteen
How was she going to tell him?
Gayle leaned against the doorframe of her workroom and studied Mac as he sat on the couch watching a fight. Things between them had been going so well. After the ghost prank three days ago, she had been racking her brain for a dare that would top it. So far, nothing had come to mind.
Now it was possible that even if she thought of something, she’d never get to issue him the challenge.
The storm had arrived. Both literally and figuratively.
The two fronts that were about to collide would bring another massive outbreak of severe weather. She wouldn’t lie to him, though she was ashamed to admit she was real tempted.
This was the last hurtle.
The real test—another huge, dangerous system. The last one they’d experienced together had turned deadly. And this time he wouldn’t be with her. Could he take it—the fear for her safety? Or would he turn tail and run back to Atlanta?
The reality that she could still lose him—really lose him—hit her like a ton of bricks.
Because she’d gone and done the one thing she’d sworn to protect herself from—she’d fallen in love. With a man who was as wrong for her as it got. Even while he was so damn right.
Love alone wouldn’t save them, wouldn’t keep them together. She was terrified it wouldn’t be strong enough. Not against a killer storm and the fears it brought to the surface.
At the thought, her stomach knotted.
The fight on TV ended, and Mac clicked off the set. Concern furrowed his brows when he saw her expression. “What’s up?”
“Rick and I are leaving in the morning,” she said, stepping into the living room.
“Okay.”
No hesitation, just quick acceptance. She wavered about telling him the rest. But shook off the idea of lying. No. The only way to know if they were going to work was complete honesty.
“Mac. It’s a big system. I’ll be gone for a few days.”
The blankness in his eyes slowly diminished as her words sank in, replaced by anxious understanding. He swallowed, then averted his gaze. “Like the one we went on before?”
“Yeah.”
Nodding, he sucked on his teeth, then inhaled deeply. “Well.” He scrubbed his hand over his mouth. “We knew this was coming.”
Not really the reassurance she was looking for. “Yeah, we did.”
Tension crept between them. Mac vigorously shook his head, then grabbed her hand. Next thing she knew, he was tugging her up to her room. As they reached the edge of her bed, he spun her in front of him, cupped her face between his hands, and attacked her mouth with his.
That’s when she realized he was just as terrified of the outcome as she was.
Throwing her arms around his neck, she parted her lips and welcomed his tongue. Frantic hands fumbled with clothes and tossed them across the room. Naked, they fell on the bed, legs tangled. As he rolled her beneath him and settled between her thighs, their gazes locked. While he brushed back her hair, she cupped his jaw. No words were needed. Everything needing to be said was being done so by the fear saturating this moment.
As he entered her and began to thrust, they never lost eye contact. Taking a moment to just feel the other. Because the feelings were becoming too much. They stayed together, connected. Both knowing that tomorrow their connection could be forever broken.
Afterward, Mac tucked his body against her side, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. He kissed the top of her head, and muttered, “Everything will be okay.”
As she squeezed closer to him, she could only hope that was true.
Feeling like a hundred pound barbell had formed in his stomach, Mac watched Gayle pack the SUV. Yesterday when she’d told him about the huge system she was going after, he’d felt like he’d been hit with a blinding right hook. The daze still hadn’t cleared from his head.
Gayle was about to put herself in harm’s way.