The Mane Event
Page 19

That throat clearing again. Well, that would start getting on his damn nerves. Regretfully, he pulled away from her, looking down into her beautiful face. He could smell her lust for him. He would bet Dez was as wet as he was hard. Maybe they could just go to the Ritz and have dinner after some serious fucking? Nah. Dez was too nice a girl for that.
Dammit.
Excuse me?
Mace glowered at the strange voice speaking to him. Without looking away from Dez, Who is that?
Thats my exMattuhsomebody
Mace beamed in absolute delight. Shed forgotten the mans name. The name that once belonged to her. Good job, Llewellyn.
Growling low, Mace turned just his head to glare at Dezs ex. The man physically blanched and probably didnt even realize he backed up several steps. Mace really wanted to shift right then and there. Rip the mans throat out and bring his lifeless corpse back to Dez as a kind of pre-wedding gift. Although right in the middle of Macysthat might be a bit tacky. Even for him.
Go. Away.
Whatever expression Mace had on his face, he didnt have to repeat himself. No-neck stumbled back a couple more steps, turned, and quickly walked away with a See ya, Dez tossed over his shoulder. Mace watched until he couldnt see him anymore, then he turned back to Dez. He still had her undivided attention. Good.
His hand slid around to cup her cheek, using his thumb to trace the line of her mouth. That was better than Id ever imagined. Like ten thousand times better.
Dez swallowed. Good to know.
They gazed at each other, and Mace wondered if shed be amenable to a quickie in one of the changing rooms. Just to take the edge off. Nah. She was too nice for that. Dammit.
Mace Llewellyn! What the hell are you doin? Let that little girl go.
Mace ignored Sissy Mae, but Dez apparently remembered they werent alone. That they were actually in the middle of a major department store, making out in the lingerie section. Her hands suddenly released the grip she had on his hair and began to push on his chest as she pulled away from him.
He growled. Really, how attached could Smitty be to his sister? Would he really notice if Mace killed her?
She lost her fucking mind! What the hell was she doing? Why hadnt she decked him? Kicked him in the nuts? Set his hair on fire? Something! Other than kissing the presumptuous bastard back.
Her sisters were right. She had no friggin sense.
Are you okay, darlin? Dez looked into the face of a woman who had to be Smittys sister. She looked exactly like him, only a smaller, girl version.
Dez took a deep breath as she took another step away from Mace. Yeah. Yeah. Sure, Im fine.
The woman took hold of her wrist with a vicelike grip. Well, why dont you and I stop by the little girls room. Give you a little time to compose yourself.
Mace suddenly tore his eyes away from Dezs face to glare at her rescuer. She looks fine to me.
Thats cause youre a boy and you wouldnt know any better. She walked off, yanking Dez behind her.
Christ! What a strong female. Strong as an ox.
The two women wandered around until they discovered a bathroom, while the woman introduced herself in one long rush as Sissy Mae Smith. Smittys baby sister. Everybody just calls me Sissy. Or Sissy Mae. Some call me Mae. But I really dont like that. So you can call me Sissy. Or Sissy Mae, while dragging Dez into the bathroom with her.
Thankfully empty, Dez gripped a corner of one of the bathroom sinks and took in a couple of deep, calming breaths.
That Mace sure does have a way, dont he?
You could say that. Dez splashed some cold water on her face. As she dried off with a paper towel, You know, Ive been up against guys covered in the blood of their coworkers. Ive faced off against stone-cold contract killers who thought they had nothin to lose. Ive even gone toe to toe with a sixteen-foot python that had recently finished digesting its owner and I could tell he wanted me as the tasty dessert. And yet, none of that freaked me out as much as Mace Llewellyn does.
Sissy chuckled as she put on a dab of lip gloss. Yeah, I know. Thats our Mace.
Dez turned and leaned her butt against the sink, her arms crossed in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak but realized she had nothing to say. Or maybe she had way too much to say.
Sissy continued to touch up her makeup, but Dez could feel the woman watching her. She hated that. If there was something to say, then freakin say it.
What? The woman caught her making out in the lingerie department; normal pleasantries one has with a stranger didnt seem to apply anymore. Why do you keep staring at me?
Can I ask you a question? Sissys accent flowed as thick as molasses. And she spoke as fast as Smitty talked slow. If the two didnt look so similar, Dez would have never guessed they grew up in the same house.
Why not?
Sissy put her makeup away in her small leather purse and turned to face Dez. You and Mace
Whoa, Gidget. There is no me and Mace.
My names Sissy Mae. Or Sissy. Or
What Im trying to say is that there is Mace period. And Dez period. There is no combining of the two. We are two separate sentences.